diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index 0022b278e7fe..49dee9511f28 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -684,15 +684,6 @@ dependencies = [
  "rustc_version 0.4.0",
 ]
 
-[[package]]
-name = "atomic-polyfill"
-version = "1.0.3"
-source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "8cf2bce30dfe09ef0bfaef228b9d414faaf7e563035494d7fe092dba54b300f4"
-dependencies = [
- "critical-section",
-]
-
 [[package]]
 name = "attohttpc"
 version = "0.16.3"
@@ -3166,15 +3157,6 @@ version = "0.15.2"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "d23bd4e7b5eda0d0f3a307e8b381fdc8ba9000f26fbe912250c0a4cc3956364a"
 
-[[package]]
-name = "hash32"
-version = "0.2.1"
-source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "b0c35f58762feb77d74ebe43bdbc3210f09be9fe6742234d573bacc26ed92b67"
-dependencies = [
- "byteorder",
-]
-
 [[package]]
 name = "hashbrown"
 version = "0.12.3"
@@ -3229,20 +3211,6 @@ dependencies = [
  "num-traits",
 ]
 
-[[package]]
-name = "heapless"
-version = "0.7.17"
-source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "cdc6457c0eb62c71aac4bc17216026d8410337c4126773b9c5daba343f17964f"
-dependencies = [
- "atomic-polyfill",
- "hash32",
- "rustc_version 0.4.0",
- "serde",
- "spin 0.9.8",
- "stable_deref_trait",
-]
-
 [[package]]
 name = "heck"
 version = "0.4.1"
@@ -5193,7 +5161,6 @@ checksum = "a55c51ee6c0db07e68448e336cf8ea4131a620edefebf9893e759b2d793420f8"
 dependencies = [
  "cobs",
  "embedded-io",
- "heapless",
  "serde",
 ]
 
@@ -5959,7 +5926,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "proptest",
  "proptest-derive",
  "serde",
- "test-fuzz",
+ "test-fuzz 4.0.5",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -5997,15 +5964,11 @@ version = "0.1.0-alpha.16"
 dependencies = [
  "arbitrary",
  "assert_matches",
- "async-trait",
  "bytes",
  "criterion",
  "derive_more",
  "eyre",
- "futures",
- "heapless",
  "iai",
- "itertools 0.12.0",
  "metrics",
  "modular-bitfield",
  "once_cell",
@@ -6013,12 +5976,10 @@ dependencies = [
  "parity-scale-codec",
  "parking_lot 0.12.1",
  "paste",
- "postcard",
  "pprof",
  "proptest",
  "proptest-derive",
  "rand 0.8.5",
- "rayon",
  "reth-codecs",
  "reth-interfaces",
  "reth-libmdbx",
@@ -6026,15 +5987,11 @@ dependencies = [
  "reth-nippy-jar",
  "reth-primitives",
  "reth-tracing",
- "secp256k1 0.27.0",
  "serde",
  "serde_json",
  "tempfile",
- "test-fuzz",
+ "test-fuzz 5.0.0",
  "thiserror",
- "tokio",
- "tokio-stream",
- "vergen",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -6171,7 +6128,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "secp256k1 0.27.0",
  "serde",
  "snap",
- "test-fuzz",
+ "test-fuzz 4.0.5",
  "thiserror",
  "tokio",
  "tokio-stream",
@@ -6609,7 +6566,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "strum",
  "sucds 0.6.0",
  "tempfile",
- "test-fuzz",
+ "test-fuzz 4.0.5",
  "thiserror",
  "toml 0.8.8",
  "tracing",
@@ -7933,9 +7890,6 @@ name = "spin"
 version = "0.9.8"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "6980e8d7511241f8acf4aebddbb1ff938df5eebe98691418c4468d0b72a96a67"
-dependencies = [
- "lock_api",
-]
 
