The Browns' initial 53-man roster is official, and we're breaking down the group position by position before the team returns to the practice field Tuesday.
Quarterbacks (2): Jacoby Brissett, Joshua Dobbs
Analysis: With Deshaun Watson suspended the first 11 games, the Browns are preparing to roll with Brissett as their starter and Dobbs as the backup. Dobbs was one of the most impressive players of the preseason, going 35-for-53 with 338 yards and two touchdowns.
Running backs (5): Nick Chubb, Kareem Hunt, D'Ernest Johnson, Jerome Ford, Demetric Felton Jr.
Analysis: Once again, the Browns have arguably the deepest group of running backs in the league. Ford, a fifth-round rookie, flashed in the preseason and provides another versatile element to a position that was already well-stocked with talent. The Browns also waived FB Johnny Stanton IV, meaning they will not carry a fullback for the first time since Kevin Stefanski became coach.
Wide receivers (5): Amari Cooper, Donovan Peoples-Jones, Anthony Schwartz, David Bell, Michael Woods II
Analysis: Cooper will unquestionably be the top receiving target of the offense after a spectacular and smooth training camp where he showed rapport with Brissett. The Browns have maintained their confidence in Schwartz despite a rocky preseason, while Bell and Woods are two rookies the Browns also believe can contribute to the pass game this season. Despite missing the last three weeks of practice due to injury, Woods secured a spot on the roster after a very productive first week of training camp.
Tight ends (2): David Njoku, Harrison Bryant
Analysis: The Browns are ready to give Njoku his biggest workload yet as he enters his sixth NFL season, and the same will be expected for Bryant as he enters his third NFL season. The Browns have typically carried at least three tight ends on their roster under head coach Kevin Stefanski, so this position will be worth monitoring as rosters continue to fluctuate throughout the league.
Offensive linemen (10): Jedrick Wills Jr., Jack Conklin, Chris Hubbard, James Hudson III, Wyatt Teller, Joel Bitonio, Michael Dunn, Drew Forbes, Hjalte Froholdt, Ethan Pocic
Analysis: The Browns made some tough depth decisions here. Forbes and Dunn beat Blake Hance, who started eight games last season, and Dunn will serve as the backup center to Pocic, who replaced Nick Harris as the starter after he suffered a season-ending torn ACL in the first preseason game. Froholdt, a fourth-year veteran, impressed in training camp and secured one of the final spots in the group. OT Alex Taylor, G David Moore Jr. and C Brock Hoffman were among those waived.
Check out photos from practices and the preseason of each of the players who made the Browns' initial 53-man roster announced Tuesday
Wide Receiver Amari Cooper (2) before a preseason NFL football game between the Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns on August 27, 2022 at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Browns lost 21-20.
Kicker Cade York (3) during a preseason NFL football game between the Cleveland Browns and Jacksonville Jaguars on August 12, 2022 at TIAA Bank Field. The Browns won 24-13.
Linebacker Anthony Walker Jr. (5) during a preseason NFL football game between the Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns on August 27, 2022 at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Browns lost 21-20.
Quarterback Jacoby Brissett (7) during a preseason NFL football game between the Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns on August 27, 2022 at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Browns lost 21-20.
Wide receiver Anthony Schwartz (10) during a preseason NFL football game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Cleveland Browns on August 21, 2022 at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Browns lost 21-20.
Wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones (11) before a preseason NFL football game between the Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns on August 27, 2022 at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Browns lost 21-20.
Wide Receiver Michael Woods II (12) during the ninth day of OTAs at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on June 8, 2022.
Punter Corey Bojorquez (13) during a preseason NFL football game between the Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns on August 27, 2022 at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Browns lost 21-20.
Quarterback Joshua Dobbs (15) during a preseason NFL football game between the Cleveland Browns and Jacksonville Jaguars on August 12, 2022 at TIAA Bank Field. The Browns won 24-13.
