As in every NFL training camp and preseason, only 53 players make an NFL roster so there’s 37 guys who won’t break camp with their respective teams.

The Cleveland Browns have a talented roster so there will be difficult decisions to make at the bottom of the roster when general manager Andrew Berry reduces the roster from 90 to 53 over the course of the preseason.

Here are five guys who will be on the bubble and will have to fight for their future with the Browns throughout camp

Jakeem Grant, Wide Receiver/Return Specialist

The 30-year old and two-time All-Pro selection was going to bring a boost to the special teams unit last year when he signed a three-year contract with the Browns last March.

Unfortunately those hopes were dashed when Grant tore his Achilles tendon during practice last August and missed the entire 2022 season.

Grant took a pay cut in February, lowering his $2.85M base salary to the league minimum of $1.08M with the chance to gain nearly all of the original salary back in incentives while also voiding his final year of the original deal making him a free agent at the end of the season.

With the kickoff rules changing, Grant’s potential role with the Browns has been diminished substantially and with the fact he’s coming off an Achilles injury, it’s unclear how healthy Grant will be to participate in training camp and the preseason.

Grant will be competing with Marquise Goodwin, Anthony Schwartz, Mike Harley Jr among others for the final wide receiver spot in what has now become a crowded position group.

Nick Harris, Center

There was high hopes for the 2020 draft pick to eventually be the long term center after JC Tretter’s departure last offseason.

Harris shined in his first career start at the end of the 2021 season against the Green Bay Packers posting a 70 PFF grade and allowing zero pressures against Packers defensive tackle Kenny Clark.

The hopes were dashed on the second snap of last season’s preseason opener when Harris tore his ACL, shutting him down for the entire 2022 season. This allowed Ethan Pocic to step in and have a solid campaign which he was rewarded with a three-year extension with the Browns.

Now Harris will enter the 2023 season on the bubble with Pocic having the center position locked down for the immediate future. Cleveland also selected Ohio State center Luke Wypler in the sixth-round of the NFL Draft so Harris will have to compete for that backup role if he wants to have any potential future with the Browns although his inability to kick outside to guard will hamper that possibility.

Anthony Schwartz, Wide Receiver

It’s been a tough go for the former third round pick out of Auburn. After a promising debut in the 2021 opener against Kansas City, Schwartz has had a tough time staying healthy and holding onto the football.

With only 32 targets in his first two seasons, the former track star has had a rough adjustment to the NFL and with the Cleveland Browns making upgrades to the wide receiver room, it’s going to be a tough road this training camp for Schwartz to make the roster.

I still think there’s a role for Anthony Schwartz in the NFL as a gadget/situational type wide receiver, it just won’t be with the Cleveland Browns. There’s a possibility that someone trades for him when the roster cuts happen towards the end of the preseason if a team thinks they can utilize his speed and playmaking ability.

A.J. Green, Cornerback

One of Andrew Berry’s successes as general manager has been the development of his first major undrafted free agent signing in Green.

The Browns gave the former Oklahoma State corner the highest guaranteed contract ($145,000) for an undrafted free agent at the time and he’s earned that as a key depth piece in the secondary with two interceptions and being able to step in and contribute when guys like Denzel Ward and Greg Newsome have had to sit out with injuries.

Green re-signed with the Browns in the offseason but the team may have drafted his replacement in Northwestern cornerback Cameron Mitchell in the fifth-round of April’s NFL Draft. Green and Mitchell may slug it out for the fifth cornerback spot unless the Browns elect to keep six because both have the versatility to play outside as well as inside and special teams as well.

Tony Fields II, Linebacker

The linebacker room will be one of the most interesting position groups to watch in training camp because of the guys coming back from injury and because it’s currently a crowded room with nine guys currently on the roster.

One of the guys to watch will be third-year linebacker Tony Fields. The former Arizona State product didn’t see the field at all in 2021 but finally got the chance to showcase his abilities during the 2022 season when guys like Jacob Phillips and Anthony Walker got injured.

Fields made 36 tackles and an interception in 11 games last season and should be expected to potentially take a bigger role this season as guys like Walker and Sione Takitaki work their way back from injuries suffered last season.

However, the Browns added some linebackers in the offseason in Matthew Adams and Mohamoud Diabate as well as re-signing Jordan Kunaszyk. Fields is going to have a strong preseason to earn his spot on the roster.