The Cleveland Browns have started their Thursday morning off with a roster move, cutting once-promising free agency addition Ogbo Okoronkwo after two seasons with the team.
Okoronkwo, entering the final year of a three-year, $19 million deal with the team, did not have any guaranteed money left on his deal. This comes after the Browns added former first round pick Joe Tryon-Shoyinka in free agency this past March. The Browns also have young and promising defensive ends Isaiah McGuire and Alex Wright on the roster.
The move will save the Browns just over $3.3 million in cap space this season, while only forcing them to eat just over $1 million. The Browns will see a saving of $5.4 million in 2026 as they then pay off Okoronkwo’s void years.
This was not the only move the Browns made, however. After clearing Okoronkwo’s roster spot, the Browns have signed a second kicker back to the roster. Andre Szmyt, who spent a part of the 2024 season in Cleveland, has returned to the Browns’ roster as veteran Dustin Hopkins looks to rebound from an abysmal year. It looks like the Browns are bringing a kicker competition to training camp.
For Okoronkwo, the timing of this cut is not ideal. Had he been released at the start of the league year, he could have entered a contested EDGE market with teams seeking to add talent. He now looks for his new team after free agency has concluded and after teams have already added young edge rushers in the NFL draft.