Way too early prediction of the Cleveland Browns 53 man roster

With the NFL draft over and the undrafted free agents mostly signed to rosters, we have a better understanding of who might be on the Cleveland Browns in 2020.

However, without starting training camp, the 53 man roster is far from complete. Most of the starting positions should already be penciled in, but the back end of this roster is extremely unpredictable.

That doesn’t mean that the Browns don’t already have any idea of who has the best chances to make their roster. This season is going to be an interesting one, as there are some new rule changes to roster sizes.

An increased practice squad size increased gameday roster, and a minimum number of offensive linemen to carry on your gameday roster are all interesting and welcomed concepts. The Browns at times last season only carried seven offensive linemen, and also saw themselves get down to only six healthy ones on the roster. The minimum carry space bodes extremely well for the big boys up front who might find themselves as backups.

The increased practice squad size also means that the Browns will be able to hold on to some of their hidden talent that they find throughout training camp. This bodes well for young undrafted free agents coming into the league, as more of them will be able to receive NFL coaching and a nice paycheck throughout the season. However, the roster size remains at 53.

This means the Browns will have to get creative with how they balance their roster, especially since they are most likely going to have to carry an extra offensive lineman compared to years prior, and will be carrying a true fullback on their roster.

In this projection, I will project that the Browns will carry 24 offensive players, 26 defensive players, and three special teams players into the 2020 season. Let’s get down to who those plays likely are. Rookies and free-agent acquisitions will have their names italicized to show the new faces on the roster.