![]() So there should be some depth and some good competition, but it’s too early to know how things will shake out. The Browns added veteran defensive end Stephen Weatherly in April and also brought back defensive tackle Sheldon Day. Chase Winovich probably will make the team as a passing-down player and special-teamer, and second-year defensive tackle Tommy Togiai probably will make it as a rotational player. The Browns will keep either four or five edge players and four defensive tackles. Locks (6): Myles Garrett, Jadeveon Clowney, Alex Wright (R), Taven Bryan, Jordan Elliott, Perrion Winfrey (R) If Conklin can’t get healthy and Hubbard can’t stay healthy, another mad (and difficult) scramble could ensue. Ethan Pocic is probably a near-lock as the backup center, and Michael Dunn and Blake Hance have experience plugging in at multiple spots. The concern is at tackle depth, as Conklin continues to rehab from a torn patellar tendon, Hubbard has been injured in the past two seasons and Hudson is a developmental prospect. The Browns are deep at guard and center, arguably as deep as anyone. Locks (7): Jedrick Wills Jr., Joel Bitonio, Nick Harris, Wyatt Teller, Jack Conklin, Chris Hubbard, James Hudson At least three tight ends will be on the active roster. The bottom of the room consists of long-term projects, so a veteran being added sometime between now and August wouldn’t be a surprise. The easy order is Njoku, Bryant and then Miller Forristall, who saw some action last season as a practice squad call-up. There are a bunch of developmental players here one just happens to have recently received $28 million in guarantees in a new contract. The fight for jobs and roles will be a top August storyline, and recent draft picks Felton (2021) and Michael Woods II (2022) aren’t likely to be guaranteed anything. Six wide receivers probably make the team, but there’s uncertainty with the other skill position groups, too. Grant is a lock as the return specialist and occasional plug-in at wide receiver. Nothing else is certain, and if the Browns don’t feel fully comfortable with what they saw in May and June from Schwartz or Peoples-Jones, they’ll have to explore outside options. Locks (5): Amari Cooper, Donovan Peoples-Jones, David Bell (R), Anthony Schwartz, Jakeem GrantĬooper is the clear-cut No. Being a fifth-round pick makes Ford pretty much a lock, and Demetric Felton got touches last year as a running back/wide receiver combo player. But it’s hard to consider fullback Johnny Stanton a lock, and though Johnson seems the likeliest trade piece if another team comes calling in August, he has been a valuable special-teamer and utilityman for the Browns. The Browns will keep at least four running backs, and five isn’t totally out of the question, especially if Watson is suspended. The Browns are overstocked at running back, and Kareem Hunt and D’Ernest Johnson are under contract only through 2022. The most intriguing camp position battle is probably here. It would take a complete reversal of thinking for Mayfield to play for the Browns again - even if Watson is suspended for most or all of the 2022 season.Ĥ️⃣ throwing a strike to 2️⃣7️⃣ /EXa71aZyqn A sensible August plan could be the Browns paying, say, 50 to 60 percent of Mayfield’s salary and flipping him for a late-round pick and a player to fill an immediate deficiency. Brissett is next in line as the starter and Dobbs could be second, but the Browns still are looking to trade Baker Mayfield and could be looking for another quarterback depending on Watson’s availability. If Watson receives a significant suspension, the Browns could look for an outside option beyond current No. Locks (2): Deshaun Watson, Jacoby Brissett (Note: An “R” signifies the player is a rookie.) Quarterback Consider it an examination of the state of the roster - one that’s fairly set overall and fairly loaded in some areas but inexperienced and thin in others. What’s below is not so much a roster projection as it is an assessment of who’s definitely on board, which non-Watson situations seem unsettled and where sneaky competition might be looming. The instructional nature of the Browns’ offseason practices makes it impossible to judge real risers and fallers based on just a few full (non-contact) spring practices that were open to reporters, but we can guess. Still, it’s the time of year for roster projections and all-too-early clues on which players might be playing their way into the team’s plans. Full training camp begins July 27 with a roster that’s mostly set but still uncertain, most notably with new quarterback Deshaun Watson facing a potential suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy. For the Cleveland Browns, summer vacation started last week.
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