Cleveland Browns pair signing a free agent defender with another roster move ahead of training camp
The Cleveland Browns are doing some roster shuffling with a couple of changes ahead of training camp beginning.
The Cleveland Browns made a pair of roster moves ahead of training camp next week in Berea, Ohio.
Cleveland has released cornerback Dom Jones and they’re signing veteran cornerback Damarri Mathis ahead of the team ramping up for the 2026 NFL season.
Dom Jones released with failed physical designation
Jones appeared in eight games for the Browns last season and recorded five tackles for Cleveland. He served primarily as a special teams contributor but saw some time as a reserve cornerback. Jones was heading into his second season as an undrafted free agent out of Colorado State.
The 26-year-old Georgia native was potentially going to compete for a third or fourth option at cornerback on the outside for Cleveland. His departure with a failed physical designation opens the door for another man to step up.
Damarri Mathis brings 43 games of NFL experience
To fill the vacancy, the Browns signed Mathis, a 27-year-old cornerback entering his fourth NFL season. Mathis spent three seasons with the Denver Broncos from 2022 through 2024 and brings 43 games of NFL experience, including 18 starts.
Mathis was a fourth-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft out of Pittsburgh and made an immediate impact as a rookie, starting 11 games for the Broncos while recording 65 tackles and seven pass breakups. In 2023, Mathis started six of the 17 games he played in, but his role diminished heading into 2024 before he sat out the 2025 season entirely.
The 5-foot-11, 195-pound cornerback from Lakeland, Florida, now gets a fresh opportunity with Cleveland.
Where Mathis fits on the Browns roster
Denzel Ward and Tyson Campbell are locked in as the two starting cornerbacks for the Browns, and Myles Harden appears to be the leader in the clubhouse to earn the nickel cornerback role. Past that, the competition for roster spots at cornerback gets crowded.
Players like Myles Bryant, D’Angelo Ross, undrafted free agent Michael Coates Jr., and Tre Avery are all battling for spots in Cleveland’s secondary. Mathis could carve out a place in that group given his experience and production as a starter earlier in his career.
There’s a chance Mathis ends up making the 53-man roster after spending all of 2025 out of the NFL. The failed physical by Jones created an opening, and Mathis has a chance to take advantage of it. Training camp will determine whether the fourth-year defensive back can recapture the form that made him a one-time contributor in Denver.