Browns release QB Tyler Huntley, leaving them with 3. Deshaun Watson's contract reworked for 2024

BEREA, Ohio (AP) — The Browns threw away one of their quarterbacks.

Cleveland released quarterback Tyler Huntley on Thursday, leaving them with three QBs heading into the season after they were forced to start five in 2023 amid a rash of injuries at the position.

Huntley was signed as a free agent in March to give the club more depth. He became the odd-man out after second-year quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson outplayed him by having a strong camp and preseason.

Huntley threw three touchdown passes last week in Cleveland’s exhibition finale.

The Browns will head into their season opener on Sept. 8 against Dallas with three QBs: Deshaun Watson, Jameis Winston and Thompson-Robinson, who made three starts and played in eight games as a rookie last year before suffering a serious hip injury.

Thompson-Robinson made steady progress, enough to beat out Huntley, presumably for the No. 3 spot.

“That room was very, very competitive, and those guys all had really good moments,” coach Kevin Stefanski said. “Dorian coming off of his injury, to be able to put himself in position to go play like he did in the games, perform like he did in practice, was a big part of it.”

With a roster spot free, the team also re-signed veteran running back D’Onta Foreman, who had his contract terminated on Monday. The Browns are light in backfield depth as they wait for star running back Nick Chubb to return from knee surgeries.

Foreman had a scary moment in the first days of training camp in West Virginia. He had to be flown by helicopter to a hospital in Virginia after experiencing neck and back pain after taking a hard hit.

Foreman missed a week of camp but played in Cleveland's final two exhibitions, scoring a touchdown against Minnesota.

As they maneuver their roster, the Browns also restructured Watson's contract for the third time. Cleveland is converting $44.79 million of Watson’s $46 million base salary this season into a signing bonus.

The move will open more than $35 million more in salary cap space as the Browns are a league-high $62 million under the cap.

Watson signed a fully guaranteed $230 million contract over five years with the Browns in 2022. The three-time Pro Bowler in Houston agreed to the deal after he initially turned down Cleveland's offers.

Browns general manager Andrew Berry and his staff have made a habit of redoing deals with top players in recent years to give the team financial flexibility.

Assistant general manager Catherine Hickman wouldn't discuss any specifics about Watson's deal, but reiterated it allows the Browns to do other things.

"As an organization, our philosophy is to be aggressive when we think about resource allocation and management, so we always look at all options,” she said.

Huntley, 26, signed a one-year deal at the league minimum with Cleveland after being Lamar Jackson's primary backup in Baltimore the past three seasons. He went 3-7 in 10 starts for the Ravens.

Huntley will likely land somewhere else as teams look to protect themselves at the game's most vital position. Stefanski didn't rule out Huntley possibly returning on the practice squad.

No team was hit harder last season at QB than the Browns, who only had Watson for six starts before he underwent season-ending shoulder surgery. In November, Cleveland signed free agent Joe Flacco, who went 4-1 in five starts and got the Browns to the playoffs.

NOTES: Beloved play-by-play announcer Jim Donovan announced he will no longer call games, saying in a letter to fans that his cancer has returned. The 68-year-old Donovan has been at the microphone for the team since its expansion return in 1999. “Not a day has gone by when I haven’t paused and been so proud to be ‘The Voice of the Browns,’” he wrote. Owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam warmly expressed their gratitude to Donovan, saying “he is Cleveland and represents all that is good about Cleveland. ... he lights up every room and every conversation with his infectious energy. His class, professionalism and limitless care for those around him make all of us better.”

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Tom Withers, The Associated Press