The Cleveland Browns' defense took a major hit when DE Alex Wright went down with a torn triceps at the very start to their 2024 season. They had an All Pro in Myles Garrett to pick up the slack left by Wright in his absence, but it was still a blow to their defensive line which was seeing some major chemistry with Wright included.
He recently provided fans with a welcome update: he was fully recovered from that torn triceps, and ready to get to work in training camp this summer as he ramps back up to a return in 2025. That's huge news as Cleveland just added another blue chip player to their D-line by selecting Mason Graham at 5th overall, further fortifying an already formidable front attack.
With Graham, Garrett, Wright, and players like Jowon Briggs, Joe Tryon-Shiyonka, Isaiah McGuire, and Mike Hall Jr., they have too many looks to toss out at opposing offensive lines and quarterbacks looking to get anything going on the ground or in the air versus the Browns' defense.
Are there, in fact, too many cooks in this scenario? What cuts can we expect to see before the 2025 season kicks off? Let's dive into some 53-man roster predictions, including predictions on the defensive edges that'll land Wright back in the lineup.
Cleveland Browns 53-man roster predictions after 2025 NFL Draft
Quarterback (3): Joe Flacco, Dillon Gabriel, Shedeur Sanders
The Browns' starting quarterback hole is glaring, but it's not exactly being hurt by adding great competition in the form of Gabriel and Sanders to a room already occupied by Flacco and Kenny Pickett. However, as ESPN analyst and former NFL offensive lineman Damien Woody put it, we know who Pickett and Flacco are already - it's time for the Browns to see what they have in their rookies.
In this scenario, Pickett is the odd man out. Barring an amazing training camp, it's hard to imagine someone with his skill set is able to stick out in this room. Flacco will gain the edge as the veteran with a ton of incentive to lead this Browns team back to some glory. Gabriel will be QB2, and Sanders will be the emergency quarterback this season.
Running Back (4): Quinshon Judkins, Jerome Ford, Dylan Sampson, Pierre Strong Jr.
Assuming the noise around Nick Chubb walking for a new contract with the Chicago Bears is true, Judkins wins the starting job for 2025. Ford, for all he provided to the Browns' offense in 2024, is really a true RB2. He does more with less. Judkins should be able to prove in camp why he's a great Chubb replacement.
Sampson and Strong will share snaps for RB3, with Sampson edging Strong out for playing time eventually.
UDFA to watch: Ahmani Marshall, Appalachian State
Wide Receiver (6): Jerry Jeudy, Diontae Johnson, Cedric Tillman, Jamari Thrash, Michael Woods II, DeAndre Carter
Jeudy will win out for WR1 this season, which is fair. He had the best season of his career in 2024 while playing with four different quarterbacks throughout the year. He'll continue where he left off with more stable quarterback play and with more of a gameplan from head coach Kevin Stefanski.
Johnson and Tillman, two receivers with pretty good ceilings, will surround Jeudy on this depth chart. Johnson will probably take a decent amount of snaps as the veteran free agent addition at the position for Cleveland, and as they just lost Elijah Moore in free agency. Tillman is still young, but he showed potential prior to his season-ending concussion against the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2024.
Carter is going to be a special teams ace.
UDFAs to watch: Gage Larvadain, South Carolina; Ja'Seem Reed, San Diego
Tight End (3): David Njoku, Harold Fannin Jr., Blake Whiteheart
Njoku is TE1. Of course. But, the competition for snaps between Fannin and Whiteheart will be a ton of fun. Both have a lot to prove, with Whiteheart probably having an edge to his motivation has he was just a low-cost free agent re-signed by the team. Fannin was taken at 67th overall, and that carries with it a lot of expectations as to his production this season.
Jason Ivey will be one of two UDFAs that make the opening day roster
Offensive Tackle (4): Jack Conklin, Cornelius Lucas, Dawand Jones, Jason Ivey
Bit of an issue at tackle. The Browns took none in the draft, focusing instead on playmakers as opposed to their trenches. They do still have a great right tackle in Jack Conklin on the team, and they added a key free agent in Cornelius Lucas this offseason. He can switch from right to left tackle, which makes him indispensable as the team has a huge need at left tackle this season.
Dawand Jones is the teams' third offensive tackle option and played at left tackle this year in relief of Jed Wills Jr. He did an OK job, but got hurt too soon into that relief role to see if he developed any further.
