For the eighth time in the past ten seasons, the Cleveland Browns missed out on the playoffs once again in 2024. Despite the franchise resurgence Kevin Stefanski led over the past five years, Cleveland’s 3-14 record was their worst since the infamous 0-16 campaign in 2017. The disappointing outing forces the Browns into a difficult position in the 2025 NFL offseason.
To make the situation worse, the Browns enter the offseason with the second-worst cap situation in the league. General manager Andrew Berry is already $30 million over the limit, with only the New Orleans Saints in a worse state of affairs. Even with the projected salary cap increase, Berry is feeling the effects of his previous roster decisions.
Most of the Browns’ payroll is eaten up by DeShaun Watson’s notorious $230 million contract that is valid through 2026. Despite constant injury issues and poor performances, Watson remains one of the highest-paid players in the league for the next two seasons. While many fans would love to see the front office buy out his contract, doing so would cost the team over $100 million in dead cap, making the move highly unlikely.
Due to their current salary cap position, Cleveland is one of the top teams to monitor in free agency. The Browns are expected to release a handful of veterans in the 2025 NFL offseason to give themselves even the smallest bit of wiggle room. Beyond Watson, the Browns have several other viable cut candidates who should be released sooner rather than later.
QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson
The Browns are handcuffed to Watson for the next two years, but that does not mean they are sold on him as their permanent starter. Coming off a ruptured Achilles tendon, Watson’s recovery timeline is unclear, causing reports that Cleveland is exploring all quarterback options in the offseason.
While Watson will likely remain on the roster through the summer, none of the team’s other signal-callers should. The Browns found themselves in a familiar position in 2024, dealing with arguably the worst quarterback situation in the league. Watson’s hefty deal prevents them from fully cleaning house, but longtime backup Dorian Thompson-Robinson should receive his walking papers before March.
In his two years, various injuries have given Thompson-Robinson five desperation starts. He has never done anything with them, going 1-4 in those opportunities and averaging 3.8 yards per attempt in his career. Thompson-Robinson has never thrown for more than 170 yards in a single game and has just one career touchdown to 10 interceptions.
It may not be a priority, but the team has at least a few reasons to re-sign social media sensation Jameis Winston. He is far from consistent, but when he is on the field, he at least gives the offense a fighting chance and provides fans with a reason to be interested. Thompson-Robinson, however, has been given every possible chance to prove his value and consistently fails to impress.
S Juan Thornhill
In his two seasons with the Browns, Juan Thornhill has been a mainstay of Jim Schwartz’s top-tier defense. A lot of Schwartz’s system relies on the secondary, which Thornhill has been a key part of since signing with the team in 2023.
However, after two years in Cleveland, the 29-year-old might be more of a liability than an asset. Despite maintaining his output, Thornhill was demoted to the bench in 2024 for emerging second-year Ronnie Hickman. From a pure numbers perspective, he is owed roughly $7 million in 2025 — the final year of his three-year deal — making his more than triple that of Hickman’s.
In 2024, Thornhill suffered an injury in Week 1, keeping him out for the next six weeks. Before going down, he played 95 percent of the defensive snaps in Week 1. However, after his return, Thornhill essentially split the safety snaps evenly with Hickman down the stretch. From Week 10 to Week 17, Thornhill played more than half the snaps in just three of the final seven games.
Should Thornhill be released, he will likely become a top free agent of the 2025 NFL offseason. His skills are hardly diminished, but with the Browns’ cap situation as tight as it is, his salary is not worth the extra dollars, making him a potentially surprising cut candidate.
DT Shelby Harris
Much like Thornhill, veteran defensive tackle Shelby Harris could fall victim to the numbers game. Harris signed a two-year deal in 2024, giving him an annual salary of roughly $4.5 million in 2025. That pricing point is well within an affordable range, but at 33, Harris might unfortunately be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Despite missing three games in 2024, Harris actually increased his production from the previous season. He recorded 37 tackles, 1.5 sacks, one forced fumble and nine pressures. As a result, Harris received a stellar 66.7 player grade from Pro Football Focus, placing him within the top 20 percent of the position.
However, even with his strong performances, the Browns’ future remains with rookie Mike Hall Jr., who ended the year on a high note after a rocky start to his career. Once Hall was cleared to play, his snap count slowly rose each week. Following an eight-game rookie campaign, the Browns appear fully ready to unleash the 2024 second-round pick as soon as 2025.
Even in Hall’s absence, Harris still split snaps with journeyman Maurice Hurst II. Both Hall and Hurst received significantly smaller paychecks than Harris despite similar on-field production. Whether or not the Browns embrace a full rebuild, they are undoubtedly going to favor youth moving forward. From a pure asset management perspective, Harris might become one of the Browns’ top cut candidates in the 2025 NFL offseason.
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