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

We’re taking a look at the Cleveland Browns linebacking corp ahead of the start of camp.

The Cleveland Browns are an interesting team, and one I can safely say is not as loaded as fans will want to claim. They have a lot of top talent in the league but a lot of their positions are being held up by the ideas of “player development” and hope.

Too many positions are being bolstered by rookies, first-year or second-year players. First and second-year players that either hasn’t shown a lot or haven’t shown enough. The linebacking corp is one of those positions.

We’ve already touched on the quarterbacks, receivers, tight ends, offensive backs, offensive linemen, and defensive linemen. So now it’s the linebackers’ turns, then it’s the defensive backs, and then later the special teams, which will be done in conjunction with the coaching staff.

After that, we’ll look at the top players on the team and do a formal round-up of the team, and hopefully by then, more than just the rookies will be in camp.

The grade breakdown will be just below this, but please keep in mind these are only preseason estimates of these players. These are not final career letter grades, only a grade to highlight their expectation heading into the 2022 season. Most of these will change depending on how they perform.

The Boilerplate Stuff

"The below grades are intended for individual talent evaluations only. Letter grades are given “+” or “-” to determine exactly where they rank among others in that grade. For instance, an A- is a Pro Bowler, an “A” is your top-of-the-class, All-Pro type, while an “A+” is for your guys playing at a Hall of Fame level. INC – Given to expected practice squad players with little-to-no tape on them F –expected to be out of the league before the end of his rookie contract D – practice squad guy C – could get minutes as a backup B – starter A – among the league’s best Positional grades are more optics related. In that regard here’s how that would break down; F – Position is a determinate to the team and talent is needed. D – Not a very talented group/too many unknowns. C – League average, can win with them but will also lose with them. B- A strength on the team. A – Among the league’s very best. I want to stress these aren’t season-ending grades or evaluations. Depending on seasonal production, I expect some of these grades to go up or down. This is merely establishing a baseline for expectations."

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

Positional Grade

Overall I’m not sold on this squad of linebackers at all. The top three guys are fine to very good, but the depth is a real issue. I’m not satisfied with either Jacob Phillips or Tony Fields as the backup linebackers on this squad and would cut both, quite honestly.

I think would give Silas Kelly a shot, and then go get someone cut during the preseason to come in and help shore up the squad. There are 10 players on the current Top 100 2022 NFL free agent list that are still unsigned that fit the job. Alexander Johnson, Anthony Barr, Jamie Collins, Dont’a Hightower, K.J. Wright, Anthony Hitchens, Malcolm Smith, Jaylon smith, Kwon Alexander, and Joe Schobert are all names I’d go after.

Maybe not Collins, but the other nine, yes.

While Anthony Walker and Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah will start most of the games and paly most of the reps, the team does still run three linebackers at a time, and most of those names, including Barr and Schobert, would easily give Takitaki a run for his money as the third linebacker.

The Browns really need to bolster the dept of this group before the start of the regular season and with the amount of money they have available this year, the team may be able to do just that without worrying too much about next year.

Linebackers: C-