The Cleveland Browns wrapped up their preseason with a loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday. Now, all eyes have turned towards August 27th, the roster cutdown date. The Browns and the rest of the league will decide on their final 53-man roster for the 2024 NFL season.
This means hundreds of NFL players will be cut between Sunday and Tuesday. It will likely include these 11 players who are currently on the Browns' 90-man roster.
1. Tyler Huntley, QB
The Browns entered the preseason with arguably the deepest and most talented quarterback rotation in the entire league. After the backup QB situation was a major problem for them last year, the Browns took the competition very seriously this offseason, adding Jameis Winston and Tyler Huntley in free agency.
Huntley has shown he could be a competent QB2 in the league, backing up Lamar Jackson in Baltimore for the past couple of seasons.
However, over the past few months in Cleveland, he hasn't been able to beat out his competition. Dorian Thompson-Robinson has outplayed Huntley throughout training camp after a disappointing rookie season.
This makes Huntley superfluous in the Browns' 53-man rotation. He could be traded before Tuesday if there are quarterback-needy suitors, but the return will be negligible. The more likely scenario is that Huntley gets waived and claimed by a team wanting to take a chance on the talented Pro Bowler.
2. Aidan Robbins, RB
The Browns' running back rotation is filled with uncertainty heading into the season. Three out of the four lead rushers are all banged up with their statuses for Week 1 up in the air.
Nick Chubb is still recovering from his season-ending injury from last year. D'Onta Foreman sustained a rib injury in the preseason finale against Seattle, and Pierre Strong Jr. left Wednesday's practice in an ambulance after suffering a rib injury.
That leaves Jerome Ford as the only healthy and available running back in Cleveland right now.
Despite all this, Aidan Robbins is unlikely to crack the 53-man rotation. The undrafted free agent rookie out of BYU had the largest role in the running back rotation during the preseason but failed to impress.
The 23-year-old rusher had 19 attempts for 61 yards and a touchdown, averaging 3.21 yards per carry in three preseason games.
Chubb might start the season on injured reserve and the Browns will have Ford as their RB1 to begin the year. They will also likely have two more running backs on the final roster between Foreman, Strong Jr., and Nyheim Hines, who is still recovering from an ACL injury. Robbins will certainly not be one of them.
3. Michael Woods II, WR
Michael Woods has come back strong from injury and has looked good in the preseason. The former sixth-round pick had ruptured his Achilles back in April 2023, missing the entire season. The talented receiver out of Oklahoma has some intriguing upside but he will find it hard to crack the rotation in Cleveland.
If this was last year, Woods could have made the cut as the WR6. However, the Browns have a deep and talented receiver group.
Amari Cooper, Jerry Jeudy, and Elijah Moore are the starters, and Cedric Tillman and David Bell are the backups, making up a strong unit. The fifth-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Jamari Thrash has been productive in the preseason, getting his first touchdown in the finale. He should firmly be ahead of Woods.
The Browns would like to get Woods on the practice squad if possible but the 24-year-old may have suitors elsewhere.
4. James Proche II, WR
Proche will find it similarly difficult to find himself a role on the offense. He was exclusively used as a punt returner last season in the 10 games he played after being signed to the active roster on November 7. Even though he re-signed in Cleveland once free agency started, he may not be worth a roster spot.
Nyheim Hines has extensive experience as a punt returner and Pierre Strong Jr. and Jerome Ford could be used in that role too. Proche isn't necessarily a dominant return specialist who can't be replaced. There's plenty of talent among the skill players, who could take over those duties.
Proche was a promising playmaker during his SMU days, notching 27 touchdowns in the final two seasons of his career. In his senior year, he led the nation in receptions with 112 catches.
He was drafted by the Ravens in the sixth round in the 2020 NFL Draft but never got his offensive game going in the NFL. He will likely land elsewhere after he gets cut by the Browns.
5. Zaire Mitchell-Paden, TE
The talented tight end has been one of the standouts of the summer with a strong training camp and preseason. Mitchell-Paden, who has been a member of the Browns' practice squad for the past two seasons, looked like a decent bet to make the 53-man roster until the preseason finale.
Unfortunately, however, he had multiple dropped passes against Seattle, jeopardizing his roster spot. David Njoku and Jordan Akins are locks to be the TE1 and TE2. Giovanni Ricci was waived last week after an injury and the only other tight end on the roster is undrafted rookie Treyton Welch.
