I think this sort of hints that he's on the fence about the relationship. He's "browsing other options." It also indicates that he doesn't fully respect you, since you had spoken about this explicitly. I would consider it cheating--I mean, he's given his number to other women, which implies he was trying to go further with it than messaging, even if he hasn't.

Seems like he isn't honest or trustworthy, and you need those to have a healthy relationship. As far as the friends with benefits--I've seen my friends do this before, where they back up a relationship with an ex into a "just friends" situation. Every time it ends with them getting hurt, because they still had feelings for them and the other person didn't feel the same way. I think you'd be setting yourself up for more grief later down the line.

There are lots of other guys out there--especially if you're just looking for a FWB situation. Go find one of them and cut this guy loose.

The whole thing is crappy, though. </3