DawgTalkers.net Forums The Archives 2014 NFL Season Looking Back: Lions 13 - Browns 12 Browns Depth Chart Released

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First team Offense

Gordon
Thomas
Bitonio
Mack
Greco
Schwartz
Austin
Cameron
Marqueis Gray
Hoyer
Tate

West is behind Tate.
Don't even see Snead listed at WR anywhere.

First team Defense

Winn
Rubin
D. Bryant
Kruger
Dansby
Robertson
Mingo
Skrine
Haden
Gipson
Whitner

Sheard is 2nd team behind Kruger
Phil Taylor behind D. Bryant

I am assuming that Taylor is not starting because he hasn't practiced much if at all.

Some interesting choices on the defensive side of the ball.

That's my guess. Plus, like with Sheard, who starts doesn't really matter. It's more situational. I could see Kruger being the starter but Sheard actually starting depending on personnel, etc. Same with Taylor (once he's back in shape).

I don't know if this depth chart really spells out who is going to play when/where on Saturday, though. For example, Pettine has alluded to probably holding Cameron out, just out of precaution.

Here's a link to a better looking one

http://www.brownsmedia.com/images/9003/8_9_14_Depth_Chart.pdf

JC: This is a really early depth chart, so I try not to put much stock into it, but it does give us incite into what the coaches might be thinking. And that leaves me saying "What the........"

Sheard IMO is our best OLB, not sure why he's listed behind Kruger and Mingo. Barnidge is ahead of Dray? I figured Dray was a sure lock to make the team and Barnidge was gonna be the number 3 or on his way out.

Charles Johnson and Marlon Moore ahead of Snead? I imagine Winn is ahead of Taylor because Taylor has been injured. But with all that Phil's been getting knocked here, I think he's pretty darn good. Big Phil is a load. Our best D-Line is a mix of Rubin, Bryant, and Phil (wherever Phil and Rubin play, NT or DE)

Looks like Leon McFadden is not very popular right now. He's behind Trufant (who I thought has been injured) and Berry. And it doesn't look too good for Bademosi, as he's behind Poyer.


Also, interesting to see Shaw behind Thigpen. Shaw was getting a lot of hype, but that seems to have really slowed down. I keep reading that he's not looking too good at all

And look at that. Dion Lewis and Crowell both behind Ogbunaya (or however you spell that guy's name). Ogbi is a coaching fav. I think he does all the right things in the locker room and he brings the intangibles. He pass blocks, he catches, and he can step in at FB if need be

Is snead a rookie? They might be planning on putting him on the practice squad for a year?

So Bitino at LG and Grecco at RG... guess not too much to be shocked there, give the rookie some heavy padding inbetween Alex Mack and Joe Thomas there!

Skrine as #2 corner, I suspect this to change (however, won't be shocked/sad if it didn't). Roberston at ILB, I suspect that to change. When your backup is Phil Taylor, that is a definite sign of extreme-quality depth (that is, if you're not a Phil-hater and wish for him to be traded like a lot seem to... beats me )

A lot can change in a week's time though and Snead is listed close to last behind Miles Austin. I suspect, given the vibe he's been putting out (I hear he's pretty much caught anything thrown his way and has been able to create seperation) that to change as' well.

All JMO.

I don't think Sheard is our best OLBer, but I think that all 3 will receive a lot of snaps.

I don't know what to think of the WRs. Chances are all those guys will suck.

Taylor is overrated. He's always out of shape. He could be good if ever dedicated himself, but he never has. He sits out way too many plays. I wish we would trade him.

I don't get the McFadden hate. Trufant sucks. The Desir guy........I don't know. I watched McFadden in college and I think he has some real skills. He'll get cut, go to another team, produce, and then the majority of posters who hate him now, will say that they "always liked that kid."

It sounds like Shaw is really struggling.

I wish we would have never signed Tate. I would like to roll w/West, Crowell, Lewis, and Baker.

J/C .........

I think that it's funny that people are trying to figure out anything based off of the depth chart made before the 1st preseason game.

Right now, Alex Parsons is the primary backup Center. Who? Anyone think that he's making the team as of right now? I sure don't.

How many spots do I see that could easily change between right this moment and next week?

Well, let's look......

Either WR spot could.

RG is not necessarily locked in.

QB could change.

RB could easily see West move ahead.

