Five Things To Watch In Cleveland Browns Preseason Finale With Seahawks

The Browns are expected to play the majority of starters in a preseason matchup with Seattle

Aug 10, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) before the game against the Green Bay Packers at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports / Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

The Cleveland Browns will wrap up their 2024 preseason with a bizarre 10 p.m. kickoff against the Seattle Seahawks. The game is expected to feature most of the team's starters, potentially even quarterback Deshaun Watson. It's also going to serve as one last opportunity to players on the roster bubble to earn a spot on the team's initial 53 come Tuesday.

Here are five things to watch in the Browns preseason finale with the Seahawks.

Ahead of tomorrow's #Browns preseason finale, here are four players who could use one last standout performance to try to earn a roster spot next week: https://t.co/oweUS4tus4

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1) Deshaun Watson

Will he play or won't he play? If he does it will be all eyes on the Browns No. 1 quarterback playing in his first game setting since fracturing his glenoid against the Ravens last November. A good performance would also go a long way in making fans feel better about how he'll play to start the season on Sept. 8.

2) The Offensive Line

The left tackle spot is obviously a mess right now, but it's more than that. The Browns offensive line has had communication issues and struggled to protect Watson during joint practices against the Vikings. They are clearly still getting in sync with each other. A good showing by the entire group would go a long way in building some confidence ahead of Week 1.

Right tackle Dawand Jones could serve to benefit from these reps perhaps more than most, as he's still trying to get himself up to speed following arthroscopic knee surgery last season. Additionally, Germain Ifedi is due up first at left tackle and his play will be important to monitor in case he ends up as Cleveland's Week 1 starter.

3) Back End Wide Receivers

The top four wide receivers seem locked in. Barring a last minute trade, Amari Cooper, Jerry Jeudy, Elijah Moore and Cedric Tillman are all poised to make this roster. Assuming the Browns keep six wideouts – as they've done is previous years under Andrew Berry and Kevin Stefanski – that leaves two additional spots up for grabs.

Is David Bell safe despite being injured since the team's first preseason game? Is rookie, fifth-round pick Jamari Thrash a lock? Have Michael Woods and Jaelon Darden done enough at camp to steal a spot on the 53? These are questions that could be resolved against the Seahawks.

4) DTR vs Tyler Huntley

We get one last round of the battle for quarterback No. 3. It sounds like there is some momentum in Huntley's favor to win the job, as reports from The Athletic suggested this week that Cleveland could look to explore trading Dorian Thompson-Robinson. To this point DTR has had the better preseason of the two, but a solid outing from Huntley today could leave the Browns following through on those plans.

Either way putting one final preseason performance on tape could help both players ahead of roster cutdown day this coming Tuesday.

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5) Backup Tight Ends

Heading into last week's preseason matchup with the Vikings Giovanni Ricci looked to be trending toward making this roster as a valuable hybrid player in Ken Dorsey's offense. With Ricci injuring his knee in that game and the team terminating his contract after agreeing to an injury settlement it opens up an opportunity for someone else to potentially make this roster.

As things stand right now veteran Jordan Akins seems locked in as tight end No. 2 behind David Njoku. The No. 3 tight end spot, assuming the Browns keep three, comes down to Treyton Welch and Zaire Mitchell-Paden. Both have had pretty solid preseasons and training camps to this point. This preseason finale could determine who makes the roster.