Browns free agent cornerback DaMarri Mathis changes Cleveland’s secondary plans

Cleveland Browns On SI · Jul 21, 2026 22:25 · 2 min read

Browns Free Agent Cornerback DaMarri Mathis Changes Cleveland’s Secondary Plans — August 9, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; Denver Broncos cornerback Damarri Mathis (27) before the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Cleveland Browns added a rare veteran to a very young roster.

The Cleveland Browns have made a late addition to their roster with training camp right around the corner.

The team announced on Tuesday afternoon that they signed former Denver Broncos cornerback Damarri Mathis and waived Dom Jones with an injury designation.

Cleveland’s corner depth behind Denzel Ward and Tyson Campbell was suspect. But Mathis is entering his fourth season in the league after appearing in 43 games, making 14 starts, with the Broncos.

During Mathis’ three seasons in Denver, the 5-foot-11 cornerback had 109 total tackles, three tackles for loss and nine passes defended.

After finishing his college football career at Pitt in 2021, Mathis was selected by the Broncos in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft. After a strong rookie season, Mathis was given an opportunity to start in Denver back in 2023. But after the Broncos' disastrous 70–20 loss to the Miami Dolphins in Week 3, Mathis was benched in favor of veteran cornerback Foster Moreau.

At the end of training camp last season, the Broncos waived Mathis. He was claimed on waivers by the Carolina Panthers, but tore his ACL in practice in September and was sidelined for the entire season.

In Cleveland, Mathis’ career has a chance at a new life.

The Browns didn’t have much depth behind Ward and Campbell. Myles Bryant and Myles Harden are going to compete to become Cleveland’s starting nickelback. Whoever loses that competition will provide depth.

Jones being waived with a failed physical designation makes Tre Avery and D’Angelo Ross a competition to watch in training camp and the preseason. Last season, Jones appeared in eight games for the Browns.

This offseason, Browns general manager Andrew Berry flipped much of the roster. Last year’s rookie class proved fruitful, and the Browns are hoping for major contributions from this season’s rookie class as well. But you need depth on every team, and when you look a bit deeper than the starters, you realize the Browns don’t have many veterans on this roster anymore.

Still just 27, Mathis is worth the investment on a one-year contract. But he’s played and started in meaningful games during his time with the Broncos. There’s so many players in their early 20s on this Browns roster. Adding a player going into his fourth season is certainly welcomed.

The Browns will have their rookies reporting to training camp on Wednesday. The rest of the team will report on July 28. From there, the real work will be underway.