With only two quarterbacks on the initial 53 roster, could Odell Beckham Jr. be repping for the emergency QB role? (Cleveland Browns)
Meet your 2021 Cleveland Browns … for now
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland.
Takeaways from Browns initial roster of 53 and interviews …
The initial Browns roster looks like this:
Quarterbacks (2): Baker Mayfield, Case Keenum.
Running backs (4): Nick Chubb, Kareem Hunt, D’Ernest Johnson, Demetric Felton (r).
Fullbacks (1): Andy Janovich.
Tight ends (3): Austin Hooper, David Njoku, Harrison Bryant.
Wide receivers (5): Jarvis Landry, Odell Beckham Jr., Donovan Peoples-Jones, Rashard Higgins, Anthony Schwartz (r).
Offensive linemen (10): Jedrick Wills Jr., Joel Bitonio, JC Tretter, Wyatt Teller, Jack Conklin, James Hudson III (r), Michael Dunn, Nick Harris, Blake Hance, Chris Hubbard.
Defensive linemen (8): Myles Garrett, Malik Jackson, Andrew Billings, Jadeveon Clowney, Takk McKinley, Jordan Elliott, Malik McDowell, Tommy Togiai (r).
Linebackers (7): Mack Wilson, Anthony Walker, Sione Takitaki, Malcolm Smith, Jacob Phillips, Tony Fields II (r), Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (r).
Defensive backs (10): Denzel Ward, Greedy Williams, Ronnie Harrison Jr., John Johnson III, Troy Hill, Greg Newsome, M.J. Stewart, Grant Delpit, A.J. Green, Richard LeCounte III (r).
Specialists (3): Jamie Gillan, Chase McLaughlin, Charley Hughlett.
The takeaways
1. GM Andrew Berry cautioned, “It's the initial 53, it's not necessarily the final 53. There are certain injury situations, certain position groups where you are still juggling the dynamics over the course of the next several days. It is fluid and it's not just fluid within this first week. Roster building really is a 365-day-a-year process and it will remain fluid as we head into the regular season as well.”
After 4 p.m. on Wednesday, players can be placed on injured reserve and be designated to return. The minimum stay on IR is three weeks. Obvious candidates for this procedural move are Phillips (torn biceps) and Dunn (back). As to other players who’ve missed significant time, such as Delpit, Williams and Fields, coach Kevin Stefanski said, “All of those guys are progressing real well.”
2. Only three defensive ends were kept, and two arrived with prominent injury histories – Clowney and McKinley. McDowell may be viewed as an end in certain rush packages, but it’s quite possible this will be a position addition after Phillips and Dunn are IR’d. “I’d tell you, this initial 53 is fluid,” Stefanski said. “How [the DE breakdown] relates to the 53, I wouldn’t speculate.”
3. Kicker Chase McLaughlin made the initial 53. But a number of veteran kickers are suddenly available, including Nick Folk, 37, who is a career .600 kicker from 50 yards and up and has made at least one 50-or-longer field goal in each of his 13 NFL seasons. Asked what was his message to McLaughlin, who missed two kicks in the last preseason game, Stefanski said, “It’s show up and work.”
4. Through two drafts, Berry is batting 1.000. He has selected 15 players in his two Browns drafts and all 15 made the initial 53. The retention of Fields is the biggest leap of faith. The undersized linebacker missed all of the minicamps with a foot injury, then injured his other foot in the run up to training camp and practiced only on the last practice before the third preseason game. Fields was on the practice field on Tuesday.
5. Felton, the last pick of Berry’s 2021 draft, will begin his NFL career as the kickoff and punt returner. Unless there are injuries, it’s hard to imagine Felton getting much play time early at running back or receiver – unless it is in a special role designed to catch the opponent off guard. Stefanski said the backup punt returner would be Peoples-Jones, who, coincidentally, was the last pick of Berry’s 2020 draft.
6. Receiver and special teams core player KhaDarel Hodge was my biggest surprise cut. No doubt his $2.1 million salary played a huge role in the decision, along with the emergence of Felton and the high draft selection of Schwartz. In answer to a question about Hodge, Stefanski said, “All of those decisions are really hard. It’s not easy to get this roster to 53. I wish I could keep everybody, but it’s not just the reality of this NFL.” Hodge began the 2020 season as the No. 3 receiver. He sounded after the game in Atlanta as if he knew this were coming.
7. The Browns can begin Wednesday assembling their 16-man practice squad. Last year, the pandemic eliminated preseason games and most practice squads were filled automatically by the same players who were cut from the 53. Stefanski said, “I’d anticipate it may be different this year … [but] there’s definitely a lot of guys we’d like to have back on our practice squad.”
