The Cleveland Browns face-off with the Jacksonville Jaguars on Saturday night. Baker Mayfield is already known to not be playing in the game and, likely, we will hear from head coach Kevin Stefanski about a number of other players sitting out as well.
While that might be a negative for fans hoping to see the team’s star-studded roster on the field as soon as possible, it could be a benefit for players fighting to make the team. Long term, the Browns also hope that it is has the benefit of keeping players fresh for a long playoff run after the first 17 game season in NFL history.
Those players fighting for a roster spot don’t have long before their Cleveland dream could be over. The first roster cut down, although very small, comes a few days later:
Maybe worth a reminder that the Seahawks, and every other NFL team, has to cut their roster from 90 to 85 next Tuesday. So, this is a big week for guys at the bottom of the depth chart. Teams will have to cut to 80 the following week and then to 53 following final preseason game.
— Bob Condotta (@bcondotta) August 10, 2021
That will give general manager Andrew Berry, Stefanski and the coaching staff just a couple of days to review the game film and make their decisions. While the bottom five players on the roster are unlikely to catch on elsewhere, the Cleveland roster is quite stacked which could lead them to get a look elsewhere.
With only three preseason games, the first two cut downs of five players will allow the Browns to continue to be cautious with their primary players while giving backups as many chances as possible to make an impact.