The Cleveland Browns are making moves.
Ogbo Okoronkwo, who arrived in Northeast Ohio with high expectations, will no longer be a part of the team.
According to a report by Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, the Browns released the veteran defensive end to make room for kicker Andre Szmyt.
#Browns have released edge rusher Ogbo Okoronkwo and signed kicker Andre Szmyt, the club announced.
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) June 26, 2025
That’s why Okoronkwo made sure to let the fans know just how he felt about them and the team after the news broke:
“Love to the Land!” he wrote on X.
Love to the Land!
— Ogbo Okoronkwo | Obeezy (@OgboOkoronkwo) June 26, 2025
Okoronkwo was entering the final year of the three-year, $19 million contract he got a couple of years ago.
He didn’t have any guaranteed money left in his contract, so he had been a candidate to be released for weeks now.
The Browns signed former first-round pick Joe Tyron-Shoyinka in free agency, and with a couple of young pass-rushers like Alex Wright and Isaiah McGuire, the writing was on the wall for Okoronkwo to leave.
The Browns will now save roughly $3.3 million in salary cap this season, and they will shave $5.4 million in total.
Okoronkwo may have held onto hope of making the roster since he wasn’t cut earlier in the offseason. Now, with the start of the season just around the corner, he may not have much leverage to get a lucrative deal in free agency.
As for Szmyt, he spent part of last season with the Browns, and the team chose to keep him around and bring him back as an insurance policy in the case that veteran Dustin Hopkins struggles again like he did last season.
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