Cleveland Browns 2017 Offensive Depth Chart Preview

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Browns Depth Offensive Depth Chart Preview
Football season is approaching quickly Browns fans, which means it's about time to post our depth chart preview for the season. We will be going through each and every position, and talking about every single player on the roster and how they fit in with the team. For the first time in a while, there's some hope for Browns' football, and we can't wait to start talking about this offense. Last year's 1-15 record is a thing of the past, and look for this team to surprise some people this year. Without further ado, here is the Offensive Depth Chart preview heading into Week 1 of the preseason. Sit back, and enjoy the ride.
 

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Quarterback
1. DeShone Kizer
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Rookie QB DeShone Kizer is going get to a chance to prove himself in this league from Day 1. Kizer, along with Osweiler and Kessler, will all be battling for playing time, as they're all very similar in skill level at this point. Kizer is raw, with huge potential. He has a cannon for an arm, and at times, looked like the best QB in college football while at Notre Dame. However, his and his team's poor play down the stretch, definitely cost him, as he slipped to the Browns in 2nd round. In his 25 games he played in with the Fighting Irish, Kizer completed 61% of his passes for 5,589 yards, 45 TDs and 18 INTs. He also ran for over 500 yards in both of his seasons in college, where he also scored 17 times. At this point, it's hard to say if he's the best QB on this roster. However, he definitely has the most potential out of the 4. Is Kizer the guy the Browns have been looking for all these years? Or will the QB carousel continue. Only time will tell, but for now, Kizer is the guy in Cleveland.

2. Brock Osweiler
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The Houston Texans literally gave the Browns draft picks in order to get Brock Osweiler off the team. He has a huge contract, and didn't play well in his one season in Houston. He started 14 games for the Texans, completed just 59% of his passes, for 2,957 yards, 15 TDs and 16 INTs. It's never good to throw more INTs than TDs, I think that much is obvious. The Browns traded a 4th round pick for Osweiler, a 2nd round pick, and a 6th round pick this offseason. Many thought Osweiler's stay in Cleveland would be short, and he would be cut right away to save cap space. However, since the Browns had massive amounts of cap space, Osweiler still has a spot on this team. He starts this season as the team's #2 QB. He also has a cannon for an arm, but is a bit less accurate with the ball than Kizer, which gives Kizer the edge to start the season. Despite his huge contract, Osweiler is definitely a good backup plan to have in case Kizer gets hurt or begins to play poorly. At times, Osweiler looks like a QB who belongs in this league. At other times...not so much. Nonetheless, Brock Osweiler, who is very tall if you didn't know, will start the season as the Browns' #2 QB. Officially making him the highest paid, and tallest backup QB in the league. Did I mention he was tall? Like, he's 6'8". That's pretty tall.

3. Cody Kessler
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Cody Kessler, the former USC Trojan, is just a step below Kizer and Osweiler in my opinion. Last year, he started 8 games for Cleveland, where he completed 65.6% of his passes for 1,380 yards, 6 TDs and just 2 INTs. Kessler, however, was 0-8 as the starting QB, but honestly, it's not his fault. He played relatively well for the Browns last year. He's not the most talented QB on this roster, but he's serviceable for sure. His arm isn't as strong as Kizer and the Brock Lobster, but he makes up for that in accuarcy. Kessler has a place on this team. Not as the starter, but he's a solid QB who showed that he can play well in the NFL. He's not the future of this team, but if the Browns, or anyone else for that matter needs a solid QB in a pinch, Kessler could be that guy.

4. Kevin Hogan
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Last up on our list, is former Stanford QB Kevin Hogan. He never started a game for Cleveland last year, but he played in 4 of them, and actually played well. His passing numbers were nothing to be proud of, where he only completed 14 of his 26 pass attempted for 104 yards and 2 INTs. However, he ran for over 100 yards and a TD in a game where he replaced an injured Cody Kessler. His TD run was from 28 yards out, which set the record for the longest TD run by a QB in Browns history. He was also the 2nd Browns QB to rush for over 100 yards in a game, and the first QB to do so as a rookie. However, Hogan is clearly the least talented of the 4 Browns' QBs, and I honestly think he'll have trouble finding a spot on this team. That doesn't mean he shouldn't be in the league, it's just that this Browns team has 3 QBs all better than him. He could find a spot somewhere else as a backup, but don't count on Hogan to be the savior of any franchise.
 

