We are a little over a week away from seeing the Cleveland Browns' rookies and most veterans on the practice field together during voluntary minicamp. The 90-man roster is full, and we are likely to see very few moves between now and training camp.
Now is a good time to evaluate the team that general manager Andrew Berry and the front office have put together. For this exercise, we will rank each position group based on the following criteria:
(Editor’s Note: Really appreciate Damon creating a metric to put a number to an opinion. Helps those in the comment section down below discuss based on something numerical.)
Total Score = (Starter Talent + Depth + Youth/Upside + Durability + Production Consistency)
Max Score: 25
Criteria Breakdown
Starter Talent (0–5)
How strong is the top player or pair of starters in this group?
Elite = 5 | Average = 3 | Liability = 1
Depth (0–5)
How many backup players could contribute if needed?
Strong rotation/next man up = 5 | No reliable depth = 1
Youth / Upside (0–5)
Are there young players with breakout potential or long-term value?
Future stars or high picks = 5 | Aging/no upside = 1
Durability (0–5)
Does this group stay healthy or frequently miss time?
Rarely injured = 5 | Chronically unavailable = 1
Production Consistency (0–5)
Has this group shown dependable output week to week?
Reliable and efficient = 5 | Boom-or-bust or invisible = 1
Defensive End
Starters- Myles Garrett, Isaiah McGuire
Rotation- Alex Wright, Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, Ogbo Okoronkwo
Depth/Practice Squad- Cam Thomas, Sam Kamara, Julian Okwara
Total Score = 22
Having Garrett certainly drives things here, but the team also has a good combination of depth and youth with Wright and McGuire.
Defensive Tackle
Starters- Maliek Collins, Mason Graham
Rotation- Mike Hall, Shelby Harris, Jowon Briggs
Depth/Practice Squad- Ralph Holley
Total Score = 20
Graham and Hall lead the strength of this unit. Collins, Harris, and Briggs should see plenty of snaps over the course of the year.
Interior Offensive Line
Starters- Joel Bitonio, Wyatt Teller, Ethan Pocic
Backup- Teven Jenkins, Zak Zinter, Luke Wypler
Depth/Practice Squad- Javion Cohen, Dartanyan Tinsley, Justin Osborne, Brady Latham
Total Score = 19
Bitonio and Teller are still solid despite age and health concerns. Jenkins offers no drop-off in play if either starter goes down. Zinter helps give them some upside as a former third-round pick who is likely a future starter.
Running Back
Starter- Quinshon Judkins
Rotation- Dylan Sampson, Jerome Ford
Depth/Practice Squad- Pierre Strong Jr., Troy Hairston (FB)
Total Score = 19
Judkins and Sampson give this room a ton of upside potential. Ford will also be in the mix as the third-down back.
Cornerback
Starters- Denzel Ward, Martin Emerson Jr., Greg Newsome
Backup- Cam Mitchell, Myles Harden, Tony Brown, Dom Jones, Lamarean James
Depth/Practice Squad- Chigozie Anusiem, Anthony Kendall, Nik Needham
Total Score = 16
Ward is a top-end talent, and hopefully, Emerson can bounce back from a disappointing season. Newsome gives them a good group of three, but there isn’t much upside on the bench behind them.
Linebacker
Starters- Carson Schwesinger, Jordan Hicks
Rotation- Jerome Baker, Mahomoud Diabate, Devin Bush,
Depth/Practice Squad- Winston Reid, Nathaniel Watson, Easton Mascaraenas-Arnold
Total Score = 15
Schwesinger will be counted on to play early next to Hicks, who has dealt with his share of injuries over the last few seasons. Bush and Diabate are solid rotational players who need to improve their consistency.
Tight End
Starters- David Njoku
Backups- Harold Fannin Jr., Blake Whitehart
Depth/Practice Squad- Tre’ McKitty, Brenden Bates
Total Score = 14
Njoku is a dynamic talent, but he needs to stay healthy and be more consistent this season. Fannin Jr. is a talented receiver who can make plays, but the room lacks depth overall.
Quarterback
Starters / Backups- Kenny Pickett, Shedeur Sanders, Dillon Gabriel, Joe Flacco
Total Score = 14
The two rookies give some hope beyond the floor of Pickett and the 40-year-old Flacco.
Wide Receiver
Starters- Jerry Jeudy, Cedric Tillman
Backup- David Bell, Jamari Thrash, Diontae Johnson , DeAndre Carter
Depth/Practice Squad- Mike Woods, Kaden Davis, Luke Floriea, Kisean Johnson, Gage Larvadain, Cade McDonald
Total Score = 13
Jeudy had elite production last season while Tillman flashed during a four-game stretch. It looks like a wide-open competition for the third receiver spot.
Offensive Tackle
Starters- Dawand Jones, Jack Conklin
Backup- Cornelius Lucas
Depth/Practice Squad- Lorenzo Thompson, Roy Mbaeteka, Julian Pearl, Jason Ivey
Total Score = 12
Health concerns are the story here for the Browns with Conklin and Jones.
Safety
Starters- Grant Delpit, Ronnie Hickman
Backups- Damontae Kazee, Rayshawn Jenkins
Depth/Practice Squad- Chris Edmonds, Donovan McMillon
Total Score = 12
Delpit is carrying this group as a whole. Let’s hope that Hickman can take another step as the full-time starter and that they can both stay healthy.
What do you think of these positional group rankings? What would you change? Let us know in the comments below.