Who should the Cleveland Browns roll with heading into Week 1?
I am not giving you a prediction of which Cleveland Browns players will be cut. This team proved with Sheldon Day that they’re a bunch of wild people, and will cut anyone. No, what I’m doing is simply looking at who I would cut and who I would keep.
I feel this will give me more wiggle room on things. For full disclosure, I would absolutely cut Deshaun Watson if I had ubiquitous control of the team. I never would’ve traded for him in the first place. The reason I’m not cutting him is simply that he’s going to cost $40+ million whether he’s here or not, and if I am really playing GM mode, I’d rather find someone who will take on his contract, even if it means paying something.
I would, 100%, rock with Josh Rosen or Joshua Dobbs in the regular season for 2022. I have no problem admitting that. I’d rather have a losing season with guys who aren’t a clear and present danger to their communities, as opposed to winning with a guy who needs constant supervision and a persistent handler.
So some of these cuts are going to be controversial, but that’s fine, they’re not starters anyway so don’t get your underwear in a bunch. I would like to know who you would cut and keep in the comments below, as long as you do so respectively.
I’m curious to see who everyone else would like to keep or feels the need to get rid of.
Offensive Backs
Quarterback
Keep: Joshua Dobbs, Josh Rosen
Cut: Jacoby Brissett
Suspended: Deshaun Watson
As noted, I would love to cut Deshaun Watson, but I have to actually manage this club as if it were my responsibility. Cutting a dude who costs $40+ million against the cap isn’t prudent. I can just opt to not play him. Speaking of not playing, I’m not sure what Jacoby Brissett was doing on Saturday, but it wasn’t playing. I’d roll with Joshua Dobbs as my starter and Josh Rosen as my backup. Dobbs has more versatility but Rosen has a bigger arm. I’d want to keep both for that reason. Brissett is fine, he may be the smartest quarterback of the four, but he lacks arm strength and due to that, he often checks down.
Running Backs
Keep: Nick Chubb, Kareem Hunt, D’Ernest Johnson, Jerome Ford
Cut: John Kelly, Demetric Felton
Carrying five running backs is stupid, especially with the ability to find gems at any point of the season. Demetric Felton hasn’t shown anything since arriving, and after a certain point, you can tell if he’s going to or not. Are we at that point? Maybe not, but Jerome Ford showed far more in a few preseason games than Felton has in 20+ combined games (regular and pre-season)
Fullback/H-Back
Keep: Johnny Stanton
Johnny Stanton being able to catch, run and block make him too versatile to lose. There’s a part of me that wants to cut an extra tight end just due to the versatility Stanton brings but after watching the receiving corp, maybe it’s best we keep both Stanton and four tight ends.
Pass Catchers
Wide Receivers
Keep: Amari Cooper, Donovan Peoples-Jones, David Bell, Michael Woods, Daylen Baldwin
Cut: Ja’Marcus Bradley, Mike Harley Jr., Anthony Schwartz, Javon Wims, Easop Winston
Honestly, outside of Amari Cooper, Donovan Peoples-Jones, and David Bell, if you wanted to replace the last two guys with any of the names getting cut, I wouldn’t even argue. The offense is going to struggle beyond those first three names, but I think Daylen Baldwin is the best option as a fourth wide-out. I don’t want to cut a rookie that was just drafted and I would rather put David Njoku or Harrison Bryant into the game if the team needed a fourth or fifth receiver anyway.
Anthony Schwartz is done. He’s fast as all heck, and maybe he can stay on the team as a return man, but he’s simply a liability offensively. He’s not a bad person, but he is a bad football player. He can always catch on elsewhere and show up, but clearly, the coaching staff here can’t seem to reach him.
Tight Ends
Keep: David Njoku, Harrison Bryant, Nakia Griffin-Stewart, Miller Forristall
Cut: Zaire Mitchell-Paden
When it comes down to it, Nakia Griffin Stewart, Miller Forristall, and Zaire Mitchell-Paden are competing for two spots. I didn’t think Mitchell-Paden did enough in what we saw, and he’s the odd man out. I would absolutely keep four tight ends, and only five receivers, simply because I have more confidence in the tight ends to be able to catch. You can move Njoku or Bryant into a slot and still run two tight end sets.
The Offensive Line
Offensive Tackles
Keep: Jack Conklin, Jedrick Wills, Chris Hubbard, James Hudson
Cut: Ben Petrula, Alex Taylor,
This is pretty cut and dry. Chris Hubbard could be a cap casualty simply due to his cost, but I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt and besides a few bad plays, James Hudson was impressive in the preseason. I wouldn’t want to start him for a season, but I’d be fine if he had to spell someone for a game.
Guards
Keep: Wyatt Teller, Joel Bitonio, Blake Hance, Hjalte Froholdt, Drew Forbes
Cut: David Moore
David Moore isn’t a bad player, the other men were just better. Honestly, Froholdt and Forbes got lucky with all those injuries. While I would absolutely have kept both over Nick Harris and Ethan Pcoci, the injuries to Harris and fellow center Dawson Deaton make it possible that they’ll actually make the team.
Center
Keep: Ethan Pocic, Michael Dunn
Cut: Brock Hoffman
I’m keeping Ethan Pocic just because I’m 1) not losing any really good linemen, and 2) have no real center with experience on the roster. But I’m starting Michael Dunn.
