The Cleveland Browns and trying to level up this year, which means some roster shakeups that were previously unexpected.
Cleveland started defensive tackle Jordan Elliott in all 17 of its regular season games last year, though did so on what was arguably the worst defensive front in the NFL even despite the presence of All-Pro Myles Garrett. Then the team restructured Elliott’s deal, lowering the ceiling of his potential earnings while upping his guaranteed cash to $1.7 million. Add to the mix the additions of Dalvin Tomlinson, Za’Darius Smith and Ogbonnia Okoronkwo and it all seemed to equal another run for Elliott as a starter in his fourth season before hitting unrestricted free agency next summer.
But that no longer appears to be the plan.
The Browns picked up defensive tackle Maurice Hurst, formerly of the San Francisco 49ers, early this offseason. The team then signed Shelby Harris in August, most recently of the Seattle Seahawks, who figures to have already usurped Elliott as the fourth starter on the defensive line. On Saturday, August 19, Scott Petrak of Browns Zone projected Cleveland’s final 53-man roster, which included nine defensive linemen. Hurst numbered among those expected to make the team while Elliott did not, losing out to a pair of young defensive ends who are currently battling injuries.
“Knee surgeries for [Alex] Wright and Isaiah Thomas complicate things at [the] end because neither will be ready Week 1. Wright makes the 53-man roster because he was a third-round pick,” Petrak wrote. “The way tackle Jordan Elliott has been used in the preseason suggests the Browns are trying to trade him.”
Jordan Elliott Still Has Value to NFL Franchises, Just Not Browns
GettyDefensive tackle Jordan Elliott of the Cleveland Browns tackles running back Gus Edwards of the Baltimore Ravens during an NFL game in October 2022.
Elliott has played frequently throughout the preseason, starting the team’s opener in the NFL Hall of Fame Game against the New York Jets on August 3. The defensive tackle played poorly in that contest and hasn’t improved much since.
“Elliott has been getting a lot of starter reps in training camp,” Jacob Roach of USA Today’s BrownsWire noted on August 6. “It was surprising that he was getting [that] much playing time, … which likely means [the Browns] aren’t completely sold on him.”
Roach was correct, as upgrades to the defensive line came quickly after Elliott’s poor performance. However, the Browns have kept running the DT out as a player with significant experience in the NFL (49 total appearances and 21 career starts) who is playing on a cheap contract.
Elliott still makes sense for an NFL roster somewhere in the league and anything the Browns can get in return for him is a win if he is destined to depart Cleveland one way or another, as Petrak suggests.
Maurice Hurst Will Ultimately Push Jordan Elliott Out of Cleveland
GettyDefensive tackle Maurice Hurst #90 and defensive end Isaiah McGuire #57 of the Cleveland Browns celebrate a sack during an NFL preseason game against the Washington Commanders in August 2023.
Elliott was legitimately one of the worst defensive tackles in the league last season, starter or otherwise, based on advanced analytics.
Pro Football Focus graded Elliott out with an abysmal overall player score of 40.4, which included an even worse run-defense grade of 33.0. Those numbers contributed to a ranking of 118th out of 127 players who saw enough snaps at the position to qualify in 2022.
Hurst, on the other hand, has no numbers from last season to examine at as he missed the entirety of the campaign due to a torn biceps injury. He also missed all but two regular season contests the year prior due to calf and ankle issues.
But whatever the Browns are seeing in practice from a healthy Hurst in 2023 has catapulted him above Elliott on the depth chart, at least in Petrak’s estimation. That development, along with the acquisition of Harris earlier this month, appears to have sealed Elliott’s fate in Cleveland. The issue is now simply a matter of time and method of departure.
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Browns Predicted to Trade 17-Game Starter From Last Season