David Njoku crosses first roster hurdle, but can he stick as the third tight end among five?

Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland.

More than ever before, the term “final roster” in the NFL is outdated. The only final roster in any given season is the one entering the 16th game.

So the roster cuts the Browns made on Saturday merely created a more workable roster of 53 for GM Andrew Berry and coach Kevin Stefanski to plot their next moves. There will be some waiver pickups to come, along with assembly of a 16-player practice squad, a few injury designations and, possibly, a trade, or two.

“It's very fluid,” Berry said. “It's the first 53 but it doesn't necessarily mean it's the final 53. Roster management is 24-7, 365 days a year. Certainly with the hundreds of players that are going to become available in the next 24 hours, we'll always look to add depth and competition to the 53.”

Here’s what the Browns did on Saturday:

24 players were waived

They were: quarterback Kevin Davidson, quarterback Garrett Gilbert, running back Dontrell Hilliard, running back Benny LeMay, fullback Johnny Stanton, wide receiver Ja’Marcus Bradley, wide receiver Damion Ratley, wide receiver Taywan Taylor, offensive tackle Brady Aiello, offensive tackle Alex Taylor (injured), center Jon Toth, guard Michael Dunn, guard Willie Wright, defensive end Robert McCray, defensive end Chad Thomas, defensive tackle Daniel Ekuale, linebacker Solomon Ajayi, linebacker Willie Harvey, linebacker Montrel Meander, cornerback A.J. Green, cornerback Robert Jackson, cornerback Donovan Olumba, safety Elijah Benton, safety Javonte Moffatt.

53 players were kept

Quarterbacks (2): Case Keenum, Baker Mayfield.

Running backs (3): Nick Chubb, Kareem Hunt, D’Ernest Johnson.

Fullbacks (1): Andy Janovich.

Tight ends (5): Pharaoh Brown, Harrison Bryant, Stephen Carlson, Austin Hooper, David Njoku.

Wide receivers (6): Odell Beckham Jr., Rashard Higgins, KhaDarel Hodge, Jarvis Landry, JoJo Natson, Donovan Peoples-Jones.

Offensive linemen (9): Joel Bitonio, Evan Brown, Jack Conklin, Nick Harris, Chris Hubbard, Kendall Lamm, Wyatt Teller, JC Tretter, Jedrick Wills Jr.

Defensive linemen (8): Eli Ankou, Adrian Clayborn, Jordan Elliott, Myles Garrett, Porter Gustin, Larry Ogunjobi, Sheldon Richardson, Olivier Vernon.

Linebackers (6): Tae Davis, B.J. Goodson, Jacob Phillips, Malcolm Smith, Sione Takitaki, Mack Wilson.

Defensive backs (10): Ronnie Harrison, Kevin Johnson, Karl Joseph, Terrance Mitchell, Sheldrick Redwine, Andrew Sendejo, M.J. Stewart Jr., Tavierre Thomas, Denzel Ward, Greedy Williams.

Specialists (3): Jamie Gillan, Charley Hughlett, Austin Seibert.

My takeaways

1.Keeping five tight ends at this roster cut was expected. I don’t expect that to last long, however. David Njoku ($1.763 million) as a third tight end just doesn’t make sense. I still believe he’ll be traded. I think he does, too.

2.Garrett Gilbert was the quarterback who preceded Baker Mayfield at Lake Travis (TX) High School. Mayfield has said he looked up to him in his prep days and they remain really good friends. It’s possible -- maybe even probable, if not inevitable -- that the Browns invite Gilbert to the practice squad.

But a name to watch as a developmental prospect is Josh Rosen.

Now … don’t overreact.

Two sources told me in January that Berry had Rosen initially rated as his top quarterback in the 2018 draft. They also said that Mayfield surpassed Rosen in Berry’s evaluation by the end of the draft process that year. For what it’s worth, another source has denied all of this to me.

Rosen has burned through two organizations since Arizona made him the No. 10 overall pick in Mayfield’s draft. The Cardinals traded him to the Dolphins last year for second- and fifth-round draft picks, and now the Dolphins have cut him.

The obvious consequence of adding Rosen – even to the practice squad – would be to cast doubt on Mayfield’s future.

I’m pretty sure the Browns do not want to create that appearance. But if they added Rosen – admittedly a long, long shot -- it would be more a reflection of their curiosity about Rosen than any doubt about Mayfield.

3.Defensive end Chad Thomas will be claimed by some team. I think the Browns realized that and simply don’t care. Curtis Weaver (injured reserve) is their next developmental pass rusher.

4.I’m guessing at least a half-dozen waived players, maybe more, will be brought back to the practice squad. I think three players they should hope to get back are cornerbacks A.J. Green and Donovan Olumba, and safety Jovante Moffatt. I had Moffatt making the cut until the trade for Ronnie Harrison.

5.The present roster includes 20 new players from a year ago. That roughly 40 percent turnover has been typical for the Browns because of repeated regime changes. The Browns won’t be on the right track until the annual turnover rate goes down to about 20 to 25 percent – 10 to 13 new players a year. Which means we really won’t know how this regime is doing until at least next year.

6.One of the perks of the pandemic season is that teams can bring back an unlimited number of players on injured reserve, as long as they miss a minimum of three games. I’d expect Mack Wilson to be placed on IR to open a roster spot because Wilson most certainly will miss at least three games with his knee injury.

7.My original 53-player roster projection included Moffatt, prior to the Harrison trade, Dontrell Hilliard over D’Ernest Johnson and guard Willie Wright over center Evan Brown. So I got 51 right. The absence of preseason games actually made this roster easier to handicap, not harder. Perhaps we put too much credence in the preseason games in the past.