Cleveland Browns Announce 53-Man Roster; Full List of Cuts

UPDATE: New cuts have been rolling in on Sunday, September 1st for the Browns. For a list of those cuts and the players we claimed to replace them, click here.

Listed below is the original 53-man roster from Saturday.

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The following players were cut by the Cleveland Browns, trimming their roster from 68 players to the league required 53 players. Make sure you react to all of the cuts in the comments section below! The final 53-man roster is also at the bottom of this post.

(Key: Expected Cut, Highlighted/Notable Cut, Surprise/Big-Name Cut)

Please note that the Browns trimmed their roster to 68 players on Friday. Click here for the list of players who were cut on Friday. The players below were cut on Saturday.

OFFENSIVE PLAYERS CUT

• RB Jamaine Cook - By releasing Maysonet on Friday and Cook on Saturday, if you count Chris Ogbonnaya as a fullback, the Browns are down to just two running backs: Trent Richardson and Brandon Jackson. They'll be on the waiver wire looking for someone, but Cook did have quite a few fans because he is a local kid.
  
  
• WR David Nelson - He played his first game in nearly a year against the Bears, but did not look very sharp, dropping a pass, slipping twice, and looking out-of-sync. Nelson was an ideal player for the Browns to have, but the issue was this: he wasn't the same player who contributed successfully for the Bills for a couple of years. He still may have a ways to go before he's ready to be at his best again, and Cleveland didn't want to deal with that on gameday.
  
  
• WR Naaman Roosevelt - If former Bills receivers want their careers to die off, maybe Cleveland is the place they should go. Roosevelt was a late addition to the Browns roster, but was injured for too much of camp to ever really have a chance at making an impression.
  
  
• WR Tori Gurley - When it was announced that Nelson was released earlier in the day, I thought my projection that Gurley would be a surprise roster addition would come true. Instead, it looks like he could very well be searching for yet another NFL team in his young career.
  
  
• OL Aaron Adams - The Browns ended up keeping a ton of offensive linemen (for now), but Adams wasn't one of the fortunate ones to stick around.

DEFENSIVE PLAYERS CUT

• DL Hall Davis - Davis looked solid for the Browns, but the depth at the defensive line position is pretty stout. I think there is a place for him on the practice squad.
  
  
• DL Brian Sanford - The Browns already tried trading Sanford once during camp, so it's not a surprise that they let him go. He has been with the team as a low-key, practice squad player for several years, but really had a breakout preseason this year. Unfortunately, as I mentioned with Davis, the Browns are stacked on the defensive line. If they would've been able to swing a trade and get some nice draft picks, they would've kept Sanford.
  
  
• OLB Justin Cole - This is a notable cut because Cole was probably the most notable non-veteran linebacker on the team this camp. He made a lot of good plays and seemed to have the ability to play on special teams. Instead, Cleveland kept the two guys they just claimed off waivers before the Bears game.
  
  
• ILB James-Michael Johnson - So long, Johnson. Johnson was a 4th-round pick by the Browns in 2012, so it hurts to have missed on a pick like that. The writing appeared to be on the wall during the offseason, ever since Terry Pluto of the Plain Dealer wrote that he expected Johnson to not make the team. Johnson was buried on the depth chart all of camp, with the belief that he was more suited to be a 4-3 linebacker.
  
  
• ILB Justin Staples - After having a nice opening game against the Rams, it was a relatively quiet preseason for Staples, who played for St. Edwards in high school. There is a chance he could end up on the practice squad.
  
  
• S Jamoris Slaughter - Due to the emergence of Josh Aubrey and the fact that Slaughter was injured for all of camp, I saw this one coming. Slaughter, a sixth-round pick, can be stashed on the practice squad if no one claims him. Or, if they are so content with Aubrey, maybe they'll just let Slaughter go completely.
  
