4 Cleveland Browns who could be entering their final season with the franchise in 2023

One of the toughest things about being a fan is seeing players you love to root for leave your favorite team. No franchise is immune to this and the Cleveland Browns have seen it happen quite a bit in their existence.

Unfortunately, this is something that could become common practice soon considering the salary cap situation. While they're finally building a better roster, that could come at a cost as some players could find a different franchise willing to pay them more. Or, they could simply fail to do enough during their time to justify a new deal.

Whatever the reason, here's a look at four players that fans might not get to see in Cleveland beyond the 2023 season.

4. Browns TE Harrison Bryant

When Harrison Bryant was added in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL Draft, it seemed the Browns found a steal. A John Mackey Award winner, Bryant was a pass-catching machine for FAU. He then came to Cleveland and was third on the depth chart behind Austin Hooper and David Njoku.

Eventually, he made it to the second spot following Hooper's release but his effectiveness went down. Bryant had just one touchdown on the year and averaged a mere 7.7 yards per reception.

This year, he returns to third on the depth chart — and will have Deshaun Watson throwing him the ball all year. Both those factors should help him look better but that could turn into Bryant costing far too much money to keep him around, especially with Jordan Akins under contract for the next three years.

3. Browns LB Jacob Phillips

This one could be tough because Jacob Phillips has all the talent in the world. He had a nose for the ball while at LSU and was the top tackler during their title run, even with Patrick Queen on the same roster. This is why the Browns were so excited to land him in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft.

In need of more explosive playmakers at the position, the speedy Phillips was brought in. Unfortunately, injuries have kept him from reaching his full potential.

As a rookie, he played in just nine games and had 25 tackles with one pass defense. He did, however, end the season on a high note as he had 10 of those tackles in their Week 17 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. He followed that up with five tackles over the two playoff games that year and hopes were high in 2021.

Again, injuries slowed him down as Phillips had just 17 tackles and a sack in four games during his sophomore campaign. 2022 wasn't much better as he was lost in Week 7 and finished with 29 tackles and two sacks. He was also struggling on the field that season, perhaps with injuries already catching up to him.

Cleveland didn't add any linebackers in the draft, which was a bit surprising. They did, however, retain Sione Takitaki and Anthony Walker. That's good for Phillips who should still find plenty of playing time but when his contract is done, the Browns might decide to look for more durable help.

2. Browns S Grant Delpit

Another LSU product, Grant Delpit was added in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft (after the Browns decided to move up for him) but then missed his entire rookie season. An Achilles injury suffered early in camp caused him to wait until 2021 to make his debut, and when he did, he stood out.

Delpit, who fell to the second round when his stock dropped following a year in which he played through an ankle sprain, had 66 tackles and one pick. He played well overall but there were definitely some times where his youth showed through, which made sense considering this was his de facto rookie campaign.

That was the case again in 2022 but that wasn't all his fault. Delpit and John Johnson III were both similar players who were at their best when attacking the ball. Neither was excellent in deep coverage, which meant one was always out of position.

Delpit still finished with great numbers as he had 105 tackles, 10 pass defenses, and four picks. He should be even more effective in 2023 thanks to the addition of Juan Thornhill, who can play the deep zone role, allowing Delpit to be the heat-seeking missile he was at LSU.

The problem is, with Cleveland already committed to Thornhill, it's going to be hard to retain Delpit in 2024 — unless he's willing to take a hometown discount.

1. Browns WR Donovan Peoples-Jones

This one could hurt but it's very likely to happen. Even general manager Andrew Berry seems to think so, which is why he went out and got some insurance.

With their first pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Browns added Cedric Tillman from Tennessee. He's a 6-foot-3, 215-pounder who could very well replace Donovan Peoples-Jones. Both have similar builds (DPJ stands 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds) and have similar styles.

Each player excels at boxing out defenders to pull in contested passes while also having deceptive long speed. Peoples-Jones showed this as a rookie with 21.7 yards per catch on 14 receptions then putting up 17.6 yards per grab on 34 catches in 2021. Tillman also showed this during the 2021 campaign when he went off with 64 receptions for 1,081 yards and 12 touchdowns — while averaging 16.9 yards per catch.

Tillman's presence means the Browns are protecting themselves should Peoples-Jones continue to excel. A former sixth-round pick from Michigan, he had a career year in 2022 with 61 receptions for 839 yards with three touchdowns. He's developed each and every year in the league and another jump in production could be enough to make him too expensive to retain.

With Elijah Moore and Amari Cooper on the roster, they might not feel too bad about turning it over to Tillman, even if he's not the same cailber as DPJ.