That's 5 of 11 offensive spots that are, at least, in some doubt.

On defense, Phil Taylor isn't going to back up Bryant. He may have to move to make room for Rubin in the middle though.

Craig Robertson or Chris Kirksey? Who knows?

Buster Skrine over Gilbert? Maybe for the 1st preseason game.

That is, at least, 8 spots that easily could change by the 1st game. Numerous backup spots can change too. Guys will be added, cut, and maybe even traded by then. Maybe even a starter like Taylor ....... if we can get an upper quality WR back .... maybe? It has been reported that Pettine has been really impressed with Rubin at NT while Phil has been out. He loves the mobility that Rubin has shown, and his ability to shut down the runs up the middle. I don't see it as beyond the realm of possibilities that a guy like Taylor could be traded. (especially with a guy like Kitchen behind him, and the emergence of this McDaniel kid)

I think that there are so many guys in the secondary that it's hard to put them in order. I do think that it's possible that Trufant will get a roster spot based on his experience with Pettine, and his special teams ability. I hope not ..... because I agree with you that he stinks. I read a thing when we signed him, something along the lines of that he allowed every pass attempt against him to be completed last year. Ugh. My skin crawled earlier when Pettine had him as the 3rd CB. He's been hurt, and fortunately that has knocked him back behind Gilbert and Desir, at least. I would be quite happy, right now, if we have 5 CB: Haden, Gilbert, Skrine, Desir,a nd McFadden ..... and 5 S, Whitner, Gipson, Bademosi, Poyer, and maybe Leonhard. It is possible that Leonhard gets a spot because he knows that 3rd S spot that Pettine loves to run. Then again, he could be a 1st round cut. It depends on how he shows in camp.

I have heard a lot of really good things about Desir in this camp .....but he was also almost burned on that long TD drop by Benjamin. I haven't seen a whole lot about McFadden, but he evidently had a good day the other day.

Back to the offensive side of things .....

The OL, right now, looks like it has some really good potential depth. WR has a lot of bodies right now ...... but has a few interesting veterans, and a couple of interesting rooks. A whole lot depends on if Gordon can play this year or not. If he can, this unit improves a ton.

TE should be a solid unit. It's funny that no one is talking at all about Dray, the guy we signed because he's a more natural pass catcher. It sure seems as though Barnidge is way ahead of him. (which is reflected by this 1st depth chart)

RB is a hard spot to figure. I finally heard something positive about Crowell, and how he broke a big run in practice. It's obvious that our top 2 are Tate and West ..... but after that ... who knows? Who knows who, and who knows how many? I would love to see us find a way to keep Baker (who I have read some nice things about off and on so far) and Crowell.

QB is obviously going to be Hoyer and Manziel, in one order or the other. I have a growing feeling that Manziel will wind up being the starter. I think that it is increasingly possible that this could be our QB lineup, without a 3rd string guy. Maybe Shaw gets a PS spot. The bottom 2 guys sure don't seem to have done anything thus far in camp. At all.

WR depends on Gordon. I do like the mix of veterans and young guys ..... and I absolutely don't rule out a trade here to add a veteran.

Anyway .... that's how I see it.

I don't think that Crowell would last on the PS. His biggest question mark was his desire to work hard enough to be an NFL player. If he makes it to the final cuts, that question will likely have been answered in the affirmative, and other teams would then grab him because of his talent.

I hope that we keep 4 RB, those being Tate, West, Baker, and Crowell. I think that could be a very impressive RB corps. Right now, I think that MarQueis Gray will be the HB/FB, and could be a real weapon there.

That's not even a depth chart. Where's the depth? It's just a list of starters.

I apologize to the OP. Just now poured a coffee. Things are looking up.

Ah, yes. Caffeine communion. Sets us free. I need some more coffee before the next QB controversy.

A few comments/opinions after reading the depth chart and visiting a few camp practices:

1. Sheard is listed as the second string simply due to the role he'll have on D. He'll move around, put his hands down on the line, etc. I think the depth release was just what our vanilla 3-4 would look like. Maybe not. But it is nice to see Mingo as a #1. Gives confidence in the young man, hopefully.

2. Skrine won't be listed as a starter for long. Gilbert looks increasingly better each day. Looks really good. Great size, hands, and has been doing REALLY WELL keeping up with WRs.

