Despite being carted off with an ankle injury in the first preseason game, the Cleveland Browns still have yet to put second-year center Luke Wypler on Injured Reserve.
And you might be asking why they haven’t made that move yet, and the answer is really simple. If a player were to be placed on IR before making the 53-man roster, they would be subject to waivers.
After a rule change this offseason, however, that is not the case for every team, but it is for the Browns. The NFL added a rule change that two players can be kept on the PUP, Injured Reserve, or non-football injury list without ending up being placed on the 53-man roster first who could still be designated for return.
For the Browns, however, they already have two in running backs Nick Chubb and Nyheim Hines, who are not coming off of those lists by cutdown day. This means they still need to clear a roster spot for the likes of Wypler and others who may be heading to IR.
This could cause them to cut a player they want to keep to get Wypler a roster spot before moving him over to IR. A year ago, the Browns circumvented that issue by having gentlemen’s agreements with two vested veterans who would not be exposed to waivers.
Last year, the Browns cut defensive tackle Maurice Hurst and offensive guard Michael Dunn. It was then learned the Browns had agreements with both players to bring them back as soon as a player on the 53-man roster was moved to IR and a roster spot had opened back up again. We could see similar movements with similar players this year.
This type of roster manipulation only works with veterans who have logged four or more years of service time, however, anyone who is not vested would be exposed to the waiver wire for any team to put a claim in on. This only works with players the Browns have some assurances they can bring back right away.
So who are some candidates who fit this bill of players who could hit IR? Wypler is the big one after what looked to be a significant injury. The Browns got five players back off of injured lists who did not practice all summer, so those players like offensive tackles Jack Conklin and Jedrick Wills will not count toward the list.
The number is pretty small this year, but if you see a player like Dunn or Hurst get cut, just remember not to panic as they could be back soon.