Cleveland Browns pre-training camp 53-man roster prediction

The Cleveland Browns will report to West Virginia for training camp on July 22 as they prepare for the 2023 season. Before they're ready to face the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 1, they first have to trim their roster down to 53 players.

There's a lot of time to decide that but we do out best to predict this before camp kicks off. Here's our latest Cleveland Browns 53-man roster predictions.

Quarterback (3):

Deshaun Watson
Josh Dobbs
Dorian Thompson-Robinson

It's no secret that Deshaun Watson didn't look like himself in 2022, but anyone who thought he would be was kidding themselves. A 700-day layoff from actual football is enough to slow anyone down and that was the case for him.

Heading into 2023, Watson is looking forward to a bounce-back campaign and he's been putting in the work this offseason.

He's the clear-cut No. 1 and they have a familiar face behind him at No. 2 after bringing back Josh Dobbs. As for the QB3 spot, Kellen Mond was kept around for all of the 2022 campaign and that might make it hard to cut bait but Dorian Thompson-Robinson has the higher ceiling. And if they wanted to keep on on the practice squad, Mond has a better shot at surviving the waiver wire.

Running Back (3):

Nick Chubb
Jerome Ford
Demetric Felton

Nick Chubb remains one of the best backs in the entire NFL. He's fresh off another monster campaign and even though the offense is expected to be focused on the aerial attack more so than in recent years, Chubb will get his touches.

Jerome Ford has just eight career rushes which makes it a gamble taking him into the season as RB2 but the coaching staff believes in him. As for RB3, Demetric Felton makes the cut in this prediction. He's a capable receiver out of the backfield and that gives him a slight edge over undrafted free agent Hassan Hall.

Wide Receiver (6):

Amari Cooper
Elijah Moore
Donovan Peoples-Jones
David Bell
Cedric Tillman
Marquise Goodwin

In 2022, the Browns were thin at wideout. Amari Cooper and Donovan Peoples-Jones were both great — and nearly each topped 1,000 yards with Cooper hitting 1,160. DPJ was on pace for a while but a couple of games where he wasn't targeted enough left him with 839 yards.

Knowing those two had to do too much heavy-lifting on their own, general manager Andrew Berry traded for Elijah Moore, signed Marquise Goodwin, and drafted Cedric Tillman.

Now, it will be hard to make the cut down to six as they have to give up on Jakeem Grant (a former Pro Bowl returner) and Anthony Schwartz, who they have invested a lot of time in developing.

Tight End(3):

David Njoku
Jordan Akins
Harrison Bryant

David Njoku was signed to a massive deal ahead of the 2022 season and rewarded the Browns with 628 yards and four touchdowns on 58 receptions. He's a solid No. 1 tight end and deserves a ton of credit for developing into a trusted blocker in addition to his talent as a receiver.

Behind him will be Jordan Akins and Harrison Bryant. Akins has worked with Deshaun Watson in the past and Bryant is one of the better No. 3 tight ends in the NFL. He has 76 receptions for 710 yards and seven touchdowns in three seasons.

They'll surely keep at least one tight end on the practice squad but they have to feel great about these three.

Offensive Line (9):

Jedrick Wills
Joel Bitonio
Ethan Pocic
Wyatt Teller
Jack Conklin
Dawand Jones
James Hudson III
Luke Wypler
Michael Dunn

If an injury occurs elsewhere, or if the Browns decide to go thin at a different position, they might be willing to go with 10 players on the offensive line. But in this prediction, they stick with just nine while keeping some extra depth on the practice squad for emergencies. The player on the bubble that gets risked on waivers in this prediction is Nick Harris.

Expected to start at center last year, Harris suffered a knee injury on their opening drive in the preseason and was out for the season. He was replaced by Ethan Pocic who locked the job down and was signed to a three-year deal in the offseason.

Harris is edged out by rookie Luke Wypler who has a longer contract (Harris is in the final year of his deal) and can play guard better than Harris. Michael Dunn is the other interior reserve and he can play both guard and center — meaning they can go into games with those two and feel comfortable.

They'll be backing up one of the best interior lines in the game as Pocic is surrounded by studs in Joel Bitonio and Wyatt Teller.

Offensive tackle is where the concerns are. Jack Conklin has the skill to be one of the best in the game but has dealt with some nagging injuries as of late. Jedrick Wills has also been banged up on the left side and is entering a critical year.

Rookie Dawand Jones could prove to be the swing tackle this season but they also have James Hudson — who wasn't terrible in two starts last year.

