Browns Face Difficult Decisions at Wide Receiver
The Browns will have to narrow the roster down to 53 players within the next few weeks, so they have to prioritize certain positions heading into this season.
Trying to guess the 53 players correctly is a very tall task at the moment. However, it is an important exercise, one that leads you to important conclusions. For example, this year, the Browns' wide receivers may get the short end of the stick.
The team has so many quality offensive linemen, and will they will inevitably have to part with some; they will attempt to hold onto as many as they can. Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt headline the running back room, but D'Ernest Johnson has made a case to make the final roster.
Add the emergence of rookie receiver/running back Demetric Felton, and you can see that the Browns have a problem. A good problem, but a problem nonetheless.
Simple math tells us that the team is likely going to take 26 or 27 offensive players. The one area that they can conceivably cut down on is wide receiver. The Browns have so many legitimate NFL players wideouts, but many won't even sniff the roster.
At the moment, here are the wideouts that we should consider locks to make the roster.
Odell Beckham Jr., Jarvis Landry, Donovan Peoples-Jones, Rashard Higgins, Anthony Schwartz and Demetric Felton.
Felton may be a tailback on the roster, but the staff has utilized him as a slot receiver during the preseason. In the long-term, they expect him to develop into a capable slot receiver at the least, so he is a lock to make the final team.
That leaves KhaDarel Hodge, Jojo Natson, Ja'Marcus Bradley, and Damion Davis on the bubble. This group was likely competing for one or two roster spots anyway, but now there may be no available room.
The decision on Hodge will be tough for this staff. He has repeatedly proven that he is an NFL receiver with strong hands and the ability to separate early and late in his routes.
Many expected him to have an even larger role in the offense this season, but now he may not even make the final roster. The jury is still out on this one, but at the moment, it doesn't look good.
You are splitting hairs with this one, and it will likely come down to the wire. The decision may be whether or not they want to keep Johnson and hope that he can eventually relieve Hunt of his duties in the future.
There is still time for these players to make an impression on the coaching staff, and these battles are far from over. The third preseason game against the Atlanta Falcons will be a huge test, and the following Monday, we should have some definite answers as to which wideouts this team goes with moving forward.
