3:08pm: The Browns have cut ties with the recently arrested defender. The team announced Thursday afternoon it waived Phelps.
1:19pm: Lonnie Phelps was arrested Wednesday night after he crashed his SUV into a Key West restaurant, as detailed by 7News Miami. The second-year Browns defensive end now faces charges for DUI and damaging property.
Phelps’ vehicle crashed into the Red Shoe Island Bistro just before 9:00pm on June 19 with the passenger side “embedded in the wall,” per the police report. The Hyundai SUV also sustained damage in the front, and airbags on both sides deployed. Phelps and his girlfriend were present at the time of the crash.
The parties were seen arguing upon exiting the vehicle, and the report indicates Phelps showed signs of intoxication. He refused a breathalyzer test and was uncooperative with officers before ultimately being booked into the Monroe County Detention Center. Damages from the crash have been estimated at $300K.
Phelps joined the Browns last spring as an undrafted free agent. He spent his first three college seasons at Miami (Ohio), collecting 16 sacks in 38 games. Transferring to Kansas in 2022 paved the way for him to have a strong final campaign at the college level with seven sacks and 11.5 tackles for loss. Phelps did not see any game time as a rookie, but he remained in Cleveland by signing a futures contract in January.
The Browns’ edge group contains the likes of Myles Garrett, Za’Darius Smith, Ogbonnia Okoronkwo and Alex Wright. That quartet consists of returning players, and they will be expected to shoulder the load once again during the 2024 campaign. Phelps will again look to carve out a roster spot during training camp this summer if Cleveland elects to keep him in the fold. If the team were to let him go, he would be subject to waivers.