Ranking and grading every linebacker on the Cleveland Browns ahead of training camp

Grading and Ranking the Linebackers

Dakota Allen, Willie Harvey Jr., Silas Kelly

I don’t expect any of these three men to start the season on the main roster, and likely only one will make the practice squad. None have shown enough or been talked about enough to warrant a grade. If the Browns do cut someone, however, Silas Kelly is likely next in line.

Grade: INC

Tony Fields II

Tony Fields will be someone that a lot of fans will screech about. They’ll say it’s only his second year, and we need to be patient and all the other jibber jabber that comes with being unable to admit a failure. Fields is a linebacker and safety, and ironically, those have been our two worst positions on the team historically over the last three or four years. Despite the lack of talent since Fields’ arrival, he’s been unable to crack regular playing time at either level. If this was the 2006 Chicago Bears with great linebackers and safeties, ok, but it’s not. He’s regularly unable to get reps in-game for a reason. A likely candidate to be cut before the end of the 2022 preseason.

Grade: F

Jacob Phillips

Fields is only entering his second season, while Jacob Phillips is entering his third and has yet to do anything worth talking about. As with Fields, Phillips hasn’t shown anything and hasn’t really broken onto the field for long stretches of time but has gotten more reps than Fields has. Phillips isn’t anything special and while Fields can at least say he was a fifth-round pick and is matching the expectations of being as such, Phillips was a third-round pick and still can’t find real reps in-game.

Grade: F

Sione Takitaki

Sione Takitaki is a solid linebacker but considering who’s behind him and who’s ahead of him, he’ll likely be a rotational piece for several years to come unless he expects a bigger payday. He’s never going to be a big-time playmaker, and will likely have issues keeping up with some players, but he’s good enough to warrant a roster spot too. That said, I think the Browns need to bolster the depth of the team.

Grade: C

Anthony Walker Jr.

I was wrong about Anthony Walker being a guy the Browns may not need. He’s done a fine job. Not so much a Derrick Brooks or Paul Posluszny type guy, but more in line with a Wali Rainer, Earl Holmes type. Good enough to start and won’t be the reason you lose any games.

Grade: B-

Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah

While I like Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah quite a bit, I think the fanbase and media’s attempt to make him into a star player last year was pretty sad. He’s not an elite player at his position, and may never be, that said he’s still very good. He’s a good tackler with incredible coverage skills but he isn’t a threat to get any sacks and with the defense, he plays in, isn’t near the line of scrimmage enough to get many tackles behind the line of scrimmage. He can only do so much in this role statistically but he has finally given the team a linebacker who can cover as well as Joe Schobert did.

Grade: B