Tuesday’s Cleveland Browns practice might have been the first — and last — in NFL history with four quarterbacks and just two running backs and two tight ends on the field.
Strange things happen as teams go through roster deadline gymnastics, and Tuesday was the final call to get rosters to the regular-season size of 53. More moves are coming over the next two days, with waivers being processed Wednesday and practice squads across the league able to be formally constructed afterward.
What’s done for now is the Browns’ initial 53 players, and in no way is it the final roster for the Sept. 8 opener. They trimmed to just two running backs Tuesday when they cut D’Onta Foreman and finalized expected moves to keep Nick Chubb on the physically unable to perform list and Nyheim Hines on the non-football injury list. Jerome Ford is the starter for now, Pierre Strong Jr. is next in line and the team will either add another running back later this week or bring Foreman back — and potentially both if Foreman lands back on the practice squad. Chubb and Hines will be out for at least the season’s first four games.
There were some mild surprises among the moves the Browns made to get to the 53-man limit with Foreman and Germain Ifedi, who was most recently first in line at left tackle, being released. Probably most surprising was Cleveland keeping all four quarterbacks it’s had on the roster since March.
We have our initial 53!
📰» https://t.co/ciVMEf1GMp pic.twitter.com/gfVzschBEB
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) August 27, 2024
The team had pretty much conceded it would keep either Tyler Huntley or Dorian Thompson-Robinson behind starter Deshaun Watson and primary backup Jameis Winston. Probably most likely is the Browns move on from either Huntley or Thompson-Robinson after making an addition at another position in the coming days, though there’s a chance they could hold all four in hopes of landing something more significant in a quarterback trade down the road.
For an established team such as the Browns, the most notable roster moves this week probably were going to be activations from the training camp injury lists. Participating in their first practices Tuesday were offensive tackle Jack Conklin (knee) and cornerback Greg Newsome II (hamstring). Conklin might be the left tackle in the season opener as Jedrick Wills Jr. also was activated but hasn’t yet returned to practice. Conklin played left tackle in college and spot duty early in his NFL career, but he’s been a right tackle since joining the Browns in 2020.
Newsome, who had surgery in July, said Tuesday he’s “1,000 percent” planning to play in the opener and that he wanted to return to practice earlier this month. Denzel Ward, the team’s top cornerback, remains in concussion protocol after suffering what’s at least his fifth known concussion in practice on Aug. 12.
Browns rookie defensive tackle Mike Hall Jr. was placed on the commissioner exempt list in the wake of his Aug. 13 arrest on a domestic violence charge. Hall doesn’t count against the 53-man roster limit until NFL commissioner Roger Goodell decides he can or can’t rejoin the team.
Veterans like Foreman, Ifedi, cornerbacks Justin Hardee Sr. and Tony Brown II, and wide receiver James Proche were cut, not waived. That’s an important designation because those players aren’t subject to waivers and can sign with any team — including back to the Browns — immediately. If Cleveland claims a player (or players) on Wednesday, it’ll have to make corresponding roster deletions.
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Waived Tuesday were defensive tackle Jowon Briggs, defensive tackle Sam Kamara, offensive tackle Lorenzo Thompson, defensive tackle Siaki Ika, wide receiver Jaelon Darden, wide receiver Michael Woods II, tight end Zaire Mitchell-Paden, linebacker Winston Reid, tight end Treyton Welch, wide receiver Ahmarean Brown and safety Christopher Edmonds. Expect players such as Briggs, Kamara, Thompson, Ike Woods, Darden and Edmonds to be considered for the team’s practice squad unless they’re claimed by another team.
The Browns also placed veteran offensive lineman Michael Dunn on the non-football illness list with a designation that makes him eligible to return later in the season. Center Luke Wypler was placed on the season-ending injured reserve list.
The Browns are likely to explore the waiver wire and available veterans for additional help at tight end, running back and potentially across the defensive line. Decisions on whether players such as Ifedi, Foreman and Proche might be brought back for potential backup roles or practice squad spots will likely be based on how the team views its realistic options for outside upgrades.
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(Photo of Jameis Winston and Tyler Huntley: Jeff Lange / USA Today)
