In terms of the depth chart, the Cleveland Browns’ preseason opener against the Chicago Bears provided fans with something the first 13 days of training camp couldn’t — a scoreboard.
The actual score of the game — a 34-10 Bears blowout — won’t be remembered. But for some of the team's intriguing young prospects, including several rookies, Saturday’s debut could end up being a turning point. And not in a good way.
Head coach Todd Monken played all of his healthy players, even with the Bears sitting a large majority of their starters (old friend Devin Bush was among the few exceptions). From those who started the game to those handling mop-up duty in the fourth quarter, we got our first true idea of where the depth chart stands, and that information can be just as useful as the production on the field when projecting a 53-man roster.
Our latest includes one bold cut at each position group. None of these players are definite cut candidates, but they’re trending in the wrong direction since the end of the install phase of training camp.
For a lot of those players, Saturday’s preseason game was extremely telling.
One preseason game created major movement across the Browns' depth chart
Quarterback (3): Deshaun Watson, Shedeur Sanders, Dillon Gabriel
- Trending down: Taylen Green
Back in April, it was hard to fathom the Browns sticking with Gabriel on the roster after the decision to use an early sixth-round pick on Green, the tantalizing dual-threat quarterback out of Arkansas. But Green has barely gotten meaningful reps since rookie minicamp, didn’t play in the Bears game, and Monken all but confirmed that it would be Sanders, Watson, and Gabriel, in that order, for preseason Game 2 against the Bills.
Maybe we’ll finally see Green get some snaps in the preseason finale against New England, but unless Cleveland is serious about carrying four uninspiring quarterbacks this year, attempting to sneak Green through waivers and onto the practice squad could end up being the play.
Given Watson’s injury history, it would be hard to justify promoting Green to QB3 when he’s gotten little to no reps since May.Â
Running back (3): Quinshon Judkins, Dylan Sampson, Ahmani Marshall
- Trending down: Raheim Sanders
“Rocket” Sanders seemed to enter camp with a firm hold on the No. 3 running back spot, but he appears to have been passed in the pecking order. It was Marshall, not Sanders, who got work with Watson during Saturday’s first half, logging a team-high six carries. He wasn’t very efficient — no Browns running back was, though, aside from rookie Davon Booth in garbage time — but the fact that Sanders was out there with a mix of third- and fourth-stringers in the second half was telling.
Marshall’s willingness to stick his nose in as a pass protector may be giving him a slight edge.
Wide receiver (6): Jerry Jeudy, Denzel Boston, KC Concepcion, Isaiah Bond, Tylan Wallace, Gage Larvadain
- Trending down: Malachi Corley
Larvadain made the most of his opportunities on Saturday, but you can't say the same for Corley, who was held without a catch on two targets and surprisingly never got a return on one of Chicago's many kickoffs.
Cleveland's top five of Jeudy, Boston, Concepcion, Bond, and Wallace are locks. Luke Floriea has had a strong camp, but Larvadain's experience as a punt returner and growing confidence as a depth wide receiver should give him a slight edge. The second-year pro led all Browns wideouts with four catches for 37 yards in the Bears game.
Tight end (4): Harold Fannin Jr., Blake Whiteheart, Carsen Ryan, *Player to be Named
- Trending down: Joe Royer
This is one of the biggest problem areas on the roster right now. Fannin is elite, but he’s clearly still getting back up to speed after missing the entire spring program. He had a brutal drop on third down near the red zone in the first half of Saturday’s game.Â
Fannin should have no problem getting back to full speed, but it’s not like he has a choice. With Royer, Cleveland’s fifth-round rookie, yet to report to camp due to a personal issue, and veteran Jack Stoll dealing with an injury, the Browns will likely have to turn to the free agent market or waiver wire to fill out this room.
Royer felt like a shoo-in to make the roster and potentially fill the No. 2 tight end role after the Browns concluded spring mandatory minicamp. He’s now missed over two weeks of practices and the first preseason game, and for a fifth-round draft pick, that pushes you off the roster radar.
