Marquise Goodwin makes Browns' 53-man roster; Watkins, Felton cut
Aug. 29—Talk about a story with a happy ending — minicamp ended with Marquise Goodwin fearing his playing days were over because clots were discovered in his legs and lungs. Practice for the regular season began Aug. 29 with Goodwin part of the Browns' 53-man roster.
The Browns, as did every other team in the NFL, made various moves Aug. 29 to reduce the roster to 53 before the 4 p.m. Eastern time deadline.
The current roster will be massaged as General Manager Andrew Berry plucks other teams' discards from the waiver wire, but for now the Browns have two quarterbacks, three running backs, three tight ends, six wide receivers, nine offensive linemen, nine defensive linemen, seven linebackers, 11 defensive backs and three specialists on the roster.
Goodwin is one of the six receivers on the team along with Amari Cooper, Elijah Moore, Donovan Peoples-Jones, Cedric Tillman and David Bell. Wide receivers Austin Watkins and Jaelon Darden were cut.
Coach Kevin Stefanski has high praise for the way WR Marquise Goodwin fought through a blood clot scare in minicamp to make the #Browns 53-man roster. pic.twitter.com/qH8oR76J2X
— Jeff Schudel (@jsproinsider) August 29, 2023
"That's pretty special for the young man," Coach Kevin Stefanski said when asked about Goodwin. "I don't know that I've ever been around a player who's as locked in as he is without practicing for a long time.
"In every meeting he is locked in, every walkthrough, every game. That's hard for a player that's not getting any reps to play that role for himself, for his teammates. So I'm proud of the young man. I'm excited for him. I know as a team, we're excited for the boost that he gives us."
Stefanski said it is still too early to say whether Goodwin will be game-ready to face the Bengals Sept. 10 in the season opener, but the 5-foot-9, 180-pound receiver is definitely trending in the right direction.
Goodwin, in his 11th NFL season and first with the Browns, is the fastest receiver on the roster. He has 18 career touchdown catches.
"There was no doubt in my mind," Goodwin said. "I knew I would come back. That's why I stayed here every day with a smile on my face. Positive attitude because I knew I was coming back."
—Four players drafted by the Browns were cut Aug. 29 — running back/wide receiver Demetric Felton (2021), defensive tackle Tommy Togiai (2021), defensive end Isaiah Thomas (2022 and kicker Cade York (2022). Wide receiver Michael Woods, a 2022 draft pick, was placed on the reserve/non-football injury list. He suffered a torn Achilles tendon working out in the offseason.
The #Browns running backs go through a drill in the first post-training camp practice of the season. Nick Chubb (24), Jerome Ford (34) and the new guy, Pierre Strong (20). pic.twitter.com/Kkgwu66oUk
— Jeff Schudel (@jsproinsider) August 29, 2023
—Quarterback Kellen Mond was cut, leaving Deshaun Watson and Dorian Thompson-Robinson as the only quarterbacks on the roster. Stefanski said he is comfortable with DTR, a rookie fifth-round pick from UCLA, as Watson's only backup.
"I feel good about it," Stefanski said. "He's come a long way. He's really worked very hard all the way back to the spring when he first showed up here. He's done a nice job.
"There's a lot that goes into playing that backup role that really he just doesn't know yet because he's being taught. And I point out (offensive coordinator) Alex Van Pelt in that room with him every day. AVP, his role for his career was as a backup quarterback, so he kind of knows the ins and outs of it."
Mond could end up on the practice squad.
—Backup guard Michael Dunn was one of the more surprising cuts. But that might prove to be temporary. Defensive end Alex Wright is recovering from knee surgery. Wright is part of the 53-man roster, but now he can be transferred to injured reserve and miss only three weeks. Dunn could take his spot. Had Wright been placed on IR before the roster was set he would have to miss the entire season.
—Nick Chubb, Jerome Ford and Pierre Strong are the only running backs on the roster. Ford suffered a hamstring injury Aug. 8, but he was in individual drills Aug. 29 and should be ready for the opener, Stefanski said.
—Watson and Moore missed practice Aug. 29 because each was ill.
Browns 53-man roster:
Quarterbacks (2): Dorian Thompson-Robinson, Deshaun Watson
Running backs (3): Nick Chubb, Jerome Ford, Pierre Strong Jr.
Wide receivers (6): David Bell, Amari Cooper, Marquise Goodwin, Elijah Moore, Donovan Peoples-Jones, Cedric Tillman
Tight ends (3): Jordan Akins, Harrison Bryant, David Njoku
Offensive linemen (9): Joel Bitonio, Jack Conklin, Nick Harris, James Hudson III, Dawand Jones, Ethan Pocic, Wyatt Teller, Jedrick Wills Jr., Luke Wypler
Defensive linemen (9): Jordan Elliott, Myles Garrett, Shelby Harris, Siaki Ika, Isaiah McGuire, Ogbo Okoronkwo, Za'Darius Smith, Dalvin Tomlinson, Alex Wright
Linebackers (7): Matthew Adams, Mohamoud Diabate, Tony Fields II, Jordan Kunaszyk, Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Sione Takitaki, Anthony Walker Jr.
Defensive backs (11): D'Anthony Bell, Grant Delpit, M.J. Emerson Jr., Mike Ford Jr., A.J. Green, Ronnie Hickman, Rodney McLeod, Cameron Mitchell, Greg Newsome II, Juan Thornhill, Denzel Ward
Specialists (3): Corey Bojorquez, Dustin Hopkins, Charley Hughlett
