Getty Wide receiver and return man Jaelon Darden, formerly of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Cleveland Browns are one day out from the NFL’s first preseason game of the summer, and the unofficial depth chart is speaking volumes about who has the inside track to make the team — as well as who doesn’t.
Perhaps the most telling column on said depth chart, released by the Browns on July 31, concerns the team’s stable of wide receiver talent. There aren’t any surprises at the top, with Amari Cooper, Donovan Peoples-Jones and Elijah Moore slotted in as the starters. However, the No. 6/7 slots that represent the potential cutoff point are where the position battle gets interesting.
As it stands heading into Thursday night’s Hall of Fame Game against the New York Jets, wideout and return man Jaelon Darden is occupying the sixth spot on Cleveland’s depth chart ahead of notable players Jakeem Grant Sr. and Anthony Schwartz, whose positions on the roster must now be considered in serious peril.
Jakeem Grant Has Better Chance to Make Browns’ 53-Man Roster Than Anthony Schwartz
GettyWide receiver Anthony Schwartz of the Cleveland Browns faces an uphill battle to make the team’s 53-man roster in his third NFL season.
Grant, a Pro-Bowl returner in 2021, signed a three-year contract worth $10 million to join the Browns last offseason in the hopes of expanding his role as a wide receiver. Instead, Grant suffered a torn Achillles tendon last August and missed the entirety of the 2022 campaign.
The Browns restructured Grant’s deal in February, lowering his cap hit from $3.56 million to $1.77 million this season. That move, plus Grant’s value on special teams, puts him in a better position to make the Browns’ 53-man roster than some of his teammates who are also potentially facing the chopping block this month.
Schwartz is one such player who, despite possessing game-breaking speed that can stretch a defense, has failed to find his stride in Cleveland. The receiver has caught just 14 passes for 186 yards and one touchdown over his two-year career with the Browns and didn’t contribute at all on special teams in 2022, per Pro Football Reference.
Marquise Goodwin’s Health Issues May Open Spot for Jakeem Grant on Browns’ Roster
GettyDefensive end Myles Garrett (left) of the Cleveland Browns pursues teammate and wide receiver/return man Jakeem Grant Sr. (right), formerly of the Chicago Bears, during the NFL Pro Bowl Game in February 2022.
Cory Kinnan of USA Today’s Browns Wire predicted on Monday that Darden will ultimately get the nod over both Grant and Schwartz, despite a limited role with the Browns in 2022 after joining the franchise late last year.
However, Kinnan pointed out that an unexpected health issue (blood clots in his legs and lungs) facing offseason acquisition Marquise Goodwin could open up more space for Grant to remain on the roster.
Joining the Browns in December of 2022, wide receiver Jaelon Darden played just three total snaps in Cleveland. However, now with a full summer in the building, Darden finds himself above veterans [Grant] and [Schwartz] on the initial depth chart.
While Schwartz has little hope of making the roster this summer, the Browns restructured the deal of the All-Pro return man in Grant that made his roster spot a bit safer. Darden is also listed as a third-team return man, so there is a chance the Browns prefer the upside of the young receiver over the veteran. With the looming blood clot issues [facing] Marquise Goodwin, however, both Darden and Grant could make the roster.