The Cleveland Browns drew a lot of attention throughout training camp thanks to their high-profile quarterback battle between Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Dillon Gabriel, and Shedeur Sanders. Flacco earned the starting job come Week 1, but there are still a lot of decisions to make across the roster with cuts looming.
By 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, every team in the NFL needs to have its 53-man roster set. So while the Browns have largely figured out their quarterback situation, they still need to figure out what the rest of their roster is going to look like. With the roster cut deadline drawing near, that resulted in a pair of veteran defensive backs getting released.
Browns Release Tony Brown II, Nik Needham
Heading into the 2025 campaign, hopes aren’t exactly high for the Browns. They have a lot of holes on their roster, and they are widely expected to be entering a rebuild sort of year. The goal is to see if one of Pickett, Gabriel, or Sanders can become their quarterback of the future. If that doesn’t happen, then the team will be aiming to land a high enough draft pick that will help them find a top prospect at this position in the 2026 NFL Draft.
One spot that is pretty well-stocked, though, is the secondary. Denzel Ward and Greg Newsome II are a solid cornerback duo, with Grant Delpit and Ronnie Hickman both being young safeties with considerable upside. As a result, the Browns are going to have to shed some players in their secondary, with cornerback Tony Brown II and safety Nik Needham getting released on Sunday.
Brown played for the Green Bay Packers, Cincinnati Bengals, and Indianapolis Colts before finding his way to the Browns last season. In six games, he racked up five tackles and one fumble forced, and while he has experience that could have proven to be helpful for Cleveland, there ultimately wasn’t space for him on the team’s roster.
Needham broke into the league with the Miami Dolphins, spending six seasons with them to begin his career. After going undrafted in the 2019 NFL Draft, Needham earned a starting job in the Dolphins’ secondary as a rookie, but his role with the team gradually decreased over time. The Browns took a flier on Needham this offseason, but he ultimately did not do enough to earn a roster spot.
Browns Still Have Moves to Make After Releasing Tony Brown II, Nik Needham
GettyThe Browns announced that they had released Tony Brown II and Nik Needham
In a perfect world, the Browns could have kept Brown and Needham as depth options on their roster, but they have other younger guys they want to fill in those roles. By releasing them ahead of the roster cut deadline, Cleveland is giving both of these veterans a head start on finding a new home, as there could be some openings across the league depending on the moves other teams make.
This is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the Browns‘ upcoming roster moves, as the front office and coaching staff still have a lot of work on their plate. As a result, it will be worth keeping tabs on Cleveland to see who they release, and whether or not they scoop up any players who get cut by other teams.
Browns Announce They’re Releasing 2 Veteran Defensive Backs