Roster guessing Part II

Now that Super Bowl el-vee-eye-eye is history, time to shift gears and peer into the future of the Browns.

As in what we can look forward to in the form of who returns, who departs and who is barely hanging on to a spot on a roster that, once again, put their fans through another disappointing, underachieving season in 2022, returning to the AFC North basement in the process.

There is a lot of quality talent on that roster, a majority of which lies on the offensive side of the football. The defense, meanwhile, bears a sizable portion of blame for the 7-10 record, which could easily have been 9-8 and, arguably, 10-7 with any kind of clutch football by the defense.

Following is a breakdown of the current 80-man roster, which consists of the 53-man main squad, 15 contributors last season currently on injured reserve and 12 on the reserve/future list. The chances of each playing for the Browns in 2023 will be judged with these possible outcomes: No brainer, solid, iffy, barely hanging on, gonzo. Yesterday, it was the offense. Today, spotlight's on the defense and special teams. . . .

               DEFENSIVE END

Myles Garrett: No brainer. Perennial All-Pro and Pro Bowler. This future Hall of Famer will be a fixture in a Browns uniform for a very long time, producing numbers that very well could land him in the top five NFL sack artists of all time. Barring injury, he is on pace to record at least 150 by his 12th season, 

Jadeveon Clowney: Gonzo. Talked his way out of Cleveland. Nothing more to add here. Replacing him will be difficult.

Alex Wright: No brainer. This is who new defensive boss Jim Schwartz and his staff hope can at least come close to the player Clowney was in his first season with the Browns. Coming close would be an accomplishment since his quiet debut as a rookie. Started five games with less than below-mediocre results, the most notable of which was no sacks.

Isaiah Thomas: Iffy. Another rookie who was not overwhelming. He should get enough reps in training camp to determine his future in Cleveland. He'll probably be kept around if free agency and/or the draft don't help.

Chase Winovich: Barely hanging on. Missed a good portion of 2022 with a hamstring injury. Needs a big training camp and exhibition showing to warrant a second season in Cleveland.

Chris Odom: Gonzo. Won't get past training camp..

Stephen Weatherly: Gonzo. Ditto.

               DEFENSIVE TACKLE

Taven Bryan: Barely hanging on. There were many reasons the Browns' run defense was awful. He's one of them. A free-agent signing that did not turn out well. Won't take much to make him an ex-Brown.

Jordan Elliott: Solid. Why after three seasons of mediocre football? Your guess is as good as mine. Moved up to starter last season because no one was better -- that's an indictment -- and delivered just 19 total tackles and two sacks (don't remember either) in 17 games. So why is he sticking around? Call it a hunch. 

Perrion Winfrey: No brainer. The only one in this group. Fourth-round draft pick whose play does not match his loquacious nature. Played fairly well in the latter portion of the season after watching most of the first half from the bench. If the quality of his play ever matches his mouth, he becomes interesting.

Tommy Togiai: Barely hanging on. Erstwhile Ohio State star who has had a tough transition to the next level. Not going to be any better than he is now. That might not be good enough.

Roderick Perry II: Gonzo. Suited up for just two games. Might make it to training vamp.

Ben Stille: Gonzo. No chance. Think training camp.

Michael Drumfour: Gonzo. Ditto.

               LINEBACKER

Anthony Walker Jr.: Solid. The first of four frequently-used backers who hit injured reserve throughout the season, crippling a defense that never recovered from their absence. Should be healthy enough from a torn quad tendon to be ready for training camp. That's if the Browns seek to resign the free agent. It's a mistake if they pass on the true middle backer.

Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah: No brainer. It will be interesting to see how Schwartz uses this wildly versatile player because Joe Woods certainly did not capitalize on his worth. JOK, utilized correctly, could be the key to the success of an improved defense.

Sione Takitaki: Solid. Another free agent worth resigning. Missed the last five games on IR, but played surprisingly well at middle linebacker after injuries weakened the position. Schwartz should love his aggressive approach to the game.