  
• CB Akeem Auguste - This is only a notable cut because the Browns have elected to go with just four cornerbacks at the moment. I thought the release of Trevin Wade last week opened the door for Auguste, but I guess I was wrong. Now that he's released, though, Auguste seems like a practice squad candidate.

SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYERS CUT

• K Brandon Bogotay - As much as I think the Browns liked Bogotay's potential, you can't prove you can win a job if you're stuck with an injured groin.
  
  
• K Shayne Graham - This is a big surprise, given the fact that it leaves Cleveland with...no kickers. The Browns clearly have their eye on someone else, though, and hinted that one of these two guys could be brought back if something doesn't pan out.
  

FINAL 53-MAN ROSTER (as of 8/31/13)

Already on IR: RB Dion Lewis, RB Montario Hardesty, OT Chris Faulk
Suspension List: WR Josh Gordon

GENERAL NOTES ON THE FINAL ROSTER

One thing is for certain: the Browns are not done yet. My hunch is that we could see the Browns claim a record number of players off waivers. I know numbers do not mean everything, but we the Browns clearly have too few players at certain positions, and too many players at other positions.

• QB: This position is set; nothing will change.
  
  
• RB: With only two backs, the Browns will find someone on the waiver wire. My fingers are crossed for Bobby Rainey from the Ravens. Sadly, Michael Ford survived the Bears' final cuts.
  
  
• WR: Since Gordon enters the season on the suspension list, Cleveland only has four wide receivers right now. I would expect them to claim one player off waivers, at least. I'd love it if they just got Jordan Norwood back.
  
  
• TE: I don't see the Browns acquiring anybody else. Brad Smelley was a bubble guy who is on the roster...for now. I think he'll stick, though, because Cleveland likes his versatility at fullback/tight end.
  
  
• OL: Whoa. This is the position that stands out. Usually, you only keep about eight offensive linemen. The Browns have twelve. It would be understandable if that number was ten, because of the short-term injuries to Shawn Lauvao and Jason Pinkston. My guess is that Martin Wallace and Caylin Hauptmann, both undrafted free agents, will be the first to go once Cleveland claims other players off waivers tomorrow.
  
  
• DL: I correctly projected all of the defensive linemen who made it, and unless Cleveland makes a trade, this position should remain the same when its all said and done.
  
  
• LB: The Browns also kept more linebackers than I expected, including outside linebackers Paul Hazel and Eric Martin. I'm surprised both of those guys were kept over Justin Cole, but maybe Hazel's and Martin's tenure in Cleveland will be short-lived: they are the type of players who could be waived soon in favor of other positions. The health of Barkevious Mingo may keep one of them around for Week 1, though. Tank Carder made the roster over James-Michael Johnson.
  
  
• S: Goodbye, Jamoris Slaughter. I saw it coming, and the rest of the safeties panned out as expected.
  
  
• CB: When you combine both defensive back positions, it's worth noting that Cleveland only has eight of them right now. Nine seems more like a standard number to me, so we could see an addition here.
  
  
• ST: The Browns don't have a kicker. If there is one move that will happen with 100% certainty, it is that Cleveland will be adding a kicker.

In summary, I think the Browns need to add a running back, wide receiver, defensive back, and kicker. To do so, they can waive two offensive linemen, a linebacker, and somebody else.

Also, I got 47/53 (88.6%) of my final roster projections correct, which is below what I was hoping for. I always like to aim for at least 50/53 (94.3%).

PRACTICE SQUAD PROJECTIONS

After 12:00 PM EST on Sunday, clubs may establish a practice squad of eight players by signing free agents who do not have an accrued season of free-agency credit or who were on the 46-player active list for less than nine regular-season games during their only accrued season(s). A player cannot participate on the practice squad for more than three seasons.

Here is my projection for the Browns' 8-man practice squad, although we could very well sign players from other clubs' cuts to it: RB Jamaine Cook, WR Cordell Roberson, DL Hall Davis, OLB Justin Cole, ILB Justin Staples, S Jamoris Slaughter, CB Akeem Auguste, K Brandon Bogotay