Browns Notebook: Players Making Closing Arguments for Final Roster, A Few Possible Surprises

Sunday marked the first practice for the Cleveland Browns in their stadium and also signaled the coming cuts to their roster this week as they are only two weeks away from taking on the Baltimore Ravens in week one of the regular season.

The Cleveland Browns practiced at the stadium on Sunday for the first time this season with a game against the Baltimore Ravens just two weeks away. That means the Browns are going to be making cuts this week, trimming the roster from 80 down to 53, so players are trying to put their best foot forward to try to secure a spot.

The team can have as many as 16 players on the team's practice squad this year and because of the lack of preseason games, it might be easier to get players through waivers to keep them than in normal years.

Some of the young players on the offensive line are showing some growth. Jedrick Wills is getting more confident in his run blocking, showed a hint of things to come when they had out in front of Nick Chubb running left. His protection and the adjustment to NFL caliber pass rushers is ongoing. 

Willie Wright looks like he might be a safe bet to make the roster. He's been playing guard with the second team pretty much all camp. He's listed as a center, but he's been a pretty effective guard. An undrafted tackle out of Tulsa, Wright moved inside due to his lack of length. His athleticism and tenacity were worth holding onto and with the losses the Browns have suffered due to opt outs, the biggest threat to him might be from outside the organization.

The other player that seems to be getting better and better is Alex Taylor. An undrafted offensive tackle from South Carolina State. The former hooper was invited to the Senior Bowl and he worked really hard, competing in the running game there. He just happened to be super light as he was still trying to build an NFL body.

He looks thicker for the Browns and has undoubtedly benefited from a nutrition program in addition to strength training, but he also looks far more comfortable at the position. Taylor has played both left and right tackle and he simply towers over most of the players on the field, even getting some first team reps at right tackle while also taking second team reps at left tackle.

The Browns might prefer to get Taylor on the practice squad, but almost by the day, that looks more unrealistic. Too many teams need help at that position and can easily fit him on their roster. If the Browns like Taylor enough to keep him, they might look to move Kendall Lamm in a trade to a team in search of tackle help. He's on the last year of his contract. They could also just keep three tackles. The problem is none of Lamm, Chris Hubbard or Taylor can play anything on the interior, making that more difficult to do.

There are still questions about how Nick Harris will fare if he's up against Brandon Williams of the Baltimore Ravens D.J. Reader of the Cincinnati Bengals, but he's been showing off more of his mobility lately. He's done some lead pulling and his movement skills are impressive.

This illustrates the importance of hiring Bill Callahan as the offensive line coach. He's an excellent teacher and has been able to get the most out of players, particularly younger players and create ways to save money and find homegrown talent.

Porter Gustin has simply been better than Chad Thomas to this point. They offer different skill sets and Thomas has had a couple practices coming of a neck injury where he looked better, but Gustin has been consistent since camp started.

The whole issue with Gustin is health. When he's healthy, he's been productive and it's not difficult to see why. He plays with relentless effort, is agile, always playing half the man and he keeps offensive linemen on their toes with his ability to work both inside and outside with a variety of different approaches.

Gustin was able to get a sack against Wills Sunday on a 3rd and 1 in the non-contact part of the team drills. Often, he's up against Jack Conklin and he's stressing Conklin, forcing him to showcase his athleticism to keep Gustin at bay.

David Njoku had a productive Sunday, showing off his potential with a big play in team, catching a pass from Case Keenum and running down to the other end of the field. He caught a couple other passes along the way and the wrist that has been bothering him didn't prevent him from catching anything or participating in full contact.

While there are plenty of fans that would be happy to trade Njoku, he's a starter on this team. His length and the three years of building his body making him capable of playing inline consistently. Along with Austin Hooper, he should get advantageous matchups that allow him to thrive.

Harrison Bryant has been impressive. He knows how to get open, he uses his body to shield opponents from the ball and has demonstrated excellent hands. Bryant will find ways to get on the field, but it's likely going to be as an H-back or in space. It's going to take time to get acclimated to the physical demands of the tight end position and be able to function as an inline blocker.

The Browns never considered trading Njoku, even after they got Bryant. He's a big part of their plan on offense.

The Browns might really like for Pharaoh Brown to step up and seize the fourth tight end spot because of his size and ability to do some blocking. And it's possible they could still go that route in case Njoku or Austin Hooper were to get injured. It's just difficult to ignore what Stephen Carlson is often able to do as a receiver.

