Guessing how the Browns will fill the first 45 or so roster spots is like predicting what word Eagles singer Glenn Frey will sing after “take it” on their debut single: “easy.” Things get a bit murky with the final few, but that’s why training camp can be enthralling to those who enjoy the process of team construction.

Nick Chubb starting on the PUP list shouldn’t be a surprise. But the news providing apparent clarity about Michael Hall Jr. being expected to start the 2024 campaign on the commissioner’s exempt list is noteworthy, as another spot has become available in his stead. Here, Michael Woods II gets the nod.

My previous list had just five wide receivers, with David Bell being sixth on the depth chart. But because there’ve been no sightings of Bell and no news about his injury status, starting him on injured reserve could make sense.

I took the same avenue with Ronnie Hickman, having basically the same reasoning in mind. This was an easier decision once D’Anthony Bell was announced as coming off PUP imminently, though if Hickman’s back isn’t likely to keep him on the shelf the first four weeks, he could certainly get a spot ahead of Woods or Michael Dunn.

Dunn could be released due to convenience and familiarity, not because of his correlative value to the team. Last year they publicly wished him a happy birthday and then “handshake cut” him, with an evident wink and a nod that brought him back to the 53 after week one. This season his contract is guaranteed, so the same type of under-the-table arrangement this year would see the team paying him his regular salary if he were to not be on the roster for an extended period, provided he’d be waiting for someone to go on IR (as he did in 2023) so he could rejoin the team rather than his money being offset while playing elsewhere.

Depending on Nyheim Hines’ readiness for week one, James Proche II would probably bring more value to the team than Bell or Woods in the receiver room because he’d be Cleveland’s best option at returner. But being a vested veteran, Proche could be released and added to the practice squad, with the knowledge that he’d be a gameday elevation to the active roster for the foreseeable future, earning his regular game checks. So having him on the 53 in any scenario would make no sense — not that they won’t do that necessarily, but it’d be senseless.

It wouldn’t be a shock to see four QBs make the cut, because even if Tyler Huntley isn’t traded by camp’s end, he could be later when the yearly league-wide injury plague begins sweeping across the country. I would be surprised to see fewer than 10 DBs and fewer than six linebackers though.

It’s obvious that the Browns have a need at offensive tackle. It’s also obvious that the organization chooses to be blind to that need after having been provided with numerous phosphorescent opportunities to address it, as pointed out here and here and here and here and here among a multitudinous number of other places at various times.

Jowon Briggs was the Browns’ final draft pick in April (7.243). And Hall’s absence could pave a way for him to stick as a defensive tackle. As fans we should hope Siaki Ika doesn’t consume that spot; his struggles at the position have been well documented so I won’t pile onto him. I’d much prefer to be critical of those in positions of power when they do inexplicable and costly things that could be avoided through proper foresight and authentic, open-minded self-evaluation.

Here’s what it probably won’t look like, but this is a reasonable expectation given what we’ve learned about this regime over the past four times through the process. There are certainly ways it could be done better. I’m hopeful the front office won’t do it worse.

QB Deshaun Watson
– Jameis Winston
– Dorian Thompson-Robinson

RB Jerome Ford
– D’Onta Foreman
– Pierre Strong Jr
– KR/PR Nyheim Hines

WR Amari Cooper
– Jerry Jeudy
– Elijah Moore
– Cedric Tillman
– Jamari Thrash
– Michael Woods II

TE David Njoku
– Jordan Akins

LT Jedrick Wills Jr
– Jack Conklin | Hudson
LG Joel Bitonio
– Michael Dunn | Zinter
C Ethan Pocic
– Nick Harris(FB) | Dunn
RG Wyatt Teller
– Zak Zinter | Dunn
RT Dawand Jones
– James Hudson III | Conklin

DE Myles Garrett
– Alex Wright
– Isaiah McGuire
DT Dalvin Tomlinson
– Quinton Jefferson
DT Shelby Harris
– Maurice Hurst
DE Za’Darius Smith
– Ogbo Okoronkwo

LB Jordan Hicks
– Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah
– Tony Fields II
– Devin Bush
– Mohamoud Diabate
– Nathaniel Watson

S Juan Thornhill
– Grant Delpit
– Rodney McLeod
– D’Anthony Bell

CB Denzel Ward
– Martin Emerson Jr
– Greg Newsome II
– Cameron Mitchell
– Kahlef Hailassie
– Myles Harden

LS Charley Hughlett
K Dustin Hopkins
P/H Corey Bojorquez

PUP:
– Nick Chubb

EXEMPT:
– Michael Hall Jr

IR:
– Luke Wypler
– David Bell
– Ronnie Hickman

PS elevation if Hines starts on NFI:
– James Proche II

54. Tyler Huntley
55. Javion Cohen
56. Justin Hardee
57. Chris Edmonds
58. Zaire Mitchell-Paden

—@PoisonPill4