The Cleveland Browns are not the Browns of old. In years past, guys like defensive tackle Siaki Ika and wide receiver David Bell would have been guaranteed roster spots as players who had been selected in the first two days of the NFL draft.
However, the Browns’ roster has become much denser in terms of the talent on the depth chart and spots on the 53-man roster are up for grabs more than ever. The 2024 NFL draft crop of rookies applies even more pressure to these two veterans, as well as a handful more. With defensive tackle Mike Hall Jr. and offensive guard Zak Zinter headlining the class, we could see some overhaul on the roster this summer as these guys compete in training camp.
In addition to Siaki Ika and David Bell, which other veterans on the roster could see their spot on the 53-man roster jeopardized by the incoming rookie class? Here are the five who are feeling the heat the most:
We all fell in love with the draft day clip of defensive coordinator telling Ika that he is no longer a dump truck but a Ferrari instead. It turns out he may just be a dump truck.
Ika could not even find the field until the injury to Mo Hurst late in the season, and when he was on the field he could not make an impact. The Browns have since signed Quinton Jefferson, who will start, re-signed both Hurst and Shelby Harris, and then drafted Hall Jr. and Briggs.
In all likelihood, Briggs and Ika will be competing for the last roster spot. This is not a glowing situation for a third round pick to be in just a year later.
The Browns selected David Bell in the third round of the 2022 NFL draft. And since then, they have traded for Elijah Moore and Jerry Jeudy and drafted Cedric Tillman in the third round in the following year. Now they have taken Thrash in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL draft. There simply are not enough roster spots in the wide receiver room.
Bell has done little to justify a roster spot either.
Through two years, the only real impact he has made has been in the Week 18 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals where the Browns rested the majority of their starters. With Amari Cooper, Jeudy, Moore, Tillman, and likely Thrash all locked into roster spots, it’s hard to see where Bell fits in anymore.
The Browns love Michael Dunn. There is a reason they have brought him back year after year. However, with Bill Callahan now in Tennessee and Scott Peters now running his own room in New England, it would not be a shock to see either of those teams (both with subpar offensive lines) make a move for the veteran.
In addition to Peters in New England, former offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt is calling plays for the Patriots as well. With the selection of Zinter in the third round of the 2024 NFL draft, there is room for greener grass to be found for Dunn. And if the Browns can get a draft asset out of him, it makes all of the sense in the world.
Haliassie was claimed off of waivers by the Browns a year ago, taking up their last roster spot on their 53-man roster over A.J. Green III.
Now after the selection of Myles Harden and the signings of special teamers Justin Hardee and Tony Brown in free agency, the cornerback room is oversaturated with talent. And the second-year player looks to be the odd man out. With Denzel Ward, Greg Newsome II, and Martin Emerson Jr. all penned into the 53-man roster, Hailassie also has to fight through Cameron Mitchell (who had success in the slot last year) in addition to the three guys already mentioned to find a spot on the final roster.
Those odds are not in his favor.
The Browns went out and made upgrades to their linebacker room, even if they were minimal. They let Anthony Walker Jr. walk and upgraded him with Jordan Hicks. They swapped out Sione Takitaki with Devin Bush, which can be seen as a downgrade.
They then drafted Bookie Watson in the sixth round, adding him to a room that already had Mohamoud Diabate there as well. Entering the last year of his deal, 2021 pick Tony Fields II could be the odd man out as Diabate is under contract longer.
At this point, Fields is penciled in as the starting SAM linebacker, but should Watson standout due to his physicality, or should Bush regain his form before his ACL injury, Fields could find himself on the bubble.