Browns Restructure Deshaun Watson’s Deal
For a second straight year, the Browns are restructuring the NFL’s most player-friendly deal. As a result, another quarterback will set the NFL record for single-player cap hit.
Cleveland’s Deshaun Watson restructure will create $35.83MM in cap space, ESPN.com’s Field Yates reports. The Browns moved $44.79MM of Watson’s base salary into a signing bonus. While more cap space will be available to the Browns this year, they will need much of it for carryover money because of the quarterback contract they authorized in 2022.
[RELATED: Browns Release QB Tyler Huntley]
Watson had been set to carry a record-obliterating $63.77MM cap number this season. The Browns have dropped it to $27.94MM. Of course, with restructures, future cap hits spike. This will be the case here, as Thursday’s reworking inflates Watson’s 2025 and ’26 cap numbers to an astonishing $72.94MM. More restructure work likely remains for a Browns team desperate to see its historically expensive trade piece take steps forward.
The Browns are now an NFL-most $51.6MM under the 2024 cap, but as The Athletic’s Zac Jackson notes, they will need much of this for rollover purposes. Entering today, the Browns resided ahead of only the perpetually cap-strapped Saints for projected 2025 cap space, sitting $66.9MM over. Rolling most of their 2024 total to 2025 would obviously create considerable relief, but the long-term Watson ramifications remain steep for a Cleveland franchise that has not seen anything remotely close from its QB to justify the 2022 trade and extension costs.
No one has followed the Browns’ lead for guarantees; the league has deemed this an outlier contract. The Browns gave Watson a five-year, $230MM fully guaranteed extension in March 2022. Nearly 2 1/2 years later, no other team has guaranteed a quarterback more than $146.5MM (Joe Burrow) at signing. The Browns had previously restructured the Watson contract in March 2023, beginning a process that has seen the eighth-year passer’s future cap hits balloon.
The team remains pot-committed with Watson through 2026. The restructures, which have two void years in place as the QB’s signing bonus is now spread through 2028, would lead to a $26.8MM dead money hit if Watson does not re-sign by the start of the 2027 league year. That seems manageable to a Browns team that has unimaginable — even in a world where the Broncos just took on $83MM-plus in dead cap by cutting Russell Wilson — dead money figures attached to its QB in 2025 or ’26.
Cleveland has seen its QB miss 11 games in each of his two seasons, with the former Houston Pro Bowler suspended upon arrival and then battling a shoulder injury that eventually shut him down in 2023. Watson, 29 in September, did not play any preseason games and was only cleared for full work August 11. The Browns shuffled their coaching staff, hiring Ken Dorsey, to better capitalize on their QB’s strengths. For the most part, those have yet to be on display post-Houston.
With this contract adjustment further tying the Browns to Watson, they will need to see notable improvement from him this season. Though, Watson’s guarantees do not exactly provide much incentive for an extreme turnaround. Dak Prescott‘s $55.13MM cap hit is now in place to set the NFL record, and the Cowboys appear prepared to carry that into the season.
Browns To Release QB Tyler Huntley, Re-Sign RB D’Onta Foreman
Cleveland’s logjam at quarterback was not cleared out during roster cutdowns after the team was unable to trade away a depth passer. As a result, the Browns are moving forward with the release of Tyler Huntley. 
Cleveland will let go of the former Ravens signal-caller, Dianna Russini of The Athletic reports. Huntley is a vested veteran, so he will immediately become a free agent without needing to pass through waivers. As a result of this move, the Browns’ QB depth chart now consists of Deshaun Watson, Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Jameis Winston.
In a corresponding move, Cleveland is set to bring back D’Onta Foreman. The veteran running back will be re-signed, Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon-Journal reports. Foreman was among the veterans let go during roster cutdowns, but it was clear at the time that was merely a procedural move. The 28-year-old will provide backfield depth to a team which is without Nick Chubb to begin the campaign.
