Training camp has finally arrived and teams are beginning their official first day on Tuesday.
Sadly, the NFL has decided to cancel all preseason games out of precaution.
With that in mind, it’s going to be tough for undrafted players or rookies to make a name for themselves.
However, it’s still worthwhile to take a look at the projected depth chart for the Cleveland Browns.
They’ve made some interesting moves on the defensive side of the ball that will hopefully benefit the team in 2020.
Defensive End
Whenever you say the words defensive end and Cleveland together the name Myles Garrett always comes to mind.
The 24-year-old has quickly become one of the best pass rushers throughout the NFL.
He was limited to 10 games last season due to a suspension mid-season.
However, he still recorded 29 tackles, 18 quarterback hits, and 10 sacks.
After three incredible seasons in Cleveland, the organization decided to give Garrett a massive extension this offseason.
Details on the extension for the #Browns and Myles Garrett: In his rather large 5-year, $125M extension, there are $100M in total guarantees and $50M fully guaranteed at signing. He’s now under contract 2026. https://t.co/873RKFYdbk
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 14, 2020
There will be plenty of eyes on Garrett next season, but he’s not the only player at defensive end.
The organization also has former Pro Bowler Olivier Vernon starting on the front-four.
He is looking to bounce back after an injury-riddled 2019 campaign where he saw a career-low in many areas.
Behind them the Browns have veteran Adrian Clayborn who should be a great addition to the roster.
He is not a starter anymore but has been making an impact as a rotational player for quite awhile.
Second-year player Chad Thomas might see some action as well after a fairly decent sophomore campaign.
Defensive Tackle
The Browns have two of the most consistent defensive tackles in the league.
Both Sheldon Richardson and Larry Ogunjobi have proven to be reliable assets quickly in Cleveland.
Sadly, Ogunjobi might be playing in his final year with Cleveland due to his contract ending after the season.
It’s unclear if the organization plans to dish out another long-term deal to a defensive player after paying Garrett.
Those two can be trusted together for at least one more season.
The Browns signed Andrew Billings to a one-year deal this offseason to give the team some depth.
He has been a solid contributor to the Cincinnati Bengals roster over the last two seasons.
The organization also drafted defensive tackle Jordan Elliott during the third round.
New #Browns DT Jordan Elliott’s 91.4 PFF pass-rush grade since 2017 ranked 1st among NFL Draft DTs pic.twitter.com/O3KdCNvdoV
— PFF CLE Browns (@PFF_Browns) April 25, 2020
He is not expected to have a huge role, but could develop into a starter at some point.
The Browns organization has some decent assets in case an injury happens to one of their starters.
Both Billings and Elliott appear to be capable starters in the short-term.
Linebacker
The Browns linebacker position is something that needs to be addressed next offseason.
The team failed to add quality linebackers during free agency and it might come back to bite them.
Mack Wilson is returning as the lone starting linebacker from last season.
He is coming off a solid rookie season with 82 tackles, one sack, and one interception in 16 games.
However, there is not much help behind him at all, so it’ll be interesting to see who steps up.
They have second-year player Sione Takitaki and veteran B.J. Goodson projected as the other two starters at linebacker.
Goodson collected 37 tackles through 15 games (nine starts) with the Green Bay Packers last season.
While Takitaki didn’t see the field for Cleveland until basically the second half of the year.
One player to watch for in the Browns linebacker group is rookie Jacob Phillips.
New #Browns LB Jacob Phillips only missed three of his 88 tackle attempts in 2019.
The best tackler in college football. pic.twitter.com/pNdyiYMWiV
— PFF CLE Browns (@PFF_Browns) April 25, 2020
He put together some strong years at LSU and could quickly become an impact player in Cleveland.
Takitaki and Goodson are the projected starters, but Phillips could sneak his way into that conversation.
It’ll be interesting to see what new defensive coordinator Joe Woods decides to do.
Defensive Back
This defensive back spot is probably the only area on the Browns defensive that is fairly loaded.
The Browns have two young stud starters in Greedy Williams and Denzel Ward.
After that, Terrance Mitchell and Kevin Johnson serve as reliable backups.
One of them might actually start alongside Williams and Ward depending on the defensive system.
Both players have shown they can be reliable options in the NFL.
They also have Oklahoma State product A.J. Green who might be the best undrafted player out of the 2020 draft class.
The Browns gave Green the highest amount of guaranteed salary in the history of the league.
Clearly, the team believes in his ability, but he’ll need to climb up the depth chart.
Cleveland seems to be in great hands at defensive back no matter where they turn.
Safety
Last, but definitely not least are the Browns safety spots.
The organization made big upgrades at this position over the offseason.
They added veterans Karl Joseph and Andrew Sendejo to the mix.
Both Joseph and second-round pick Grant Delpit are expected to start at the safety spots to begin the season.
“With the 44th pick in the 2020 NFL Draft the Cleveland Browns select … Grant Delpit, Safety, LSU.”
📺: #NFLDraft on ABC, ESPN + NFLN pic.twitter.com/x7C6Dj9WYu
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) April 25, 2020
Although, Sendejo may get significant playing time due to his versatility.
The organization also has Sheldrick Redwine who made strides as a rookie last season.
The Browns have plenty of options that they can move around at safety.
It’s a nice luxury to have especially after having little to no talent at the spot a year ago.
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