Gone, but not forgotten, the 5 players the Browns will miss most from 2018

There is every reason to be excited about the Cleveland Browns as they prepare for the 2019 season. To get to this point, the team, led by general manager John Dorsey, has made a series of decisions to shape the current roster. Many of those decisions were through trades that sent legitimate talent out the door.

Obviously, the Browns had to give up something to get something. Here's an opportunity to remember some of those players and remember what the Browns have opted to give up to get where they are now.

5. Darren Fells, TE

The 'playmaker', Darren Fells will always be the guy who caught Baker Mayfield's first touchdown pass. Fells wasn't a major part of the Browns offense. Largely functioning as the true blocking tight end, he became a player that was a pleasant surprise.

His box score statistics weren't overwhelming and may be forgotten by most. But for 2018, when someone brings up Fells, the feeling associated with him always will be pretty good. Beyond catching Mayfield's first touchdown pass, Fells caught 11 of the 12 passes thrown at him in 2018. Six of those receptions converted first downs and three were for touchdowns. When the ball went to him, good things happened.

Demetrius Harris is set to replace Fells and Harris may be a better blocker, he's unlikely to be as effective a receiver. He's had a lot of issues with drops and even playing last season with Patrick Mahomes, his efficiency was mediocre.

You don't just replace a Darren Fells. You hope the next guy up can do half the job he did.

4. Emmauel Ogbah, DL

Ogbah will never get his proper due for what he did for the Browns. After looking very promising the first half of the 2017 season, arguably the defensive MVP up to that point, he suffered a broken foot that ended his season.

Coming into 2018, he was still trying to fully trust his foot again and suffered a high ankle sprain in the first half in the season opener. He missed two games, but came back and played through pain for the rest of the year. On the entire season, Ogbah played 806 snaps in 2018.

Little of it was flashy and he often had to slide inside because the Browns were so thin at defensive tackle. He managed to accumulate 5.5 tackles for loss, three sacks and eight pass deflections.

Now a member of the Kansas City Chiefs, in addition to staying healthy, Ogbah needs to see if he can take another step forward in terms of shedding or staying out of opposing blocks as a pass rusher. Too often, he'd end up being able to drive back a blocker, but be unable to get off the block to finish the play, so while an effective run defender, he wouldn't offer enough as a pass rusher.

Olivier Vernon is a stud and a tremendous pass rusher that is a better fit for what the Browns want to do, but it's a what if with Ogbah as to what he might've been if healthy for the past year and a half as well as what he can do in Kansas City.

3. Breshad Perriman, WR

It's easy to forget Perriman because of the acquisition of Odell Beckham. That doesn't change the fact that Perriman made the most of his opportunity for the Browns and really had a nice stretch run for the team. Enough of one where the team did re-sign him before they traded for Beckham, then letting Perriman out of his contract to pursue other opportunities.

Perriman was brought in part way through the season as a shot to take and was brought along slowly. He would make a play every so often and it slowly built up. Finally, in the month of December, the last five games, Perriman's season took off.

Out of the 14 times Perriman was targeted, he caught 10 of them for 259 yards and a pair of touchdowns. His 18.5 yards per target was outstanding and gave the Browns another element to their offense with his size and ability to stretch the field.

Perhaps Antonio Callaway can fill the void Perriman left in terms of function, but if the Browns hope to have another player with a similar skill set as Perriman did, it might be Derrick Willies, Damian Ratley or someone like Dorian Baker.

2. Kevin Zeitler, OG

Zeitler was the consummate pro in his two years with the Browns and his second year was better than his first. He's a road grading run blocker that doesn't give up much ground in the passing game which helped Baker Mayfield progress as a rookie.

Trading Zeitler for Olivier Vernon came down to three factors. First, the opportunity to get someone of Vernon's talent level. Second, Zeitler carries an expensive cap number and the Browns were paying an unrealistic number of big contracts along the offensive line. And third was fit.

Zeitler was the only offensive linemen the Browns had that has always been a guard. He's not particularly agile and he's a plow horse. Now, the Browns have a roster full of players that played tackle in college and may well have all played left tackle.

They are lighter on their feet, offer more versatility and options in terms of the Browns want to block. Now, they may be able to pull with every member of the starting group, which is more in line with the style new offensive line James Campen is accustomed.

Replacing Zeitler is a losing proposition. It's a very high bar to clear and whether it's Austin Corbett, Eric Kush or a surprise like Kyle Kalis, if they can get 80 percent of what Zeitler was, they'd be thrilled.

1. Jabrill Peppers, SS

Not only did Jabrill Peppers have a great year in his second season, but since moving on from him in the trade to acquire Odell Beckham, the Browns have taken the position he was playing and divided it up between multiple players.

The Browns have a player like Morgan Burnett that is most effective playing as a box safety and whether it's a player like rookie Sheldrick Redwine or Eric Murray, they want someone to be able to come in play deeper, offering more specialization in coverage. It's also worth monitoring what a guy showing early in OTAs in Jermaine Whitehead can do.

The bottom line is that Peppers was one player that could occupy all of those jobs and make an impact and the Browns really have yet to replace him. Beckham is a phenomenal player and the Browns made a smart move in adding him, but there's no question this secondary would improve immensely if Peppers were still a part of it.