When Andrew Berry became the general manager of the Cleveland Browns in 2020, he was paired with head coach Kevin Stefanski, who'd been hired just two weeks prior. It's impossible to know of any backroom discussions that may have happened when Stefanski was technically still a member of the Vikings coaching staff and Berry was still working for the Eagles, so we have no choice but to believe that it was an arranged marriage.
By landing on Todd Monken — a polar opposite personality to Stefanski — as the head man in his first true coaching search this year, perhaps Berry is simply leaving the unsaid, well, unsaid. The situation is rife with the implication that ownership made the call on Stefanski, and perhaps Berry would've opted for a different hire if given the choice.
In any case, as the years wore on, Berry evidently closed the two-week loyalty gap and wound up surviving the purge that saw Stefanski fall on his sword. One of the Berry-Monken pairing's first tests will be how to build out the roster.
Here at Dawg Pound Daily, we compared the average roster construction of the Browns' teams under Berry (2020–2025) and Monken's Ravens teams (2023–2025) to try to predict how many players will be kept at each position.
Combining Andrew Berry and Todd Monken's historical roster building histories provides a unique roadmap of how things might play out come cutdown day
Quarterback (3): Shedeur Sanders, Deshaun Watson, Taylen Green*
In seven out of the nine years in the sample, the Browns and Ravens have opted for two quarterbacks. This flies directly in the face of Andrew Berry's claims that he's willing to keep four on the opening day roster.
Who can blame him? Last year, he was able to coax a draft pick out of the Las Vegas Raiders for Kenny Pickett. In any case, it appears Dillon Gabriel's days are numbered, either via trade or outright release.
The loser of the competition between Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson will become the winner's top backup. Green flanks the duo as the rookie wild card with Madden-esque athletic potential.
Running Back (3): Quinshon Judkins, Dylan Sampson, Davon Booth*
The Browns and Ravens have been all over the place at RB, some seasons carrying two and others with as many as four, for an average of 3.33 (not including fullback). In this projection, they opt for three to make room for a fullback. Judkins and Sampson are essentially roster locks; Booth gets the nod as the third back due to his $165,000 guarantee, which dwarfs the nonexistent guarantees of his top competition.
Fullback (1): Michael Burton
Monken carried a fullback in each of his seasons with Baltimore. After carrying a fullback in 2020 and 2021, Berry followed the trend and dropped the position over the last four years. This one's an easy gap to bridge. Burton's presence on the roster matters just as much to the offense as it does to the team's overall persona shift to a punch-you-in-the-mouth attack.
Wide Receiver (6): Jerry Jeudy, KC Concepcion*, Denzel Boston*, Isaiah Bond, Tylan Wallace, Malachi Corley
The average in the sample for wide receivers is 5.78. The problem is figuring out which six to go with.
Outside of the top four, there are cases to be made for Wallace, Corley, Cedric Tillman, Jamari Thrash, and to a lesser extent, Gage Larvadain. Ultimately, Wallace's familiarity with Monken, coupled with his special teams prowess, earns him a spot, as does Corley's youth and the explosiveness he displayed in 2025. Tillman may have finally run out of time in Cleveland.
Tight End (3): Harold Fannin Jr., Joe Royer*, Carsen Ryan*
The competition will be stiff, particularly for Ryan as he tries to fend off familiar vets Blake Whiteheart and Brenden Bates as well as low-risk free-agent signing Jack Stoll. Ultimately, with an average of 3.11 players making the roster, there's no room for a fourth tight end, especially with a fullback taking a spot. The result? Cleveland opts to roll with the youth at tight end.
Offensive Line (9): Spencer Fano, Zion Johnson, Elgton Jenkins, Teven Jenkins, Tytus Howard, Austin Barber*, Parker Brailsford*, Dawand Jones, KT Leveston
The Browns' remade offensive line seemed to be essentially set, at least on paper. When KT Leveston started getting first-team snaps at right guard, however, the math changed a bit. The average in the sample comes out to 9.56, but we must remember the Browns had been dealing with the oft-injured Jack Conklin taking up a spot in past years. Ultimately, Zak Zinter ran out of time to carve out a role.
