As the Cleveland Browns’ coaching staff is busy making important roster decisions,the inside linebackers find themselves in the heat of a tight competition.
One of the most compelling aspects of training camp each year for any NFL team is which young players pleasantly surprise the organization and earn roster spots. For the Cleveland Browns, this happens no less than in any other situation. Each year, a rookie will work hard and earn his way on to the final 53-man roster. He will impress fans, and give them the hope they crave so much entering each season.
But what often goes forgotten about these training camp surprises is the fact that for every roster spot unexpectedly won, there is one which is unexpectedly lost. Often times, a veteran is a victim of tough luck, and ends up signing with another team.
This year, the surprises are plentiful, so much so that not every player who has impressed the coaching staff will end up on the team. Somebody will need to get released without earning a release, since only 53 players can be kept.
The inside linebacker position is one of the more fascinating on the Browns’ defense from a roster-spot competition perspective. Camp standout Demario Davis has earned himself a starting role on Cleveland’s unofficial depth chart, as has Christian Kirksey. Behind the two though, it gets interesting.
First-year Brown and former Texan, Justin Tuggle has earned a substantial amount of playing time in the first two preseason games, and has played well enough to put himself in a favorable position to win a roster spot. Rookies Scooby Wright III and Dominique Alexander have also impressed at the position during practices, and shouldn’t be ruled out even if they are long shots to be Cleveland Browns in Week 1.
What will end up deciding which inside linebackers make the final roster is how many the coaching staff plan on keeping. Considering the depth necessary on a battered defensive line, the linebacker group may get a bit shortchanged.
Assuming the roster includes 50 players who are not special teams specialists, it would make sense that the coaching staff would keep nine linebackers in total, as their four slots comprise 18 percent of the starting positions. With this in mind, either four or five inside linebackers would be kept, and since outside linebackers such as Emmanuel Ogbah and Nate Orchard are versatile, four would be a better estimate.
Assuming Kirksey and Davis are locks, two openings remain at inside linebacker. Tuggle, Wright III, and Alexander are all in the mix, as well as Tank Carder.
Carder is one of the more reliable Browns, missing just two career games in four years with Cleveland. But given the current situation at the position, the youth movement and the new regime, his job is less than secure. Head coach Hue Jackson and his coaching staff have made it clear that each player will have to earn his roster spot, regardless of his history with the organization or raw talent.
If there is one area of his game for Carder to rest his assurance in, it would be his spectacular special teams play. Carder is not the strongest, the fastest, or the toughest, but he is reliable and is always disciplined. These characteristics are invaluable on any roster. As is the case with many other players, special teams is an area at which any player can excel and sneak on to the final roster. This bodes well for Carder, who has consistently played well in any special teams setting.
Despite being a fan favorite, Carder will have to earn his way on to the roster in the final weeks of preseason. While it may not be a fair fate for a reliable player who has impressed in camp, multiple factors contribute to a possible release.
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The Browns would miss Carder’s intensity and hustle on special teams if he was in fact cut, but the coaching staff has assured fans that their actions will be taken in the best interest of the future of the organization. Either way, the outside linebackers are a position to watch as the roster is cut down to 75 and later to 53.