3 players Browns should rest and 2 who need the snaps in Week 18

Entering the weekend, the Cleveland Browns still had an outside shot of winning the AFC North but that hope was lost when the Baltimore Ravens knocked off the Miami Dolphins. The Cincinnati Bengals also had their sights set on a potential push to the postseason but a loss to Kansas City means they're out.

So now, the Browns are set as the No. 5 seed and the Bengals are looking forward to 2024. A game that could have been vital to playoff positioning is now essentially meaningless for each franchise. With that being the case, the Browns are expected to rest several starters in Week 18.

That's good for a team that has been dealing with countless injuries throughout the season. Even now, they're waiting for Elijah Moore, Dustin Hopkins, and Corey Bojorquez to all return to health. While those players will surely be out, we look at three more that should rest — while also naming two players who need to take advantage of the potential snaps.

Browns should rest: Za'Darius Smith, EDGE

In each of the past two wins, the Browns had a scare near the end of the game when Za'Darius Smith went down to the turf and was slow to get up. He's still listed as a limited participant due to a pectoral injury and this feels like the perfect time to allow him a week to rest and heal up.

Smith was added to bring pressure off the edge across from Myles Garrett and he's done that all year. He has 5.5 sacks but he's been constantly harassing opposing quarterbacks and is solid against the run. Having him at 100 percent will help the entire defense play better, making him someone who needs to treat this week like a bye.

Browns need to play: Siaki Ika, NT

With their second pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, which was No. 98 overall in the third round, the Browns brought in Siaki Ika from Baylor. The selection was met with mixed reaction as some were thrilled to see a 6-foot-3, 357-pound nose tackle added to stop the run. Others were bothered by his testing numbers which were far below many other defensive tackles in the class.

Whether or not this was a good pick won't be decided just yet. Ika was essentially given a redshirt year after Cleveland added Dalvin Tomlinson, Maurice Hurst, and Shelby Harris to the defensive line. They also had a huge leap from Jordan Elliott who has put together his best season as a pro.

That's limited Ika to just 61 snaps all year, with none of those coming until Hurst was injured. Ika had been a healthy scratch until Week 15 but still hasn't seen the field much over the past three games. He's also still waiting to record his first NFL tackle.

Perhaps he gets that this week against the Bengals. Whether or not that's the case, he should be given every chance. Cleveland needs to treat this one like a preseason game and allow some of their rookies who have been quiet to get into the game. Ika should potentially start and at a very minimum, needs to be out there on every short-yardage situation to see how far he's come since being drafted.

Browns should rest: Amari Cooper, WR

The last time we saw Amari Cooper on the field was in Week 16 against the Houston Texans. All he did in that game was catch 11 passes for 265 yards with two touchdowns. That wound up being a record for the most receiving yards in a game for Cleveland but it wasn't the only record he set. Cooper was able to cross the 1,000-yard mark on the year, making him the first player in franchise history to do so in back-to-back campaigns.

Cooper was then forced to miss Week 17 as the Browns had a short week. A heel injury limited him during practice and while he tried to run in pre-game warmups, he wasn't able to suit up. The Browns still won but the offense was limited when Elijah Moore suffered a concussion and left as well.

Now heading into Week 18, and with nothing on the line, the Browns need to give Cooper another week off to rest his heel. At this point, there's nothing more he needs to prove and Cleveland has plenty to gain by getting him as close to 100 percent — especially with the uncertainty surrounding Moore.

In addition to Cooper, the Browns would be wise to sit David Njoku. The star tight end has been a monster this year and has 81 receptions (which leads the team) for 882 yards and six touchdowns (that also leads the team). It's tempting to try and get him 118 yards to cross the 1,000 yard plateau as well — which is why they would be forgiven for playing him. Having said that, they need him as well if they want to make a real run.

Browns need to play: Cedric Tillman, WR

Before taking Siaki Ika, the Browns had another selection in the third round which came at No. 74 overall. This pick was added when they traded the 42nd overall selection to the New York Jets in exchange for No. 74 and Elijah Moore. Knowing how much help their receiving corps needed, they then used the Jets' pick on Cedric Tillman from Tennessee.

A big-bodied wideout, Tillman stands 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds. It was wassumed right away he would be in line to replace Donovan Peoples-Jones, who was in the final year of his rookie deal. That happened sooner, rather than later, as DPJ was sent to Detroit ahead of the trade deadline.

While Peoples-Jones has been riding the bench for the majority of his time with the Lions (making us ask why they traded for him anyway), Tillman has seen an uptick in his snaps. He's also been producing at a much higher rate than he was earlier in the year.

Entering Week 18, Tillman has 18 receptions for 181 yards but is still waiting for his first touchdown. 15 of those catches have taken place between Week 12 and Week 17. Not all has been great for him though as he was guilty of running the wrong route against the Bears, leading to a pick. Tillman even drew the ire of Joe Flacco last week against the Jets when he seemed to have taken the wrong path on an option.

Anyone who followed Tillman during his collegiate career shouldn't be too surprised that he's had some growing pains. He's a talented wideout who can be hard to tackle once he has the ball but his route tree was limited at Tennessee. He needs time on the field to improve and this is the perfect week to allow him to play as many snaps as he can handle.

Browns should rest: Joe Flacco, QB

When Joe Flacco was signed to the practice squad following Deshaun Watson's season-ending shoulder injury, there was a little bit of excitement. While Dorian Thompson-Robinson led them to a win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, the offense wasn't threatening anyone downfield. Flacco, despite being 38, still possessed a powerful arm and there was hope he could change that.

No one expected him to do so well though. Flacco has completed just over 60 percent of his attempts for 1,616 yards with 13 touchdowns. He does have eight interceptions (although some were clearly not his fault) but the most important stat is 4-1. That's the team's record when he starts and those four wins have come over the past four weeks.

It would be tempting to put Flacco out there against a Cincinnati team with nothing to play for just to see if he can carve them up. He's thrown for over 300 yards in each of their four wins and with 384 more, he would top 2,000 in just six games. However, the smart move is to let him rest, allowing him to treat Week 18 as a bye, and prepare to face the winner of the AFC South in the Wild Card Round.

Flacco has been the main reason this team has gone from a potential playoff team to one that could make some serious noise. Keeping him healthy and under center should be their main priority this week as they prepare for their second postseason trip in the past four years.

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