Interior Defensive Line (5): Mason Graham, Maliek Collins, Mike Hall Jr., Kalia Davis, Adin Huntington
Unlike their offensive counterparts, any returning players got the benefit of having a staff that returned mostly intact. At defensive tackle, the question is more whether Cleveland keeps four or five — the average came out to 4.44 — than who the players will be. If they opt to cut an extra player at this spot, it would likely come down to Davis and Huntington.
EDGE Rusher (5): Jared Verse, Unsigned Veteran**, Alex Wright, Isaiah McGuire, Logan Fano*
With an average of 4.78 EDGE rushers on each roster, that leaves roughly two spots up for grabs behind the three roster locks of Verse, Wright, and McGuire. We still believe the Browns are on the hunt for a veteran EDGE rusher — evidenced by their ultimately fruitless pursuit of Jadeveon Clowney. Leonard Floyd continues to make a ton of sense as a productive player who worked under new defensive coordinator Mike Rutenberg in Atlanta last season.
In this projection, Fano edges out his fellow UDFAs Tyreak Sapp and Khordae Sydnor, as well as Julian Okwara for that fifth spot because of his youth, his $310,000 in guarantees, and a tiny bit because he's the brother of Browns' first-round pick, Spencer Fano.
Linebacker (5): Carson Schwesinger, Quincy Williams, Easton Mascarenas-Arnold, Justin Jefferson*, Nathaniel Watson
The position where Berry's and Monken's philosophies differed most was linebacker. Under Berry, Cleveland's average stood at 6.17, while in Baltimore the average was 4.67. That's another roster debate we're willing to believe the offensive-minded Monken will win. The starters here are entrenched, and Easton Mascarenas-Arnold has been turning heads at training camp. Jefferson gets the nod as a rookie, and Watson is on tenuous ground as the "53rd player" ... if such a distinction existed.
Cornerback (5): Denzel Ward, Tyson Campbell, Myles Harden, Myles Bryant, Michael Coats Jr.*
Cornerback is the primary position where we could see the Browns trimming a player at defensive tackle or linebacker to make room for a sixth. The average for the opening-day rosters came out to 5.56. The top two are locked in, and it's anyone's guess how the rest shakes out. Myles Harden received a vote of confidence from Andrew Berry, while Myles Bryant was signed as competition with a guarantee north of $500,000.
As far as the final spot goes, Nate Evans and Michael Coats Jr. have impressed as undrafted free agents; they're also facing stiff competition from veterans Damarri Mathis and D'Angelo Ross. Coats ultimately gets the nod because of his guarantee ($115,000) and the fact that his impressive interception garnered him a mention by Todd Monken.
Safety (5): Grant Delpit, Ronnie Hickman, Emmanuel McNeil-Warren*, Daniel Thomas, Donovan McMillon
We were very tempted here to give Evans the nod at corner and drop McMillon from the final projection. At the end of the day, the 4.89 average at safety won out. If the Browns carry five safeties, McMillon likely has the inside track after being a special teams standout in 2025. Otherwise, that spot could similarly be one that is in major jeopardy when Cleveland starts scouring the waiver wire.
Specialists (3): Andre Szmyt, Corey Bojorquez, Rex Sunahara
This one's pretty straightforward. While the Browns appear to be embroiled in a punting competition, Bojorquez's $900,000-plus guarantee indicates he has more than a leg up on the competition. The others run unopposed and simply need to stay the course to be on the roster come Week 1.
Traded (1): Dillon Gabriel
Of the Browns who couldn't crack the final roster in this projection, Dillon Gabriel would seem to have the most value in a trade. He is a quarterback who displayed the ability to game-manage his way to a win or two if a good team needed to lean on him for a stint. His connection with Kevin Stefanski makes Atlanta a popular landing spot. If not, joining a contender like the Buffalo Bills would make some sense, too.
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