Dawgs By Nature
There are still holes on the Browns roster that need depth
The Cleveland Browns are just over a month from the beginning of training camp. Their roster is completely full. But that hasn’t stopped GM Andrew Berry from tweaking it each week. It is common for him to drop a guy with a new player already signed.
It just so happens that an entire league just completed its season with eight teams’ worth of available players. The United Football League (UFL) concluded its season last Saturday, June 14, with their league championship game in which the DC Defenders defeated the Michigan Panthers 58-34.
RELATED: GIVE ONE SIMPLE REASON FOR OPTIMISM IN 2025
UFL players participate under one-year deals. Once the season has concluded, each athlete is available to be signed. The season is positioned to conclude before NFL training camps begin, which gives every player in the UFL the opportunity to be signed to a training camp and advance their playing careers.
Last year, 87 UFL players signed with NFL teams. During the 2024 NFL season, 21 UFL players were either listed on the main roster, practice squad, or IR.
Despite a full roster of 90 players signed to the current Browns’ roster, there are needs to be filled. The UFL has numerous players who could help this team and provide some quality depth needed at crucial positions.
Here are three players at need positions for Cleveland to consider.
The Browns appear good at tight end with Pro Bowler David Njoku as the starter and college football’s leading receiver, Harold Fannin, being drafted this year. But TE3 remains an issue. Blake Whiteheart is set to battle it out with Brenden Bates for this position, but what if there is a better option?
Whiteheart played in 11 contests for the Browns in 2024 with just six catches for 51 yards. Bates came to Cleveland late in the season after bouncing around the practice squad of two other clubs and had zero stats. Neither player has shown much.
Cannella is a good blocker and would be an excellent red zone target. He has very good YAC numbers and is a tough kid to bring down.
After a decent career at Auburn, he went undrafted in 2020 and then spent time with the Generals of The Spring League and Miami Dolphins training camp. In 2022, he was drafted #2 by the New Orleans Breakers of the USFL and had 34 receptions for 368 yards with two scores and a 10.8 yards per reception average. At season’s end, he was named to the All-USFL Team.
The Green Bay Packers signed him after the USFL season concluded, and he was released on the final cutdown. He then found a home with the Arlington...