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Halfback
1. Isaiah Crowell
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Isaiah Crowell is now entering his 4th NFL season, all with the Browns, and is still looking to eclipse the 1000 yard mark in a season for the first time in his career. He was extremely close last season, when he had 952 yards on 4.8 yards per carry and 7 TD. After coming up just 48 yards short last season, Crowell is going to break 1000 this year. Mark my words. He'll be splitting carries with Duke Johnson Jr once again this year. Crowell is a bit slower than Johnson, but blends that with a bit of power, giving him the edge over Johnson as the #1 back. Don't get me wrong, we'll see plenty of Duke Johnson this year, but once again Crowell will be handed the starting reigns. He started all 16 games last year for this lowly Browns team, and is excited to get back on the field and help the team to their best season in years. Crowell is a free agent after this season.

2. Duke Johnson Jr
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Duke Johnson is the next best running back on this team. He's a tiny bit faster than Crowell, and has a bit less power, but is still a great complement as the backup. He'll see plenty of touches this year, and will be given the opportunity to return kicks. Johnson is now entering his 3rd season out of Miami, and last season he had a career high in yards per carry, at 4.9. He only has 1 career rushing touchdown, so look for him to get a few more this season. Johnson is a great pass catcher out of the backfield. He's had over 50 catches in each of his first two seasons thus far. Look for the Browns to continue to utilize him on passing downs. With Crowell entering free agency after this season, Johnson might have an opportunity in the near future to be a starting running back. We'll see how he handles it.

3. Terrence Magee
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Magee has had quite a journey in the NFL. He's bounced from practice squad to practice squad to active roster back to practice squad. So far in his 2 years in the league, he's be a part of 3 different organizations. He started his career with the Ravens in 2015 as an undrafted free agent out of LSU, then made his way to the LA Rams, then up to Seattle, then out to Cleveland, back to Seattle, and finally back to Cleveland. Has he finally found a home? Don't be so sure. He only had 5 career carries, and is much, much less talented than Crowell and Johnson. He's not the future at this position. He absolutely has a shot to make this roster, and is probably the 3rd best back on this team. However, that isn't saying much considering who else he has to compete with. We'll see if Magee can stay on the team this year, and if he'll get a few opportunities to prove himself.

4. Brandon Wilds
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Wilds, who was undrafted out of South Carolina last year, is now entering his second NFL season. He brings a nice blend of size and speed to the position. He has good balance, and has shown the ability to absorb contact and keep churning for extra yards. In college, he also performed well in the passing game, catching most balls that came his way, and was more than capable in pass protection. However, Wilds is probably on the outside looking in. It would be surprising if the Browns kept 4 halfbacks, so Wilds is most likely on his way to the practice squad.
 

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5. Matt Dayes
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We already touched on the Browns 7th round pick Matt Dayes a bit in our 2017 NFL Draft Recap. He's a small back, standing 5'8", who is going to have a tough time making this roster. He isn't the fastest back on the roster. In fact, he's the slowest. He's not big, doesn't have great strength, and is going to struggle making the roster. He'll get some chances to prove himself in the preseason, but in all likelihood, he will be a member of the Browns practice squad.
 

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Fullback
1. Danny Vitale
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Danny Vitale is the only fullback on the roster. So unless someone more appealing catches Cleveland's eye in free agency, he will be the guy for the upcoming season. Vitale is fast as far as fullbacks are concerned, as he used to be a tight end. He possesses decent strength, and knows how to catch a football out of the backfield. However, he isn't the best blocker, so that might be a concern going forward. Despite this, Vitale has the job locked up so long as Cleveland holds off on bringing in some competition.
 
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