Three Players Who Won’t Be on Cleveland Browns Roster by Week 1 – Sports Illustrated

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The Cleveland Browns should be casting a wide net this offseason.
The Browns have added plenty of external talent through free agency. In April’s NFL Draft, the Browns have nine selections to add more rookies to their roster.
Last year, the Browns had arguably the best rookie class in the NFL. At the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, Browns general manager Andrew Berry stated that the Browns believe they could have one of the youngest, if not the youngest, roster in the NFL while still being competitive.
With significant roster turnover expected on the offensive side of the football, let’s take a look at a few players who might not be on the Browns by Week 1.
Let’s start with an elephant in the room – Cleveland’s quarterback situation.
According to cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot, the Browns are bracing themselves for Deshaun Watson to compete with Shedeur Sanders for Cleveland’s starting quarterback job in 2026. Of course, that's unless they draft another quarterback, which Berry isn't opposed to doing.
Gabriel, who the Browns spent the No. 94 overall selection on in last year’s draft, isn’t expected to factor into that competition. The former Oregon quarterback appeared in 10 games for the Browns last season, making six starts.
He completed under 60 percent of his passes. It was abundantly clear that Gabriel’s lack of size and athleticism made him overmatched in every one of his starts.
The Browns should let Gabriel free, either by trading him for a sixth or seventh round draft choice – or just granting him his outright release. It’s pretty clear the former Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski was the one that wanted Gabriel, so he doesn’t fit the current Browns trajectory.
Would the Browns really consider releasing a player that they just signed in free agency?
Stoll is a bit of a journeyman who has bounced around practice squads. Predominantly a blocking tight end, it might be hard for the 28-year-old veteran to jump off of the page.
The Browns also brought back free agent tight end Blake Whiteheart, who is two years younger.
Last week, the Browns used a top 30 visit on Georgia tight end Oscar Delp, who is one of the top players at his position and is expected to be a Day 2 selection. If the Browns reunite Delp with his former Bulldogs offensive coordinator, Todd Monken, it’s unlikely that Stoll would make the team, as Whiteheart would be TE3 behind Harold Fannin Jr. and a rookie.
Alex Wright’s emergence as the starting EDGE on the opposite side of Myles Garrett hurt Isaiah McGuire, who is still a great player. 
The Browns also signed six-year NFL veteran A.J. Epenesa away from the Buffalo Bills in free agency while bringing back Julian Okwara. If the Browns draft another edge rusher, that puts McGuire on the bubble, largely because of his $3.6 million salary.
Perhaps the Browns could restructure McGuire, similar to what they did with Jerome Ford last season, to guarantee himself a roster spot. Or, maybe they could work a trade. McGuire is a great talent, but Cleveland’s defensive line is very deep.
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Nick Pedone is a sports media professional from Cleveland, Ohio. He graduated from Kent State University with a degree in journalism.
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