The Browns are heading into training camp with the usual roster squeeze, and that means some of Andrew Berry’s draft picks are going to be staring at the wrong side of the 53-man cut line.
Cleveland can only keep 53 players by August, so even a few guys who survive the early grind could still get squeezed out once the decisions get real. A lot of those exits will come from recent additions meant to flesh out the roster, but there are also several Berry selections who simply haven’t done enough to lock down a place.
At quarterback, the pressure lands squarely on Dillon Gabriel. He has regular-season snaps on his résumé, but those came under a different coaching staff, and this offseason the Browns cleaned house.
New head coach Todd Monken doesn’t owe the previous regime anything. Cleveland also used this year’s draft on Taylen Green, and that makes Gabriel’s spot even shakier.
The Browns clearly have a specific quarterback profile in mind, and Gabriel’s skill set doesn’t match the other three. It’s rare to see a third-round pick get released just a year later, but it happens.
If Green outplays him in camp, Gabriel could be the one on the outside looking in.
Wide receiver Cedric Tillman is in a similarly uncomfortable spot. The Browns have never exactly been a factory for receiver development, and Tillman has not given them much reason to change that reputation.
Each year brings talk of a bigger role, and each season seems to start with that promise fading fast, whether because of uneven play or injuries. He has the size and strength, but the ball still doesn’t seem to find him often enough.
Cleveland drafted two receivers this year, and rookie Denzel Boston, who has a similar frame, is already projected to have a role on offense. That leaves Tillman sliding down the depth chart, and he may need a fresh start somewhere else to get going.
Then there’s Zak Zinter, whose Browns tenure has been stalled from the start. Injuries have been the story, and that began before he even got to the league after the leg injury he suffered in his senior year at Michigan.
He still hasn’t logged much meaningful game action, which leaves Cleveland with very little tape to work with. The Browns also added more help to the offensive line this offseason, and for an undersized guard, Zinter could wind up being the odd man out.
Jordan Watson falls into a different kind of danger zone: not enough recent action to make a strong case either way. He didn’t play last season, though he was serviceable for Cleveland in 2024 as a backup.
The problem is the linebacker room has gotten crowded with younger, more appealing options. Quincy Williams arrived in the offseason, Justin Jefferson came in through the draft, and both join rising star Carson Schwesinger.
Watson has enough talent to stick as depth, but the numbers and the competition may leave him without a place.
In Other News...
This Browns Quarterback Move Could Suddenly Make A Lot Of Sense
Kevin Stefanskis move to Atlanta has created an unexpected quarterback ripple, and it starts with a familiar name for Browns fans. The Falcons are sorting through a competition while Michael Penix Jr. and Tua Tagovailoa work through injuries, and that uncertainty has made the conversation around Clevelands quarterback room a little more interesting than it looked a week ago.
The Browns are carrying multiple developmental passers, and Dillon Gabriel is the one who has started to surface in speculation because of how he fits Stefanskis offensive approach. Nothing has been reported officially, but with Cleveland still sorting its own quarterback depth and Atlanta looking for answers, the idea has enough logic to hang around until something more concrete emerges. [Read more 🡒]
Browns Just Made A Statement Grant Delpit Fans Can't Ignore
The Browns have spent the offseason making a clear statement about the back end of their defense, first by locking up Denzel Ward on a two-year extension that made him the highest-paid defensive back in NFL history. In the same stretch, Cleveland also chose to keep Grant Delpit in the fold, a move that matters because he was headed into the final year of his deal and had been around the team without taking part in recent drills.
Delpits situation had created a little more intrigue than your usual extension talk, especially with other defensive back options on the roster and the Browns facing a real decision about how much they wanted to invest in the secondary. Instead, they moved to retain him, signaling that they still see him as part of the core even if his recent on-field availability left a few questions hanging over the spring. [Read more 🡒]