Defensive Line (10):

Myles Garrett
Jordan Elliott
Dalvin Tomlinson
Za'Darius Smith
Ogbo Okoronkwo
Alex Wright
Isaiah McGuire
Siaki Ika
Perrion Winfrey
Maurice Hurst

Perhaps no unit will see as much change this season as the Browns defensive line. Knowing their D-line was bullied throughout the 2022 campaign, Andrew Berry went to work. Not only did he hire a new defensive coordinator in Jim Schwartz, but he gave him the players he needed to help rebuild the line.

Cleveland signed Dalvin Tomlinson, Maurice Hurst, and Trysten Hill in free agency and drafted Siaki Ika to completely rebuild their depth at defensive tackle. In this prediction, Hill misses the cut but in all honesty, he shouldn't. Hill is a superior player to Jordan Elliott but the Browns just re-did his contract and it feels as though he's staying — as is Perrion Winfrey who has been trouble so far in his short career.

At defensive end, they still have Myles Garrett, who is coming off his second 16-sack campaign. He has a new running mate in Za'Darius Smith, who was acquired in a trade with the Minnesota Vikings. These two together give the Browns one of the more fearsome edge rushing combinations in the game.

They also knew depth was needed, so they signed Ogbo Okoronkwo, who is an ascending EDGE rusher. Isaiah McGuire is also new, added in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft.

Lastly, there's the second-year defensive end Alex Wright, who can play on the edge but is nearly 280 pounds and can slide inside as a 3-tech on third downs if needed.

Linebacker (6):

Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah
Anthony Walker, Jr.
Jacob Phillips
Jordan Kunaszyk
Matthew Adams
Tony Fields

Sione Takitaki (PUP)

Despite being seen as a weak link for the past couple of years, the Browns continue to put faith in their current stable of linebackers. This year, several will be coming off injuries including Anthony Walker and Jeremiah Owusu-Koramaoh.

Sione Takitaki is also trying to make it back to the field but he's likely to start on the PUP list since his return isn't expected until mid-October. He tore his ACL in December, after moving to the MIKE position out of necessity and absolutely crushing it.

The Browns added Matthew Adams as a free agent but he's expected to spend more time on special teams and has a relationship with new special teams coordinator Bubba Ventrone. Jordan Kunaszyk is also expected to be a special teams ace but he's going to be asked to play more on their base defense with Takitaki out.

Tony Fields is the final linebacker to make it and he's coming off a 48-tackle campaign. He had to step up when everyone else was hurt and did an admirable job.

Cornerback (5):

Denzel Ward
Greg Newsome
Martin Emerson
A.J. Green
Cameron Mitchell

At cornerback, the Browns are hoping a stronger defensive line (and an improved set of safeties) keeps them from being forced into zone coverage. Denzel Ward, Greg Newsome, and Martin Emerson are all great in man-to-man coverage but without much pressure from the defensive line (other than Myles Garrett), they had to play zone out of necessity. And they weren't good at it.

If all three can play to their strenghts, this unit will look much better. They're also deep with A.J. Green more than capable of starting in a pinch. Cameron Mitchell was a fifth-round pick this season and will need time to develop but he could wind up being a hybrid corner/safety capable of playing in the slot.

Safety (5):

Juan Thornhill
Grant Delpit
Rodney McLeod
D'Anthony Bell
Ronnie Hickman

Cleveland believed their cornerbacks could be better with more pressure from the defensive line but they knew the safeties needed an overhaul. They released John Johnson III and didn't re-sign Ronnie Harrison. From there, they picked up free agents Juan Thornhill and Rodney McLeod.

Thornhill is a true deep safety that can help the cornerbacks play to their strength. McLeod is very versatile and was one of the best coverage safeties in the NFL last year. He's also played for Jim Schwartz, winning a Super Bowl with him in Philadelphia back in 2017.

Grant Delpit is returning and had 105 tackles and four picks last year. He's been a solid player and can do even more without having to play deep zone.

D'Anthony Bell was on the roster all year in 2022 and had 14 tackles in 16 games. He provides depth and the coaching staff likes his skill set.

Lastly, there's Ronnie Hickman — an undrafted free agent from Ohio State. He's more of a 'box safety' but could be a great replacement for Harrison. And a solid backup to Delpit.

Specialists (3):

Cade York
Corey Bojorquez
Charley Hughlett

After nailing a 58-yard game-winner in his debut, Cade York trended in the wrong direction. As a rookie, he hit on 24-of-32 field goals and 35-of-37 extra points. He has the leg to make every kick but needs to find consistency.

Corey Bojorquez enters year two as the Browns punter and was excellent in 2022. He averaged 48.5 yards per punt and pinned offenses inside the 20-yard line 23 times.

The final specialist is Charley Hughlett who has been with the Browns since 2014. He does his job perfectly every time and at 33 years of age, he could still have a lot left in the tank.

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