Browns 53-man roster: Expect creative moves with a few vets, QB room

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It is quite impressive how quickly things need to turn from the Cleveland Browns final preseason game to the initial 53-man roster decisions. As we shared in our roster tracker piece, the Browns planned schedule tells us that most of their moves will be made a full 24 hours plus before the NFL’s mandate.

As always with the NFL, the details are very important when it comes to the 53-man roster. The waiver process and order can lead teams to make a myriad of decisions differently than they would. As can having veterans on one-year contracts and the flexibility that it can provide the team.

Cleveland fans will remember the team doing this with OT Greg Robinson, who was the Browns starting left tackle heading into the 2019 season. Robinson was cut from the initial 53-man roster before being re-signed just a day later.

The reason for the Robinson process (to get a player onto IR but not lose them for the season) is no longer a problem, but if GM Andrew Berry and HC Todd Monken want to try to keep all four quarterbacks, releasing a veteran like newly signed DE Derek Barnett, WR Tylan Wallace, and /or FB Michael Burton could be in the cards.

The scenario is simple: It is rare that waived players get claimed (no matter the preseason hubbub), but those that do get claimed are generally at high-value positions like QB, OT, CB, DL, and WR. If the Browns hope to keep all four quarterbacks, waiving Dillon Gabriel or Taylen Green at the initial cutdown day could lead to a claim. Doing so a day or two later, when they would re-sign a vet they cut, like Barnett, Wallace, or Burton, would make it less likely that another team would claim them.

Then Gabriel or Green could have an easier time getting to Cleveland’s practice squad.

Teams don’t like claiming a player only to waive them a day later because a more important player became available. It is seen as bad business with agents and even within the team itself.

A move of this sort is not certain and would not be limited to just the quarterback position. As long as the player, their agent, and the Browns are on the same page, veterans will often go along with the process and earn slightly more ($100,000 or so) when they return to the team a day or two later.

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