The Cleveland Browns have had a busy few days finalizing their 53-man roster and continuing to churn through moves ahead of their Week 1 matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars. 

One of the bigger surprises during cutdowns was the team’s decision to part ways with wide receiver Luke Floriea fully, and the latest practice squad signing sheds light on why Cleveland was ready to move on.

Browns add special teams-focused receiver from Titans

The Browns signed former Tennessee Titans wide receiver Bryce Oliver to their practice squad, which now sits at 16 players. Oliver played college football at Youngstown State and is a 6-foot-1, 214-pound wideout who profiles primarily as a special teams contributor.

Oliver played in 13 games over the past two seasons with Tennessee. He has just seven catches for 103 yards and four touchdowns during that stretch. He also made six tackles and logged a few returns on special teams during his time as a Titan. 

Some in the Titans media space were surprised Oliver did not make Tennessee’s 53-man roster, considering he was one of their more applauded special teams players the past couple of years.

I didn’t see this one coming at all. I had Bryce Oliver squarely on the Titans roster since the draft https://t.co/n5wOkZkTb3

— Austin Stanley (@AustinStanley81) August 30, 2026

Why Cleveland moved on from Luke Floreia 

Floriea not making the 53-man roster wasn’t a total shock, though there was a case to be made that he should have stuck. The bigger surprise was Cleveland opting not to bring the 5-foot-8 receiver back to the practice squad.

The Browns were ready to move on from Floriea because he didn’t offer much special teams value. Cleveland wants that versatility out of the back end of its wide receiver room, which is partially understandable. The Kent State product was a solid pass catcher who got open, and there’s value in that. But if he’s not playing at all as the fifth or sixth receiver on game day, there’s not much he can offer if he can’t step out on special teams units.

Oliver coming in is a direct replacement for the type of spot Floriea would have held if he was a special teams player. Oliver the kind of player the Browns could call up on game day to contribute on kickoff and punt coverage teams. Cleveland views adding a practice squad player with 53-man roster caliber on special teams as a win, and Oliver fits that mold.

The Browns’ receiver room is all but set with KC Concepcion, Denzel Boston, and Jerry Jeudy at the top. Cleveland’s depth is Isaiah Bond, Tylan Wallace, and Malachi Corley. The Browns have special teams value at the bottom of the depth chart on the practice squad, and it’s clesrly a priority as Cleveland prepares for Week 1 against Jacksonville.