Wide Receiver David Bell (18) before a preseason NFL football game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Cleveland Browns on August 21, 2022 at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Browns lost 21-20.
Cornerback Greg Newsome II (20) before a preseason NFL football game between the Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns on August 27, 2022 at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Browns lost 21-20.
Cornerback Denzel Ward (21) before a preseason NFL football game between the Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns on August 27, 2022 at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Browns lost 21-20.
Safety Grant Delpit (22) during a preseason NFL football game between the Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns on August 27, 2022 at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Browns lost 21-20.
Cornerback Martin Emerson Jr. (23) during a preseason NFL football game between the Cleveland Browns and Jacksonville Jaguars on August 12, 2022 at TIAA Bank Field. The Browns won 24-13.
Running back Nick Chubb (24) before a preseason NFL football game between the Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns on August 27, 2022 at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Browns lost 21-20.
Running back Demetric Felton (25) during a preseason NFL football game between the Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns on August 27, 2022 at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Browns lost 21-20.
Cornerback Greedy Williams (26) during a preseason NFL football game between the Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns on August 27, 2022 at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Browns lost 21-20.
Running back Kareem Hunt (27) during the fourteenth day of training camp at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on August 16, 2022.
Linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (28) during a preseason NFL football game between the Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns on August 27, 2022 at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Browns lost 21-20.
Running Back D'Ernest Johnson (30) during a preseason NFL football game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Cleveland Browns on August 21, 2022 at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Browns lost 21-20.
Safety Ronnie Harrison (33) before a preseason NFL football game between the Cleveland Browns and Jacksonville Jaguars on August 12, 2022 at TIAA Bank Field. The Browns won 24-13.
Running back Jerome Ford (34) during a preseason NFL football game between the Cleveland Browns and Jacksonville Jaguars on August 12, 2022 at TIAA Bank Field. The Browns won 24-13.
Safety D'Anthony Bell (37) during a preseason NFL football game between the Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns on August 27, 2022 at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Browns lost 21-20.
Cornerback A.J. Green (38) during a preseason NFL football game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Cleveland Browns on August 21, 2022 at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Browns lost 21-20.
Safety Richard LeCounte III (39) during a preseason NFL football game between the Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns on August 27, 2022 at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Browns lost 21-20.
Linebacker Tony Fields II (42) during a preseason NFL football game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Cleveland Browns on August 21, 2022 at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Browns lost 21-20.
Safety John Johnson III (43) during a preseason NFL football game between the Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns on August 27, 2022 at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Browns lost 21-20.
Linebacker Sione Takitaki (44) during a preseason NFL football game between the Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns on August 27, 2022 at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Browns lost 21-20.
Long snapper Charley Hughlett (47) during a preseason NFL football game between the Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns on August 27, 2022 at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Browns lost 21-20.
Linebacker Jacob Phillips (50) before a preseason NFL football game between the Cleveland Browns and Jacksonville Jaguars on August 12, 2022 at TIAA Bank Field. The Browns won 24-13.
Linebacker Jordan Kunaszyk (51) during a preseason NFL football game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Cleveland Browns on August 21, 2022 at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Browns lost 21-20.
Center Ethan Pocic (55) during a preseason NFL football game between the Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns on August 27, 2022 at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Browns lost 21-20.
Defensive end Isaiah Thomas (58) during a preseason NFL football game between the Cleveland Browns and Jacksonville Jaguars on August 12, 2022 at TIAA Bank Field. The Browns won 24-13.
Offensive tackle James Hudson III (66) before a preseason NFL football game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Cleveland Browns on August 21, 2022 at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Browns lost 21-20.
Offensive tackle Michael Dunn (68) during a preseason NFL football game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Cleveland Browns on August 21, 2022 at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Browns lost 21-20.
Defensive end Chase Winovich (69) during a preseason NFL football game between the Cleveland Browns and Jacksonville Jaguars on August 12, 2022 at TIAA Bank Field. The Browns won 24-13.