The latter will start the year on the reserve/PUP list, guaranteeing at least a four-week absence. Chubb may well need more time than that to return to full health as he continues to rehab the knee injury which ended his 2023 campaign. Jerome Ford and Pierre Strong are in place as Cleveland’s top backs while Chubb is on the mend, and Foreman – who has a career 4.2 yards per carry average but has played for four different teams in his six-year career – will offer another option, as will returner and pass-catcher Nyheim Hines once he is activated.
Huntley signed with Baltimore as a UDFA and spent much of his tenure there as Lamar Jackson‘s backup. The 26-year-old has made 22 regular and postseason appearances in his career, including 10 starts. He could draw interest as a backup option from interested teams as depth charts continue to be tinkered with in the build-up to Week 1. For Cleveland, Winston (who earned $4MM guaranteed on his one-year deal) will serve as a veteran backup option to Watson while Thompson-Robinson (a 2023 fifth-rounder) continues to develop.
Wednesday NFL Transactions: AFC North
Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline Tuesday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters. In addition to waiver claims, teams can begin constructing their 16-man practice squads today. These Bengals, Browns, Ravens and Steelers moves are noted below.
Baltimore Ravens
Signed:
Claimed:
Signed to practice squad:
- OT Corey Bullock, RB Chris Collier, CB Bump Cooper Jr., WR Malik Cunningham, G Darrian Dalcourt, OLB Joe Evans, CB Ka’dar Hollman, TE Qadir Ismail, RB John Kelly, WR Keith Kirkwood, QB Devin Leary, WR Anthony Miller, DE C.J. Ravenell, ILB Josh Ross, WR Dayton Wade
Cincinnati Bengals
Signed:
Claimed:
- DE K.J. Henry
Released:
Signed to practice squad:
- CB Nate Brooks, WR Cole Burgess, T Devin Cochran, DT Domenique Davis, CB Jalen Davis, TE Cam Grandy, LB Shaka Heyward, C Trey Hill, WR Shedrick Jackson, S PJ Jules, WR Kendric Pryor, QB Logan Woodside
Cleveland Browns
Signed:
Claimed:
Signed to practice squad:
- DT Jowon Briggs, CB Tony Brown, WR Jaelon Darden, S Christopher Edmonds, CB Mike Ford, CB Justin Hardee, T Germain Ifedi, T Sam Kamara, T Roy Mbaeteka, WR James Proche, LB Winston Reid, LS Rex Sunahara, T Lorenzo Thompson, WR Michael Woods
Pittsburgh Steelers
Signed:
Claimed:
Signed to practice squad:
- CB Anthony Averett, RB Boston Scott
Browns Pondering Trade Involving Jameis Winston Or Tyler Huntley?
AUGUST 28: The Browns are expected to make a quarterback move today, according to veteran NFL reporter Jordan Schultz, but it will not involve Winston. Cleveland kept four QBs on its active roster Tuesday. With waiver claims set to come in and other roster moves likely on tap as well, the Browns cutting into their overstocked passer depth chart seems imminent. Schultz pushes back on the notion the Browns discussed moving their recently signed backup, and it appears the 10th-year vet is firmly set in Cleveland.
AUGUST 27: The lowest-profile member of the Browns’ collection of reserve quarterbacks, Dorian Thompson-Robinson has received word he made the team. This will create an interesting roster situation in Cleveland. 
Adding both Jameis Winston and Tyler Huntley this offseason, the Browns now need to move on from at least one of them by 3pm CT today. They are planning to take calls on Winston and Huntley, according to cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot, with a trade potentially in the cards. Both passers are pending free agents.
Winston spent the past four seasons in New Orleans, primarily operating as a backup. The Saints provided him with a secure environment after his Buccaneers tenure (capped off by his 30-30 2019 campaign) came to an end. The former No. 1 pick has stated his desire to once again serve as a starter in the NFL, but his decision to take a one-year Browns pact set him up for QB2 duties behind Deshaun Watson. That chances of that being the case given Thompson-Robinson’s inclusion on the 53-man roster are low.
Winston’s deal includes $4MM in guarantees, but a trade or release would only incur a dead money charge of $558K due to the inclusion of void years. The 30-year-old could be an attractive backup option to a number of suitors, although the NFLPA’s decision to veto a rule change which would have allowed teams an unlimited number of emergency QB practice squad elevations could lead many to only carry two signal-callers. Still, Winston is a veteran of 93 games and 80 starts, so he could add considerable experience to an acquiring team.