On paper, this could allow Mitchell-Paden to make the final cut but the Browns may prefer to try to get the former Florida Atlantic product on the practice squad. This means they would likely get a third tight end off waivers once teams begin releasing players.
6. Lucas Havrisik, K
Cleveland traded Cade York to the Washington Commanders for a seventh-round pick last week, opening up a roster spot before their preseason finale against the Seahawks. While Dustin Hopkins rested again, they brought in a familiar face in Lucas Havrisik.
Havrisik has previously spent time in Cleveland as he was on the practice squad to start the 2023 season. He was signed to the Rams mid-season before getting waived towards the end of the year. The Browns signed him to a reserve/future contract in the offseason before getting waived in June.
Hopkins isn't going anywhere as he signed a massive three-year deal with the Browns this offseason. The Browns like to keep a kicker in the practice squad and Havrisik could be an option as Hopkins insurance. Yet, after an underwhelming 2023 season with the Rams, where he made 15/20 of his field goals, it's hard to see Havrisik being more than a backup in the immediate future.
7. Siaki Ika, DT
The Browns made upgrades to their defensive tackle room in the offseason, signing Quinton Jefferson and drafting Mike Hall and Jowon Briggs. They had already re-signed Shelby Harris and Maurice Hurst to begin free agency.
This makes the position stacked both in terms of quantity and quality. Dalvin Tomlinson and Harris are projected to be starters with Hurst and Jefferson as backups. It leaves no room for recent third-round pick Siaki Ika.
The Browns had high hopes for the Baylor standout last year, but Ika failed to establish his career as he barely saw the field. Ika couldn't make an impact in the rare opportunities he got towards the end of the year after Hurst went down.
If Cleveland hadn't addressed the position, there was a world in which Ika recieved another chance in his second season. Now, there is no path for him to have a role. He will go down as another project draft pick of the Browns that didn't work out.
8. Sam Kamara, DE
Kamara is another Browns defensive lineman who will get squeezed out of the roster.
Cleveland has Myles Garrett, Za'Darius Smith, Dalvin Tomlinson, and Shelby Harris as the starters in the base defensive formation. Ogbo Okoronkwo, Isaiah McGuire, Michael Hall, Maurice Hurst, Quinton Jefferson, and Alex Wright make up the rest of the rotation to start the season. It's hard to see Sam Kamara cracking this group.
After signing with the Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2021, Kamara has been trying to establish his NFL career, spending the last two seasons with the Browns. He appeared in the Browns' season finales in both seasons for three total games and seven tackles.
Kamara is entering his age-27 season and there is probably not enough upside here to keep him around. As a familiar face, he could perhaps make the practice squad for another season but is unlikely to play a role in Cleveland any time soon.
9. Landon Honeycutt, LB
The Browns linebacker room saw significant changes this offseason as they signed Jordan Hicks and Devin Bush in free agency. Along with Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, that trio will carry a significant load to start the season.
However, it is still one of the weaker positions for the team heading into Week 1. The Browns could look to make more additions between now and then but it's almost impossible to see Landon Honeycutt cracking the 53-man roster. The undrafted rookie out of Mars Hill made the training camp roster after being in the Browns minicamp on a tryout basis.
Mohamoud Diabate and 2024 sixth-rounder Nathaniel Watson will be depth options at linebacker with Caleb Johnson and Tony Fields vying for one of the final spots.
10. Caleb Johnson, LB
That competition will likely not work out well for Johnson. Despite leading the Browns in tackles in the preseason with 14, Johnson will likely be among the final cuts before Tuesday.
Johnson signed a reserve/futures contract with the Browns in January after spending his rookie season on the practice squads of the Jets, Steelers, and the Cardinals.
Tony Fields is likely going to be the sixth linebacker on the final roster due to his special teams impact.
11. Justin Hardee Sr, CB
The Browns signed veteran cornerback and special teamer Justin Hardee earlier in the offseason. The 30-year-old former Pro Bowler had spent the last three seasons with the New York Jets.
Despite his special teams impact, Hardee will find it difficult to find himself a spot in the 53-man roster. The former Illinois standout hasn't played a defensive snap in the last two seasons, exclusively being used as a special teamer, making it hard to justify using a roster spot on him.
The Browns continue to have one of the best cornerback groups in the league with Denzel Ward, Martin Emerson, and Greg Newsome. They will be backed up by Cam Mitchell and rookie Myles Harden, rounding out the CB rotation for the season.
Hardee can be useful to keep around in the practice squad but it's hard to foresee a larger role for him at this stage of his career.
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