On offense it looks like the starters are pretty well set.

TE - Njoku, Akins, Bryant
RT - Conklin
RG - Teller
C - Pocic
LG - Bitonio
LT - Wills
QB - Watson
RB - Chubb
WR - Cooper, DPJ, Moore, (Bell, Tillman)

The defense will have some rotational starters and we will play nickle, and dime packages.

DE - Myles
DT - Tomlinson
DT - Winfrey, Elliott, Hurst, Ika, Hill
DE - Smith, Ogbo, Wright
OLB - JOK, Kunaszyk
MLB - Walker, Taki, Phillips
CB - Ward, Newsome, Emerson
S - Thornhill, Delpit, McLeod


Overall looking at 11 starters on both sides of the ball on paper we should compete.

Until we play it is hard to say. The NFL has lots of talent. Every year there are new stars. Some players decline, some are injured, some retire. Teams churn a third of their rosters.

Every team gets tested with injury and depth comes into play.

One thing for sure about the 2023 roster. I have seen way worse Cleveland Browns rosters.

I continue to be worried about the thinness of our LB corps. Our starters are average at best and their backups are worse lol. But, I understand why they aren’t and can’t be a priority

LB's are kind of like the Njoku's of the D. You'd like better, but it is what it is. They are good enough.

LB just isn't a premier position any longer. They are tweeners....not big enough to play on the defensive front and not fast enough to play in the backfield.

Maybe Winfrey won't even make the team,
I thought they brought , in fact, I think it's pretty sure they brought in Tomlinson to start, b/c of the money/contract.
Trysten Hill, is competing with Elliott for the left dt , I'd figure
But Tomlinson and Hurst might be DT side by side ...
and the Hill/Elliott position will both be on the bench for that time,

so, going left from Myles, I think,
Myles
Then, Tomlinson,
then Hurst, ... starters

Ika, = Tomlinson or even Hursts backup.
then,
to the left of that, if they don't have small DE's in on a particular play,
would be Hill, the left outside, inside Dt. ... and, Elliott competing to regain his spot he played last year, 2nd string behind Hill.
then,
after you have 3 groups, for the two interior positions of a 4 man front,
you'd have the left DE,
wait, going back,... to the right of Myles you had the 'takk McKinley' wild card spot, which doesn't exist if the players aren't on the roster
and they weren't until they brought in Ogbo, who'll start there?

then,
back to left end, DE, Alex Wright was there and...
when they brought in Ogbo to be ahead of Wright on the left, and then they also brought in Smith, to compete with Ogbo, to both be ahead of Wright on the left DE,
and then,
at another time, WHEN, Wrights DE position exists on the field, whether it be on the left or the right
Wrights position consists of
Wright, and the two Isaiahs, Isaiah Thomas, and Isaiah McGuire competing for that role, or sometimes more than one of them on the field for that position at a certain particular time.

I don't think Denzell Ward should necessarily start, .. after 2022,
Yep, I know how objectionable that sounds given him being a seventh overall pick.
I'll double down, I don't think D. Ward, CB should necessarily start,
b/c it looked clear,
a. teams were picking on Ward in the final 6 games of 22, the ones' where Watson played.
and
b. in those times it looked clear that the Browns D, got off the field when Ward got off the field, which leads me to think
that
Denzell Ward does not necessarily have to start, have to be given, automatically, a start.

Winfrey will make the team. If he is a day one starter is questionable.

Revisiting team needs, I see the following.
In my order of importance:

1, Swing Tackle.
Wills is hurt a lot even if he doesn't miss a lot of games
Conklin gets hurt a lot too.
Is anybody comfortable with Hudson getting a lot of playing time?

2, Defensive tackle
While we have made tremendous improvements over last season we could still use more improvement

3, Linebacker
As stated, none of our guys are that good
But in addition few are healthy - Fields and Kunaszyk

4, Rb depth
Chubb is awesome, Ford is solid, I like Kelly
But Ford and Kelly don't have much game day experience
Running backs get injured

Other than that I don't see any real weaknesses with the roster.

