With the fourth Cleveland Browns preseason game coming up this Saturday evening, it’s becoming more and more real that we are only three Sundays away from the NFL season starting.
We have been through free agency, the draft, rookie camp, training camp, and now the preseason. We likely won’t see a lot of starters in the final game this week, but we will still see some good football as young players are fighting for their lives.
Every single offseason fans fall in love with one or two guys who ball out vs. second and third-string players but never make the roster. There is no doubt that some talented guys will get cut next Tuesday before the final rosters have to be set, but these three guys can lock up their spots in the final preseason game.
3. Cleveland Browns DT Maurice Hurst
After watching Andrew Berry miss on draft pick after draft pick, he finally spent money at defensive tackle this offseason, completely overhauled the group, and brought in some talented veterans.
Maurice Hurst was one of those guys brought in on a one-year prove-it deal, and so far, he has lived up to the expectations.
Remember, the question has never been if Hurst can be productive on an NFL roster, it’s been if he can stay healthy for a full NFL season and be available.
Through three weeks he has done plenty to lock up a roster spot, but he will be in a dawg fight once again to earn what is likely the final spot between three guys (Hurst, Jordan Elliott, and Tommy Togiai).
Hurst has a higher ceiling than either of those two guys, and as long as he shows up on the stat sheet and stays healthy, the final defensive tackle slot is his to lose.
2. Cleveland Browns QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson
I’m going a little different route with this one. Don’t confuse this as Dorian Thompson-Robinson (DTR) needs to play well to lock up a roster spot, but he does need to play well to lock up being the No. 2 quarterback on the depth chart.
One of the bigger surprises this preseason has been his ability to push the ball down the field. We all knew he was a superior athlete and could make plays with his legs, but I don’t think anyone expected him to have a completion percentage over 65 percent with nearly 350 yards passing and two touchdowns.
The plan this offseason was undoubtedly to have Joshua Dobbs retain that role, but his sub-par preseason led to his departure. Dobbs was traded late Thursday to the Arizona Cardinals along with a seventh-round pick, as the Browns added a mid-round selection in 2024.
With him out, the Browns decided to keep Kellen Mond — who appeared to have been waived earlier that day. This move makses it seem likely that Thompson-Robinson is the No. 2 quarterback but Mond was there throughout the 2022 season and knows this offense. One more solid game, however, will ensure No. 17 is the primary backup to Deshaun Watson.
1. Cleveland Brons WR Austin Watkins Jr.
For the last three weeks, all anyone is talking about for the Cleveland Browns is Austin Watkins. While it’s a great change of scenery from Watson's discussion, fans also need to be careful to get their hopes up too high.
Remember, Watkins has bounced around the league on practice squads for two years. It isn’t like he has not been given a chance before, so there is some reason to believe his insane production is a bit of a fluke.
Additionally, good money was spent on Marquise Goodwin and Jakeem Grant to make this roster, and a third-round pick was spent on David Bell. I personally am rooting for Watkins as much as anyone, but he needs to have another strong performance to make sure he makes this roster.
His 15 catches for 245 yards and two touchdowns have been staggering through the first three preseason games, but they are exactly that, preseason. Watkins needs to find a way to make sure he gets a look at five to seven targets, and he needs to dazzle us once again with his after-the-catch ability.
If the Browns keep only six receivers (which is very possible with their use of tight ends), it’s likely going to come down to Bell or Watkins making this roster depending on the health of Goodwin. I’m not saying Watkins shouldn’t win this battle, but Berry did draft Bell and will already be cutting another third-round draft pick in Anthony Schwartz.
As well as Watkins has played, it shouldn’t be an issue for it to continue in week four, and he should earn that roster spot he has been chasing for three seasons in the NFL.