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Listed below, we have our practice squad tracker, and our live blog.
Browns Practice Squad 2020 (16 spots to fill)
- QB Garrett Gilbert
- RB Dontrell Hilliard
- RB Benny LeMay
- FB Johnny Stanton
- WR Taywan Taylor
- WR Ja’Marcus Bradley
- OL Brady Aiello
- OG Michael Dunn
- LB Montrel Meander
- CB A.J. Green
- CB Robert Jackson
- S Javonte Moffatt
- S Elijah Benton
- K Cody Parkey
Browns’ Practice Squad & Waiver Wire Tracker
3:11 PM: You have to love this:
Philadelphia is signing 41-year-old QB Josh McCown to its practice squad and making him oldest practice squad player in NFL history, league sources tell ESPN. McCown will live in Texas, make $12,000 a week and serve as the Eagles’ emergency QB.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 6, 2020
2:48 PM: The two players waived to make room for the earlier additions are: DT Eli Ankou and TE Pharoah Brown. Interestingly enough, no one has been placed on injured reserve. That could be good news for the likes of C JC Tretter, LB Mack Wilson, and CB Kevin Johnson with respect to their return to action.
It would seem likely that Cleveland will try to add Ankou and Brown to their practice squad once they clear waivers, to complete the 16-man squad.
2:44 PM: The Browns just named their 14-man practice squad. The additions since our last update were: RB Dontrell Hilliard, RB Benny LeMay, WR Ja’Marcus Bradley, OG Michael Dunn, LB Montrel Meander, S Elijah Benton, and K Cody Parkey. Parkey is the only player not from training camp who is on the practice squad. Of course, Browns fans should remember Parkey, as he was the team’s starting kicker in 2016.
2:30 PM: It’s always good to keep note of how much these players make on a practice squad. Although it’s a significant downgrade from the weekly salary for a 53-man roster, it at least keeps a player on a roster with the hopes of being called up.
#NFL. Practice squad players will make $8,400 per week or $134,400 for 16 games. Veteran players with over two years of experience will make $12,000 per week or $192,000 for 16 games
— Robert Raiola, CPA (@SportsTaxMan) September 6, 2020
2:25 PM: From earlier: DL Daniel Ekuale will not be joining the Browns’ practice squad. He is going to the Jaguars’ practice squad instead.
Former Browns DT Daniel Ekuale headed to Jags practice squad, per source
— Jake Trotter (@Jake_Trotter) September 6, 2020
1:45 PM: It appears that fullback Johnny Stanton will be joining the Browns practice squad:
So happy to be staying in this beautiful city and continuing to be a part of such a great organization. Go Browns! pic.twitter.com/2hTzA8cGeL
— Johnny Stanton (@johnnystantoniv) September 6, 2020
1:44 PM: Not related to the practice squad, but new Browns safety Ronnie Harrison seems very happy to be out of Jacksonville:
So Relieved To Be Out Of Jacksonville And Around A New Team Who Wants One Common Goal! Thank You God! ✊
— Ronnie Harrison II (@Rharr_15) September 6, 2020
1:32 PM: Another former Browns player has signed as offensive lineman Willie Wright has been signed to the practice squad of the Atlanta Falcons:
Former Browns G/C Willie Wright has signed with the Falcons practice squad, per source
— Jake Trotter (@Jake_Trotter) September 6, 2020
1:30 PM: The New York Giants claimed former Browns wide receiver Damion Ratley:
Former Browns receiver Damion Ratley was claimed by the Giants
— Jake Trotter (@Jake_Trotter) September 6, 2020
1:24 PM: To make room for defensive tackle Vincent Taylor, the Browns are reportedly waiving defensive tackle Eli Ankou. The club may look to sign Ankou to the practice squad if he is not claimed by another team:
With Browns claiming DT Vincent Taylor, they have waived DT Eli Ankou, per source. Strong candidate to sign with Browns practice squad if he clears waivers.
