Browns Terminate Contract of 27-Year-Old Pass Rusher

The Cleveland Browns trimmed their roster Wednesday, waiving 27-year-old defensive end Benton Whitley as they move toward the 53-man cutdown.

The team announced it had released Whitley from the active roster and also waived tight end Brenden Bates from injured reserve. Cleveland did not announce corresponding signings.

The moves come a day before the preseason finale against the New England Patriots and as the Browns continue to shape a defensive line still adjusting after trading Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams in June.

Whitley signed with Cleveland on June 4, days after the Garrett deal. Listed at 6-foot-4 and 255 pounds, he was in his third official NFL season after going undrafted out of Holy Cross in 2022.

The Rams signed him as a college free agent; he later bounced through Kansas City, Minnesota, the New York Giants, Arizona, and Tampa Bay’s practice squad.

He has appeared in six regular-season games, all with the Vikings in 2023 and the Giants in 2023–24, totaling one pass deflection and one fumble recovery. Most of his NFL work has come on special teams.

With the Browns, Whitley wore No. 61 and played in the first two preseason games. He recorded three tackles and a forced fumble, enough to stay in the mix but not enough to lock down a spot as the team added veterans such as Derek Barnett and continued evaluating younger edge options.

At 27, he remains a depth piece whose value has always been as a practice-squad or late-roster specialist rather than a featured pass rusher.

The decision fits a familiar pattern for Whitley, a three-time first-team All-Patriot League player at Holy Cross who has spent his professional career cycling through camps and practice squads.

Teams have liked his size and special-teams energy; they have rarely kept him when final roster math arrives. Cleveland is now doing the same as it prepares for the regular season without filling the two openings created Wednesday.

Whitley becomes a free agent subject to waivers. Another team could claim him for depth or a practice-squad role before Week 1. For the Browns, the cut is one more step in a crowded defensive-end group that includes Jared Verse, Isaiah McGuire, and others competing for snaps in a post-Garrett front.

The timing is typical late-August housekeeping. Roster spots are scarce, preseason production is limited, and Cleveland is prioritizing players it sees as more likely to contribute once the games count.

Whitley’s brief Browns tenure ends the same way many of his previous stops have: a short look, modest tape, and a quiet release as the calendar turns toward September.