The Browns got an uncomfortable reminder on Tuesday: their defensive tackle room is stretched so thin that two young linemen, Adin Huntington and Elijah Chatman, were working with the No. 1 defense on a regular basis.
That kind of rep distribution doesn’t happen by accident. It points straight to a depth issue, and Cleveland’s practice session made that impossible to ignore. The concern got even louder when Mason Graham was held out of practice without an explanation, and he was one of four defensive tackles unavailable for personal reasons.
Mike Hall Jr., Kalia Davis and Maliek Collins were the other tackles out, leaving the Browns to piece together the interior of their defense with whatever bodies were available. Whether the absences are temporary or something more, the reality on the field was clear enough.
Cleveland tried to help the situation by signing defensive tackle Travis Bell on Monday, but he was working against the second team on Tuesday. If the absences keep stacking up, Bell could end up seeing first-team work sooner rather than later.
The Browns added another body after practice as well, claiming Coziah Izzard off waivers after his time with the Kansas City Chiefs. That gives Cleveland two depth additions since the weekend, though neither comes in with much experience.
Maliek Collins’ situation adds another layer to the problem. He is rehabbing a quad injury and began the season on the PUP list, which makes the need for extra insurance even more obvious if the Browns want to keep the rotation steady through preseason.
If Cleveland decides it needs another veteran or two, there are a couple of names already sitting out there. Bilal Nichols, who was released by the Arizona Cardinals, is one option. He’s an eight-year veteran who was steady for his first six seasons before injuries made availability a problem over the last two years.
Perrion Winfrey is another free-agent possibility after being released by the Dallas Cowboys. If the Browns went that route, he would be more of an emergency depth piece than someone expected to lock down a lasting role.
For now, the main thing to watch is how quickly Cleveland can get its tackles back on the field. Graham and Collins are the top names in the group, but Tuesday showed just how fragile the rest of the room looks when a few pieces are missing.
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 🡒]