Cleveland Browns: 5 hardest potential upcoming cuts

5 Cleveland Browns players that will be difficult to cut

The Cleveland Browns have not had a roster this talented since the team returned in 1999, and not since well before that.

As a result, there will be some quality NFL players who won’t make the final roster.

Here are five that the front office will have trouble moving on from.

5. Michael Dunn

Michael Dunn went from completely unknown to eternal Cleveland legend in just a few hours on one fateful night in January of 2021. He went undrafted in 2017, bounced between the Los Angeles Rams and Jacksonville Jaguars, had stints in the AAF and XFL, and finally found a home with the Browns, spending training camp with the team before landing on the practice squad following final cuts. He was active for six games during the regular season, playing a single snap against the New York Jets.

Then, ahead of the wild card game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, All-World guard Joel Bitonio landed on the COVID-19 reserve list. Backups Chris Hubbard and Nick Harris were unavailable, which thrust Dunn into the starting lineup against one of, if not the best defensive line in football.

No pressure.

He responded by playing 53 snaps, allowing just one pressure, and dominating in the run game. If he can do that with basically zero practice against an elite front, he can play in the league.

Unfortunately, the Browns have the best offensive line in the league, and probably the deepest as well. Beyond the five starters, the team will have Hubbard, Harris, and rookie James Hudson, which total eight players. Drew Forbes, Dunn, Blake Hance, and Alex Taylor will be duking it out for one or two spots. Dunn could be on the outside looking in, and it’s doubtful he’d make it through waivers.