Oklahoma State cornerback A.J. Green heads the Browns' roster of undrafted free agents. (profootballnetwork.com)
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland.
The Browns announced the signing of 15 undrafted free agents:
Linebacker Solomon Ajayi of Liberty; safety Elijah Benton of Liberty; receiver Ja’Marcus Bradley of Louisiana-Lafayette; receiver Tony Brown of Colorado; quarterback Kevin Davidson of Princeton; offensive tackle Drake Dorbeck of Southern Mississippi; cornerback A.J. Green of Oklahoma State; running back Brian Herrien of Georgia; cornerback Jameston Houston of Baylor; running back Ben LeMay of Charlotte; safety Jovante Moffatt of Middle Tennessee State; defensive end George Obinna of Sacramento State; offensive tackle Alex Taylor of South Carolina State; defensive tackle Jeffery Whatley of South Alabama; and tight end Nate Wieting of Iowa.
Some takeaways:
*Green, a semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award, reportedly received a $145,000 guarantee from the Browns.
*Ajayi, younger brother of Dolphins and Eagles running back Jay Ajayi, was the only linebacker. Strange because it arguably is the team’s weakest position group.
*Davidson, a strapping quarterback from Princeton of the Ivy League? No surprise there.
*Running backs that Herrien played behind in four years at Georgia: Nick Chubb, Sony Michel, D’Andre Swift.
*Wieting – a tight end from Iowa. In the name of George Kittle, why not?
These undrafted free agents will join the seven draft picks for a rookie minicamp – done virtually – May 8-10. The signings bring the Browns’ roster to the preseason max of 90.
As an addendum to our Browns position rankings, we pose the following relevant questions for each position group as coach Kevin Stefanski proceeds with his virtual offseason program:
Quarterback
1.Has Baker Mayfield mastered coordinator Alex Van Pelt’s instruction to change his lead foot on pass dropbacks?
2.What can Case Keenum do to accelerate Mayfield’s familiarity with Stefanski’s offense?
3.Can Davidson make a run at Garrett Gilbert’s No. 3 role?
Running back
1.How much a threat is Herrien to backup spots held by Dontrell Hilliard and D’Ernest Johnson?
Wide receiver
1.Is Odell Beckham Jr. going to make good on his word to have his best year ever in 2020?
2.Will Jarvis Landry be able to do anything physically prior to training camp?
3.Will Rashard Higgins pick up with Mayfield where he left off in 2018?
Tight end
1.How many tight ends will Stefanski keep on the expanded (to 55 players) roster?
Offensive line
1.How much progress can Jedrick Wills make in reprogramming his muscle memory from right-hand stance to left-hand stance in a virtual minicamp?
2.Has Wyatt Teller become a given as the starting right guard?
3.Where does 2019 sixth-round pick Drew Forbes fit in with the new regime?
Defensive line
1.How healthy is Olivier Vernon and can he be the pass rusher the Browns need opposite Myles Garrett?
2.How much can Andrew Billings and rookie Jordan Elliott realistically push starting guards Sheldon Richardson and Larry Ogunjobi?
3.How much does Adrian Clayborn have in his tank?
Linebacker
1.Is this all there is?
Defensive secondary
1.Does the guarantee given to Green signal the end of veteran Terrance Mitchell ($3.66 million cap figure)?
2.Where does 2019 fourth-round pick Sheldrick Redwine fit in with the new regime?
Specialists
1.Would a $131,000 signing bonus save 5-7, 153-pound JoJo Natson in a return specialist competition against 6-2, 212-pound sixth-round pick Donovan Peoples-Jones?