Crystal ball revisited

Time to revisit the time machine one last time with the Browns' final roster cuts right around the corner with a few questions answered with regard to the shape of the roster.

For the most part, the predictions about a month ago haven't changed that much with injuries being the main factor in finalizing the list.

This will not be the roster, however, when the club opens the regular season in Kansas City against the Chiefs on Sept. 12. Even after the 53-man list is initially submitted, it probably will be massaged liberally depending on players the other 31 teams are jettisoning.

For the most part, subsequent moves will involve mostly the bottom roughly 25% of the roster with the starting offense pretty much the same as last season and the heavily-revamped defense fielding as many as nine new starters.

Many of the positional categories are unchanged from the last prediction piece. The status of some players have been moved around. But by and large the core of the team has not changed. The thoughts remarks have been abbreviated for the purpose of updating.

As with the last iteration of this exercise, let's start with an easy one.

                    OFFENSE

Quarterbacks (3) -- Baker Mayfield, Case Keenum, Kyle Lauletta

Starter: Mayfield. Off the bench: Keenum. Practice squad: Lauletta

Thoughts -- No change here.

Running backs (6) -- Nick Chubb, Kareem Hunt, D'Ernest Johnson, Demetric Felton, John Kelly, Tre Harbison

Starters: Chubb, Hunt. Off the bench: Johnson, Felton. See ya: Kelly, Harbison

Thoughts -- No changes here. Kelly has run well in the exhibitions, but is a victim of too much talent at the position.. 

Fullbacks (2) -- Andy Janovich, Johnny Stanton

Starter: Janovich. Practice squad: Stanton 

Thoughts -- No change here, although consideration was given to Stanton playing some H-back.

Wide receivers (11) -- Jarvis Landry, Odell Beckham Jr., Rashard Higgins, KhaDarel Hodge, Donovan Peoples-Jones, Anthony Schwartz, J'Marcus Bradley, Davion Davis, JoJo Natson, Ryan Switzer, Alexander Hollins

Then: Starters: Landry, Beckham. Off the bench: Higgins, Hodge, Peoples-Jones, Schwartz. Practice squad: Switzer, Bradley, Davis. See ya: Natson, Hollins

Now: Starters: Landry, Beckham. Off the bench: Higgins, Peoples-Jones, Schwartz. Practice squad: Switzer (IR), Bradley, Davis. See ya: Hodge, Natson, Hollins

Thoughts -- Two changes here. Hate to see Hodge go, but adding Schwartz unfortunately triggers the move. Hope to get Hodge through waivers and added to the practice squad. I also I think the front office might swap out Higgins for Natson. Just a feeling. Natson is a one-trick pony. Davis is another victim of a lot of talent in the room.

Tight ends (6)  -- Austin Hooper, Harrison Bryant, David Njoku, Stephen Carlson, Jordan Franks, Connor Davis

Then: Starters: Hooper, Bryant. Off the bench: Njoku. Practice squad: Carlson. See ya: Franks, Davis

Now: Starters: Hooper, Njoku. Off the bench: Bryant. Practice squad: Franks.  See ya: Latecomer Kyle Markway

Thoughts -- Njoku's strong camp brings Bryant off the bench. Carlson and Davis on IR for the season.

Centers (3) -- JC Tretter, Nick Harris, Blake Hance

Starter: Tretter. Off the bench: Harris, Hance

Thoughts -- No change here.

Guards (7) -- Joel Bitonio, Wyatt Teller, Drew Forbes, Michael Dunn, Colby Gossett, Cordel Iwuagwu, Javon Patterson

Starters: Bitonio, Teller. Off the bench: Dunn. Practice squad: Forbes. See ya: Gossett, Iwuagwu, Patterson

Thoughts -- No changes here.

Tackles 6) -- Jack Conklin, Jedrick Wills Jr., Chris Hubbard, Alex Taylor, Greg Senat, James Hudson. Practice squad: Senat, Taylor.

Thoughts -- Taylor waived injured. Otherwise, no changes.

                    DEFENSE

Ends (7) -- Myles Garrett, Jadeveon Clowney, Takkarist McKinley, Joe Jackson, Cameron Malveaux, Porter Gustin, Romeo McKnight

Starters: Garrett, Clowney. Off the bench: McKinley, Jackson. Practice squad: Gustin, Malveaux.  See ya: McKnight 

Thoughts -- No changes here. McKnight already gone.

Tackles (8) -- Andrew Billings, Malik Jackson, Jordan Elliott, Sheldon Day, Marvin Wilson, Tommy Togiai, Malik McDowell, Damion Square

Then: Starters: Billings, Jackson. Off the bench: Elliott, Togiai. Practice squad: Wilson, See ya: McDowell, Square, Day

Now: Starters: Billings, Jackson. Off the bench: Day, McDowell, Togiai. Practice squad: Wilson, Elliott. See ya: Square

Thoughts -- Moving Day and, with fingers crossed, McDowell, who have been strong in the exhibitions, to the regular squad and dropping Elliott to the practice squad with Wilson.

Linebackers (9) -- Anthony Walker, Mack Wilson, Jacob Phillips, Sione Takitaki, Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Malcolm Smith, Curtis Weaver, Tony Fields II, Elijah Lee

Then: Starters: Walker, Owusu-Koramoah. Off the bench: Phillips, Takitaki, Wilson. Practice squad: Fields, Weaver, Lee. See ya: Smith

Now: Starters: Walker, Owusu-Koramoah. Off the bench: Smith, Takitaki, Wilson. Practice squad: Fields, Weaver, Lee 

Thoughts -- Phillips on IR; moving the wizened Smith from see-ya status all the way up to off the bench.

Cornerbacks (10) -- Denzel Ward, Greedy Williams, Greg Newsome II, Troy Hill, M. J. Stewart Jr., Robert Jackson, Brian Allen, A. J. Green, Emmanuel Rugamba, Thomas Kiondre

Then: Starters: Ward, Newsome, Hill. Off the bench: Williams, Stewart, Jackson. Practice squad: Green, Allen. See ya: Rugamba, Kiondre

Now: Starters: Ward, Newsome, Hill. Off the bench: Williams, Stewart, Green.  Practice squad: Allen. See ya: Rugamba, Kiondre

Thoughts -- Moving Green up from the practice squad and removing Jackson, who has been waived already with Kiondre.

Safeties (8) -- John Johnson III, Ronnie Harrison Jr., Grant Delpit, Sheldrick Redwine, Richard LeCounte III, Montrel Meander, Elijah Benton, Javonte Moffatt

Then: Starters: Johnson, Harrison, Delpit. Off the bench: LeCounte, Redwine. See ya: Benton, Moffatt, Meander

Now: Starters: Johnson, Harrison, LeCounte. Off the bench: Delpit, Redwine. See ya: Benton, Moffatt, Meander (IR) 

Thoughts -- Moving LeCounte off the bench to starting status and eventually placing Delpit on IR until  he's completely healthy.                 

                SPECIALISTS

Placekicker (2) -- Cody Parkey, Chase McLaughlin

Then: Starter: McLaughlin. See ya: Parkey

Now: McLaughlin. Parkey waived injured.

Punter -- Jamie Gillan. 

Long snapper -- Charley Hughlett

Thoughts -- No other changes pending new developments in the kicking department.

Final tally: Offense, 25 players; defense, 25 players; specialists, 3