Predicting Cleveland Browns 53-man roster after the offseason program

Defensive backs (10)

Denzel Ward, Greedy Williams, Damarious Randall, Morgan Burnett, T.J. Carrie, Terrance Mitchell, Phillip Gaines, Jermaine Whitehead, Eric Murray, Sheldrick Redwine

There will be a lot of attention on the Cleveland Browns defensive backs because of how often they will be on the field in 2019 under defensive coordinator Steve Wilks. The expectation is that the Browns defense will have five defensive backs on the field for the majority of games.

The starting four are pretty well set with Ward, Williams, Randall and Burnett. Despite being a rookie, Williams may have earned a starting job already after primarily playing with the first-team during minicamp. And Burnett will bring vital veteran experience that should help the Browns in the long-run.

Cleveland will likely have five safeties on the roster as they have brought in three new players to the group. Redwine is a rookie and he will certainly make the roster and the Browns traded Emmanuel Ogbah for Murray, so they are confident in his abilities as a reserve safety. He also will play a key role on special teams.

Whitehead will be the fifth safety on the roster, but he is expected to play as Cleveland’s nitro linebacker, playing in the box as well as covering the slot.

Because of the five safeties on the roster, the Browns may only keep five cornerbacks on the roster. The top four are pretty much settled with Ward, Williams, Carrie and Mitchell. But the question will be who will be the fifth cornerback.

Gaines is a versatile defensive back as well as a good special teams player, so he will have good odds to make the roster as the final defensive back. But he will receive competition from Donnie Lewis and Lenzy Pipkins, but Lewis can be a practice squad player while Pipkins could prove to just be a camp body.