The Cleveland Browns made a move on Thursday that didn’t shock anyone, but freed them up to move into the next chapter of their history. The team officially released tight end David Njoku and right guard Wyatt Teller, who have both left the team in free agency.
Writing on social media, Daniel Oyefusi summed up the release of the two players, highlighting how the Browns will still be paying dead cap fees for both next season and beyond.
“The Browns have also officially released TE David Njoku and RG Wyatt Teller with post-June 1 designations. By cutting Njoku, Cleveland breaks his dead cap into $9.5 million in 2026 and $14.7 million. Teller’s dead cap will be broken up into $8.2 million in 2026 and $11.1 million in 2027. Cleveland will get a bit of cap relief after June 1, and separating the dead cap gives them a little more wiggle room in 2026,” Oyefusi posted on X.
The Browns have also officially released TE David Njoku and RG Wyatt Teller with post-June 1 designations.
By cutting Njoku, Cleveland breaks his dead cap into $9.5 million in 2026 and $14.7 million.
Teller's dead cap will be broken up into $8.2 million in 2026 and $11.1…
— Daniel Oyefusi (@DanielOyefusi) March 12, 2026
Although the dead cap charges will be broken into a few years and won’t cost the Browns as much as they could have, it’s still an amount the team would rather avoid, especially since they will not see any benefit from either Njoku or Teller moving forward.
It wasn’t a shock when the Browns decided to move on from both of these players. Njoku had been all but replaced by Harold Fannin Jr., who was having a breakout year. Teller had been benched late in the 2025 season for unknown reasons.
Dead cap space can hurt many teams, and it’s often the consequence of years of pushing back signing bonuses or guaranteed money.
Njoku and Teller are now gone, but they are still costing the Browns. This is yet another example of the tricky and complicated situation that general manager Andrew Berry finds himself in as he attempts to put the past behind the team and move it forward.
Cleveland has a serious money situation, and even departed players are still sitting on their books.
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