Analyst: Cleveland Browns could release Mack Wilson before season

Mack Wilson went from a late-round pick with promise to a player on the bubble as the Cleveland Browns prepare for their 2021 training camp

As a rookie for the Cleveland Browns, Mack Wilson looked to be a steal. A fifth-round pick from Alabama, he made one play after another in the preseason and ended up playing in all 16 games with 14 starts.

He finished with 82 tackles, one sack, and one interception that year. There were areas to clean up, but he was expected to be one of the leaders in the linebacking corps going forward.

Unfortunately, a knee injury set him back in 2020 and he had just 39 tackles. Now in 2021, he’s a player on the bubble needing to prove himself as pointed out by our own Eddie McDonald who called this a “make or break” season for Wilson.

However, Wilson might not even make it to the season with the Browns says Jake Trotter of ESPN. In a recent piece where ESPN analysts picked one player for each team that could be released, Trotter said Wilson was the guy to watch in Cleveland and pointed to the new additions as a reason for a possible move.

"“Why he could get cut: The Browns just spent their second-round pick on Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, whom they considered taking in the first round before settling on CB Greg Newsome II. Owusu-Koramoah plays weakside linebacker, the same position as Wilson, who was drafted in 2019 by the previous front-office regime. Whether Owusu-Koramoah eventually starts or not, Wilson can still carve out an important role in the linebacking rotation, but to do that, he’ll have to play better than he did last season.” — ESPN’s Jake Trotter on why Mack Wilson could be cut by the Browns."

Cleveland general manager Andrew Berry was clearly not satisfied with the linebackers on the roster last season as he added Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah and Tony Fields in the draft as well as Anthony Walker in free agency.

Throw in second-year player Jacob Phillips and Sione Takitaki and Wilson has an uphill battle to make this roster.

He’s a hard worker and an easy player to root for, but Trotter makes some great points and Wilson could be on the outside looking in when final cuts are made.