The Browns are finally in the part of training camp where the real sorting starts.
Cleveland opened padded practices on Monday and Tuesday, and with 14 more padded sessions available under the collective bargaining agreement, the coaching staff has a limited runway to figure out what this roster actually looks like before the initial 53-man cutdown at the end of camp. Todd Monken and his staff have a lot to sort through, even with Andrew Berry having added plenty of young talent this offseason.
Quarterback remains the biggest headline. Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders kept their battle going once the pads came on, and Monken said on Monday that Dillon Gabriel could get more work if he keeps stacking good days.
Taylen Green, the big and raw Arkansas athlete who went first in the sixth round, is also in the mix. For now, there’s nothing settled about that room from top to bottom.
Up front, the Browns at least have a clearer picture than they do at quarterback, but there’s still plenty to decide. After spring practices, Monken said he feels really good about four of the five projected starters on the reworked offensive line.
Free agent addition Elgton Jenkins gives Cleveland flexibility at either guard or center, and that decision could ripple through the whole group. If fifth-round rookie center Parker Brailsford is ready to start at center, Jenkins can slide to guard.
If Brailsford needs more time, Jenkins may have to handle center duties, with Teven Jenkins in the guard mix.
The pass-catching group has its own logjam. The Browns are expecting another big year from Harold Fannin Jr., who led the team in receiving yards as a rookie.
They also added Joe Royer in the fifth round and Carsen Ryan in the seventh, though Royer has been away from the team to open camp while handling a personal matter. Monken also asked for a fullback, and Berry brought in Michael Burton in free agency.
Burton is likely to make the team, which would leave Cleveland probably carrying only three tight ends and forcing three players to fight for the final two spots.
Receiver is crowded too. Jerry Jeudy, KC Concepcion, Denzel Boston and Isaiah Bond look like locks, which leaves just two openings. Former Berry draft picks Cedric Tillman and Jamari Thrash are in the mix, along with free agent pickup Tylan Wallace, for those last roster spots.
On defense, the Browns know one thing for sure: Denzel Ward and Tyson Campbell will be on the outside. The question is who handles the nickel spot.
Myles Bryant and Myles Harden are battling for that job, and the loser could still stick around as depth. Beyond that, there may be only two or three roster spots left for DaMarri Mathis, D’Angelo Ross, Michael Coats Jr., Tre Avery and Nate Evans.
Up front on defense, Cleveland’s earlier interest in Jadeveon Clowney before his deal with the Houston Texans should have been a signal to the younger linemen that nothing is being handed out. Jared Verse, Alex Wright, Mason Graham, Maliek Collins and Michael Hall Jr. are locked in, leaving only four or five openings for the rest of the depth chart. Julian Okwara, Kalia Davis, Adin Huntington and Logan Fano are among the players trying to claim those spots.
In Other News...
Taylen Green Is Suddenly Testing The Browns' Crowded QB Pecking Order
Taylen Green has given the Browns something to think about in the first week of training camp, even with limited chances to work. The sixth-round quarterback has looked comfortable enough to stand out in a room already built around Deshaun Watson, Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel, and his physical tools have only added to the intrigue around his early work.
Greens path still looks uphill, but camp has a way of reshuffling a pecking order when the reps start piling up and the evaluation gets more serious. If the top of the depth chart remains unsettled, a player who keeps flashing in the background can force his way into a conversation the Browns did not necessarily expect to be having this soon. [Read more 🡒]
Browns Fans Noticed One Practice Decision In The Watson Battle
Todd Monken keeps saying the two-minute drill matters in evaluating quarterbacks, so when practice ended early after Shedeur Sanders guided the first-team offense through a clean hurry-up sequence, it did not go unnoticed. The Browns had built that work into the session as another chance to separate the quarterbacks, but the drill became the kind of small practice detail fans latch onto when a competition is still very much alive.
Deshaun Watson and the second-team offense never got their turn in that same situation, which only added another layer to a battle that has been watched closely as the preseason nears. Watson answered with a strong practice the next day, keeping the race from moving in any clear direction, but the larger picture remains the same: every snap, every period and every decision around who gets work is being read as part of the evaluation. [Read more 🡒]
Browns Camp Injuries Are Suddenly Raising The Stakes Up Front
Training camp has already turned into a test of depth for the Browns, and the issues up front are making it harder to sort out the roster. A thin group on both lines has left the team navigating a practice week where availability matters just as much as execution, with the offensive line drawing particular attention as the preseason opener creeps closer.
Elgton Jenkins and Parker Brailsford both missed Wednesdays practice, which gave Luke Wypler a chance to work with the starting offense. For a staff trying to get its scheme in place, the timing is less than ideal, and Todd Monken is set to finalize the offensive installation on Thursday before Cleveland faces the Chicago Bears in preseason play. [Read more 🡒]