Cleveland Browns: 2021 Offensive 53-man roster prediction
By Greg Newland
It’s hard to tell what Andrew Berry’s strategy will be for the Cleveland Browns 53-man roster in 2021, but here is an early prediction.
The Cleveland Browns have yet to have their first preseason game, but the picture is already starting to be painted early in training camp. One thing to beware of, all last season we heard how well Baker Mayfield and Austin Hooper looked in camp. Not that Hooper had a bad season, but it certainly didn’t live up to the high expectations.
General manager, Andrew Berry, will have some extremely difficult decisions to make this year. When you have a team with so much talent, organizations must be willing to let veterans walk and allow younger talent to step.
Fortunately, the Cleveland Browns are early in this phase. Just in the last two seasons have they drafted well, so they likely have another year of not having to make any super difficult decisions, but they are coming.
This morning I want to focus on the offensive side of the ball and make a few projections on how many players at each position they will keep, as well as the names I see making the final 53-man roster. Each general manager will have their own strategy on how many to keep at each position.
Kick Returner
This is an interesting position for the Cleveland Browns. Guys like Anthony Schwartz and Donovan Peoples-Jones have experience returning kicks, but JoJo Natson is on the roster a the “return specialist”.
After an injury last year that really limited him, I think Natson will make the roster as the kick returner. His speed and receiving skills will be enough to push him over the edge, as Kevin Stefanski will enjoy having a few trick plays up his sleeve that utilize Natson.