Browns: 8 veterans who might not make the 2021 roster

Mack Wilson

Second verse, same as the first. After a sound rookie year, Mack Wilson came into the 2020 season as Joe Schobert’s heir apparent as the team’s best linebacker. Wilson was anything but. He played in 13 games but started in only eight while amassing 39 total tackles. A far cry from what he was doing as a rookie. Not only was he less aggressive against the rush, but he was also far too inefficient against the pass too.

He went from seven pass deflections in 2019 to just two in 2020. Since he wasn’t much of a pass rusher, to begin with, Wilson couldn’t really rely on losing one or two things that made him a top prospect. Yet, he did. Now, part of it may have been injury-based, sure. That hasn’t stopped anyone from getting cut before, however.

Like with Sione Takitaki, Wilson may soon find himself out of a job due to the changes made in the offseason. The Browns brought in three new players to potentially be starters for the club while seeing a modest leap in execution from Jacob Phillips.

What gives Takitaki the edge over Wilson is that Takitaki was seen by many as a solid player in 2020 who just didn’t make plays. Wilson didn’t just not make plays, he got scorched from time to time, maybe more frequently than many other players on that Browns’ defense.

If there’s a cut happening at linebacker to a player who’s been around a few years, why not Wilson? It’s not like he’s done anything to warrant more time. If he struggles in training camp and a roster spot just needs to be found for someone else, Wilson’s your guy.