Training camp roster churn hit the Cleveland Browns on Friday. The team placed veteran guard Kendrick Green on injured reserve and filled out the roster with two fresh additions along the offensive line and in the secondary.
Cleveland announced it signed tackle/guard Jack Conley and cornerback Jeadyn Lukus. To clear space, the Browns waived wide receiver Jamari Thrash with an injury designation, cut linebacker Reid Carrico, and placed Green on injured reserve, according to the team.
Green’s Injured Reserve Move
Green, 27, becomes the corresponding piece of this roster puzzle. Per NFL rules on injured reserve, a player in Green’s spot either sits out the year on the list or gets released later with an injury settlement once he’s cleared to return. NBC Sports’ Pro Football Talk laid out the mechanics of that decision Friday.
A third-round pick by Pittsburgh out of Illinois in 2021, Green started for three years with the Illini and earned second-team All-American honors. He bounced from the Steelers to the Texans before Cleveland picked him up off Buffalo’s practice squad in December, per NFL Trade Rumors. He appeared in just one game for the Browns last season.
Conley and Lukus Step In
Conley, listed at 6-foot-7 and 333 pounds, is technically a rookie this year despite already having Browns ties. He originally signed with New England as an undrafted free agent out of Clemson in 2025, spent time on Cleveland’s practice squad that season, and worked through part of this year’s training camp with the team before Friday’s move. He’ll wear No. 67.
Lukus, a 6-foot-2, 205-pound rookie also out of Clemson, was let go by the Titans as they trimmed their roster on Aug. 1 and lands in Cleveland almost immediately after. He’ll wear No. 38.
Both additions give the Browns bodies at positions already crowded with camp bodies. Cleveland’s tackle and guard group runs deep — Austin Barber, Spencer Fano, Tytus Howard, Dawand Jones, Zion Johnson, and Zak Zinter are among the names competing for spots up front — but depth at guard and tackle matters more than most positions once the pads come on and the hits start piling up over 17 weeks.
What It Means for the Roster Picture
None of Friday’s moves reshapes Cleveland’s outlook for 2026 by themselves. That’s not really the point of early-August transactions. This is the roster-management churn every team goes through once camp shifts from walkthroughs to live contact — teams start separating who fits from who doesn’t, and injuries force fast reactions along position groups that can’t afford to go thin.
Offensive line depth in particular tends to get tested hardest. A single injury at guard or tackle can ripple through protection schemes for weeks, and clubs that stockpile capable fill-ins during camp are the ones that don’t scramble in October. Cleveland’s front office made that math clear with this round of moves.
For Conley and Lukus, the runway is short but real. They have the rest of training camp and the preseason slate to make a case for a Week 1 roster spot, competing against players who’ve had more time inside the building.
