The Browns finally gave up on their futile attempt to trade Brock Osweiler, cutting the veteran quarterback Friday in a flurry of roster moves, a person familiar with the decisions confirmed for the Beacon Journal.
The team also released veteran guard John Greco, defensive tackle Xavier Cooper and kicker Cody Parkey, choosing rookie seventh-round draft pick Zane Gonzalez as the winner of its kicking job, the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the organization is still finalizing its roster decisions.
The Browns announced 18 moves involving lesser-known names earlier Friday, reducing their roster from 83 players to 65. The exit of Osweiler, Greco, Cooper and Parkey puts the count at 61. All NFL teams must reduce their rosters to 53 players by 4 p.m. Saturday.
The Browns traded for Osweiler on March 9, but they executed the deal because they wanted the Houston Texans' 2018 second-round pick. Osweiler was a throw-in and nowhere close to the focus of the trade from the Browns' perspective.
Still, Osweiler received a chance to serve as a bridge to rookie quarterback DeShone Kizer. But Osweiler failed to seize the job as the starter in the first two preseason games, clearing the way for coach Hue Jackson to elevate Kizer and ultimately name him the starter this past Sunday. Osweiler didn't play in the final two exhibition games. He also didn't fit the profile of a veteran who's willing to mentor a younger player. After all, Osweiler is only 26 and wants to play.
The Browns owe him the $16 million guaranteed on his contract and will only be off the hook for the amount his new team pays him as a free agent. The veteran minimum for a sixth-year player is $775,000.
With Osweiler gone, the door is open for Cody Kessler and Kevin Hogan to round out the quarterback depth chart behind Kizer, a second-round pick from Notre Dame.
Browns head of football operations Sashi Brown said Thursday the team may keep two or three quarterbacks. Brown has final say on all roster decisions, but the franchise hired Jackson last year because of his quarterback expertise, and he wants three players at the game's most important position on the roster.
"I like to have as many as I can have," Jackson said Friday during a conference call before the team's decision on Osweiler became public knowledge. "I would like to have at least three if we could, but if we decide to go with two and we feel that is best for the organization, then we will do that."
Hogan made a strong case to survive roster cuts with the best preseason among the backup quarterbacks. Kessler struggled mightily in training camp, but this regime drafted him in the third round last year and probably doesn't want to throw in the towel yet.
Kizer, 21, obviously hasn't started a regular-season game. Hogan, 24, hasn't, either. Kessler, 24, started eight last season and lost all of them during the Browns' 1-15 debacle.
The main thing Osweiler had going for him is his 14-9 record as an NFL starter, including 1-1 in the playoffs.
Jackson was asked whether the Browns would feel the need to add a veteran without Osweiler in the equation.
"We will think about that as we go," Jackson replied. "I just think when it is all said and done, you have to make sure you keep the best players that you feel that can help you win. Experience is important, but at the same time, I think talent level and where we are and what we are trying to accomplish is important, too."
Greco, 32, was one of the most experienced players on the team. He has started 70 games in nine NFL seasons, including 66 with the Browns the past six years.
He rebounded from Lisfranc foot surgery in December to play throughout the preseason, and his versatility allows him to start at guard or center. But the Browns gave right guard Kevin Zeitler and left guard Joel Bitonio lucrative contracts in the offseason and opted to go with younger, cheaper backups than Greco, who was scheduled to make $3.075 million in the final season of his contract.
With Greco gone, the Browns have just three players who are 30 or older.
Cooper, 25, was drafted in the third round in 2015 by former general manager Ray Farmer. He started two of the 27 games in which he appeared, compiling 39 tackles, including 1{ sacks. He sat out practice earlier this week with an undisclosed injury and appeared likely to be cut.
Parkey, 25, made 20 of 25 field goals and 20 of 21 extra points last season for the Browns. But the Gonzalez entered the picture in late April, when the Browns drafted a kicker for the first time since 1989.
Gonzalez made 2 of 3 field goals and 3 of 4 extra points in the preseason. In Thursday's exhibition finale, Gonzalez made a 53-yard field goal but later missed an extra point. Parkey made both field goals and all three extra points he attempted in the preseason.
