The Cleveland Browns have a few cut candidates this offseason, with some players being easier to decide on than others. Among the potential players they might let go, safety Juan Thornhill could be someone the Browns part ways with.
Thornhill, who would be playing in the final year of his three-year, $21 million deal if the Browns keep him, hasn’t performed at the level many expected him to.
Spencer German of Sports Illustrated believes the two sides going in a different direction is “inevitable” during the offseason, predicting the Browns will cut ties with the two-time Super Bowl champion.
“A split between the Browns and Thornhill seems inevitable this offseason. From his questionable effort at times, to his inconsistent play, his two years in Cleveland have been disappointing to say the least. Unfortunately, moving on from Thornhill comes at a cost, in the form of a $12.4 million dead cap hit once he’s released.
“If Cleveland were to make him a June first release it would at least break up the payments to about $3.1million and $9.2 million respectively. It also wouldn’t see the $2.5 million in cap relief until after June 1, which doesn’t help them much in terms of building the roster in the months ahead. Eating over $12 million the next two years is a tough pill to swallow but moving on from Thornhill seems imminent for the Browns,” German wrote on January 13.
Browns’ Secondary Could Look Different in 2025-26 Campaign
The Cleveland Browns need to save money and get draft picks in return, meaning a few players, even outside of Thornhill, could be on their way out.
However, while the Browns are likely heading into a rebuild, they’ll still need to have decent players on both sides of the football. Trading everyone isn’t an option, despite how appealing it may sound if they want to rebuild.
The secondary could see a significant shift. Ben Solak of ESPN believes the Browns will move on from a few players in their secondary but didn’t name Thornhill. While Thornhill wasn’t mentioned, that’s due to Greg Newsome and Denzel Ward being better than him and having value on the trade market.
“With no contending future in sight, I expect the Browns to trade players for picks. Both cornerbacks Denzel Ward (who had an excellent season) and Greg Newsome II (who had an uncharacteristically shaky season) should be made available, and one will be dealt.
“For my money, I expect a young, rising team to put a first-round pick on the table for Ward (Packers? Vikings?) and give the Browns the draft capital they need to aggressively rebuild,” Solak wrote on January 12.
Browns Cap Situation Makes Thing Difficult
No matter what the Cleveland Browns do, the situation they’re in regarding cap space will be tough to manage. Even cutting Thornhill and others won’t change that.
There are ways to ease the burden, but the Browns are -$29.9 million below the cap, according to Over the Cap.
Eating Thornhill’s money isn’t the ideal outcome. However, the Browns situation is much worse than eating his money over the next two years.
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