3. I think Taylor is listed as a back up because he just got back on the field. Not sure where he'll be penciled in after Pettine's comments about Rubin (liking him as a NT or something like that) but I think he'll be on the line with Bryant and Rubin as starters week one.

4. The staff put Bitonio at LG and have never looked back. The personnel staff must love seeing that for a second round pick. I hope he stays healthy and can help the running game. Looks damn near like a vet out there and has earned the respect of guys like Thomas and Mack. That's huge.

5. West is doing really well but I don't see him jumping Tate. But what a 1-2 combo our running game could be and I do expect West to get a ton of touches. More and more I love how we structured the Tate contract. Little risk, little guaranteed $$ and if West eventually takes over, no big deal.

6. I think the biggest(and by biggest, I mean closest)battle is between Robertson and Kirksey. I guess a similar argument can be made for Hoyer v Manziel but I think this one could go either way. I haven't seen much of Robertson but reports say he is playing a little harder, tougher, etc. But I have seen Kirksey and like what I see. This may come down to Robertson starting but as time goes on and Kirksey gets more experience, he could take over early in the year. I still like Robertson as a reliable ST player and backup if we can find better talent in Kirksey.

7. Gordon is light years away from all the other WRs.

8. People are mentioning Benjamin possibly being cut because of that deep bomb drop yesterday...I disagree. He's listed as the starter for both KR and PR. I think he stays as our playmaker there. Skrine & Poyer didn't impress me there last year and Pettine has gone on record saying he doesn't want Gilbert there. I think Benji is safe. Benjamin was a stud for our special teams. It would be stupid to let him go in my opinion...even if the guy rarely sees the field as a deep threat WR...I mean the guy is still on his 4th-round rookie deal, what's the risk?

9. Mingo looks bigger, more comfortable.

10. Some more recognizable names that may get cut for some UDFA surprises or lost backup battles could be: Oby, Baker, McFadden, Dion Lewis, Tank Carder, Johnson Bademosi, Anthony Armstrong. I'll also throw out Jordan Poyer as a little surprise cut. Also Connor Shaw is the worst of the 4 QBs but I would consider keeping him over Thigpen. There may be more growth potential with Connor than what we already know from Thigpen.

The one guy I want to see more of come preseason is this Calvin Burnett guy from Ok. State. It may be tough with a very deep defensive line.

Awesome, thanks.

Seriously envy you guys who can take an afternoon and go to camp...

At this point, I'd be inclined to leave our starting DL like that all season. Rubin is high motor and he can hold the nose gap. Winn and especially Bryant are both VERY high motor guys and have excellent pocket collapsing ability.

Agreed. I have always thought Rubin's motor is his best quality.

My biggest competition remains Kirksey vs Robertson. IMO it's a big position that needed upgraded.

j/c:

There were a bunch of good football posts in a row there.

Well done, guys.

Kirksey I believe is going to come out on top this one. From all I can gather, he's doing a great job. Pettine had made a comment that if you didn't know he was a rookie, you'd not be able to tell. Need someone that can help plug up a running lane and be able to drift back into coverage.

Not worried too much about his coverage skills, top 10 if not top 5 cover LB in the draft IMO... but can he stick his nose up in the trenches?

True. He's one of a few players my eyes will be glued on this Saturday night... can't wait to watch him in some real action, even if it be preseason.

jc

Browns | Billy Winn to miss preseason opener

Thu, 07 Aug 2014 10:55:23 -0700

Cleveland Browns DE Billy Winn (undisclosed) will not play in the team's preseason opener, according to head coach Mike Pettine.

Source: ESPNCleveland.com - Tony Grossi


Browns | Justin Gilbert likely to miss preseason game

Thu, 07 Aug 2014 10:48:48 -0700

Cleveland Browns CB Justin Gilbert (undisclosed) did not participate in practice Thursday, Aug. 7, and is likely to miss the team's first preseason game.

Source: ESPNCleveland.com - Tony Grossi

Quote:

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DE Billy Winn (undisclosed)

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I think I read it was a quad?

Quote:

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CB Justin Gilbert (undisclosed)

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I read it was his groin.

Gilbert was one of few I really wanted to see in bump-n-run coverage. Ah well... hope it's nothing serious.

I thought that Winn had a hamstring.

I hope he has two of them