The Way Too Early 53-Man Roster
The Cleveland Browns pre-season 90-man roster seems to be set. There might be a few minor moves, but this looks like the team that starts training camp in July. Of all the rosters Browns GM Andrew Berry has built, this one is the most talented. Cutting the current team down to a final 53-man roster will be difficult. Last year the team kept 24 offensive players, 26 defensive players (one extra defensive end) and the three special teams players. Here’s my way too early 53-man roster, 25 on offense, 25 on defense and three special teamers barring injury or player trades.
Quarterbacks (3). Deshaun Watson, Josh Dobbs, Dorian Thompson-Robinson.
Running Backs (3). Nick Chubb, Jerome Ford, Demetric Felton or free agent.
Wide Receivers (6). Amari Cooper, Donovan Peoples-Jones, Elijah Moore, David Bell, Marguise Goodwin, Cedric Tillman.
Tight Ends (3). David Njoku, Jordan Akins, Harrison Bryant.
Tackles (4). Jedrick Wills, Jack Conklin, James Hudson, Dawand Jones.
Guards (4). Joel Bitonio, Wyatt Teller, Michael Dunn, Dawson Deaton.
Centers (2). Ethan Pocic, Luke Wypler.
Defensive Tackle (4). Dalvin Tomlinson, Siaki Ika, Trysten Hill, Perrion Winfrey.
Defensive End (5). Myles Garrett, Za’Darius Smith, Ogbo Okoronkwo, Alex Wright, Isaiah McGuire.
Linebackers (6). Anthony Walker, Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Sione Takitaki, Tony Fields, Mathew Adams, Jordan Kunaszyk.
Cornerbacks (6). Denzel Ward, Greg Newsome, Martin Emerson, A.J. Green, Cameron Mitchell, Mike Ford.
Safety (4). Grant Delpit, Juan Thornhill, Rodney McLeod, Tanner McCallister.
Special Teams (3). Cade York, Corey Bojorquez, Charlie Hughlett.
On offense, I’ve kept three quarterbacks because Thompson-Robinson would never be able to pass through waivers and make it to the practice squad. The wide receiver position is the hardest to figure out. Do they keep two tight ends and keep WR Jakeem Grant to return punts? At the offensive tackle position, I’m not comfortable with rookie Dawand Jones being the fourth tackle, especially with Conklin’s injury history. A veteran tackle needs to be signed or Joe Haeg makes the roster. On defense, I have Perrion Winfrey making the roster over Jordan Elliott and Maurice Hurst. If Winfrey continues his immaturity, it’ll come down to Elliott or Hurst. If Hurst can stay healthy, he makes the roster. At linebacker, I went with Tony Fields because I’ve heard Jim Schwartz really likes him. Also, I think Takitaki might start the season on the PUP list. If so, Jacob Phillips could make the roster at the beginning of the season. Probably the biggest surprise is at safety, where Tanner McCallister makes the roster over D’Anthony Bell and Ronnie Hickman. I think McCallister has more upside.
It would not surprise me that Andrew Berry makes some player-for-player trades prior to training camp. This roster could use a veteran backup running back, offensive tackle and possibly a defensive tackle. All in all, this is going to be an interesting pre-season.
Lastly, after writing this article the news came of the passing of the greatest football player on earth, Jim Brown. I’m one of the lucky ones to be old enough to have seen him play live. I thought he was the strongest, biggest person I’d ever seen. He was like a superhero. At the time, he was one of the faces of the NFL and help build the league into what it is today. When the league treated him badly, he left to become a movie star. Sadly, at the time he made more money in the movies than he did playing professional football. He wasn’t perfect, but then none of us are. He was the greatest, RIP Goat.
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