Perhaps, they might consider moving Carlson if they could get something from another team, keeping an inline option for depth, but for whatever Carlson lacks in terms of fit, he is just a more productive football player.

Fullback Andy Janovich could be an argument to keep either Carlson or Brown. He can be a lead blocker, but he's an effective receiving threat out of the backfield.

Damion Ratley was able to make an argument after missing a substantial amount of camp for the second year in a row due to injury. In 2019, he made the team basically without doing anything while on Sunday, he was able to show some value in what he can still offer the team.

It certainly seems like KhaDarel Hodge is a safe bet to make the final roster. There is upside as a receiver, but his value on special teams is what will seal the deal.

It appears as though while the Browns have tried some different options at the third receiver spot including Donovan Peoples-Jones, Rashard Higgins may still be the best. It seems like after they experimented with some combinations, they let Higgins get back in there and he showed the value of a veteran who has produced in the NFL. The fact he is as reliable as he is allowed them to see what Jones, Taywan Taylor and Jojo Natson could do.

Sione Takitaki is ascending. He's playing faster and doing a better job of seeing the game, allowing him to anticipate what opponents are doing. Earlier in camp, he was often a step slow and found himself stuck on blocks.

Lately, he's looked the part of the physical standout of the linebackers. He looks faster, he's playing stronger and more importantly, he's making more plays. And some of that is coming in coverage, which was a huge focus for him in the offseason. It's unclear if he's really done enough to push for a starting job, save for when they utilize a SAM backer, but he's looking like a viable player.

B.J. Goodson and Jacob Phillips still look like the best in the group, although Phillips has been quieter in recent days. Tae Davis has been getting more opportunities with the first team and he looks like someone they might want to keep. He is someone that can help on special teams, which is valuable in this group, but he's offering more as a linebacker than he has in the past. The challenge for Davis may well be Malcolm Smith as they are basically the same size, which is undersized for a full work load at linebacker.

Jovante Moffitt had the interception to end practice on Sunday. The undrafted rookie out of Middle Tennessee State that is one of the combatants for the backup strong safety role. Moffitt had a solid profile coming out of college and it's not clear who the favorite is behind Karl Joseph at this point, but that position is making the Grant Delpit injury look more problematic than it probably is.

Delpit was going to start at free, but obviously could function at strong and Joe Woods, the defensive coordinator, likes being able to make calls and flip roles on the fly to confuse the defense. The Browns seem more confident in Sheldrick Redwine to step in and play free. The issue now is that they are now tapped on depth and need to find someone else that can help.

Corner might be the most difficult decision on the team this year in terms of cuts. Injuries to Greedy Williams, Kevin Johnson and M.J. Stewart have allowed players like Donovan Olumba and A.J. Green to get more opportunities. Olumba is in many ways the players the Browns were hoping Robert Jackson could become. At 6'2", he's got tremendous length and he has been able to impress going against players like Odell Beckham and Jarvis Landry on the outside.

In a similar scenario as with Taylor and Lamm, the Browns might be willing to trade Terrance Mitchell, who has been excellent in camp so they can keep a player like Olumba. Mitchell is in the last year of his deal and is making $3.66 million. The Browns don't need the cap space, but they wouldn't hate having it either and they would have an easier time keeping Olumba or Green after this season. Olumba is 24 while Green is 22 compared to Mitchell, who is 28 years old.

There are teams in need of secondary help and Mitchell is someone who can step in and play right now. Whether it's getting a conditional draft pick, or a player that can provide depth at nose, linebacker or safety, the Browns might see that and keeping Olumbua or Green as the preferable option.

It seems like D'Ernest Johnson is a better fit for this team than Dontrell Hilliard as the third running back. It also seems like maybe Johnson has simply improved while Hilliard has stayed relatively the same.

J'Mon Moore has had a good camp and he simply might be squeezed by the numbers. It would be nice to keep him on the practice squad. Jon Toth seems like he was signed with the express purpose of eventually putting him on the practice squad.

It seems like the Browns have tried to find ways to get Jojo Natson the ball to justify him staying on the roster. None of them have amounted to anything. If Donovan Peoples-Jones were more confident as a punt returner, this would already be over, but it seems unlikely the former Akron Zip will make this team.