The preseason is officially over for the Cleveland Browns and now they will turn their attention to getting down to 53 players by the Tuesday deadline. Three preseason games have come and gone, along with an August full of training camp practices. Now, it is about to get real. 

2024 NFL roster cuts important details:

Unlike the past few years, the NFL has reverted from gradual roster cuts throughout the preseason to a single deadline. Rosters must be reduced to 53 players virtually all at once. The team has several different transactions they can use to make that happen. Here are the terms you need to familiarize yourself with:

• Released: When a vested veteran (those who have accrued four seasons in the NFL) is cut from a team. These players are not required to pass through waivers and can immediately become unrestricted free agents. Sometimes that means they'll sign with another team. Other times, teams can release these veterans and re-sign them after they've placed other players on injured reserve.
  
  
• Waived: Players who have not accrued four seasons in the NFL are waived instead of being released. 31 NFL teams will have a chance to claim waived players on their 53-man roster by 12:00 p.m. ET on August 28. If players are not claimed on waivers, they become unrestricted free agents. Waiver priority this time of year is determined by team records from the previous season.
• Waived/injured: If these players clear waivers they will revert to the Browns’ injured reserve list. They can opt to spend the season with Cleveland on IR or reach an injury settlement with the team, which will pay them for the number of weeks they'll miss with injury and make them an unrestricted free agent. Players who opt for the latter route can rejoin the team later in the season after they're healthy.
  
  
• Injured reserve: Up until this year, a player had to make the initial 53-man roster to be placed on IR and be eligible to return later in the season. Now, up to two players can be placed on IR on the day of final cuts (Tuesday) and be designated to return. Teams still have the option to carry injured players on the 53-man roster and some good reasons to do so. First, if a player is placed on IR, he is forced to miss at least four games. Second, if a player makes the initial 53 and is placed on IR on the following day, there are eight designations to return from IR — and another two for playoff teams. Cleveland will need to make a decision on players like Jedrick Wills Jr., Nick Chubb, Jack Conklin, and Nyheim Hines. 
• Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list: Players on the Active/PUP list can be placed on the Reserve/PUP list in a move to get the roster down to 53 players. Players who are moved to the Reserve/PUP list do not count against the 53-man roster. They can attend team meetings, and use team facilities for rehab, but are not allowed to practice for four weeks. After four weeks, another 21-day window opens up, where the player can practice and be activated. If they’re not activated in those 21 days, they must be placed on injured reserve for the rest of the season.

• Reserve/Non-football injury/illness (NFI) lists: Players placed on either Reserve/NFI lists have to go through the same process as players on the Reserve/PUP list. They do not count toward the 53-man roster. They can go to team meetings and use facilities for rehab, but they’re not allowed to participate in practice for four weeks. After that, a four-week period opens where they can return to practice and the team can choose to activate the player. If the player isn’t activated at the end of the second four-week period, they’ll remain on injured reserve for the rest of the season. The big difference between the NFI and PUP lists is that teams can withhold a portion of a player’s salary if they’re placed on the NFI lists.
  
• Reserve/Suspended list: Players who are placed on the Reserve/Suspended list have to serve out an NFL suspension. Players on this list do not count toward 53-man roster limits and are not paid their base salary.
• Reserve/Did Not Report list: Players who are placed on the Reserve/Did Not Report list have left their team.
• Reserve/Retired list: Players who are placed on this list have retired from the NFL. This is a pretty rare transaction that you typically wouldn't see in a move to get to 53 players.

Browns’ 2024 roster cuts: 53

*Players were waived unless otherwise noted

• OL Roy Mbaeteka 

• OL Zack Johnson

• S Tyler Coyle

• RB Jacob Saylors

• LB Caleb Johnson 

• G Wyatt Davis

• K Lucas Havrisik

• CB Faion Hicks

• LB Landon Honeycutt

• DE Jeremiah Martin

• LB Marvin Moody

• T Chim Okorafor

• RB Aidan Robbins

• LS Rex Sunahara

• DE Isaiah Thomas

• S Chase Williams

• WR Jaelon Darden (released)

• WR Mike Woods 

• WR James Proche II (released)

• S Chris Edmonds 

• DT Siaki Ika 

• DE Sam Kamara 

• TE Zaire Mitchell-Paden

• DT Jowon Briggs

• RB D’Onta Foreman (contract terminated) 

• CB Tony Brown (contract terminated) 

• CB Justin Hardee (contract terminated) 

• OT Germain Ifedi (contract terminated) 

• S Brady Breeze 

• LB Winston Reid 

• TE Treyton Welch 

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NFL practice squad rules: 

After the claiming period has ended at 12:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Aug. 28, teams are permitted to assemble their 16-man practice squads. Here are the rules on who can be signed to the practice squad.

• Players who do not have an accrued season (I.E. rookies).
  
  
• Players who were on the active roster for fewer than nine regular-season games during their only accrued season(s).
  
  
• Up to four players per team with no more than two accrued seasons.
  
  
• Up to six players per team with no accrued season limitations (I.E. vested veterans).

Players the Browns placed on the injured reserve:

• OT Hakeem Adeniji
• C Luke Wypler 

Players the Browns placed on the PUP/NFI lists:

• RB Nick Chubb
• RB Nyheim Hines
• G Michael Dunn

The following players are on the active versions of the above lists. That means they count toward the 90-man offseason roster. They can be placed on the reserve versions of the lists during roster cuts.

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Browns trades made:

• Cleveland acquired WR Jerry Jeudy from the Denver Broncos.
• Cleveland sent OT Leroy Watson to the Tennessee Titans.
• Cleveland acquired C Nick Harris from the Seattle Seahawks.
• Cleveland sent K Cade York to the Washington Commanders.
• Cleveland sent DT Chris Williams to the Chicago Bears.

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