Huntley, 26, entered the NFL as a Ravens UDFA, and each of his 21 combined regular and postseason appearances have come with Baltimore. Operating as Lamar Jackson‘s backup, he compiled a 64.6% completion percentage and 79 passer rating, adding 4.4 rushing yards per carry and three touchdowns on the ground. Huntley’s 8:7 touchdown-to-interception ratio illustrates his limitations a passer, however.
Huntley’s pact would only lead to $470K in dead money charges in the event he were to be traded or released, so finances will not play a major role in how the Browns proceed at the quarterback spot. It will be interesting to see how much of a trade market emerges for Winston and/or Huntley given the fact at least one of them will be let go by the afternoon if no agreement for a swap can be worked out.
Adam La Rose contributed to this post.
2024 NFL Waiver Order
Waiver claims can begin coming in at 11am CT. While the waiver order will depend on 2024 records in several weeks, teams’ 2023 finishes currently determine it. Here is how the waiver priority list stacks up heading into today’s round of claims:
- Carolina Panthers
- Washington Commanders
- New England Patriots
- Arizona Cardinals
- Los Angeles Chargers
- New York Giants
- Tennessee Titans
- Atlanta Falcons
- Chicago Bears
- New York Jets
- Minnesota Vikings
- Denver Broncos
- Las Vegas Raiders
- New Orleans Saints
- Indianapolis Colts
- Seattle Seahawks
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- Cincinnati Bengals
- Los Angeles Rams
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- Miami Dolphins
- Philadelphia Eagles
- Cleveland Browns
- Dallas Cowboys
- Green Bay Packers
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Houston Texans
- Buffalo Bills
- Detroit Lions
- Baltimore Ravens
- San Francisco 49ers
- Kansas City Chiefs
Browns Release RB D’Onta Foreman, Trim Roster To 53
The Browns kept four quarterbacks on their active roster, using other position groups to make their way down to 53. Here is how Cleveland maneuvered there:
Released:
- CB Tony Brown
- RB D’Onta Foreman
- CB Justin Hardee
- T Germain Ifedi
- WR James Proche
Waived:
- DT Jowon Briggs
- WR Ahmarean Brown
- WR Jaelon Darden
- S Christopher Edmonds
- DT Siaki Ika
- DT Sam Kamara
- TE Zaire Mitchell-Paden
- LB Winston Reid
- T Lorenzo Thompson
- TE Treyton Welch
- WR Michael Woods
Placed on reserve/non-football illness list:
Placed on reserve/non-football injury list:
- RB Nyheim Hines
Placed on reserve/PUP:
- RB Nick Chubb (story)
Placed on IR:
Placed on commissioner exempt list:
- DT Michael Hall (story)
Kevin Stefanski pointed to Foreman not being out of the picture, alluding this only being the team’s initial 53-man roster. The veteran back, who signed as a depth/rotational option this offseason, should be expected back, cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot tweets. Teams can use up to six practice squad slots on vested veterans. This is Foreman’s fourth team in four years, but he has managed to play regular roles for each. The Browns also have their two other high-profile options — Chubb and Hines — out for at least four games, as they recover from 2023 injuries.
Cleveland considered trading Jameis Winston or Tyler Huntley, with second-year QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson showing enough improvement to have made the 53-man roster. But the team stopped short and made the rare move to carry four active-roster arms. One of the non-Deshaun Watson passers could be vulnerable, however, as the waiver wire will come into play soon. Winston and Huntley are vested vets and would head straight to free agency if released; Thompson-Robinson would need to pass through waivers. Teams often prioritize those players on cutdown day.