Offensive tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. (71) during a preseason NFL football game between the Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns on August 27, 2022 at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Browns lost 21-20.
Offensive guard Hjalte Froholdt (72) during a preseason NFL football game between the Cleveland Browns and Jacksonville Jaguars on August 12, 2022 at TIAA Bank Field. The Browns won 24-13.
Offensive tackle Chris Hubbard (74) during the eleventh day of training camp at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on August 9, 2022.
Offensive guard Joel Bitonio (75) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on August 23, 2022.
Offensive guard Wyatt Teller (77) during a preseason NFL football game between the Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns on August 27, 2022 at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Browns lost 21-20.
Offensive tackle Jack Conklin (78) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on August 24, 2022.
Offensive tackle Drew Forbes (79) during a preseason NFL football game between the Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns on August 27, 2022 at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Browns lost 21-20.
Tight end David Njoku (85) during a preseason NFL football game between the Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns on August 27, 2022 at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Browns lost 21-20.
Tight end Harrison Bryant (88) during a preseason NFL football game between the Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns on August 27, 2022 at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Browns lost 21-20.
Defensive end Jadeveon Clowney (90) during the second day of joint practices with the Philadelphia Eagles at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on August 19, 2022.
Defensive tackle Tommy Togiai (93) during a preseason NFL football game between the Cleveland Browns and Jacksonville Jaguars on August 12, 2022 at TIAA Bank Field. The Browns won 24-13.
Defensive end Alex Wright (94) during a preseason NFL football game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Cleveland Browns on August 21, 2022 at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Browns lost 21-20.
Defensive end Myles Garrett (95) before a preseason NFL football game between the Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns on August 27, 2022 at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Browns lost 21-20.
Defensive tackle Jordan Elliott (96) during a preseason NFL football game between the Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns on August 27, 2022 at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Browns lost 21-20.
Defensive tackle Perrion Winfrey (97) during a preseason NFL football game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Cleveland Browns on August 21, 2022 at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Browns lost 21-20.
Defensive end Isaac Rochell (98) during a preseason NFL football game between the Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns on August 27, 2022 at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Browns lost 21-20.
Defensive tackle Taven Bryan (99) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on August 24, 2022.
Defensive linemen (10): Myles Garrett, Jadeveon Clowney, Taven Bryan, Jordan Elliott, Alex Wright, Chase Winovich, Isaac Rochell, Tommy Togiai, Perrion Winfrey, Isaiah Thomas
Analysis: Rochell and Thomas each locked their spots with good training camps, and that leaves the Browns with six defensive ends on the initial 53-man list. DTs Bryan and Elliott will be the only two new defensive starters.
Linebackers (6): Anthony Walker Jr., Jacob Phillips, Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Sione Takitaki, Tony Fields II, Jordan Kunaszyk
Analysis: Walker, Phillips and JOK will be tasked with leading the way at linebacker, with Phillips and Owusu-Koramoah both poised for bigger roles this season. Kunaszyk, a fourth-year veteran, was signed to the team Aug. 12.
Defensive backs (10): Denzel Ward, Greg Newsome II, Greedy Williams, A.J. Green, M.J. Emerson Jr., John Johnson III, Grant Delpit, Ronnie Harrison Jr., D'Anthony Bell, Richard LeCounte III
Analysis: The Browns will boast a deep group of CBs led by Ward and Newsome and retain their top three safeties from a year ago in Johnson, Delpit and Harrison. Bell is an undrafted rookie from West Florida, a Division II school, who forced two fumbles in the preseason.
Specialists (3): K Cade York, P Corey Bojorquez, LS Charley Hughlett
Analysis: York has been nothing short of special in the last month. He drilled field goals from 57, 50 and 46 yards in the preseason and nailed a 70-yard kick during warmups Saturday against the Bears. Bojorquez has special power, too, and should provide the Browns with an overall boost to their special teams.
