Cleveland Browns Making Shocking Roster Cut Before Training Camp

The Cleveland Browns parted ways with DE Ogbo Okoronkwo, who was entering the final year of a three-year deal he signed with the franchise in 2023

Cleveland Browns defensive end Ogbo Okoronkwo (54) celebrates during the first half of an NFL football game at Huntington Bank Field, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in Cleveland, Ohio. | Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The roster tweaking continues for the Cleveland Browns just a month before training camp is set to kickoff in Berea. On Thursday, the team announced a notable move, releasing defensive end Ogbo Okoronkwo and signing kicker Andre Szmyt.

The move came as somewhat of a surprise considering Okoronkwo's role over the last few seasons as a rotational piece along the Browns defensive line. Okoronkwo was entering the final year of a three-year he signed with the franchise as a free agent in 2022.

His release comes with a dead cap hit for Cleveland worth just under $2 million. Because he's being released after June 1, the Browns are able to spread his dead money over the next two seasons. Next year, Okoronkwo will cost the team $4.7 million.

In his two seasons, the 30-year-old appeared in 30 games, recording 52 tackles, 7.5 sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. There was a belief that Okoronkow could be on the outside of the Browns defensive line group throughout the offseason as general manager Andrew Berry tried to navigate a dicey salary cap situation.

In the end, he survived being cut in at the start of the new league year, but the addition of former first-round pick Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, along with the emergence of recent draft picks like Alex Wright and Isaiah McGuire leaves the Browns feeling comfortable with their defensive end rotation without Okoronkwo in it, leading to his release today.

Meanwhile, Szmyt returned to Cleveland after spending part of last season on the team's practice squad. The Syracuse product was originally signed by the Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2023. He also played with the UFL's St. Louis Battlehawks.