BEREA — Decision day has arrived for the Cleveland Browns .
By 4 p.m. Tuesday, the Browns will have trimmed their active roster from the training camp max of 91 — counting one international player — to the initial 53-man regular-season limit . It's not likely to stay with this exact 53 for too long, as waiver claims — which the Browns will no doubt try to make — can be made until noon Wednesday.
There's also the question of the multiple big names who spent the entire preseason on either the active/physically unable to perform or the active/non-football injury list. A decision of some sort has to be made on them, but they're on those lists until a final decision is actually made.
As the day unfolds, the position groups below will be continuously updated, with analysis on those groups updated as moves are made. Players will be shifted one way or the other as the Browns front office makes the final call.
Follow along throughout the day as the Cleveland Browns ' initial 53-man roster takes shape.
ON ACTIVE ROSTER: Deshaun Watson , Jameis Winston , Dorian Thompson-Robinson , Tyler Huntley
NO LONGER ON TEAM: N/A
Turns out the Browns didn't have to choose between Thompson-Robinson and Huntley, at least for the initial 53-man roster. That's likely to eventually change as the team closes in on the opener, depending on the market they can generate for any of their non-Watson quarterbacks.
ON ACTIVE ROSTER: Jerome Ford , Pierre Strong Jr.
ON ACTIVE/PHYSICALLY UNABLE TO PERFORM LIST: Nick Chubb
ON ACTIVE/NON-FOOTBALL INJURY LIST: Nyheim Hines
NO LONGER ON TEAM: Aidan Robbins , Jacob Saylors, D'Onta Foreman
The Browns dropped a decent-sized surprise by cutting veteran running back D'Onta Foreman. The surprise was more due to the fact it only kept them at two running backs in Ford and Strong, with the latter coming off a rib contusion. This is a position that certainly feels like it's going to be adjusted between now and Sept. 8.
ON ACTIVE ROSTER: Amari Cooper , Jerry Jeudy , Elijah Moore , Cedric Tillman , Jamari Thrash , David Bell
NO LONGER ON TEAM: Jaelon Darden , Michael Woods II , James Proche II, Ahmarean Brown
Bell was having a strong camp before the quad injury he suffered in the preseason opener against the Green Bay Packers . That, plus the handful of plays he's made already in his first two seasons in the league, ultimately helped tilt the scales in his favor to remain here over other options. Thrash, the fifth-round pick out of the University of Louisville in April, came on strong at the end of the preseason. The fact he started the preseason finale at the Seattle Seahawks wasn't proof positive that he was a lock for the roster, but it certainly showed how much trust he had earned within a short period of time. Those two fill out a wide receiver room that sits at six for the next 24 hours, at least.
ON ACTIVE ROSTER: David Njoku , Jordan Akins
NO LONGER ON TEAM: Treyton Welch, Zaire Mitchell-Paden
Head coach Kevin Stefanski does love multiple tight end sets, but that's not necessarily what's in the plans with the new offense with coordinator Ken Dorsey. For now, the Browns can sit tight with just Njoku — who could be the most-targeted tight end in the league by the time this season's over — and Akins. This is an area where Cleveland could be an active player either on the waiver wire or trade market in the next week before it opens against Dallas .
ON ACTIVE ROSTER: Jedrick Wills Jr., Jack Conklin , Ethan Pocic , Nick Harris , Joel Bitonio , Wyatt Teller , Zak Zinter , Dawand Jones , James Hudson III, Javion Cohen
ON RESERVE/NON-FOOTBALL INJURY LIST: Michael Dunn (designated for return)
ON RESERVE/INJURED LIST: Luke Wypler
NO LONGER ON TEAM: Chim Okorafor, Wyatt Davis , Zack Johnson , Roy Mbaeteka , Germain Ifedi , Lorenzo Thompson
Cohen was one of the Browns' rookies to make the initial 53-man roster, but he was the only one who wasn't drafted. However, he earned a spot in part because Dunn will start out on injured reserve. Dunn, though, was designated for return, so it will be curious to see how long he's really out. Ifedi was a bit of a surprise cut here, considering the work he put in at tackle. That speaks to what the Browns think of Wills and Conklin coming back ready to play.