Offensive line (9): Spencer Fano, Zion Johnson, Elgton Jenkins, Teven Jenkins, Tytus Howard, Austin Barber, Parker Brailsford, KT Leveston, Luke Wypler
- Trending down: Dawand Jones
What a difference a week can make in the NFL. It seemed like both Monken and offensive line coach George Warhop were talking up Jones as a potential impact rotational player or starter just yesterday. As Monken said prior to one of last week’s practices, he’s now in a fight just to make the team.
Jones took the field as the left tackle for Shedeur Sanders to start the second half and wound up playing well into the fourth quarter, 33 snaps overall, per Pro Football Focus. Barber getting banged up in this game could help Jones’ cause, but for a player who was touted as one of the Browns’ best five or six linemen early in camp, his stock is surprisingly plummeting.
Defensive line (10): Jared Verse, Mason Graham, Maliek Collins, Alex Wright, Isaiah McGuire, Adin Huntington, Mike Hall Jr., Julian Okwara, Khordae Sydnor, *Za’Darius Smith
- Trending down: Logan Fano
The Browns hosted Smith for a workout last week, and while not official, they reportedly expect to get a deal done with the familiar 33-year-old. Smith played for the Browns in 2023 and part of 2024 before GM Andrew Berry traded him to Detroit amid the team’s freefall that year.
Smith abruptly retired for personal reasons after playing in five games for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2025. The Browns still need him, as the depth behind Verse, Wright, and McGuire is a major concern.
Fano has been battling with Sydnor for one of the final defensive roster spots, but Sydnor may have gained the edge on Saturday. The Vanderbilt product had the better day both on defense and special teams, per Pro Football Focus’ grading metrics.
Linebacker (5): Carson Schwesinger, Quincy Williams, Easton Mascarenas-Arnold, Winston Reid, Nathaniel Watson
- Trending down: Justin Jefferson
It would be surprising to see the Browns waive three recent Day 3 draft picks in Green, Royer, and Jefferson, but we used the word bold earlier for a reason. All three feel a lot closer to the roster bubble, and Jefferson didn’t do himself any favors in his defensive reps on Saturday, getting picked on repeatedly by the Bears in pass coverage.
The Browns clearly have a special teams role in mind for Jefferson. His 13 snaps in that department tied for the second most on the team. But PFF charged Jefferson with a missed tackle and graded him as Cleveland's second-worst special-teamer.
If both Reid and Watson can stay healthy, Jefferson could find himself in a major battle to make the roster over these next two weeks.
Cornerback (5): Denzel Ward, Tyson Campbell, Myles Harden, Tre Avery, Michael Coats Jr.Â
- Trending down: Nate Evans
Evans had a golden opportunity on Saturday after injuries thrust him into a starting role. But he was firmly outclassed by fellow undrafted rookie Michael Coats Jr., who had a nice pass breakup on a third-down throw by Bears quarterback Tyson Bagent and later hauled in an interception.
Compounding matters further, Evans picked up a quad injury that forced him out of the game. Monken said he didn’t think it was something that would force Evans to miss time, but there’s probably only room for one UDFA cornerback to make the initial roster, and Coats just took the lead.
Safety (5): Grant Delpit, Ronnie Hickman, Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, Daniel Thomas, Donovan McMillon
- Trending down: Chris Edmonds
Edmonds earned himself a long look on Saturday after securing three interceptions over the first 13 training camp practices. He was the team’s snap-count leader on both defense and special teams against the Bears.
Edmonds was around the football a lot, leading the team with six solo tackles, including one behind the line of scrimmage. But he also had a couple of missed tackles, including one that allowed the Bears to score on an easy 25-yard passing touchdown.
Edmonds still has a strong chance to make the team, but McMillon piled up nine total special teams tackles for the Browns in 2025 and was a factor in that area once again in the Bears game. He’s very much in the mix, and Edmonds’ strong box score stats don’t tell the whole story.
Special teams (3): Andre Szmyt, Corey Bojorquez, Rex Sunahara
- Punt returner: Concepcion
- Kickoff returners: Sampson, Wallace
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