— Jake Trotter (@Jake_Trotter) September 6, 2020
1:21 PM: No one claimed defensive end Chad Thomas, and the will Browns will not be signing him to the practice squad:
Ex-#Browns DE Chad Thomas didn’t get claimed and is not being signed back to the Browns practice squad at this time
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) September 6, 2020
Thomas was a third-round selection in the 2018 NFL Draft who did not do much during his two years in Cleveland.
1:19 PM: The Browns have reportedly signed offensive lineman Brady Aiello to the practice squad:
Browns signing OL Brady Aiello to practice squad, per source
— Jake Trotter (@Jake_Trotter) September 6, 2020
Aiello signed with the Browns on Friday, which did not give him much time to make an impression before Saturday’s roster cutdown.
1:16 PM: The Browns have reportedly signed quarterback Garrett Gilbert and cornerback A.J. Green to the practice squad:
#Browns are signing QB Garrett Gilbert to their practice squad, source says
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) September 6, 2020
Undrafted rookie CB A.J. Green is signing to the #Browns practice squad, source says
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) September 6, 2020
Gilbert spent time with the Browns last season. Green is an undrafted free agent who, given a standard training camp and preseason schedule, may have been able to earn a roster spot, so it is good to see that he has an opportunity to stick around and continue to develop.
1:08 PM: The Miami Dolphins are signing former Browns wide receiver Antonio Callaway to their practice squad in one of the always popular “low-risk, high-reward” type of moves:
Former #Browns WR Antonio Callaway is signing with the #Dolphins practice squad, per source. A possible high-reward signing.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 6, 2020
Callaway was a fourth-round selection by the Browns in the 2018 NFL Draft and is facing a 10-game suspension for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy.
1:02 PM: The Browns claimed two defensive linemen on Sunday: DE Joe Jackson and DT Vincent Taylor. You can read our full post on them here.
Jackson was a 5th round pick from the Cowboys last year. He saw limited playing time as a rookie, but was pushed out of Dallas due to the amount of depth they have. Taylor was a 6th round pick by the Dolphins in 2017. He posted some good PFF numbers during his limited action with Miami:
Vincent Taylor earned strong grades over his first two seasons in the league:
— PFF MIA Dolphins (@PFF_Dolphins) September 2, 2019
2017 - 84.1 overall (185 snaps)
2018 - 76.3 overall (204 snaps)
*In that time Taylor racked up 28 defensive stops and missed just 1 tackle #Dolphins #FinsUp https://t.co/O0zAbQaSTZ
12:02 PM: The Cleveland Browns made 24 roster cuts on Saturday to get down to the league-mandated maximum of 53 players.
Of course, there is no such thing as a final roster when it comes to the NFL as teams are continually churning over the bottom half of the roster. That exercise continues today as teams across the league begin to add players off of waivers and sign recently released players to their practice squads.
The deadline to claim a player off of waivers is at 12 noon EST, and teams may begin signing players to the practice squad at 1 p.m. EST.
The order to claim players off of waivers is the same as the most-recent draft order, meaning that the Browns are at No. 10 on the priority list.
As for the practice squad, the league and the NFLPA agreed to increase the number of players to 16, which can include up to six veteran players.
Players who are eligible to be added to a team’s practice squad, according to The Sporting News, are:
Players who do not have an accrued season of NFL experience (rookies)
Players who were on the active list for fewer than nine regular-season games during their only accrued season(s)
Up to four players per team who have earned no more than two accrued seasons (no game limitations)
Up to two (six in 2020) players per team with no limitations as to their number of earned accrued seasons
Teams are also permitted to protect up to four practice squad players each week, and are allowed to promote one or two practice squad players to the game day roster each week. If a player is promoted, they return to the practice squad after the game.
We will be tracking the updates and reports of who the Browns are adding to the practice squad and claiming on waivers throughout the day in this post. Be sure to add your thoughts in the comments section as we go through the day.