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:

• G Michael Dunn

Placed on reserve/non-football injury list:

• RB Nyheim Hines

Placed on reserve/PUP:

• RB Nick Chubb (story)

Placed on IR:

• C Luke Wypler

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.