Jason Ivey, a UDFA out of North Carolina A&T, will make the roster out of pure need for tackle depth. Hopefully, he can back up that need with genuinely solid backup tackle play.
Interior Offensive Line (6): Wyatt Teller, Joel Bitonio, Teven Jenkins, Zak Zinter, Ethan Pocic, Javion Cohen
The Browns' interior offensive line is a bit more formed than at tackle. Joel Bitonio bucked retirement, and Wyatt Teller will be back again to add strength to their guard position. Teven Jenkins is a great guard when healthy, and Cleveland's hoping he becomes one of their best free agent additions from this year. Ethan Pocic will continue as the Browns' starting center, and Zak Zinter will provide some major relief to Teller.
Defensive Line (6): Mason Graham, Maliek Collins, Jowon Briggs, Mike Hall Jr., Shelby Harris, Sam Kamara
Graham and Collins will form a ridiculous duo on the defensive line at tackle, providing major relief to Garrett on the edge. Briggs will continue on his solid 2024 season, while Hall will come back from his season-ending injury and continue to add to a solid rookie season. Harris is getting up there in age for a defensive lineman, so there's a chance the team gives majority of his snaps to Graham and Briggs.
UDFA to watch: Adin Huntington, Tulane
Alex Wright returns to help Myles Garrett carry edge rusher burden
Edge Rusher (4): Myles Garrett, Alex Wright, Isaiah McGuire, Joe Tryon-Shoyinka
This part of the defensive line is the Browns' biggest strength, and that'll always be the case with Garrett present. He and Wright will probably exchange snaps, but if Cleveland can have them both on the field together, it'd maximize their pass rush exponentially.
Isaiah McGuire looked hungry to prove he was a starting caliber edge rusher last season, and he'll land as a starter on the right side of the line in 2025. Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, the Browns edge rusher signing in free agency, will be McGuire's relief.
Linebacker (4): Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Carson Schwesinger, Jordan Hicks, Devin Bush
Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah has been practicing with the Browns since around NFL Draft weekend, inspiring confidence that he can come back and be the team's best linebacker once again. If that's the case, then the team can then deploy Devin Bush in certain situations instead of relying on him for starting snaps.
The rookie Carson Schwesinger will win a starting job right away for the Browns' defense, and Jordan Hicks will provide solid backup play to him.
Cornerback (6): Denzel Ward, MJ Emerson, Cameron Mitchell, Chigozie Anusiem, Tony Brown II, Anthony Kendall
Cleveland will continue to rely heavily on Denzel Ward's ability to defend passes at a league-best clip. MJ Emerson will also have a bounce back contract season with the Browns, proving why they should offer him a new contract to continue wreaking havoc alongisde Ward in the secondary.
Cam Mitchell and Chigozie Anusiem will provide backup snaps to Ward and Emerson, with Brown and Kendall being break glass in case of emergency options at CB.
Greg Newsome II is off this list because it was reported he was being shopped in trade packages by the Browns. It remains to be seen if the team is waiting until June 1 to pull the trigger on any moves involving him, but he's being left off with the assumption that he will be traded before the season starts.
UDFA to watch: Dom Jones, Colorado State
Donovan McMillon makes opening day roster after great training camp
Safety (4): Grant Delpit, Ronnie Hickman, Donovan McMillon, Trey Dean III
Delpit will once again have the keys to the safety room, adding another great layer of defense to the Browns' secondary. Hickman will have an opportunity to have great contract season, but don't be surprised to see UDFA Donovan McMillon sneak up the depth chart to usurp his snaps sometime this season. Trey Dean III, a post-2024 roster addition, makes the cut for depth reasons.
Special Teams (3): Dustin Hopkins, Corey Bojorquez, Rex Sunahara
Hopkins will get a chance to redeem himself from an abysmal 2024 season, which saw him only hit 66.7 percent of his field goal attempts - a career low. With the team having not drafted a kicker on Day 3 or signed anyone in free agency or from the UDFA pool, it seems like the team is riding with him as their place kicker.
Corey Bojorquez, on the other hand, really took advantage of how much time he saw on the field due to the Browns' poor offense. The punter picked up a ridiculous 4,387 yards in 2024 in 89 punt attempts. He'll be the teams' starting punter again. Rex Sunahara will be kept on for depth.