Cleveland Browns release first unofficial depth chart of the preseason

The Cleveland Browns released their first depth chart of the season, and while it may be unofficial it still offers some good clues about the roster.

The Cleveland Browns will open the preseason on Thursday night against the New Orleans Saints, which means it is time to start analyzing the depth chart.

The team released its first depth chart of the year, and while it is unofficial, per the Browns themselves, it does give a glimpse into how things are shaking out during training camp.

First unofficial depth chart ahead of our preseason opener on Thursday: pic.twitter.com/Y9Fa3ZZGT4
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) August 7, 2017

First up is that second-year lineman Shon Coleman is still leading the race to claim the starting right tackle position over Cameron Erving.

The biggest surprise on the offensive side of the ball is that Randall Telfer, owner of two career receptions for four yards in his NFL career, is listed as the starting tight end, while rookie first-round selection David Njoku is at No. 3.

Head coach Hue Jackson told clevelandbrowns.com that development is due to one particular skill set that Telfer possesses:

"“Randall is a blocker. Randall can get after you that way. As you guys know, we play in a lot of different packages, a lot of different personnel. I haven’t decided what the first play is going to be so it could be a whole bunch of tight ends out there on the first play. We will see how that all unfolds.”"

The Browns are planning (or should be planning) to be a run-heavy offense this season, so Telfer’s ability as a run blocker makes him an asset. But Njoku is going to see the field plenty, so don’t fret too much about that.

Things get more interesting on the defensive side of the ball.

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The starters along the defensive line are no surprise as No. 1 overall selection Myles Garrett joins Desmond Bryant, Danny Shelton and Emmanuel Ogbah as the front four.

The camp battle to claim the remaining positions is an intriguing one, however, as Jamie Meder and undrafted free agent Trevon Coley are currently the second team defensive tackles. Bringing up the rear as third teams, which should come as not much of a surprise, are Xavier Cooper and Nate Orchard, both of whom may not be long for the roster (especially Orchard).

The linebackers shake out as expected, with Tank Carder currently listed as the top choice for when the Browns use a middle linebacker, followed by Joe Schobert, who linebacker coach Blake Williams believes is a better fit for the middle.

In the secondary, Ibraheim Campbell and Derrick Kindred are listed as the starters at safety, but it should not be long before rookie first-round pick Jabrill Peppers takes over one of the starting roles.

The biggest note among the safeties is that Calvin Pryor, who was picked up from the New York Jets in a trade, is listed third on the depth chart behind Campbell and Justin Currie, an undrafted free agent. No one has been talking about Pryor during training camp, and being buried on the depth chart, even if it is unofficial, is not a good sign.

Next: Browns: 10 players to watch in the preseason

The depth chart will undergo some changes in the coming weeks, either due to injuries or poor play, but when you take a good look at it, many of the key positions are pretty well set. That’s a good place to be as, in theory, it should allow the coaching staff to hone in on preparing the team for the season opener on Sept. 10.

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