Cleveland Browns 53-Man Roster Projection

It is time for my 53-man roster projection for the Cleveland Browns. General Manager Andrew Berry will have to trim the roster from 80 players to 53 players by 4:00 PM ET on Tuesday, August 30. This projection is based on the weeks of training camp reports, the preseason games to date, and my general instincts.

Browns 53-Man Roster Projection

The list above contains 53 players that I kept. Because practice squads are so big (16 players), I have created a specific column for those players too — although I did not fully fill it.

General Roster Projection Notes

• I way under-estimated on my initial making of this list, coming up with about 43 players who I thought were in good shape to make the roster. To compare, last year, my first draft had 60 players listed. The stark contrast kind of raises a concern regarding this team’s depth, particularly at wide receiver, center, defensive tackle, and linebacker.
• With Deshaun Watson set to be suspended, Jacoby Brissett and Joshua Dobbs will certainly make the roster. It’s possible the team could try to add a more experienced backup quarterback once cuts around the league are made. I can’t see Josh Rosen making the team.
• If there’s an offer the Browns get that gives them great value at one of their weaker positions in exchange for either Kareem Hunt or D’Ernest Johnson, they should take it. However, in no way, shape, or form should they just dump either player. Johnny Stanton is one of those players who I pencil in as me assuming he makes it by default, but it would certainly not be a shocker if he was cut.
• Wide receiver looks like a mess still. Who do you rely on for depth between Anthony Schwartz, David Bell, Michael Woods, and Demetric Felton? I’m in a spot where Bell and Woods feel safe because of their rookie status and potential, but I could see justification in Schwartz or Felton not making the team.
• The top two tight ends are locks, but I’m keeping a third one because you have to carry three, right?
• The center position carries some question marks, but Cleveland is still very deep along the offensive line. Hopefully they won’t need to dig into all that depth like they did a year ago.
• The defensive tackle position is a huge liability. I don’t view Taven Bryan, Jordan Elliott, Tommy Togiai, or Perrion Winfrey as guys who can be reliable starters. None of them would be surprise cuts to me; but we also can’t just cut them and sign four new guys off the street, so we have to roll with what we have.
• The number of linebackers (five) is fewer than I’d like, and it’s the same five we leaned on last year. There wasn’t anyone new to the team this year expected to make a splash at the position.
• One of the tougher decisions I faced was deciding between keeping two of three players from the group of Richard LeCounte, D’Anthony Bell, and Herb Miller. Ultimately, I had Bell as my sleeper to make the team, as I love the playmaking ability he brought in the preseason. Miller got the edge on special teams over LeCounte. But this feels like my biggest risk.

What Do You Think?

Feel free to share your roster projections here, or some changes you would make to mine.