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5 Cleveland Browns who earned their stripes against Detroit Lions

By Nick Dudukovich

Cleveland Browns Baker Mayfield (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
Cleveland Browns Baker Mayfield (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /
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LONDON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 29: Matthew Dayes #27 of the Cleveland Browns runs the ball during the NFL International Series match between Minnesota Vikings and Cleveland Browns at Twickenham Stadium on October 29, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Alan Crowhurst/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 29: Matthew Dayes #27 of the Cleveland Browns runs the ball during the NFL International Series match between Minnesota Vikings and Cleveland Browns at Twickenham Stadium on October 29, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Alan Crowhurst/Getty Images) /

These five Cleveland Browns did enough to “earn their stripes,” meaning they deserve to be on the team’s final 53-man roster.

The Cleveland Browns defeated the Detroit Lions in the Great Lakes Classic to bring the “The Barge” back to The Land, but now it’s time for John Dorsey to really get to work.

He’s got to trim his roster down to 53 players, and then follow the waiver wire as other teams make their cuts by Saturday.

The Browns aren’t expected to have any shocking cuts leading up to the deadline, as everyone pretty much knows who’s going to start and who’s going to be the main contributors.

With that said, there’s always players fighting for a job.

Here’s five Browns who earned their stripes with the preseason finale win against the Lions.

Matthew Dayes, RB

Matthew Dayes earned his stripes even though there are zero carries waiting for him in Week 1 of the season.

Behind Carlos Hyde, Nick Chubb and Duke Johnson on the depth chart, Dayes’ biggest contribution will come on special teams.

And that’s fine. Who knows, perhaps he even becomes a backup fullback.

Dayes had 77 yards rushing on eight carries, but left the game with an ankle injury. The results of that ankle injury will be tied to his roster status, according to The Athletic’s Zac Jackson (subscription).

"“It also wouldn’t be a surprise if the Browns fielded calls about Dayes, though his injury status is directly tied to his status with any team’s roster… I’m not expecting a blockbuster trade or jaw-dropping cut this weekend, but with Dorsey in charge and so many moving parts, I have a feeling that the actual roster will be different from standard roster projections,” Jackson wrote."

Dayes was probably safe as the fourth running back, but staved off whatever threat Dontrell Hilliard was posing.

Dayes is entering his second season. He played his college ball at NC State. He was chosen in the seventh round of the 2017 draft.

He carried the ball just five times in his rookie season for a total of 13 yards.

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