The Browns announced four roster moves Tuesday, but only one of them qualified as a surprise.
In an unexpected move, the franchise terminated the contract of veteran defensive lineman John Hughes, a third-round draft pick in 2012. The Browns drafted 11 players that year. With Hughes cut, none of them remains on the roster.
Last year, the previous regime gave Hughes a four-year contract extension worth $14.4 million in new money. He was under contract through 2019.
The team also announced it signed center Austin Reiter off Washington’s practice squad, waived rookie inside linebacker Scooby Wright, a seventh-round selection, and signed veteran quarterback Charlie Whitehurst, whose agent made the move public Monday night on Twitter.
Whitehurst is set to back up rookie third-round pick Cody Kessler on Sunday when the Browns (0-2) face the Miami Dolphins (0-2) on the road.
The franchise telegraphed its decision to part with Hughes when it made him inactive Sunday in a 25-20 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
He was a healthy scratch partly because the coaches didn’t think he matched up well against the Ravens’ outside zone running scheme and partly because they wanted to see what rookie defensive end Tyrone Holmes could do. Holmes played just 10-of-75 snaps (13 percent) in his NFL regular-season debut, but he impressed and earned the third-highest grade on the defense from ProFootballFocus.com.
Hughes, 28, entered the season listed as a starting defensive end on the depth chart. But last week he was listed as a backup before being made inactive against the Ravens. He played 22-of-77 snaps (29 percent) on Sept. 11 in a 29-10, season-opening loss to the Philadelphia Eagles but didn’t register any statistics.
Hughes started 10 of the 53 games in which he appeared with the Browns and had 123 tackles, including 5.5 sacks.
He missed two weeks of training camp while dealing with a personal family matter but returned to the Browns in time to appear in two of the four preseason games. A team spokesman said Hughes being inactive Sunday wasn’t related to a personal issue. Hughes was at FirstEnergy Stadium for the game.
As for the other moves, Reiter will add depth at center while starter Cameron Erving recovers from a bruised lung he suffered Sunday.
Browns coach Hue Jackson said Monday that veteran John Greco will move from right guard to center in the starting lineup while Erving is sidelined. Backup Alvin Bailey will fill Greco’s usual spot at right guard.
Reiter, 24, has never appeared in an NFL regular-season game. Washington drafted him in the seventh round last year out of the University of South Florida. Reiter, 6-foot-2 and 300 pounds, spent most of last season on Washington’s practice squad. He began this season on Washington’s active roster, was cut a day after the regular-season opener and then signed to the practice squad.
Wright, a seventh-round pick from the University of Arizona, was inactive in each of the first two games this season. He’ll likely return to the team’s practice squad if he clears waivers.
Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Browns blog at www.ohio.com/browns. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/NateUlrichABJ and on Facebook www.facebook.com/abj.sports.