 [[package]]
 name = "spki"
@@ -8184,9 +8138,21 @@ source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "470137c4c87413dd450bef3d516e6bf88a6dfc70e3f5e359dedbc7f9fc6992b3"
 dependencies = [
  "serde",
- "test-fuzz-internal",
- "test-fuzz-macro",
- "test-fuzz-runtime",
+ "test-fuzz-internal 4.0.5",
+ "test-fuzz-macro 4.0.5",
+ "test-fuzz-runtime 4.0.5",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "test-fuzz"
+version = "5.0.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "b139530208017f9d5a113784ed09cf1b8b22dee95eb99d51d89af1a3c2d6594e"
+dependencies = [
+ "serde",
+ "test-fuzz-internal 5.0.0",
+ "test-fuzz-macro 5.0.0",
+ "test-fuzz-runtime 5.0.0",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -8200,6 +8166,17 @@ dependencies = [
  "serde",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "test-fuzz-internal"
+version = "5.0.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "16e78ed8148311b6a02578dee5fd77600bf8805b77b2cb8382a9435348080985"
+dependencies = [
+ "bincode",
+ "cargo_metadata",
+ "serde",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "test-fuzz-macro"
 version = "4.0.5"
@@ -8216,6 +8193,21 @@ dependencies = [
  "syn 2.0.48",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "test-fuzz-macro"
+version = "5.0.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "17f9bc8c69f276df24e4d1c082e52ea057544495916c4aa0708b82e47f55f364"
+dependencies = [
+ "darling 0.20.3",
+ "itertools 0.12.0",
+ "once_cell",
+ "prettyplease",
+ "proc-macro2",
+ "quote",
+ "syn 2.0.48",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "test-fuzz-runtime"
 version = "4.0.5"
@@ -8226,7 +8218,20 @@ dependencies = [
  "num-traits",
  "serde",
  "sha-1 0.10.1",
- "test-fuzz-internal",
+ "test-fuzz-internal 4.0.5",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "test-fuzz-runtime"
+version = "5.0.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "2b657ccc932fde05dbac5c460bffa40809937adaa5558863fe8174526e1b3bc9"
+dependencies = [
+ "hex",
+ "num-traits",
+ "serde",
+ "sha1",
+ "test-fuzz-internal 5.0.0",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
diff --git a/crates/storage/db/Cargo.toml b/crates/storage/db/Cargo.toml
index 45a9a1bbeb7e..03b99345bb3e 100644
--- a/crates/storage/db/Cargo.toml
+++ b/crates/storage/db/Cargo.toml
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ rust-version.workspace = true
 license.workspace = true
 homepage.workspace = true
 repository.workspace = true
-description = "Staged syncing primitives used in reth."
+description = "Database primitives used in reth."
 
 [lints]
 workspace = true
@@ -22,17 +22,7 @@ reth-tracing.workspace = true
 
 # codecs
 serde = { workspace = true, default-features = false }
-postcard = { version = "1.0.2", features = ["alloc"] }
-heapless = "0.7.16"
 parity-scale-codec = { version = "3.2.1", features = ["bytes"] }
-futures.workspace = true
-tokio-stream.workspace = true
-rand.workspace = true
-secp256k1 = { workspace = true, default-features = false, features = [
-    "alloc",
-    "recovery",
-    "rand",
-], optional = true }
 modular-bitfield = "0.11.2"
 
 # metrics
@@ -45,17 +35,15 @@ page_size = "0.6.0"
 thiserror.workspace = true
 tempfile = { workspace = true, optional = true }
 parking_lot.workspace = true
-derive_more = "0.99"
+derive_more.workspace = true
 eyre.workspace = true
 paste = "1.0"
-rayon.workspace = true
-itertools.workspace = true
 
 # arbitrary utils
 arbitrary = { workspace = true, features = ["derive"], optional = true }
 proptest = { workspace = true, optional = true }
 proptest-derive = { workspace = true, optional = true }
-once_cell = "1.19.0"
+once_cell.workspace = true
 
 [dev-dependencies]
 # reth libs with arbitrary
@@ -63,25 +51,20 @@ reth-primitives = { workspace = true, features = ["arbitrary"] }
 reth-codecs.workspace = true
 reth-interfaces.workspace = true
 
+rand.workspace = true
+serde_json.workspace = true
+
 tempfile.workspace = true
-test-fuzz = "4"
+test-fuzz = "5"
 
 pprof = { workspace = true, features = ["flamegraph", "frame-pointer", "criterion"] }
 criterion.workspace = true
 iai = "0.1.1"
-tokio = { workspace = true, features = ["full"] }
-
-# needed for test-fuzz to work properly, see https://github.com/paradigmxyz/reth/pull/177#discussion_r1021172198
-secp256k1.workspace = true
-
-async-trait.workspace = true
 
 arbitrary = { workspace = true, features = ["derive"] }
 proptest.workspace = true
 proptest-derive.workspace = true
 
-serde_json.workspace = true
-
 paste = "1.0"
 
 assert_matches.workspace = true
@@ -89,7 +72,6 @@ assert_matches.workspace = true
 [features]
 default = ["mdbx"]
 test-utils = ["tempfile", "arbitrary"]
-bench-postcard = ["bench"]
 mdbx = ["reth-libmdbx"]
 bench = []
 arbitrary = [
diff --git a/crates/storage/db/benches/README.md b/crates/storage/db/benches/README.md
index 408211536c24..c9c7a9410a2d 100644
--- a/crates/storage/db/benches/README.md
+++ b/crates/storage/db/benches/README.md
@@ -8,8 +8,3 @@ Currently only benchmarking the encoding/decoding of `Header`. It can be benchma
 ```bash
 $　cargo bench --features bench
 ```
-
-### Postcard:
-```bash
-$　cargo bench --features bench-postcard
-```