These four fan favorites may not be Browns come September.
The Browns have something like 90 odd players on the roster, and can only carry 53. To say that some guys are going to get cut is a vast understatement. Normally, about 10 or so will be converted to the practice squad while the other 27 players are out of work. It sucks, but it is the beast that is the NFL.
So in order to weed out that 27 (37) players in order to get down to that figure means that a few fan favorite backups may need to get the ax. No one wants to see anyone on this list go, but they all play positions that were seemingly upgraded in the offseason and that’s never a good sign. Sure, there’s every possibility that these members of the 2019 Browns’ team may return to the squad and survive the roster trimming but they all are on the list for a reason.
Even if we don’t want them to be.
Now, we’re not counting guys like WR Alexander Hollins, OL Alex Taylor, DE Cameron Malveaux or S Alexander Hollins who are all near locks to be cut. These were guys who were either added late in the season as injury replacements or were brought off the practice squad for the offseason.
We’re talking about the guys that playe substancial minutes in 2020 as a backup. For that reason, Ryan Switzer, who could very easily get cut, was removed from the list in the evaluation stages. He didn’t actually play a single down for the Browns in 2020.
So with that, let’s start the list.
JoJo Natson
The Browns brought in a new rookie receiver, and a rookie running back who will likely line up in the slot after being motioned out of the backfield. Both of those rookies will also vye for return spots on the team, alongside Ryan Switzer, who spent 2020 on the practice squad.
Anyway you cut it JoJo Natson is a prime pick for cutting.
Natson didn’t exactly light up the special teams scene in 2020 either, which is truly unfortunate because that’s where he primarily played after coming over. When you look at the guys ahead of him at receiver, it seems very plausible that he’s not going to get any minutes there. Not with Odell Beckham Jr., Jarvis Landry, Anthony Schwartz, KharDarel Hodge and Rashard Higgins all over him, plus Demetric Felton, Kareem Hunt, David Njoku, Harrison Bryant and Austin Hooper all demanding passes thrown their way too.
That’s ten players who are going to demand passes thrown to them more than Natson. Then you realize they have arguably three better return men ahead of Natson to boot, two of which are likely making the team regardless, and there for lends you to carry another player at a nother position, allowing you to cut certain guys.
So removing Natson wouldn’t really wouldn’t hurt things much. A straight release seems likely.
D’Ernest Johnson
The Browns aren’t going into the regular season with four running backs. Not with everyone else the team is going to look to carry. Since Nick Chubb is in the middle of a contract negotiation, it seems unlikely they’d cut him, oh and he’s also the best pure-runner in the NFL if that matters at all.
Kareem Hunt is a candidate but only in the most extreme of circumstances, so he’s more than likely safe. Then there’s Demetric Felton, a running back who can also play receiver. His versatility is too important to abandon, so he’ll more than likely make the team unless someting drastic happens.
The team will likely keep Andy Janovich as well, meaning D’Ernest Johnson is the odd man out of everything. Unfortunately for a guy like Johnson, while he played fine in relief in 2020, he didn’t do anything that one would point to and say “we can’t find that anywhere else”.
When you have a draft like the Browns had, you know you’re going to have to make room somewhere. Johnson seems like an unfortunate candidate to be axed, even though he did do an admirable job when Chubb got hurt.
Felton’s arrival though, and the Browns seeing the return of Odell Beckham Jr. on top of all the other targets they already have, plus the drafting of a receiver, it really seems likely that Johnson’s fate is sealed.
Johnson could find his way moved to the practice squad as insuranace.
KhaDarel Hodge
KhaDarel Hodge wasn’t a bad player when he got his limited action with the Browns in 2020. He played for the Browns the last two years, and spent most of 2019 as a gunner on special teams, but in 2020 he actually got action in nine games. He only netted 100+ yards receiving for the entire season but when he was targetted, he made the most of his opportunities.
The problem with Hodge comes from the fact that the Browns have a proverbial shmorgishborg of talent at the position. Now, like D’Ernest Johnson, Hodge may be someone that ends up on the practice squad just in case someone (*cough Odell Beckham cough*) were to get hurt. After all, Hodge knows the system, he knows the plays and he did a solid job stepping in at times in 2020 in limited work. No one is suggesting Hodge could replace Beckham’s production but Hodge could do some damae if given the chance.
The problem is the NFL isn’t the Majors. These players are given a small window to make someone notice them until the shiny new rookie comes in eventually and ruins the potential. If the NFL had a developmental league that ran in lockstep with the NFL, guys like Hodge would have more time to show what they could do but that’s not the case and that means Hodge has a higher and steaper mountain to climb than most.
It just doesn’t feel like Hodge has enough going for him to warrant a spot on the team. He’s not a return man, and short of him making the special team’s unit again, it looks like Hodge could be one of the final guys on the chopping block.
Porter Gustin
The Browns need four defensive ends at least, and Porter Gustin not only fits one of those four slots but he could also play defensive tackle in a pinch. Gustin has proven to be effective against the run game, primarily sealing off the edge on stretches to his side. That said, the Browns still have Curtis Weaver, who they got on waivers. They also signed Takk McKinley and Jadeveon Clowney, as well as still having Myles Garrett.
It’s not that the defensive end position is so stacked that they don’t need Gustin, it’s just that the Browns put a lot of money and effort into acquiring three new defensive ends for the 2021 season. Sure, Weaver or McKinely may be the names to eventuallya get chopped, newly signed free agents aren’t guaranteed a spot on the team, but it just feels like Gustin may be the odd man out.
It’s the same situation that the other three on this list have to deal with, playing at a position that saw heavy investments into them in the offseason. Since the team can only carry so many guys, it feels like some key contributors from 2020 may be on the way out. That could include Gustin.
Gustin, like the others on ths list, would easily be on the practice squad. That is, assuming someone doesn’t claim him first.