Adding seven new faces to their roster through the 2023 NFL draft, the Cleveland Browns have improved their depth at key positions of need. How soon, however, will these rookies find the field in Cleveland to contribute toward wins for the franchise?
Using the stoplight structure, we dive into how clear each rookie’s pathway to finding the field in 2023 is. Green light means they will see snaps from Week 1 on, yellow light means they may have to contribute as a special teamer before clawing their way onto the field at their position, and red light means their chances of seeing the field in 2023 are slim to none.
WR Cedric Tillman: Green light
Make no mistake, Tillman will see plenty of snaps on the field for the Browns despite a deep room. There will be sub-packages where Tillman will be on the field, even if he does not find himself in the top three of the depth chart. The Browns will have three wide receiver sets with their towers in Tillman, Donovan Peoples-Jones, and Amari Cooper all on the field together.
The Browns are an injury to Peoples-Jones or Cooper away from Tillman starting as the X wide receiver. Despite a deep room, Tillman possesses size and a skill set that few of the guys in the room do. And that will get him on the field right away.
DT Siaki Ika: Green light
The Browns signed three defensive tackles this offseason, but the guaranteed money given (or lack thereof) to Maurice Hurst and Trysten Hill would indicate they are not locks to make the roster. Siaki Ika will have a day-one rotational role for the Browns upfront.
Just like Tillman in the wide receiver room, Ika possesses something that nobody else does: space-eating size. And for the league’s worst run defense a year ago, this cannot be overlooked along their defensive interior.
Straight from the jump, Ika will have a healthy snap count in Cleveland.
OT Dawand Jones: Red light
The Browns scored excellent value by selecting a second round talent in the fourth round of the draft. However, there are reasons that Jones slipped into the fourth round, predominantly concerns around his work ethic, desire for the game, and weight fluctuation throughout the pre-draft process.
Jones is going to have to prove he is going to put in the work before the coaches will feel comfortable sticking him on the field. Make no mistake, however, when Jones is locked in between the lines he is a dominant pass protector with excellent movement skills for a man of gargantuan stature.
The Browns will not need him to start over the next two years, locked in with Jedrick Wills after picking up his fifth-year option, and Jack Conklin. However, Conklin’s injury history indicates the Browns need a “next man up” mentality at right tackle, and Jones has the talent to usurp the backup role from James Hudson by Week 1 if he remains dialed in and puts in the work this summer.
DE Isaiah McGuire: Green light
The defensive end room is the most shallow group on the roster in Cleveland. Even after being selected in the fourth round this past weekend, McGuire can be penciled in to take on a rotational role in Week 1 unless the Browns sign another veteran who is worthy of taking on 20 snaps per game.
The starters will be Myles Garrett and Ogbo Okoronkwo, but McGuire will join Alex Wright as the second edge defender off the bench to round out their four-man rotation. Barring a late add to their roster, count on McGuire to see the field in Week 1.
QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson: Red light
Dorian Thompson-Robinson was drafted to be the backup quarterback to Deshaun Watson. However, that will likely begin in 2024 as the Browns signed Josh Dobbs to a fully guaranteed one-year deal to come back in 2023.
This will give Thompson-Robinson the appropriate timeframe and learning curve before putting him in a position to be one snap from becoming the starting quarterback. For his rookie season, however, this means Thompson-Robinson will be on the 53-man roster, but will be a consistent healthy scratch as Kellen Mond was a year ago (who is now on the outside looking in).
CB Cameron Mitchell: Yellow light
The Browns love their secondary depth. And that will make Cameron Mitchell’s pathway to the field a bit steep this year as they have at least four cornerbacks in front of him. However, for a player who played nearly 400 special teams snaps at Northwestern, you can bet on Mitchell producing in the third phase of the game in 2023.
He also has a large body of work lining up inside with the Wildcats as well, and his tackling data hovers right around the elite category at the college level. Mitchell could fight his way on the field from the nickel position as well. He will have to scratch and claw his way onto the field early, but the outlook is not terrible for Mitchell in 2023.
C Luke Wypler: Red light
There might not have been a better value pick in the 2023 NFL draft than the Browns getting center Luke Wypler for the cost of a sixth round pick. And he may find himself as the backup center right away.
Nick Harris and Dawson Deaton both suffered season-ending injuries a year ago, and Deaton may not have made the roster had he not landed on Injured Reserve. Now, Harris has one year left on his deal while the Browns have their long-term backup.
Even starting center Ethan Pocic has a safeguard in his contract where the Browns can eat $6 million in dead money to move on after the season if his play returns to where it was before he came to Cleveland.
This year, however, Wypler’s pathway to finding the field does not have a strong outlook.
