The Cleveland Browns were among the first teams to announce their full 53-man roster on Sunday, doing so well before the NFL’s 6 p.m. EST deadline. While some teams delayed that information as long as possible, likely as an act of gamesmanship, the Browns had nothing to hide.
Unfortunately, the problem areas on their roster were too well known to fool anyone.
Several jump off the page from a 10,000-foot view, including defensive end and cornerback, but it’s hard not to list tight end as the No. 1 priority. That position group was a major concern when veteran Jack Stoll and fifth-round rookie Joe Royer were handling prominent reps during spring workouts. It has reached DEFCON levels with Stoll now on season-ending injured reserve and Royer getting placed on the reserve/non-football illness list.
Cleveland’s decision to allow David Njoku to test free agency and sign elsewhere has not aged well. The team is set to roll with second-year stud Harold Fannin Jr., seventh-round rookie Carsen Ryan, and core special-teamer Blake Whiteheart as the only tight ends on the active roster.
That figures to change in the coming weeks — or days if the Browns can land a surprising young roster casualty of the Denver Broncos.
Denver selected tight end Justin Joly in the fifth round of April’s draft, 18 picks before the Browns took Royer. The Broncos waived the intriguing playmaker out of NC State on Sunday in favor of seventh-round rookie Dallen Bentley.
If Joly wasn’t on the Browns’ radar on Day 3 of April’s draft, he should be now as they hold the No. 6 spot in the waiver priority.
Rookie tight end Justin Joly feels like a slam-dunk pivot for the Browns at tight end
It’s worth noting that the Browns passed on Joly twice in the fifth round, once for center Parker Brailsford and again for linebacker Justin Jefferson. Both players made Cleveland’s initial 53 on Sunday.
But draft expert Dane Brugler of The Athletic was extremely high on Joly, ranking him as the No. 5 tight end on his board and projecting him as a potential late Day 2 pick.
“Joly is a versatile pass catcher, because of his athleticism, ball skills and upside as a three-level threat," Brugler wrote. "Built in the mold of Jonnu Smith, he is more Robin than Batman and ideally suited as a ‘move’ tight end in a 12-personnel offense.”
The Batman and Robin analogy almost feels serendipitous, as the Browns failed to find a suitable sidekick for Fannin this offseason. Joly’s college profile presents a perfect late solution.
Joly finished his college career just shy of 2,000 receiving yards between UConn and NC State, totaling 15 touchdowns. His seven scores for the Wolfpack in 2025 trailed only Kenyon Sadiq for No. 1 in the nation.
Joly doesn’t project to stay attached to the line of scrimmage too often as a blocker, though Brugler saw a player who competed in the blocking game on film. He was often deployed as NC State’s slot receiver, also seeing a 7 percent usage rate as a wide receiver.
The Vikings completely blew the coverage, but Joly had an 88-yard touchdown reception in Denver’s preseason finale.
The Browns may have had a higher internal grade on Royer during April’s draft, but Joly represents an ideal solution at a low cost while Royer and the team sort out his personal situation.
This was an unexpected move by the Broncos, and it feels like a preseason gift that Cleveland should look to take advantage of immediately.
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