Jacob Phillips: Iffy. His biggest problem is staying healthy. The 2020 third-round pick has suited up for only 20 (of a potential 49) games, starting only eight. He has finished all three seasons on IR. That's what qualifies him for the projection. The club might release him before he gets hurt again.

Tony Fields II: Solid. A strong finish this season, mainly because injuries wiped out all the starters, should give him a boost toward playing significant minutes this season. Started the last six games and finished with 48 tackles overall. 

Deion Jones: Iffy. Acquired in desperation in week seven last season due to the injuries, but played out of position (an outside backer playing in the middle) before switching back with Takitaki taking over inside. Contributed 2.5 sacks and 44 tackles, Iffy because the linebackers room ostensibly will be healthy again.

Reggie Ragland: Barely hanging on. Signed off the Las Vegas practice squad last Dec. 7 in desperation and put up a 10-tackle game in a Christmas Eve loss to New Orleans. The biggest of the linebackers at 6-2, 250 pounds. Could use his veteran presence.

Jordan Kunaszyk: Gonzo. Too many healthy bodies ahead of him. Best bet: Special teams. Update: Kunaszyk has been released. 

Tae Davis: Gonzo. Might make training camp, but that's it.

Sam Kamara: Gonzo. Ditto.

Storey Jackson:  Gonzo. Ditto.

Jermaine Carter: Gonzo. Ditto.

                 CORNERBACK

Denzel Ward: No brainer. One of the league's best cover corners when healthy. Fact: He has never played a full season in five years -- 66 out of 82 games. Came close with 15 of 17 in 2021. Should flourish in Schwartz's scheme.

Greg Newsome Jr.: No brainer. Played mostly slot corner last season and didn't like it. Better suited to play outside, but needs to be more of a ballhawk. Still looking for his first NFL interception. 

Martin Emerson Jr.: No brainer. No one had a better rookie season with the Browns than this hard-nosed defender, who led all cornerbacks with 63 tackles, 51 of them solo. Was picked on early in pass coverage and graded out well. Very strong in run support.

A. J. Green: Iffy. Used more as a dime back last season. Had one of the club's 11 interceptions. Too many solid corners in front of him. Special teams again?

Greedy Williams: Barely hanging on. Played in less than 10% of the plays from scrimmage last season. His only hope of sticking around is if Schwartz sees something Woods didn't. 

Thomas Graham Jr.: Gonzo. Training camp. Period.

                    SAFETY

Grant Delpit: No brainer. Despite all the trouble he seemed to have last season (think blown coverages), he wound up with a very good season in other statistical categories. Led the team in total tackles (105) and solo tackles (72) from his strong safety spot, playing a team-high 99.72% of the plays. He also swiped four of the team's 11 interceptions.

John Johnson III: Solid. The only reason he isn't a no-brainer is because rumors being floated have the Browns cutting him to save on cap space. Even though the free safety's tackling numbers almost matched Delpit's, he hasn't been an impact player with only four picks in two seasons.

Ronnie Harrison Jr.: Iffy. He was iffy last season, too, while testing the free-agent market. Came up short and remained with the Browns. Played mostly in dime situations. How Andrew Berry fares in the free-agent market could determine whether he shows up at training camp.

D'Anthony Bell: Iffy. Surprisingly made the team as a free-agent rookie last season at the age of 25. Booked only 72 plays (6.6%), but had 14 tackles (12 solo).

Bubba Bolden: Gonzo. Training camp. Maybe.

               SPECIAL TEAMS

Charley Hughlett: No brainer. One of the best long snappers in the NFL. Can't remember his last bad snap.

Corey Bojorquez: No brainer. The left-footed punter tied for seventh place in the league with a 48.5-yard average. His disappointing 41.1 net average was due to a combination of bad coverage and sloppy tackling. Has tendency to outkick the coverage, resulting in fewer fair catches. 

Cade York: No brainer. Spotty rookie season. From the 58-yard field to win the season opener against Carolina to three blocked field-goal attempts (to lead the NFL with Baltimore's peerless Justin Tucker of all people), it was up and down for 17 games. Missed two extra points and connected on just 75% of his 32 field-goal attempts. He can't get any worse as a pro sophomore, can he?