Browns Claim DT Elijah Chatman Off Waivers, Adding Depth to Already Crowded Interior Defensive Line

Per the team's announcement, the Cleveland Browns have claimed defensive tackle Elijah Chatman off waivers after the New York Giants released him to make room for undrafted rookie additions to their 90-man roster. It's an offseason transaction that won't move markets today, but it's worth tracking as Cleveland continues to build out one of the more interesting defensive tackle rooms in the AFC.

Chatman logged 22 games over two seasons with New York, including three starts, and compiled 24 tackles, two tackles for loss, a sack, and a fumble recovery. Those are rotational numbers, not starter numbers — but they represent a player who has contributed in live NFL action and can push for a meaningful role. At 25, he's a developmental piece with measurable upside.

The competition in Cleveland is real. Maliek Collins and second-round pick Mason Graham figure to anchor the interior, with Mike Hall Jr., Kalia Davis, Sam Kamara, Adin Huntington, and Bernard Gooden also in the mix. That's eight bodies fighting for roughly three or four active roster spots. Chatman enters as a bubble candidate, but his waiver claim status means Cleveland saw enough value to burn a spot on him now rather than wait for him to clear.

For prop bettors, this is a slow-burn data point worth filing. A stronger, deeper Browns defensive tackle rotation puts pressure on opposing offensive lines at the interior — the kind of cumulative effect that suppresses rushing yards for teams Cleveland faces and creates pocket disruption that can push passing stats below their projected ceilings. When Cleveland's Week 1 and early-season opponent props surface, a robust DT room is one of the structural reasons to lean toward unders on opposing rushers' carries and yards totals. Graham alone was a top-10 interior prospect in the 2025 draft; adding competition only sharpens the room.

Chatman himself carries no immediate prop-market relevance — he won't have his own sack or tackles line on most books until he demonstrates a significant role. But if he earns a rotation spot and the Browns' defensive line depth becomes a legitimate unit-level strength, the downstream effects on opposing RB rushing props and team totals against Cleveland become increasingly lean-under territory as the season approaches.