Every team has question marks.

That is why you bring in competition.

The offense is in good shape. We have the starters and some depth.

The defense is where there has been big changes. Schwartz will bring a different scheme. We have brought in a lot of big bodies on the line.
We have way better rotational depth.

I am less concerned about the linebackers than others. Of all the units they were the ones who were hung out to dry the most last year. The defensive front four as a unit were horrible. The linebackers paid the price. We have some experience at linebacker and I think the unit play will improve under Schwartz.

The big changes in the secondary is at safety. Thornhill and McLeod were handpicked to play under Schwartz. We have damn good corners.

The big thing to see is how they play together. We will not know till we see them play. IMO this will be a career year for Myles.

Agreed … LBs is the one area of the D that you can have serviceable guys

I think the offense is not in good shape, and hasn't been since at least The Tim Couch years?
...
seven and ten 2022
eight and nine 202I
eleven and six 2020
six and ten 20I9

I'm thinking players and the teams who have them such as Fred Warner with the 49er's, Darius Leonard with the Colts, Demario Davis with the Saints and Eric Kendricks with the Vikings would all disagree. Even long time veterans such as Bobby Wagner with the Rams and Lavonte David with the Bucs would take exception. Then there's always Micah Parsons with the Cowboys.

The teams that have elite LB'ers seem to feel very happy and feel fortunate to have them on their roster. Those who don't make up reasons why they're not important to have.

Since the Browns have been back LB is position like
WR and QB the Browns have really bad at drafting wise.
Even in free agency I can't think of that 1 elite LB
They have acquired
Most playoff teams have that 1 really good LB
That just makes plays over and over and over.
Come think of it have the Browns ever drafted a LB
And he got a 2nd contract with the Browns ?
I think DQwell Jackson maybe it was him ?

Clay Matthews.

I was disappointed when D'Earnest Johnson wasn't retained. IMO he was very underestimated and was a near plug-in for Chubb. I much preferred him over Kareem Hunt....

The Browns are going to be an offense based upon throwing the ball.

Chubb's carries will not change much. We will be for the most part a one back offense. The touches Hunt got in the past will now be passes.

We will use more 3 and 4 WR's sets. We will thow to the TE's as well.

Chubb will get his usual carries.

Is that based on more than speculation? I don't know what the Browns plans are for the offense.

Browns O.....Whatever Watson wants--got to play to his strengths....Chubb impacts games.....Watson MUST own the games.

It still bothers me a bit that we let D’Ernest go

I don't think it is speculation. The Browns pushed their chips to the center and are all in with DW.

They have traded for Moore. Drafted Tillman. Have Cooper and DPJ. Signed Akins.

DW is involved in play design to develop plays that should work for him. All of that was done to feature a quarterback who can throw all over the field.

We were a run based offense before because that was the strength of the team and there were limitations at quarterback.

So we are going to throw the ball more than we have before.

This. We've been focusing on improving the defensive line and the defensive backfield. I think that the thinking is if those units are winning their respective battles then we can get by with serviceable LBs.

It's my opinion, but I think it is where the league is headed as well, is the LB is the least important unit on the defensive side of the ball. It's also the position group within the Browns D that has been allocated the least amount of resources.

DE, DT, CB, S all have more resources allocated than LB since Berry has joined, but even before that, really. The LB unit is what the RB unit is to the offense.

There’s no doubt. What will be interesting is to see how teams who historically have strong LB units adjust. Teams like Pittsburgh and Baltimore historically invest high picks in that unit

Base D may be a factor, like a 3-4,where you label edge rushers "LBs" but the prototype we've come to know over the years simply does not factor in as much as other defensive positions.

it’s funny when you watch old games (from the 90s and 80s) and see how BIG and SLOW the LBs are. It was such a different game and approach.

Maybe it's more a matter of common sense than it is speculation. Why would you sign a QB to a 230 million dollar guaranteed contract if you didn't plan to throw the ball more?