Cleveland Browns: 3 Players fighting for roster spots vs. Lions

The Cleveland Browns finish up their preseason slate on Thursday night against the Lions and these players will be trying to stay on the 53-man roster.

No one is doubting the fact that the Cleveland Browns have their most talented roster in recent memory (or even beyond that). On paper, this is a team that seems destined to compete atop the AFC North and perhaps atop the conference as a whole. However, they still need to manage the nuances of their roster and the game of football at large to realize that.

On Thursday night, the Browns close their 2019 preseason by hosting the Detroit Lions and the big task at hand will be filling out the final spots on the 53-man roster. The starters in Cleveland are written in stone at this point. Now it’s about who the backups across the board will be.

Despite having many practices and three preseason games to this point, things are still not entirely decided for the Browns as they head into this matchup against the Lions. That means the stakes are high for many players on Thursday as they try to secure their spot on the final roster and avoid being cut.

These three players fit that bill for the Cleveland Browns entering this Preseason Week 4 contest against Detroit.

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3. Damon Sheehy-Guiseppe, WR/KR/PR

The Browns wide receiver situation is fascinating heading into this final preseason contest. Jaelen Strong getting cut throws a monkey wrench into the situation as Cleveland now seemingly has the No. 4 and 5 wide receiver spots to fill and any depth behind those players. Damion Ratley seems like a lock while Braxton Miller, Derrick Willies and Damon Sheehy-Guiseppe battle for the other spots.

Sheehy-Guiseppe is the longest shot to make the 53-man roster and has been since the start of camp, despite his incredible journey to even get to this point. However, having already made explosive plays in the return game this preseason, if he can show that same game-breaking ability again, he may well be able to find his way onto the final roster as a true wild card.

2. Trevon Coley, DT

I’ve been somewhat of a broken record when it comes to Trevon Coley this preseason but the point still stands. The defensive tackles has continued to flash his pass-rush prowess in these exhibition games but has been a liability as a run defender. Subsequently, his spot on the depth chart has now come into question.

Coley may not be able to save his spot on the 53-man roster at this point. However, if he’s going to make room for himself on the right side of the cut line, he needs to deliver his best performance against the run in the preseason to this point against the Lions.

1. D’Ernest Johnson, RB

One of the Browns stars in the preseason has undoubtedly been D’Ernest Johnson, formerly of the AAF’s Orlando Apollos. Both on the offense and on special teams, Johnson has proven to be a reliable and explosive playmaker for Cleveland. And with Kareem Hunt‘s eight-game suspension still looming, Johnson might be a lock to make the roster already.

But if he’s not, he has the opportunity to cement his status on the 53-man roster. Another strong performance on Thursday against the Lions and Johnson could be well inside the final roster, beyond just being a placeholder until Hunt is available once again.