Hall is out of the picture for the foreseeable future, as his legal issue runs its course, and Wypler is out for the year with a broken ankle. The Browns designated Dunn for return. This will cut into Cleveland’s eight injury activations, and while the veteran blocker will miss at least four games, the team prioritized his comeback enough to use this early designation. Dunn has been with the team since 2020.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/26/24
There have been plenty of posts today about a number of teams releasing and waiving players ahead of roster cuts. Here are the best of the rest of the minor moves for Monday:
Carolina Panthers
- Waived (with injury settlement): WR Tayvion Robinson
Cincinnati Bengals
- Waived: DE Justin Blazek
Cleveland Browns
- Activated from active/PUP list: S D’Anthony Bell
Detroit Lions
- Waived: OLB Mitchell Agude, WR Kaden Davis, OL Bryan Hudson, RB Zonovan Knight, CB Rachad Wildgoose, TE Shane Zylstra
- Released: DL Pat O’Connor, LB Ty Summers
Houston Texans
- Released: DT McTelvin Agim, G Dieter Eiselen, LB Jacob Phillips
Indianapolis Colts
- Waived: DE Levi Bell
- Released: C Mike Panasiuk
Las Vegas Raiders
- Waived: CB Demarcus Governor
New York Giants
- Released: T Matt Nelson
New York Jets
- Waived: DT Jaylen Twyman
Philadelphia Eagles
- Waived (with injury settlement): S Mekhi Garner
- Waived: S Andre’ Sam
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Waived: T Tyler Beach, WR Jacob Copeland, RB Daijun Edwards, T Devery Hamilton, T Anderson Hardy, CB Kyler McMichael, DE Marquiss Spencer, CB Kiondre Thomas
- Released: LB Kyahva Tezino, K Matthew Wright
San Francisco 49ers
- Waived: P Pressley Harvin III, G Lewis Kidd, WR Jontre Kirklin
- Released: RB Ke’Shawn Vaughn
Seattle Seahawks
- Waived: CB Willie Roberts
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Waived: DT C.J. Brewer, DL Mike Greene, CB Keenan Isaac, OLB Daniel Grzesiak, CB Chris McDonald, TE Tanner Taula, S Rashad Wisdom
Tennessee Titans
- Waived (with injury designation): LB JoJo Domann, WR Tre’Shaun Harrison
- Waived: T Brian Dooley, CB Tay Gowan, LB Mikel Jones, LB Thomas Rush, WR Sam Schnee, TE Steven Stilianos, P Ty Zentner
Nelson was an effective swing tackle for the Lions in the past three years. While he wasn’t able to stick with the Giants, he’s likely to draw interest elsewhere in the NFL.
The Eagles like Sam a lot at safety, but with a number of veterans atop the depth chart, there wasn’t room for him on the roster. The team plans to retain him on the practice squad should he clear waivers, per Andrew DiCecco of 975 The Fanatic. The Buccaneers have similar plans with Isaac, Taula, and Wisdom.
Browns Cut K Lucas Havrisik, 15 Others
The Browns began their journey toward a 53-man roster, cutting more than a dozen players Monday. Here is how Cleveland started its pre-cut-day odyssey:
Released:
- LS Rex Sunahara
Waived:
- S Tyler Coyle
- G Wyatt Davis
- K Lucas Havrisik
- CB Faion Hicks
- LB Landon Honeycutt
- LB Caleb Johnson
- G Zack Johnson
- DE Jeremiah Martin
- T Roy Mbaeteka
- LB Marvin Moody
- T Chim Okorafor
- RB Aidan Robbins
- RB Jacob Saylors
- DE Isaiah Thomas
Waived/injured:
- S Chase Williams
The Browns only signed Havrisik late last week, and he kicked in their preseason finale. The team gave Dustin Hopkins an extension this offseason and moved on from Cade York — this time via trade (to the Commanders) — for a second straight summer. This left no doubt about Cleveland’s kicker situation. Havrisik kicked in nine games for the Rams last year.
Saylors and Robbins’ exits leave an injury-depleted running back room. The Browns are leaving Nick Chubb on their PUP list, shifting the Pro Bowler to the reserve/PUP; he will miss at least four games. Nyheim Hines is coming off Cleveland’s active/NFI list, making him eligible for Week 1. But he is not quite ready to practice despite his ACL tear — sustained in a jet-ski accident — occurring more than a year ago. Jerome Ford, Pierre Strong and D’Onta Foreman remain on the Browns’ active roster. Foreman also suffered a rib injury in the team’s preseason finale.
