Browns start roster purge early by releasing 6 players, including K Ross Martin

When the NFL announced the change this year that there would only be one cutdown deadline from 90 to 53 players, my instant reaction was, “well, technically, that shouldn’t stop teams from trimming the roster as usual before then.”

On Tuesday, two days before the Cleveland Browns’ final preseason game, the team announced six cuts:

• WR Evan Berry
• TE Julian Allen
• OL Kevin Bowen
• OL Geoff Gray
• DL Marcell Frazier
• K Ross Martin

I will be posting my final 53-man roster projection right after the fourth preseason game, but none of these players would have made my list. The player with the best shot was Martin, who was competing with K Zane Gonzalez. It’s still possible that Cleveland finds yet another kicker off of another team’s roster (to replace Gonzalez), but for now, he may have won the kicker job.

The other semi-noteworthy name was Berry, because of the affiliation he has with his brother Eric Berry. Cleveland’s Berry, a defensive back in college, didn’t receive any preseason action.

Cleveland’s roster should sit at 85 players, with the one addition being the earlier-reported signing of veteran OL Earl Watford.