The Good and the Bad From the Browns' Official 53-Man Roster Reveal
Apparently the Cleveland Browns were sick of all the speculation and drama that leads up to the 53-man roster deadline.
The team took to Twitter on Tuesday afternoon, about 90 minutes before the deadline to have their 53-man roster officially set, and gave an official answer to any questions fans might have about who would and wouldn't make it.
Browns' Official 53-Man Roster
There are plenty of pieces making fans nervous or downright angry at the team, but this has got to be the strongest 53-man roster that Cleveland has fielded in years.
There have been times when fans might have thought we had more star power than we have now, but as far as having depth and consistent talent? This is a seriously impressive roster.
The Bad
That's not to say fans' worries are unfounded. Some of the key negatives here:
- No Austin Watkins Jr. - Other than maybe Dorian Thompson-Robinson, Watkins was the Browns' biggest preseason breakout and fans desperately wanted to find space for him on the roster. Even with room for six wideouts on the roster, Cleveland decided to prioritize David Bell instead.
- Jordan Elliott made it, Maurice Hurst didn't - Personally, I'm not too concerned about having Jordan Elliott as a depth piece. He's not good enough to start but, as a rotational option behind Dalvin Tomlinson and Shelby Harris? We could do a lot worse. Still, Elliott's poor performance in the past has alienated him from fans, and fans were hoping for free-agent signing Maurice Hurst to make it instead.
- Who returns punts and kicks? - Cutting Demetric Felton and Jaelon Darden even after Jakeem Grant suffered another injury was a bold move, to say the least. Are we going to rely on starters or key role players like Donovan Peoples-Jones and Jerome Ford to handle all the return duties, or put someone unproven back there instead? That's a big question that still needs answering.
The Good
- Undrafted free agent love - Top 2023 undrafted rookies Ronnie Hickman and Mohamoud Diabte both made it, as did 2022 undrafted standout D'Anthony Bell. Andrew Berry isn't overrating draft capital -- he's just focused on getting our best players on the field.
- The QB room - There was plenty of drama around the Browns' quarterback situation through the preseason. Kellen Mond got waived, then we traded Josh Dobbs and Mond got un-waived. But now the dust has settled and everything is as it should be. Deshaun Watson is obviously the starter, and Dorian Thompson-Robinson has proven himself as a legit QB2. Mond wasn't good enough to take up a roster spot as the QB3, but if he clears waivers he could always come back on the practice squad.
- No Cade York - It almost didn't matter who did show up on the list as the kicker -- Browns fans just wanted to make sure it wasn't Cade York. Well, our wish came true, and Dustin Hopkins is a nice upgrade.
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