Cleveland Browns roster cuts tracker: getting to 75 players

The Cleveland Browns have until 4:00 PM on Tuesday to trim their roster from 88 players to 75 players. Roster cuts are already coming in, though, which we will update this thread about. You can also use this as an open thread for Browns cuts and other moves around the NFL.

(Note: a full list of cuts can be seen beneath the live blog)

Tracker / Live Blog

7:00 PM: Here is our post on the team waiving CB K’Waun Williams, and here is our post on them trading P Andy Lee. The team also released another depth chart.

5:30 PM: Two more news items this evening. First, the Browns cut CB K’Waun Williams to get down to 75 players. They also traded P Andy Lee:

9:30 AM: I got seven predictions right in the cutdown to 75 players. The only player who was cut from my 53-man projection, though, was OLB Paul Kruger. Many teams usually throw veteran predictions in to their “first cuts” projection, so I regret not having listed DL Nick Hayden in that prediction. I had thought about CB Tramon Williams, but he’s still on the team. As I stated earlier, Kruger was one that popped into my head, but I’d be lying if I said I thought the team was actually considering the move.

9:18 AM: Upon being released, OLB Paul Kruger posted the following statement to his Twitter account:

"I would like to thank Dee and Jimmy Haslam and the Cleveland Browns organization for 3 great years of football and opportunity. I would also like to thank the city of Cleveland and the relentless fans therein. My experience has been amazing and I will miss wearing a Browns #99.

Although completely mishandled, unfortunate, and absolutely the wrong decision to release me, I do wish the Browns, and especially my teammate brothers, great success."

Remember that financially, this is a pretty substantial hit for Kruger. Although he’s already made a lot of money with the Browns, he probably thought there was no way he’d be cut this year. Now, all of a sudden, he’s going to make $6.5 million less money this year. That’ll change a little when somebody else signs him, but I wouldn’t expect him to receive a massive deal when he’s now a 30-year-old pass rusher coming off of an unproductive year.

9:12 AM: The cuts announced below brings the Browns’ roster to 76 players. They’ll need to make one more move by Tuesday at 4:00 PM ET.

9:10 AM: And here we go! Nearly all of the moves are in:

TERMINATED CONTRACTS:

• QB Austin Davis
• DL Nick Hayden
• OLB Paul Kruger

WAIVED:

• FB Robert Hughes
• WR Josh Boyce
• WR Ed Eagan
• TE E.J. Bibbs
• TE David Reeves
• OL Cory Tucker
• S Sean Baker
• K Travis Coons

PLACED ON INJURED RESERVE:

• RB Glenn Winston (shoulder)
• DL Nile Lawrence-Stample (shoulder)

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9:05 AM: The Browns started the day with 88 players, and 4 names have already been sent to the chopping block. Down to 84 players now, that means the team needs to make 9 more moves to get down to 75 players.

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9:00 AM: Here are my personal notes on the other three cuts mentioned this morning:

• It’s no surprise that QB Austin Davis was cut, but I thought it wouldn’t be until after the fourth preseason game so they could burn out his arm. Instead, it looks like they’ll work both QB Josh McCown and QB Cody Kessler for a good portion of the game.
• I hate seeing TE E.J. Bibbs go, but the writing was on the wall with his lack of utilization over the past three weeks or so. He had gotten off to a solid start earlier this offseason with the new regime, but seemed to fade once TE Connor Hamlett emerged as a pass-catching threat and (presumably) a better blocker.
• With K Travis Coons being let go, that means that K Patrick Murray has won the kicking job. Coons missed too many kicks this year in camp as he failed to maintain his accuracy with his new kicking style (of having more lift on his kicks). His kickoffs also weren’t traveling as far as Murray’s were.

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8:50 AM: With the Browns cutting Kruger and having traded OLB Barkevious Mingo last week, what does that mean for the outside linebacker position? First, I’d have to think that Emmanuel Ogbah will operate more from outside linebacker again, and Nate Orchard will anchor the other starting spot. However, don’t be surprised if Cam Johnson ends up earning a starting role, as he’s had a pretty good offseason.

From a pass-rushing (and really, an overall) perspective, I think the team feels that DE Carl Nassib is flat out better, and I’d have to agree. I don’t know what was wrong with Kruger. Last year, I made excuses for him, pinning the blame on Jim O’Neil’s utilization of him. Watching the third preseason game was very frustrating when I looked at Kruger, as the right tackle basically could have gone to sleep and still been able to block him effectively.

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8:45 AM: Per Mary Kay Cabot of the Plain Dealer, the team is cutting QB Austin Davis, TE E.J. Bibbs, and K Travis Coons.

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8:30 AM: The Browns got off to a stunning start with their cuts, parting ways with OLB Paul Kruger. Kruger had the second-highest cap number on defense at $7.7 million for 2016.

Because he was a post-June 1st cut, the team will carry $1.2 million in dead money against the cap in 2016, and $1.2 million in dead money against the cap in 2017. It's a cap savings of $6.5 million in 2016, and a cap savings of $7 million in 2017.

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Full List of Reported Cuts

TERMINATED CONTRACTS:

• QB Austin Davis
• DL Nick Hayden
• OLB Paul Kruger

WAIVED:

• FB Robert Hughes
• WR Josh Boyce
• WR Ed Eagan
• TE E.J. Bibbs
• TE David Reeves
• OL Cory Tucker
• CB K’Waun Williams
• S Sean Baker
• K Travis Coons

PLACED ON INJURED RESERVE:

• RB Glenn Winston (shoulder)
• DL Nile Lawrence-Stample (shoulder)