SEATTLE — The current members of the Cleveland Browns’ 90-man roster have little else they can do to bolster their chances of staying put, and their last chance to do so came Saturday night in the final preseason game at the Seattle Seahawks.
Now all that remains is to wait and see what decisions are made by 4 p.m. Tuesday, when general manager Andrew Berry, coach Kevin Stefanski and the other Browns decision-makers will have to make the difficult decisions to trim the roster down to the initial 53-man limit.
Until then, more players can be added to the squad. A year ago, between the last game of the season and the deadline, the Browns signed both running back Pierre Strong Jr. and kicker Dustin Hopkins.
This projection is based on the players on the roster at the time of publication. It also takes into account the number of injuries to key Browns players who will definitely make the roster if they are healthy.
Whatever the case, here’s the final and best guess as to what the Browns’ initial 53-man roster will look like on Tuesday afternoon.
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Browns 53-man roster projection
Quarterbacks (3)
- IN: Deshaun Watson, Jameis Winston, Dorian Thompson Robinson
- OUT OF: Tyler Huntley
Other than the Browns getting blown away by a trade offer for Thompson-Robinson, nothing has changed here since the spring. Huntley’s previous starting experience with the Baltimore Ravens could make him worth trading to a team in need of a quarterback.
Running backs (4)
- IN: Jerome Ford, Pierre Strong Jr., D’Onta Foreman, Nyheim Hines
- LIST OF INJURED: Nick Chubb
- OUT OF: Aidan Robbins, Jacob Saylors
This is pure prediction and speculation as to how this position will be sorted out. Were they just being extra cautious with Hines’ return and fully expecting him to be fit in September? How does Strong’s bruised ribs that he suffered last week play a role in this? What are they officially doing with Chubb while they wait for him to be ready for football practice? Are we missing out on a new addition to this roster just because of all the injuries?
Wide Receivers (6)
- IN: Amari Cooper, Jerry Jeudy, Elijah Moore, Cedric Tillman, Jamari Thrash, David Bell
- OUT OF: James Proche II, Jaelon Darden, Ahmarean Brown, Michael Woods II
Nothing has changed here in the last week. There are four definitive selections and Bell feels very secure despite having a hamstring injury that has kept him out of action for the past few weeks. Thrash continues to show that he can do what the Browns want from that sixth wide receiver, both on offense and on special teams.
Tight Ends (3)
- IN: David Njoku, Jordan Akins, Zaire Mitchell-Paden
- OUT OF: Treyton Welch
Welch is simply the outsider in this group. There’s really nothing more to say.
Offensive Linemen (10)
- IN: Ethan Pocic, Nick Harris, Joel Bitonio, Wyatt Teller, Michael Dunn, Zak Zinter, Dawand Jones, Jedrick Wills Jr., Jack Conklin, James Hudson III
- OUT OF: Germain Ifedi, Chim Okorafor, Javion Cohen, Wyatt Davis, Zack Johnson, Lorenzo Thompson, Roy Mbaeteka
Here’s a wild guess: Both Wills and Conklin are in the first 53. The guess is that the Browns, much like some other prominent injured players elsewhere, expect to be ready for the season opener on Sept. 8. This is also an ideal spot for someone who isn’t currently on the roster.
Defensive Linemen (9)
- IN: Myles Garrett, Za’Darius Smith, Ogbo Okoronkwo, Alex Wright, Dalvin Tomlinson, Maurice Hurst II, Quinton Jefferson, Mike Hall Jr., Shelby Harris
- OUT OF: Isaiah Thomas, Isaiah McGuire, Sam Kamara, Jeremiah Martin, Jowon Briggs, Siaki Ika
It appears that Hall’s off-field issues won’t cost him a roster spot unless the NFL issues him a personal conduct penalty. From a purely on-field perspective, the second-round pick wouldn’t be a problem if he were inserted into the defensive tackle rotation. Nothing about the injuries at that position suggests long-term concerns, even with Tomlinson and Hurst.
Linebackers (5)
- IN: Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Jordan Hicks, Tony Fields II, Devin Bush, Mohamoud Diabate
- OUT OF: Nathaniel Watson, Landon Honeycutt, Caleb Johnson, Winston Reid, Marvin Moody
Injuries have weakened this group throughout training camp. Hicks hasn’t practiced virtually since the Browns returned to Berea in early August. Fields just returned. Both are viewed as key players, though. Diabate could edge out Watson just because he can play more snaps in the preseason.
Defensive Backs (10)
- IN: Denzel Ward, Greg Newsome II, Martin Emerson Jr., Cameron Mitchell, Kahlef Hailassie, Myles Harden, Grant Delpit, Juan Thornhill, Rodney McLeod, Ronnie Hickman
- INJURY LIST/PUPPIES: D’Anthony Bell
- OUT OF: Justin Hardee Sr., Tony Brown II, Faion Hicks, Chris Edmonds, Chase Williams, Tyler Coyle
This remains one of the toughest groups to work with as there are some key players who have been out all camp (Newsome, Bell), another (Ward) has been in concussion protocol recently, and others (Harden, Hailassie) have been so good in camp that it’s hard to imagine them being kicked out. The assumption is they’re trying to keep Bell because of injury/PUP, but Hardee and Brown could get the short end of the stick as a few younger players are simply having better camps.
Specialists (3)
- IN: Dustin Hopkins, Corey Bojorquez, Charley Hughlett
- OUT OF: Lucas Havrisik, Rex Sunahara
Hopkins and Hughlett sat out the preseason with injuries that Stefanski described as “minor,” but there is no indication that they will prevent either of them from competing in the regular season.
More Cleveland Browns news
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∙ Insights from the Cleveland Browns training camp
∙ Outstanding players from the Cleveland Browns training camp
∙ Joel Bitonio on the Cleveland Browns’ left tackles
∙ Tyler Huntley on being selected by the Cleveland Browns as a free agent
Reach Chris Easterling at [email protected]. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ
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