Browns say goodbye to long-time OL John Greco; Xavier Cooper also waived

According to multiple local reports, including Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal, the Cleveland Browns have terminated the contract of OG John Greco and waived DL Xavier Cooper.

The release of Greco is something I had a hunch about during Thursday’s preseason finale, when the veteran guard was still in the game during the second half. However, with the team parting ways with Cameron Erving already and Joel Bitonio coming off of an injury, I didn’t think the club would pull the trigger on releasing him.

It’s also a noteworthy move when you consider Greco’s tenure with the team. The longest-tenured player on the team is LT Joe Thomas, who has been here since 2007. The next four non-suspended tenured players were CB Joe Haden (2010), Greco (2011), MLB Tank Carder (2012), and DL Desmond Bryant (2012).

All four of them are gone — Greco, Bryant, and Haden were cut, while Carder is on IR. After Thomas, the players with the most tenure on the team are from 2014 (Bitonio, OLB Christian Kirksey, RB Isaiah Crowell, DL Jamie Meder, and LS Charley Hughlett).

Cooper was a third-round pick by the Browns in 2015, which was during the Ray Farmer regime. He was not featured heavily in Gregg Williams’ defense this offseason, so his departure is not a surprise.

NOTE: Follow our Browns roster cut tracker for all of the latest transactions.