ON ACTIVE ROSTER: Myles Garrett , Za'Darius Smith, Ogbo Okoronkwo, Alex Wright , Dalvin Tomlinson , Maurice Hurst II, Quinton Jefferson , Shelby Harris , Isaiah McGuire
ON EXEMPT/COMMISSIONER'S LIST:Mike Hall Jr.
NO LONGER ON TEAM: Isaiah Thomas , Jeremiah Martin , Siaki Ika , Sam Kamara , Jowon Briggs
It wasn't a surprise to see Hall end up on the Commissioner's Exempt list. That's because the Browns had been expecting it for some time. It will, for the time being, leave the team with just four defensive tackles.
ON ACTIVE ROSTER: Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah , Jordan Hicks, Tony Fields II , Devin Bush , Mohamoud Diabate , Nathaniel Watson
NO LONGER ON TEAM: Landon Honeycutt, Caleb Johnson , Marvin Moody, Winston Reid
The injury Watson suffered in the preseason opener against the Green Bay Packers opened the door to some questions about whether or not he would make the roster. Turns out, the work he had put in prior to that showed the Browns enough to keep him on as a sixth linebacker for now.
ON ACTIVE ROSTER: Denzel Ward , Martin Emerson Jr., Greg Newsome II , Cameron Mitchell, Kahlef Hailassie , Myles Harden , Grant Delpit , Juan Thornhill , Rodney McLeod , D'Anthony Bell, Ronnie Hickman
NO LONGER ON TEAM: Tyler Coyle , Chase Williams, Faion Hicks , Chris Edmonds , Justin Hardee Sr., Tony Brown II
When push came to shove to solve the defensive backs' numbers crunch, it was youth that won out. Harden, a seventh-round pick out of South Dakota, earned the nod as the sixth cornerback. That was over a pair of players in Hardee and Brown who had been seen as potential locks entering camp because of their special-teams prowess. Harden, though, had an outstanding camp, and the Browns went with the draft pick over the two free agents.
ON ACTIVE ROSTER: Dustin Hopkins , Corey Bojorquez , Charley Hughlett ,
NO LONGER ON TEAM: Lucas Havrisik , Rex Sunahara
The only mystery about this group was if Hopkins or Hughlett were going to be impacted longer term by nagging preseason injuries. Havrisik and Sunahara being waived Monday tells you that they aren't, which was always the expectation.
Sunday, Sept. 8: Home vs. Dallas Cowboys , 4:25 p.m., FOX
Sunday, Sept. 15: At Jacksonville Jaguars , 1 p.m., CBS
Sunday, Sept. 22: Home vs. New York Giants , 1 p.m., FOX
Sunday, Sept. 29: At Las Vegas Raiders , 4:25 p.m., CBS
Sunday, Oct. 6: At Washington Commanders , 1 p.m., FOX
Sunday, Oct. 13: At Philadelphia Eagles , 1 p.m., FOX
Sunday, Oct. 20: Home vs. Cincinnati Bengals , 1 p.m., CBS
Sunday, Oct. 27: Home vs. Baltimore Ravens , 1 p.m., CBS
Sunday, Nov. 3: Home vs. Los Angeles Chargers , 1 p.m., CBS
Sunday, Nov. 10: BYE WEEK
Sunday, Nov. 17: At New Orleans Saints , 1 p.m., FOX
Thursday, Nov. 21: Home vs. Pittsburgh Steelers , 8:20 p.m., Amazon Prime
Monday, Dec. 2: At Denver Broncos , 8:20 p.m., ESPN
Sunday, Dec. 8: At Pittsburgh Steelers, 1 p.m., CBS
Sunday, Dec. 15: Home vs. Kansas City Chiefs , 1 p.m., CBS
Thursday, Dec. 19: At Cincinnati Bengals, 8:15 p.m., Amazon Prime
Sunday, Dec. 29: Home vs. Miami Dolphins , 8:20 p.m., NBC
Saturday, Jan. 4 OR Sunday, Jan. 5: At Baltimore Ravens, TBA, TV TBA
Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Browns roster cuts 2024: Live tracker as 53-man NFL teams set
