The Browns are down to their final preseason tune-up Thursday night against the New England Patriots, and with neither Todd Monken nor Mike Vrabel planning to play their first-stringers, the spotlight shifts to the roster bubble.
That means this game is less about the scoreboard and more about who helps himself when the reps get real. Cleveland still has some sorting to do, and a few players are walking into the kind of night that can shape the last decisions of August.
The quarterback room is the biggest place to start. Deshaun Watson has already been named the starter, with Shedeur Sanders as the backup, but Cleveland still has two more passers on the roster, and that creates plenty of noise around how the rest of the group settles in.
There are real questions hanging over that situation. Will the Browns actually keep four quarterbacks?
Would they cut Gabriel, who was a top 100 pick last year? And would they really risk exposing Green to waivers, especially with the note that an AFC North rival was set to grab him in Round 6?
Gabriel will get the start, and this is a chance for him to show he can push the ball downfield. If that part of his game doesn’t show up, the idea of him becoming a long-term NFL backup takes a hit.
Green, meanwhile, is the bigger unknown. His athleticism jumps off the page, but the Browns still need to see whether he can look like a polished quarterback in an NFL setting when he plays the second half.
Center is another spot worth watching, even if the preseason has already thrown a wrench into the battle. Brailsford’s summer was interrupted by injury, and the fifth-round pick was in the mix for Cleveland’s starting center job before Elgton Jenkins took over while Brailsford missed too much time. Against New England’s backup defensive line, the question is whether Brailsford’s size - the only red flag coming out of Alabama - will stand out in a bad way.
At receiver, Floriea has made enough of an impression that the Browns’ staff has been talking him up. The undrafted free agent from Kent State has worked hard since arriving in Berea last season, and the local Mentor High School product now has a shot at the final receiver spot.
That race has some traffic in it. Jerry Jeudy, KC Concepcion, Denzel Boston, Isaiah Bond and Tylan Wallace are very likely to make the roster, while Floriea is battling Cedric Tillman, Malachi Corley and Gage Larvadain for what may be the last opening. Even if one of those players gets squeezed out, the expectation is that person would have a place on the practice squad.
Then there’s Coats, who put together an impressive camp before being helped off the practice field on Tuesday. There’s still no update on his status, so it’s unclear whether he’ll be out there against New England.
If he does suit up, he has a chance to nail down a roster spot. If he doesn’t, the Browns will be looking closely at the rest of the cornerback depth, including Tre Avery, who also needs a strong performance to help his case behind Denzel Ward and Tyson Campbell.
In Other News...
Browns May Have Just Fueled A Steelers Contract Mess
Denzel Wards new extension is the latest reminder that the cornerback market keeps climbing, and it landed in a division where every financial move gets noticed. The Browns locked up Ward on a two-year, $62.2 million deal that pushes him to the top tier of NFL corners by average annual value, giving Cleveland another expensive cornerstone in a defense built to play aggressive, man-heavy football.
For Pittsburgh, the timing could hardly be worse. Joey Porter Jr. is now reportedly looking for a substantial raise in his own negotiations, and the Steelers are staring at a difficult decision if they cannot get the numbers where they need them. Trading a young corner of Porters caliber would be a major step, but the market for that kind of move may not bring back the kind of return Pittsburgh would want. [Read more 🡒]
Browns May Already Be Telling Fans How They View Shedeur Sanders
Shedeur Sanders arrived in Cleveland with plenty of intrigue, but the Browns have already made it clear where things stand at quarterback. Deshaun Watson remains the starter, Sanders has not been given much meaningful playing time, and the teams approach so far suggests a cautious, limited investment in his development rather than an immediate push to build around him.
The bigger clue may be looking a little farther down the road. Cleveland is expected to be in the market for a new quarterback in the 2027 draft, a timeline that naturally raises questions about Sanders long-term place on the roster. For a player who entered with so much attention, the Browns current handling of the position feels less like a bridge to something bigger and more like a sign that the eventual end of this story may already be taking shape. [Read more 🡒]
Browns QB Decision Just Raised An Uncomfortable Question
The Browns have settled their Week 1 quarterback plan by naming Deshaun Watson the starter, ending at least for now an open competition that included Shedeur Sanders. It is the kind of move that always carries a ripple effect in Cleveland, because quarterback decisions there are rarely just about the depth chart - they tend to reflect the broader direction of the franchise and the people steering it.
Todd Monken made clear the call was not his alone, which only adds to the usual scrutiny around this position. With Jimmy Haslam having already acknowledged responsibility for the trade that brought Watson to Cleveland and staying involved in related decisions, the choice puts the organization back under the same spotlight that has followed it for years, with the real question now less about who starts and more about who ultimately owns the outcome. [Read more 🡒]