3 surprises from Browns initial 53 man roster

No. 2 – Lack of Tight Ends

The Browns offense utilized three tight end sets more than any team in the NFL in 2021, and they now head into the 2022 season with only two on the roster. David Njoku and Harrison Bryant are both talented, but there is no way Kevin Stefanski is going into the season with two tight ends.

Multiple tight ends were released today which could make a lot of sense. O.J. Howard is the big name many are talking about. He fits the Andrew Berry mold very well as a former first-round pick who will likely be looking for a one-year deal.

Zaire Mitchell-Paden and Miller Foristall were the No. 3 and 4 tight ends were released on Tuesday, and I was surprised to not see at least one of these guys make the roster. Neither seemed to be a threat as a pass catcher, but whoever was the best run-blocker could have been extremely useful if finding another tight end is harder than expected.

I do expect Berry to use the waiver or free agency to fill this void, but there is no way that the Browns will go into a season with only two tight ends. It’s also worth noting that Johnny Stanton saw some work at tight end this fall as well. With the expectation that he won’t be back on the practice squad, you can expect to see some fresh blood in the very near future.