The Browns spent cutdown day doing what rebuilding rosters always do this time of year: scavenging other teams' cuts. Jeremy Fowler broke the first domino, reporting Cleveland planned to sign free agent pass rusher Sam Williams to the active roster.
The Browns plan to sign free agent pass rusher Sam Williams to the active roster, per sources.
Williams didn't get here by accident. He was a second-round pick of the Cowboys who put up 9.5 sacks over three seasons in Dallas, but he got squeezed off the roster once the Cowboys added Von Miller. He still walks away with $2M in guarantees from that deal, per Fowler, and now lands in Cleveland as depth at a position the Browns badly need to reinforce after losing starter Alex Wright for the season.
It's a 53-man roster spot for Williams, who had 9.5 career sacks for Dallas. He has $2M in guarantees from his previous deal with the Cowboys.
About an hour later, Tom Pelissero added the second piece: veteran corner Noah Igbinoghene was signing onto the 53-man roster as well. Igbinoghene was Miami's first-round pick back in 2020, 30th overall, but the fit never clicked — he was dealt to Dallas, bounced to Washington, and had been trying to catch on with Seattle this preseason before Cleveland scooped him up. Mary Kay Cabot confirmed the signing shortly after, crediting Pelissero with the first report.
Veteran CB Noah Igbinoghene is signing with the Browns 53-man roster, per source.
The two additions were part of a bigger housecleaning day. Adam Schefter and Aaron Wilson both laid out the full ledger: Cleveland placed defensive tackle Kalia Davis on injured reserve with a quad injury, waived cornerback Michael Coats Jr., and rounded out the practice squad with defensive tackles Sam Kamara and Chris Williams, running back Jaleel McLaughlin and tight end Messiah Swinson.
Browns roster moves: 🏈Signed CB Noah Igbinoghene and DE Sam Williams to their 53 man roster. 🏈Placed DT Kalia Davis on injured reserve. 🏈Waived CB Michael Coats Jr. 🏈Signed DT Sam Kamara, RB Jaleel McLaughlin, TE Messiah Swinson, DT Chris Williams to practice squad.
None of these are marquee names, but that's the point of cutdown day — it's about churn, not stars. Losing Davis to IR thins out an already stretched defensive tackle room, which makes the addition of a proven-if-unspectacular pass rusher like Williams more of a need than a luxury. Igbinoghene, meanwhile, gives Cleveland a former first-rounder's tools at a bargain price, the kind of low-risk bet teams make every August hoping a change of scenery finally unlocks the talent.
Neither move screams contender, but both moves make sense for where the Browns actually are: patching depth wherever they can find it before Week 1, and betting that other teams' cast-offs still have something left to give.