The Land on Demand

The Browns’ 53 Is Always A Sobering Reminder Of A Roster Not As Strong As Expected, And This One Is No Exception

The happiest new Brown is undrafted safety D'Anthony Bell, who said he and his mom prayed all night after the final preseason game to earn a roster spot. Their prayers were answered. (TheLandOnDemand)

The happiest new Brown is undrafted safety D'Anthony Bell, who said he and his mom prayed all night after the final preseason game to earn a roster spot. Their prayers were answered. (TheLandOnDemand)

The Browns’ 53 is always a sobering reminder of a roster not as strong as expected, and this one is no exception

As of Tuesday, August 30, 2022

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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.

Takeaways from Browns practice and interviews …

The Browns’ initial 53-player roster is a little weird.

“Sometimes that 53 is not the final one,” Kevin Stefanski cautioned. “Really, it evolves the entire season, also.”

The coach who loves fullbacks and tight ends was left with zero of the former and two of the latter. None of the tight ends after David Njoku and Harrison Bryant stuck.

“I think with that 53, it is a puzzle,” Stefanski said. “You are trying to put it together as best you can. Really, it is our job with [GM] Andrew [Berry], the personnel staff and the coaches to talk about how we want to play, what we need and where we are going. Those are tough decisions to make. You would love to keep everybody. As we know, you can’t.”

There are six defensive ends, including veteran acquisition Chase Winovich, who hasn’t practiced since Aug. 14 because of a hamstring injury and was on the third team before that.

There are five wide receivers, including rookie Michael Woods, who practiced on Tuesday for the first time since Aug. 5 with a hamstring injury. This suspect group includes Amari Cooper, Donovan Peoples-Jones, Anthony Schwartz, rookie David Bell and Demetric Felton.

“I know I have gotten a lot of questions about that room, and I feel good about those guys,” Stefanski said.

One of the biggest surprises was Drew Forbes hanging on as the 10th offensive lineman. Forbes was drafted by John Dorsey in 2019, opted out in the pandemic year of 2020, suffered a season-ending knee injury in 2021, yet made the team ahead of Blake Hance, who was cut.

“One of the hardest workers,” Stefanski said. “Definitely one of the strongest guys on the team. He has had a really good training camp and preseason.”

Safety D’Anthony Bell became the first undrafted rookie signed by Berry to make the initial 53. In a mild surprise, the Browns kept Richard LeCounte as a fifth safety, preserving Berry’s record of never releasing a draft pick in three years.

There will be waiver claims starting on Wednesday at noon and possible trades to come. Sixteen players can be added to the practice squad. 

Stefanski confirmed the Browns will sign a third quarterback to the practice squad but would not commit to a second kicker. Special teams coordinator Mike Priefer said at the beginning of camp that he preferred adding a kicker to the practice squad.

See ya in five weeks

Suspended quarterback Deshaun Watson departed the team facility just as the Browns began their first practice as a team of 53.

Watson is prohibited from being in the facility, participating in any team-related activity, or having contact with team officials for five weeks.

He can return on Oct. 10 after the fifth game and attend meetings and other activities, but can’t practice with the team until Nov. 14.

In order to be reinstated on Nov. 28, Watson must comply with an evaluation and treatment program for sexual offenses outlined in the Sue L. Robinson report of violations of the personal conduct policy.

Watson’s first game eligible to play is Dec. 4 in Houston – his old stomping grounds. It would mark 700 days since his last regular-season game on Jan. 3, 2021.

Stefanski said Watson will leave Cleveland “for a couple days, at least to start,” but he would not outline any details of the plan to guide him through compliance of the reinstatement terms.

“Obviously, as you know, we can’t direct it and we can’t follow up with him,” Stefanski said. “It is really no contact with him until October 10. I am confident that he has a good plan to do some good work while he is away from the building.

“I think it is a great opportunity for him right now while he is away from this building to go work on football, work on himself and work on a bunch of different things.”

The coach would not say who exactly is responsible for making sure Watson follows the league’s guidelines for reinstatement.

“We definitely work together to make sure that there is a plan,” he said. “It does not mean that we are involved day to day, but we can help make sure that he has everything that he needs resources wise, and then he has a quarterbacks coach Quincy Avery, who is a really good quarterback coach, so he will work closely with Quincy.”

All quiet on the Mayfield front

The first salvo of the Baker Mayfield revenge game Sept. 11 in Charlotte, NC, was fired by – who else? – Mayfield.

Cynthia Frelund, an NFL Network analytics analyst who doubles as a sideline reporter for the Buffalo Bills, related on an NFL Media podcast a post-game conversation she had with Mayfield, in which the scorned ex-Browns QB vowed, “I’m going to [bleep] them up.”

Frelund made the media rounds on Cleveland radio on Tuesday to put the comments in context and to defend herself for what some in the media considered unprofessional conduct. 

She basically said she felt sorry for the criticism Mayfield received last year and was merely encouraging him for the opportunity to avenge his former team. She said she took flak not only from Browns fans but also from the Carolina Panthers, who considered Mayfield’s comments private and did not appreciate having them blasted to the Browns as possible locker room bulletin board material.

Mayfield’s comments didn’t surprise his former team.

Myles Garrett said to Cleveland.com, “We’ve known he has that type of demeanor and that attitude, and for better or for worse, it works for him. And I’m not mad at him using that fire and that chip on his shoulder to help him play to the level he has. He’s been successful in what he’s done.’’

Stefanski denied he would use Mayfield’s comments to fire up his team.

“I am not going to get involved in that type of thing,” he said. “As you know, it is Carolina week. I get how unique it is that Baker is the starting quarterback for the Panthers. We are really going to focus on putting a plan together to beat the Panthers. That is really the focus.” 

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