BEREA ― The final preseason game for the Browns will be a big deal for a lot of players. Almost none of those players currently have a spot secured on the initial 53-man roster.
Coach Todd Monken has already indicated the Aug. 27 game against the New England Patriots won’t involved any of his starters. Considering the injuries at some key positions, it’s probably not going to involved a whole lot of players who key backups or rotational pieces as well.
What it will involve is a bunch of players who may have roster spots already in hand, but those spots could easy slip away with a tough performance. It’ll also involve two quarterbacks who both may be fighting to stay.
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What are some of the big questions that still need to be answered against the Patriots? Here’s three that come to mind first:
What are Dillon Gabriel’s and Taylen Green’s future with the Browns?
Neither starter Deshaun Watson nor backup Shedeur Sanders will play against New England. That puts the entire game on the shoulders of Dillon Gabriel and rookie sixth-round pick Taylen Green.
The weight of potentially making the roster may also be on their shoulders, to be honest. Although there’s a lot of different ways it could play out.
Neither quarterback has gotten much run in the first two preseason games, including no snaps for Green. Gabriel has played just 19 snaps over two preseason games, while Green hasn’t played a single snap.
Both figure to get plenty of snaps against the Patriots. For Gabriel, it could be a showcase for other teams looking for a backup, while Green could be using it as a showcase to be the No. 3 quarterback in Cleveland.
Or both of them could be using it as just a way to convince Browns management to keep four quarterbacks on the initial roster.
Who emerges at safety, cornerback behind the top group?
It’s the safest bet on the planet the Browns’ initial roster will include cornerbacks Denzel Ward, Tyson Campbell and Myles Harden, as well as the safety trio of Grant Delpit, Ronnie Hickman and Emmanuel McNeil-Warren. After that is anyone’s guess.
Michael Coats Jr. and Tre Avery have received a lot of run just below Ward and Campbell on the outside at corner, although had to be helped off the field with what looked like a right ankle injury Aug. 25.. Beyond those two, injuries have limited a lot of the top candidates, including D’Angelo Ross and Nate Evans.
The safety battle starts at Christopher Edmonds and Donovan McMillon, who have each had one preseason game where they played the higher number of snaps than the other. There’s also the veteran Daniel Thomas, a special-teams ace the Browns signed in March.
The Browns could 10 total defensive backs, which would leave four spots between corner and safety. That creates all kinds of potential combinations to fill them, but it’s impossible to guess what the right combination will be there.
Who’s going to earn their way onto Browns through special teams?
The more direct path for many of the players who are going to play against the Patriots will be through making various special teams. The more they’re valued for their special-teams work, the less they may need to fit in a spot on either side of the ball.
That’s how both Edmons and McMillon could get on the roster. Nathaniel Watson, who locked in a battle at linebacker, is another whose path could be there.
That’s the same for undrafted rookies defensive ends Khordae Sydnor and Logan Fano. It also could be true for wide receivers Malachi Corley or Gage Larvadain.
Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ. Sign up for Browns Insider newsletter at https://profile.beaconjournal.com/newsletters/browns-insider/
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal:What to watch as Browns face Patriots? 3 big questions for preseason finale
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