Cleveland Browns’ 53-man roster, first priority waivers and how it works

What’s next for the Cleveland Browns’ roster?

The Cleveland Browns officially cut down their 53-man roster on Saturday. It’s important to remember that by no means is this the final version of the roster.

The Browns get the first shot at every newly available player in the NFL’s waiver process. It is an opportunity for the team to improve the depth of their overall roster and they should be very active.

Making Moves

The Browns made a significant move before waivers when they traded for Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Sammie Coates. The Browns returned a 2018 6th round pick that they acquired from the Steelers in the Justin Gilbert trade for Coates and a 2019 7th round pick.

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Coates provides some much needed experience and talent to the Browns wide receiving corp.

The Browns could very likely add another wide receiver off of waivers as they attempt to bolster the talent around their rookie quarterback, DeShone Kizer.

Wait, what?

During every NFL preseason teams surprises us with a cut or two that we never saw coming. This year that cut is John Greco. The versatile offensive lineman has served as a safety blanket of sorts for the Browns’ offensive line.

He has been called on to fill in at multiple positions on the Browns line and has always been a steadying presence. However, the Browns decided to cut Greco, according to scout.com.

Greco was returning from Lisfranc surgery in the offseason and found himself on the field for the majority of the Browns fourth preseason game.

Here is the Browns’ current 53-man roster:

Offense

Quarterback

1. DeShone Kizer
2. Cody Kessler
3. Kevin Hogan

Running Back

1. Isaiah Crowell
2. Duke Johnson
3. Matthew Dayes
4. Danny Vitale (FB)

Wide Receiver

1. Corey Coleman
2. Kenny Britt
3. Sammie Coates
4. Ricardo Louis
5. Rashard Higgins

Tight End

1. Randall Telfer
2. Seth DeValve
3. David Njoku

Offensive Line

1. Joe Thomas
2. Joel Bitonio
3. J.C. Tretter
4. Kevin Zeitler
5. Shon Coleman
6. Spencer Drango
7. Rod Johnson
8. Marcus Martin
9. Austin Reiter
10. Zach Sterup

Defense

Safety

1. Jabrill Peppers
2. Derrick Kindred
3. Ibraheim Campbell
4. Kai Nacua
5. Calvin Pryor

Cornerback

Cleveland Browns

1. Jamar Taylor
2. Jason McCourty
3. Briean Boddy-Calhoun
4. Marcus Burley
5. Darius Hillary

Middle Linebacker

1. Joe Schobert
2. Dominique Alexander

Outside Linebacker

1. Jamie Collins
2. Christian Kirksey
3. James Burgess

Defensive Line

1. Myles Garrett
2. Danny Shelton
3. Emmanuel Ogbah
4. Carl Nassib
5. Trevon Coley
6. Larry Ogunjobi
7. Jamie Meder
8. Nate Orchard
9. Tyrone Holmes
10. Caleb Brantley

Special Teams

Punter

1. Britton Colquitt

Kicker

1. Zane Gonzalez

Long Snapper

1. Charley Hughlett

What’s next?

With just under 1,200 players getting cut and looking for somewhere to land, there are a number of players on that roster that aren’t safe yet. The Browns will be adding players from the pool of available players on waivers. Thus, resulting in players that are currently on the roster being displaced to make room for a potential upgrade.

Cleveland has the first priority and needs to submit a list of players they intend to claim by noon on Sunday, according to SI.com.

Next: What if Kizer plays well but a QB is drafted in RD.1 in 2018?

Any player without a team and less than four years of experience can be claimed via waivers. Players with four or more years experience are now free agents. The fun has just begun.