Browns First Wave of Roster Cuts Revealed

The Cleveland Browns parted ways with 21 total players ahead of finalizing their 53-man roster for the 2025 NFL season.

Jul 23, 2025; Berea, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski, right, and executive vice president, football operations & general manager Andrew Berry watch the team during training camp at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Training camp and preseason may be over, but Cleveland Browns General Manager Andrew Berry and Head Coach Kevin Stefanski still have plenty of work to do before Week 1 kickoff against the Cincinnati Bengals. The primary focus for the team this summer was finding a new starting quarterback, after Deshaun Watson reruptured his Achilles tendon during rehabilitation last winter. They added four different candidates to vie for the QB1 spot, and ultimately, Joe Flacco was awarded the gig for the season opener.

The quarterback competition is far from over, though. Kenny Pickett, Dillon Gabriel, and Shedeur Sanders could potentially overtake Flacco at any time, considering the Browns' announcement only locked in the starter for Week 1. However, there's plenty more to do with the roster before they even consider making a change at QB1.

Like every team in the NFL, Cleveland will have to cut down its training camp and preseason roster to 53 players for the 2025 campaign. The Browns made their first wave of cuts earlier today. They still have several deliberations to make, but they've made some significant headway with their final depth chart.

Oct 6, 2024; Landover, Maryland, USA; Washington Commanders tight end Zach Ertz (86) makes a catch against Washington Commanders cornerback Chigozie Anusiem (29) during the first quarter at NorthWest Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-Imagn Images | Peter Casey-Imagn Images

Cleveland Browns cut 21 players ahead of final 53-man roster

To whittle down their roster, the Cleveland Browns terminated the contracts of four players and waived 17 others. The four whose agreements were voided, or released, can immediately test the free agent market with any other NFL team while the remaining 17 will have to sit on the waiver wire to see if they're claimed first.

The Browns terminated the contracts of:

QB Tyler Huntley

CB Tony Brown II

T Jackson Barton

S Nik Needham

They waived the following:

CB Chigozie Anusiem

DE K.J. Henry

CB Christian Holmes

TE Sal Canella

G Javion Cohen

T Sebastian Gutierrez

DT Ralph Holley

LB Charlie Thomas III

T Lorenzo Thompson

G Dartanyan Tinsley

TE Mitchell Van Vooren

C Bucky Williams

CB Keenan Isaac

T Jason Ivey

DE Titus Leo

LB Marvin Moody

CB Darius Rush

These lists include two former fifth-round picks from the 2023 NFL Draft, Darius Rush and K.J. Henry, as well as a seventh-rounder from 2022, Christian Holmes. This first wave was likely the easy part for General Manager Andrew Berry and Head Coach Kevin Stefanski. They'll have several tougher decisions to make to cut down to their final 53-man roster for the 2025 NFL season.