Cleveland Browns 53-Man Roster Prediction After Preseason Week 3

The Cleveland Browns wrapped up their preseason on Thursday night with a 37-13 victory over the New England Patriots at Huntington Bank Field. Now it's time to prepare for the regular season.

Cleveland must finalize its roster to 53 players by Sunday at 6:00 p.m. ET.

Here is a possible 53-man roster.

Quarterbacks [4]

Deshaun Watson

Shedeur Sanders

Dillon Gabriel

Taylen Green

The Browns face a dilemma about whether to keep four quarterbacks on their roster. Last season, they had the option to keep four quarterbacks as they approached the regular season but ultimately traded Kenny Pickett to the Las Vegas Raiders just before the cutdown date.

Cleveland could still execute a trade involving Gabriel, but it may be hesitant to let him go. Since the Browns used a third-round pick on him last season, they might be inclined to keep him for this season and possibly a few more.

The Browns could consider cutting Green to see if he would clear waivers and land on the practice squad. However, given his talent, that may not be a viable option.

Running Backs [4]

Quinshon Judkins

Dylan Sampson

Raheim Sanders

Michael Burton

Cleveland's running back room was pretty much set heading into camp. All three running backs are entering their second year, and if Judkins can stay healthy, he could emerge as one of the best running backs in the NFL.

Burton will be Cleveland's fullback this season.

Wide Receivers [5]

KC Concepcion

Denzel Boston

Jerry Jeudy

Isaiah Bond

Tylan Wallace

The first four receivers seem set unless a crazy trade happens with Jeudy, but he likely has zero trade value. Since the Browns are going to keep four quarterbacks, we will give them one less wide receiver. Instead of going six, only five will make the active roster.

Wallace spent time with head coach Todd Monken over the last few seasons while both were with the Ravens, and he can play special teams, which will earn him a roster spot.

Tight End [3]

Harold Fannin Jr.

Carsen Ryan

Blake Whiteheart

The tight end position is currently in chaos. There is a strong possibility that most of the tight ends taking snaps this season aren't even on the roster yet, as the Browns could be waiting for players to be cut so they can claim them in the coming days.

Fannin established himself as a solid player during his rookie season and should be able to build on that performance this year. But there is not much depth behind him. The Browns drafted Cincinnati tight end Joe Royer in the fifth round of the 2026 NFL Draft, but he did not participate in training camp due to a personal issue. It is unclear when Royer will return.

Offensive Line [9]

Spencer Fano

Zion Johnson

Elgton Jenkins

Teven Jenkins

Tytus Howard

Austin Barber

Dawand Jones

Parker Brailsford

Zak Zinter

The Browns will have Fano, Johnson, both Jenkins and Howard starting on their offensive line in Week 1. But the real excitement starts with the backups. Cleveland drafted Barber in the third round and Brailsford in the fifth round this year, meaning both will be roster locks. Jones will also make the roster since he is inexpensive, entering the last season of his rookie deal, and can start if needed. The final spot will likely come down to Zinter or KT LeVeston, with Zinter getting the nod here due to being a third-round pick two years ago.

Defensive Line [9]

Jared Verse

Derek Barnett

Isaiah McGuire

Mike Hall Jr.

Mason Graham

Maliek Collins

Adin Huntington

Kalia Davis

Julian Okwara

The Browns' defensive tackle room is deep when everyone is healthy, but the defensive ends are facing challenges. Cleveland wasn't satisfied with its depth at defensive end before Alex Wright tore his Achilles, and with him out for the season, the Browns have a lot of work to do. They signed Derek Barnett shortly after confirming Wright's injury, but the Browns might be looking to acquire another defensive end from a team that cuts a player this weekend.

Linebacker [6]

Carson Schwesinger

Quincy Williams

Justin Jefferson

Nathaniel Watson

Winston Reid

Easton Mascarenas-Arnold

There likely won't be any surprise roster cuts at linebacker. Schwesinger and Williams should get the most playing time this season, as they are expected to be linebackers who stay on the field in a two-linebacker set.

Safety [4]

Grant Delpit

Ronnie Hickman

Emmanuel McNeil-Warren

Donovan McMillon

The Browns' safety position might be the strongest on the roster. Cleveland extended Grant Delpit with a three-year, $48 million deal during training camp and drafted McNeil-Warren in the second round of this year's draft. He is expected to be the No. 3 safety this season.

Cornerback [6]

Denzel Ward

Tyson Campbell

Michael Coats Jr.

Myles Harden

Mekhi Blackmon

Player Browns claim off waivers

The Cleveland cornerback room outside of Ward and Campbell is going to be a problem all season. The Browns already claimed Blackmon on Thursday after the Colts released him earlier in the week. However, the Browns will be looking for another cornerback over the next few days to fill out the roster.

Special Teams [3]

Kicker Andre Szmyt

Punter Corey Bojorquez

Long Snapper Rex Sunahara

The Browns run back the same special teams unit from last season.

Add us as a preferred source on Google