Injuries, demotions and two trades of talented veteran players have been a part of the Cleveland Browns’ miserable 2-7 start. The back half of a disappointing season resumes Sunday in New Orleans following the Browns’ bye week.
Realistically, the team is playing for next year over the next two months. Varying circumstances have already led to young players being promoted to the top of the depth chart, and that should continue — perhaps both by design and attrition — over the season’s final eight games.
The Browns have already played three quarterbacks and went through six weeks of having a different starting offensive line group, so change was part of the story even before veteran defensive end Za’Darius Smith was traded to the Detroit Lions ahead of last week’s deadline.
Dawand Jones was removed from the lineup at right tackle ahead of Week 6, but now he’s the team’s starter on the left side. Jones showed great promise at right tackle as a rookie before suffering a season-ending knee injury. With uncertainty for next season at both tackle spots, Jones has a chance to show he can be a keeper.
Wide receiver Cedric Tillman didn’t play much and wasn’t targeted a lot early this season, but the injury-mandated switch to Jameis Winston in Weeks 8 and 9 became a launching pad for the second-year receiver, who holds the team lead with three touchdown receptions and is averaging better than 12 yards per catch over the last three games.
Both Tillman and Jones were part of the team’s 2023 draft class. As the Browns evaluate their entire football operation over the next two months, continued development from the class of 2023 could weigh heavily in the ultimate decision on whether general manager Andrew Berry should be retained.
So for the first of what almost certainly will become a recurring series on the future of the roster and players worth keeping, we’ll start with Cleveland’s class of 2023 and examine who’s ascending, who’s struggling and who might end up being part of the team’s long-term plans.
These aren’t the only players in the spotlight and/or in line for increased reps over the rest of this season, but the group makes for a good place to start — and about 1 1/2 seasons into a player’s career makes for a fair evaluation point.
The players are listed in the order they were drafted:
Cedric Tillman, WR
Tillman got five targets in the team’s first six games. His longest reception went 4 yards. Now, he’s scored his first three career touchdowns in a two-game span and is in line to lead the team in multiple categories the rest of the way. Of those categories, targets might be the most important for his development. The Browns drafted Tillman because they thought he had the rare size that could show up both in the red zone and vertical sideline routes, and it’s clear Winston trusts Tillman whether he’s open or not. Expect the targets to keep coming, and expect the 2023 third-rounder to be a starter. The Amari Cooper trade gave Tillman more snaps. Now Winston is giving him more downfield chances.
Siaki Ika, DT
The Browns started their 2023 draft in the third round on Tillman, then they missed on Ika later in the third. He played sparingly as a rookie, was cut by the Browns in August, then was brought back to the practice squad before being cut again. He’s now on the Philadelphia Eagles’ practice squad.
Dawand Jones, OT
Jones is back on the left side, where he previously played early in his Ohio State career. He played his final two college seasons on the right side, and he was pressed into duty there in the first game of his pro career as a 22-year-old rookie. Teammates say Jones has taken his studies and conditioning more seriously since his early-October benching — and the Browns believe he can be a top-tier tackle if he continues to ascend. He missed valuable reps at the end of last season with his knee injury, so finishing this season strongly is key for Jones.
Isaiah McGuire, DE
McGuire only played 94 defensive snaps during his rookie season. He’s played nearly that many over the last four games, and his opportunities should only increase now that Smith has been traded. McGuire will probably become the starter at left defensive end even if the team’s unofficial depth chart doesn’t reflect that, as veteran Ogbo Okoronkwo is mostly a pass-down specialist. With Alex Wright having been lost to a season-ending injury in September, the Browns likely will do some scrambling and shuffling for help at the bottom of the pass-rush rotation. McGuire is going to get a chance to show he can at least be part of the plans.
Dorian Thompson-Robinson, QB
The Browns never thought Thompson-Robinson would have to play as a rookie. The team envisioned the quarterback becoming an affordable long-term backup to Deshaun Watson. So, things haven’t gone as planned. But it was clear in training camp that Thompson-Robinson was a stronger and more confident thrower going into his second season. He could end up getting more playing time and more starts the rest of the way depending on how things go, and Thompson-Robinson getting a chance to play next season remains a possibility. The team’s future at quarterback is wide open, even if it’s complicated.
Cameron Mitchell, CB
Mitchell played quality slot snaps as a rookie. He’s still just 23, and though he hasn’t played a lot in his second season, he’s just behind the front of the line at multiple cornerback spots. No one knows what the future is for Mitchell’s close friend and teammate, Greg Newsome II, so he could end up being close to a full-time player for the Browns next season if Cleveland trades Newsome in 2025 to clear his fully guaranteed fifth-year option.
Luke Wypler, OL
Wypler was in line to be the Browns’ backup center this year before he suffered a broken ankle in the preseason. He’s been with the Browns all season and is doing his rehab with the team’s medical staff. Once he’s cleared in 2025, he’ll compete for a roster spot as a backup interior lineman — and potentially for the starting center job if Cleveland ends up moving on from starter Ethan Pocic ahead of the final year of his contract. That’s one of several financial decisions the Browns won’t make until March (or even beyond) — and there’s little settled across the team’s offensive line.
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The Browns also had two undrafted rookies in 2023 make the team and potentially position themselves for long-term employment.
Mohamoud Diabate, LB
Diabate made the team in both 2023 and 2024 as a special teams player, but after missing a month this season with a Week 1 injury, he’s made a handful of impactful plays in three starts on defense since returning. Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah is out for at least the next three games with a neck injury, and his status for the rest of the season is uncertain. So even with veteran linebacker Jordan Hicks set to return this week, Diabate should continue to get defensive snaps for the foreseeable future and have a chance to prove he’s worthy of further development. Diabate logged 59 defensive snaps in the upset of Baltimore and 52 against the Los Angeles Chargers ahead of the bye week.
Ronnie Hickman, S
Hickman made the Browns’ roster as a rookie and was playing on defense even before a rash of injuries made him a full-time player late in the 2023 season. This year, Hickman made the team again but has been dealing with various injuries since the start of training camp and has only seen significant action in three games. The Browns saw Hickman show up ready to play multiple spots as a rookie, and he’s a minimum-salary player for at least one more season. So assuming he can get healthy, Hickman will get chances. Safety Rodney McLeod is retiring after the season, and it’s hard to see Juan Thornhill in the team’s long-term plans given the way things have gone for him during two seasons in Cleveland.
(Top photo of Cedric Tillman: Sue Ogrocki / Associated Press)
