The Cleveland Browns have one of the best assemblies of talent among their 90-man roster compared to every other team in the NFL. Although there are certainly question marks, the Browns boast one of the NFL's best and deepest defensive groups and an offense that has seen a ton of substantial investment in recent years.
It's going to be tough for players to crack this 53-man roster in 2024.
Recently extended general manager Andrew Berry and head coach Kevin Stefanski have a difficult task ahead of them making sure they keep the right players on the roster this coming season to help keep this team in contention in the loaded AFC North and AFC in general. Which players could be on the hot seat after OTAs?
1. Siaki Ika, DL
One of the deepest position groups on this Cleveland Browns roster is along the defensive line. Since Jim Schwartz came aboard last offseason, there's been a clear emphasis about having a ton of different personnel to work with and rotate along the defensive line, and Siaki Ika was one of the players the Browns prioritized in last year's draft class.
He's still got the entire offseason to prove himself, but it's going to be really difficult for him to earn snaps over Dalvin Tomlinson, Shelby Harris, Quinton Jefferson, Maurice Hurst, and second-round pick Michael Hall Jr.
It's going to be an uphill battle for Siaki Ika not only to make the roster in the first place, but to carve out a substantial gameday role each week with those guys all on the depth chart.
2. Pierre Strong Jr., RB
The injury to Nick Chubb has had a ripple effect on the Cleveland Browns' roster that has extended into the 2024 offseason. Even though Chubb's injury was early last year, the Browns have made substantial changes/additions to that position group that could leave someone like 2023 trade acquisition Pierre Strong Jr. on the chopping block.
Pierre Strong was an outstanding player at FCS powerhouse South Dakota State, and came into the NFL as a 5th-round pick of the New England Patriots. The Browns swung a trade to acquire him last year and he did end up touching the ball 68 times in 17 games.
But if Nick Chubb comes back healthy this coming year, the Browns are also bringing back Jerome Ford and have veterans Nyheim Hines and D'Onta Foreman in the room now. There just doesn't seem to be a clear role for Strong within Ken Dorsey's offense, even though the Browns just traded for him last year.
Hines is clearly someone Dorsey really likes from their time together in Buffalo, and Foreman's ability to carry a bigger load if Chubb isn't at full strength likely gives him a massive edge.
You can only keep so many players and unless Strong is able to really set himself apart as a kickoff returner (200 yards on eight returns last year), then it's hard to see him cracking this roster. That may be the only way he's able to stick around at this point, and even in that regard, he could be auditioning for other teams throughout the preseason.
3. Dorian Thompson-Robinson, QB
It's going to be a bit of a tough climb back to the 53-man roster for Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who has been recovering and working his way back from an injury last December (Christmas Eve). The former 5th-round pick out of UCLA is going to have to once again establish himself as a QB3 worth rostering this year, and you figure if any NFL team is going to keep three quarterbacks, it would be the Browns.
Right?
The Browns were ravaged by injuries at the quarterback position last season, including obviously the hip injury suffered by Thompson-Robinson. That injury paved the way for Joe Flacco to come in and put together a remarkable stretch, but the Browns moved on from Flacco this offseason, opting instead for Jameis Winston and Tyler Huntley.
Those two players are veterans with starting experience who Thompson-Robinson is now going to have to contend with. Not only that, but cracking this Cleveland Browns roster is going to be tough as it is, and the NFL's new kickoff return rules will make it borderline unjustifiable to keep three quarterbacks on the 53.
Thompson-Robinson is certainly talented and he did well after being thrown into a brutally difficult situation in 2023. Even still, the NFL is all about what you've done lately, and Thompson-Robinson is basically going to be starting from scratch this year with a new offensive coordinator in the building.
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