Roster cutdown thoughts . . .

 

Well, that didn’t last long. The Browns are now down to four tight ends and up to nine defensive linemen with some small roster massaging Sunday by General Manager Andrew Berry.

 

(Damn. Must not be any five tight end plays in the playbook.)

 

Gone, at least for now, are tight end Pharaoh Brown and defensive tackle Eli Ankou. Arriving via waivers are defensive end Joe Jackson from Dallas and defensive tackle Vincent Taylor from Buffalo.

 

Thirteen of the 24 players waived in Saturday’s roster purge were in training camp before the cuts are back. They have been placed on the 16-member practice squad. The only one claimed was wide receiver Damion Ratley by the New York Giants.

 

With two openings left, it is possible (not quite probable) Brown and Ankou will fill them if they clear waivers.

 

Returning are quarterback Garrett Gilbert, two running backs, a fullback, two wide receivers, two offensive linemen, a linebacker, two cornerbacks and two safeties. They are joined by placekicker Cody Parkey, who booted for the Browns in 2016.

 

Parkey’s inclusion on the practice squad is interesting. It could be the result of special teams boss Mike Priefer wanting to send a message to incumbent Austin Seibert that he had better produce some consistency because some is now lurking.

 

Parkey, one of four kickers who tried out recently during training camp, became a National Football League vagabond after leaving Cleveland with stops in Miami, Chicago and Tennessee. He joined the Browns after an injury to Patrick Murray in 2016, hitting on 20 of 25 field goals and missing only one point after.

 

As it stands right now, the active roster has two quarterbacks, three running backs, a fullback, six wide receivers, four tight ends, nine offensive linemen (three centers, two guards and four tackles), nine defensive linemen (five ends and four tackles), six linebackers, six cornerbacks, four safeties and three specialists (punter, kicker and long snapper).

 

That, of course, is subject to change depending on the whims of the general manager and coaching staff between now and the season opener Sunday in Baltimore. Unless something big pops, it looks as though the main core of the team is set on both sides of the football. If there is any tinkering, it will affect the bottom of the roster.

Head coach Kevin Stefanski indicated Sunday in a Zoom call with Cleveland media that “the roster at every position is fluid. The goal here is to put together the best 53 and I think it will continue to be that throughout the season.”