Cleveland Browns: 5 hardest potential upcoming cuts

4. Porter Gustin

As a fourth (or fifth) EDGE, you can’t really ask for much more than Porter Gustin. He’s a terrific athlete, has been durable (in the NFL), and plays his role well. Two sacks over career 344 pass-rush snaps isn’t great, but Gustin has made an impact in meaningful situations when he’s been called upon.

Should be starting for a Super Bowl contender? Probably not, but that has never been his role except in case of emergency, which happened three times last season.

Takk McKinley will serve as the team’s primary backup at EDGE, with Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney entrenched as the starters. Gustin will fight with Boise State sackmaster Curtis Weaver for a job, and Malik McDowell, perhaps the second-most-talented player on the entire roster, could be on his last NFL chance, so if that doesn’t motivate him, nothing will.

Perhaps the Browns could keep five EDGEs, but if McDowell plays well (and even if he doesn’t), it doesn’t really make all that much sense to have Gustin as one of them because he doesn’t provide any versatility. McDowell can play inside and out, as can Garrett and Clowney. Malik Jackson (and to a degree, Marvin Wilson) also provide power EDGE ability, so that would leave Gustin with a very limited role.