Special Teams
Kicker Cade York
Long Snapper Charley Hughlett
Defense Line
Defensive Ends
Keep: Myles Garrett, Jadeveon Clowney, Chase Winovich, Alex Wright
Cut: Isaiah Thomas, Stephen Weatherly, Isaac Rochell, Curtis Weaver
Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney are your starters for the second straight year but Chase Winovich should get playing time assuming he’s healthy. In reality, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him get cut. After all, that’s what they did to Sheldon Day. Stephen Weatherly was solid and Isaac Rochell got a lot of reps, the Browns may decide they want a healthier player, as opposed to a better player.
For my money though, Winovich is going to be a 5+ sack guy this year, barring injury, and I’m not getting rid of that. The Browns’ pass rush, even with Garrett, has notoriously been very bad for the last few years, and you need all the pressure you get. After Winovich, it’s mostly about who you think has the most upside of the next four names, as they’re all pretty comparable.
Defensive Tackles
Keep: Taven Bryan, Jordan Elliot, Glen Logan, Perrion Winfrey
Cut: Tommy Togiai, Roderick Perry II
This one was difficult but necessary. I think Glen Logan outplayed Tommy Togiai, and this isn’t easy to say because I want to like Togiai. He’s a powerhouse player with incredible strength but he gets moved too easily for a guy as strong as he is. If this were the 1-15 Browns, I’d probably cut Logan or even Taven Bryan, just to give the pups the starting job. This isn’t a 1-15 team. This is a team that still has hopes of contending. I don’t think those hopes are strong. That said, this team can’t afford to waste a roster spot on project players, which is what Togiai and Anthony Schwartz are.
Defensive Backs
Linebackers
Keep: Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Anthony Walker, Sione Takitaki, Jordan Kunaszyk, Tony Fields
Cut: Jacob Phillips, Chris Odom, Dakota Allen,
Some are going to be surprised with me cutting Jacob Phillips but I’ve watched him catch runners for going on three years now, and honestly, I’m good. I’m not keeping him on just because he’s an Andrew Berry Buddy and therefore cutting a guy like Jordan Kunaszyk who has a nose for the ball, or Tony Fields, who has multi-positional versatility. Chris Odom looked good but he was never going to make the team, and his injury Saturday night didn’t help.
Also, I know some are going to get antsy with me including the linebackers in a “defensive back” category but that’s really what they are. It’s literally in their name Line*back*ers.
Cornerbacks
Keep: Denzel Ward, Greedy Williams, Greg Newsome, A.J. Green, Martin Emerson
Cut: Herb Miller, Shaun Jolly, Lavert Hill
I thought Shaun Jolly played very well this preseason, I would like to keep him on the practice squad. Unfortunately, there’s just too much depth here. Some fans have turned on Greedy Williams but I saw him play last year and he’s better than average at the position. I’m not seeing the issues there. Greg Newsome could be great, and while I wouldn’t consider Denzel Ward elite, I’m also not getting rid of him. AJ Green and Martin Emerson have both done enough to be on the team but I’m still not sure who gets the go at the fourth spot. Emerson can stick some cats, but Green’s got better movement in coverage.
Safeties
Keep: John Johnson III, Grant Delpit, Ronnie Harrison, Richard LeCounte III
Cut: D’Anthony Bell, Jovante Moffatt
Don’t believe the hype, these safeties absolutely suck. I’d cut all four of them if I thought I could even slightly improve at the position. John Johnson and Grant Delpit will be fine against the run but they were part of a unit that ranked 9th in the NFL with 29 passing touchdowns given up. The team needed to upgrade the position and keep a guy like M.J. Stewart, instead, we’re keeping Ronnie Harrison and Richard LeCounte, two guys so inept at their jobs that they were giving up touchdowns to the Chicago Bears and Justin Fields. Uncontested.
People who think this defense is going to be good could be in store for a very rude awakening.
Special Teams
Punter Corey Bojorquez
Practice Squad
The Practice Squad team can hold 16 guys, I’m electing to take nine from the Cleveland Browns’ current roster to make up the unit. I’d end up scouting who got cut to add to the team but won’t be making those decisions here, as I’m under a deadline and don’t have time to go through over 1,000 players on various other teams trying to decide who to bring into the practice squad.
So, my team is only going to be made up of the nine players that were cut most recently. So my picks for the practice team are as follows;
- John Kelly
- Ja’Marcus Bradley
- Anthony Schwartz
- Brock Hoffman
- Isaac Rochell
- Tommy Togiai
- Chris Odom
- Shaun Jolly
- D’Anthony Bell
For the offensive, John Kelly has shown a lot more ability to move the ball than Demetric Felton, and I’m not going to sit on my hands and waste roster spots on guys who don’t show anything. That’s a great way to lose games. Ja’Marcus Bradley was exciting at times but didn’t get open enough. He’s a good backup, but I wouldn’t waste a roster spot on him unless injuries popped up.
After all, it takes time to learn the playbook and I’d rather have a less than optimal piece like Bradley than have to bring in a new body off the street cold to the playbook. Schwartz has potential as a returner still, but his play was so bad that he doesn’t deserve a 53-man spot. Brock Hoffman was fine and the Browns may need depth at some point.
Tommy Togiai is the defensive Schwartz. All the athletic talent in the world but so little else. Keeping both of them on the practice squad would hopefully give them time to get better and be brought back in 2023.
I liked Chris Odom and Shaun Jolly, there just wasn’t enough room.
And D’Anthony Bell was the least offensive of the two safeties who got cut.