Getty Browns coach Kevin Stefanski.
Ben Stille did not spend a lot of time without a team after being let go by the Cleveland Browns.
The Browns waived Stille on May 9 and he was quickly claimed by the Arizona Cardinals, where he’ll now compete for a roster spot.
Stille was an undrafted free agent as a rookie but still was able to work his way into the rotation. He appeared in six games with Cleveland, playing 75 defensive snaps last season. He also made one appearance with the Miami Dolphins last season.
The Browns also released wide receiver Marquez Stevenson but he has yet to find a new home. Stevenson was a sixth-round pick of the Buffalo Bills in 2021 but has not recorded a catch in the NFL.
Browns general manager Andrew Berry has hinted that there could be some additional roster moves in the coming weeks.
“There may be some other things that we’re looking to do either on the veteran market or trade market over the next several weeks,” Berry said during an interview with ESPN Cleveland.
The Browns will kick off rookie minicamp over the weekend and will host mandatory veteran minicamp June 6-8.
“Once you get to veteran minicamp, it really is like a phew, OK, you can catch your breath a little bit. And that doesn’t mean you won’t have some outstanding business with the team, but that’s a period where I really try and unplug,” Berry said.
Browns Need to Add Pieces to Defensive Line
It was an interesting move by the Browns to release Stille considering the team is looking to build depth at the defensive tackle position. Cleveland signed veteran Dalvin Tomlinson this offseason but there are questions about who will play next to him at the other tackle spot.
A significant question is the future of Perrion Winfrey, a fourth-round pick of the Browns in 2022. He dealt with some maturity issues that made him a healthy scratch for a handful of games last season and Winfrey also injured himself while riding a scooter, forcing him to miss some time.
Winfrey was arrested on a misdemeanor assault charge last month involving a woman he was dating on April 12 has complicated his future in Cleveland. The Browns doing their homework on the situation but have yet to say anything about his future with the franchise. Browns beat reporter Zac Jackson of The Athletic thinks that Stille being gone means that Winfrey may be sticking around.
“Stille going tells me that Perrion Winfrey is going to stay, but we’ll see,” Jackson wrote. “Mostly, the Browns had to make some moves to get their undrafted rookie class formally signed and to start getting the draft picks signed, too.”
Browns Focused on Improving Run Defense
The Browns’ focus this offseason was to revitalize their defense, which started with the hiring of Jim Schwartz as defensive coordinator. Schwartz is building an attacking scheme and the defensive line will be in focus.
“We run a very D-line friendly scheme that eliminates a lot of conflict for those guys, and we were able to play guys off of that. We sort of let those guys go and be disruptive,” Schwartz said during his introductory press conference.
Cleveland’s inconsistent run defense was a thorn in their side last season. The team the new scheme and additions — like Tomlinson — will help with that.
“As a defensive lineman, I feel like going into each season there is always a lot of pressure to stop the run because if you can’t stop the run, you will never get to pass rush,” Tomlinson said. “Just want to come in and help everybody across the whole front so we can be one unit up front to stop the run as much as possible.”