Some of these players could be practice squad candidates for the team, but Cleveland still has several players left to cut before reaching 53. Generally, the final cuts are more likely to end up on P-squads compared to the first wave.
Browns DT Mike Hall Expected To Land On Commissioner’s Exempt List
The disturbing allegations against Browns rookie defensive tackle Mike Hall are expected to lead him off the team’s roster for an undetermined period. The NFL is expected to place Hall on the commissioner’s exempt list, cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot reports.
Hall was arrested earlier this month after an alleged domestic violence incident. The exempt list amounts to paid leave while cases are adjudicated. This will remove the team’s second-round pick from the equation for the foreseeable future.
The NFL does not use the exempt list often, but it is not too surprising the league plans to shelve Hall. The Ohio State product allegedly engaged in a violent confrontation with his fiancée which, per a police report, included him pointing a handgun at the woman’s head and saying, “I will f—ing end it all. I don’t care.”
This did not deter the Browns from using Hall in their second and third preseason games, which occurred after the arrest. Teams do not commonly suspend players for involvement in domestic violence incidents, waiting for the league to do so. The NFL will indeed intervene here, changing Cleveland’s defensive tackle depth chart.
Chosen 54th overall, Hall returned to his hometown as a long-term DT hopeful for the Browns. Cleveland went through training camp with Dalvin Tomlinson rehabbing an injury. While Tomlinson is coming back to practice this week, Hall’s NFL future is cloudy. His legal proceedings will take precedence, and the NFL will prevent the Browns from deploying him again while this matter plays out.
Browns To Activate Jack Conklin, Greg Newsome; Jedrick Wills Activation Expected
Slow-playing Nick Chubb‘s recovery as expected, the Browns will give the Pro Bowl running back’s collection of backups some help to start the season. Jack Conklin is coming off the team’s active/PUP list Monday, cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot reports. Jedrick Wills is expected to follow soon after.
Conklin will practice Tuesday, per Kevin Stefanski, while Wills is not yet ready. The Browns needed to activate both tackles to avoid each beginning the season on the reserve/PUP list, which would have knocked both out for at least four games to open the season. Each has been rehabbing knee injuries. Conklin suffered ACL and MCL tears in Week 1 of last season; Wills underwent MCL surgery late last year.
Cleveland is also not planning to have Greg Newsome on the NFI list to start the season, while Stefanski said (via the Akron Beacon Journal’s Chris Easterling) Dalvin Tomlinson will join the recovering cornerback at practice Tuesday. Stefanski added (via TheLandOnDemand.com’s Tony Grossi) Nyheim Hines is not yet off Cleveland’s active/NFI list but could practice later this week. It seems the Browns are also preparing to move Hines, who is still on the mend from the ACL tear sustained in a jet-ski accident last year, off an injured list in an effort to have him return during the season’s first four weeks.
The Browns finished last season without their top three tackles, with Dawand Jones suffering a major injury as well. Cleveland’s would-be swing tackle did not start camp on the PUP list, representing a rare positive injury development for the AFC North team. Conklin had hoped to return by training camp, but he did not come particularly close. Nevertheless, he will be an option for Week 1. Conklin should probably be expected to line up at his usual right tackle spot, with Stefanski (via The Athletic’s Zac Jackson) stopping short of indicating he would be an option at LT while Wills completes his recovery.
Conklin coming back after his second ACL tear gives the Browns a boost, but Wills needing this much time to return from an MCL issue is obviously a concern. The Browns have used Wills and Conklin as their LT-RT combo since 2020. Wills enters a crucial season, as his rookie contract expires after the 2024 campaign. These issues all come as Deshaun Watson completed a recovery from a shoulder surgery, which kept him off the field during preseason play.
Additionally, Stefanski said Jordan Hicks will return to practice Tuesday. The recent free agency acquisition missed most of this month with an undisclosed injury. Teams do not need to disclose injuries until game week, but the veteran linebacker has a decent chance of debuting for his new team in Week 1.