Cleveland Browns final 53-man roster prediction

Sep 3, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Cleveland Browns head coach Mike Pettine during the third quarter against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

The Cleveland Browns have to trim their roster down to 53 players by 4 p.m. today.

While there are some position groups that still have question marks surrounding them, for the most part the decisions facing general manager Ray Farmer and head coach Mike Pettine should be fairly straight forward.

Here’s a look at who, as they say on Project Runway, should be in and who should be out come this evening.

Quarterbacks (2): Josh McCown and Johnny Manziel

McCown is the unquestioned starter and Manziel the backup – that part is easy. What’s not is the status of Manziel’s balky elbow, which has kept him from throwing a football since Aug. 22.

“Any time your backup is coming off of an injury and you’re not exactly sure when he’s going to be 100 percent, there’s reason for angst,” Pettine said on Friday. “We really take into account the report from the trainers, and we’ll factor that in to how we lay out the 53.”

It may be a bit of a risk to have just two quarterbacks on the roster to open the season, but McCown is healthy and if disaster strikes in the opener against the New York Jets, hopefully Manziel can work his way through it.

Plus, it is not as if Thad Lewis or Pat Devlin, the other two quarterbacks currently on the roster, won’t be available if the Browns suddenly need them down the road.

Running backs (3) : Isaiah Crowell, Terrence West and Duke Johnson

No real surprises here, with Crowell getting the starting nod after building on his rookie campaign. Hopefully Johnson will be ready to face the Jets after getting knocked out of his only preseason appearance with a concussion.

“(Isaiah’s) a guy that came in, worked hard, saw an opportunity, seized it, had a heck of a rookie season for us,” Pettine said. “We’re looking for him to take off more in Year 2.

“Terrance, it’s been well-documented, has had his ups and downs. He flashes, at times, brilliance and then other times he gets a minus on the grade sheet. That’s always been some of the issues we’ve had with him. We know he can do it; it just has to be on a more consistent basis. That’s one of the reasons why we felt like he needed to get a good amount of work last night.”

For a team that is going to look to run the ball as much as possible this fall, Crowell, West and Johnson are not a bad group to take into the season.

Fullback (1): Malcolm Johnson

While not a fullback in the “traditional” sense, Johnson’s pass-catching ability makes him an intriguing option out of the backfield.

Tight ends (3): Jim Dray, Gary Barnidge and E.J. Bibbs

While Dray and Barnidge were always going to make the team, Bibbs, an undrafted free agent, did what he had to do to earn the third tight end slot from Rob Housler, who the Browns signed as a free agent in the off season. Bibbs can also fill in at fullback if needed.

Aug 29, 2015; Tampa, FL, USA; Cleveland Browns wide receiver Travis Benjamin (11) runs back the punt for a touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the first quarter at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Wide receivers (6): Dwayne Bowe, Brian Hartline, Andrew Hawkins, Travis Benjamin, Taylor Gabriel and Marlon Moore.

This group is more notable for who doesn’t make the club, rather than who does.

Even though Josh Lenz did everything he could to earn a spot, the Browns need help at other positions, making Lenz a candidate for the practice squad along with Vince Mayle. While Mayle did nothing to earn a spot, he was a fourth-round draft pick who the Browns probably want to see more of down the road.

Sure enough, this came through on Twitter while we were completing this article:

Well just got done signing the release papers. Thanks to everyone for support this pre-season! It's been real Cleveland! #DownNotOut
— Josh Lenz (@Josh_Lenz) September 5, 2015

That leaves Terrelle Pryor on the outside. After not practicing for the majority of training camp, and only appearing briefly in the last preseason game, there is no reason to keep Pryor over a more-established player.

Offensive line (8): Joe Thomas, Joel Bitonio, Alex Mack, John Greco, Mitchell Schwartz, Cameron Erving, Andrew McDonald and Vinston Painter

The unquestioned strength of the offense and one of the best offensive lines in the league will probably be the easiest group to select. We’re going with the extra offensive lineman as protection in case injury hits one of the starters.

Aug 20, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns defensive tackle Danny Shelton (71) takes on Buffalo Bills offensive guard John Miller (76) during the first half at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

Defensive line (8): Randy Starks, Danny Shelton, Desmond Bryant, John Hughes, Xavier Cooper, Billy Winn, Jamie Meder and Armonty Bryant

Much like the offensive line, the Browns will carry an extra defensive lineman after seeing the position group hit hard last season by injury.

While maybe not a strength of the team, this could turn into an underrated group that should be fun to watch on Sundays.

Outside linebackers (4): Paul Kruger, Nate Orchard, Barkevious Mingo and Scott Solomon

No real surprises here as all four were penciled in for roster spots from the start of training camp. The fact that Mingo returned to practice this week after suffering a knee injury is a good sign.

Inside linebackers (4): Karlos Dansby, Chris Kirksey, Craig Robertson and Tank Carder

Rookie Hayes Pullard made a case for a roster spot, but he seems more likely for the practice squad.

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Cornerbacks (7): Joe Haden, Tramon Williams, K’Waun Williams, Pierre Desir, Justin Gilbert, Johnson Bademosi and Charles Gaines

The Browns need K’Waun Williams and Desir to get healthy as they still can’t count on Gilbert, which is another reason to keep Gaines on the roster. The rookie from Louisville took advantage of his opportunities during the preseason and showed the coaches what he can do.

Safeties (4): Donte Whitner, Tashuan Gipson, Ibraheim Campbell and Jordan Poyer

We really like what Campbell showed during the preseason and he gives the Browns some solid depth if injuries should hit again this fall.

Special teams (3): Andy Lee, Charley Hughlett and Travis Coons

The only real question was who would win the place kicker battle and Coons has it, for now.

How do you see the roster coming together for the Browns?

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