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Cleveland Browns: 53 man roster prediction midway through the preseason

By Randy Gurzi

CLEVELAND, OH - AUGUST 17: Carlos Hyde #34 of the Cleveland Browns runs the ball in the second quarter of a preseason game against the Buffalo Bills at FirstEnergy Stadium on August 17, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH - AUGUST 17: Carlos Hyde #34 of the Cleveland Browns runs the ball in the second quarter of a preseason game against the Buffalo Bills at FirstEnergy Stadium on August 17, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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Cleveland Browns
CHICAGO, IL – DECEMBER 24: Tarik Cohen #29 of the Chicago Bears catches the football in front of Christian Kirksey #58 of the Cleveland Browns in the third quarter at Soldier Field on December 24, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /

Linebacker (6): Christian Kirksey, Joe Schobert, Mychal Kendricks, Jamie Collins, James Burgess, Genard Avery

Easily the best collection of talent for the Browns is their linebacker corps. They can go six deep and not see a drop off in talent and they could still have a battle for who will start. Joe Schobert and Mychal Kendricks can both start at middle linebacker and the team would be fine. Schobert was tied for the lead in tackles in the NFL last season and Kendricks was a playmaker for the world champion Eagles — even though they were desperate to get rid of him for years.

Kendricks can also play on the outside, so if he seems to be the better fit over Jamie Collins, he could line up there. Or he could provide great depth behind the talented Collins. Christian Kirksey will be the weakside linebacker and he was also great in 2017.

The final two spots go to James Burgess and Genard Avery. Burgess stepped up in the absence of Collins last season and played well. That was surprising considering he bounced to five different teams as a rookie in 2016 before getting his chance.

Fifth-round pick Genard Avery rounds the group out and he can play all over the defense as well. The Memphis standout was undervalued in the draft and could be used near the line of scrimmage since he’s built like a defensive end.

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