Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Cleveland Browns: 3 position battles to watch vs. Tampa Bay

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Aug 18, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns cornerback Tramon Williams (22) during the second half at FirstEnergy Stadium, the Atlanta Falcons defeated the Cleveland Browns 24-13. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

The Cleveland Browns face Tampa Bay tonight in the third preseason game. Here are 3 key position battles to keep an eye on during the game.

The Cleveland Browns take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers tonight in what is generally considered the most important game of the preseason.

Tonight’s game will be the final time that many of the front-line players will see actual game action until the season opener on Sept. 11 against the Philadelphia Eagles. Not only is the game the last opportunity to work against an opposing team, it also gives players in a position battle or a fight for a roster spot a chance to make one final lasting impression on the coaching staff.

Tuesday brings the first round of roster cuts as NFL teams are required to be down to a maximum of 75 players on the active list by 4 p.m. By Sept. 3 – two days after the Browns close out the preseason — the final roster cuts take place as the 53-man roster must be set by 6 p.m.

With those roster decisions looming, here are three position groups to keep an eye on tonight.

Aug 12, 2016; Green Bay, WI, USA; Cleveland Browns offensive lineman Cameron Erving (74) during the game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

Cameron Erving is the unquestioned starter at the position, but still needs as much work as he can possibly get before things get real.

Complicating the issue is that Erving missed a week of camp with an arm injury and is now battling a bum ankle. The second-year center reportedly hurt his ankle on Tuesday during a joint practice with the Buccaneers and then left practice early.

Head coach Hue Jackson said on Wednesday that he “thinks” that Erving will play tonight, but executive vice president of football operations Sashi Brown painted a slightly different picture on Thursday.

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“We’re hopeful and are going to be smart about Cam’s ankle in monitoring him. But he’s a tough guy that wants to be out there every snap,” Brown told ohio.com. “Hue was smart yesterday in kind of pulling him back so he doesn’t do further damage in a practice setting.”

If Erving is limited tonight, or tweaks his ankle and has to leave earlier than expected, it will be interesting to see what the Browns do.

Garth Gerhart is currently listed as the backup center ahead of Mike Matthews. Both are undrafted free agents — Gerhart in 2012 and Matthews this year — so in some ways they are interchangeable and a drop off from Erving. Just how steep of a drop off, though, is the big question.

If Gerhart or Matthews don’t show enough tonight or in the final preseason game next week, the Browns could turn to right guard John Greco as a backup option. Greco filled that role in 2014 when Alex Mack was injured, but only as an emergency solution to finish out the game.

Having Greco as the backup presents the same problem now that it did two years ago. If the Browns move Greco to center it creates a ripple effect as they then need someone to fill in at guard. Austin Pasztor has played guard before, but he is currently listed as the starting right tackle, so if you move him over it impacts a third position on the line.

We’re going out on a (very short) limb here, but the thought of one injury disrupting 60 percent of the starting offensive line is not something that Jackson is eager to embrace.

While Erving should be fine for the start of the regular season, having a viable backup option that is not disruptive to the rest of the line would be nice, leaving the Browns hoping that Gerhart or Matthews make the most out of these final days.

Aug 12, 2016; Green Bay, WI, USA; Green Bay Packers quarterback Joe Callahan, right, scrambles away from Cleveland Browns linebacker Justin Tuggle, left, in the second quarter at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

Demario Davis and Christian Kirksey have been penciled in as the starters since the opening of training camp, and while they haven’t exactly stood out so far, nothing seems to have changed.

The backup slots are a different story, however.

The unofficial depth chart shows Justin Tuggle and Tank Carder as the backups, and while Carder has been noticeable in the preseason — especially when it comes to delivering blocks on opposing punters — the same cannot be said of Tuggle.

The Browns signed Tuggle as a free agent after he spent three mostly forgettable seasons with the Houston Texans. So far though training camp and two preseason games, Tuggle has filled the same role with the Browns – you know he played because his name is in the box score, but you can’t remember anything he did on the field.

A player who has been getting noticed is inside linebacker Dominique Alexander, who signed with the Browns as an undrafted free agent this spring. When he’s been on the field, the 6-foot and 235-pound Alexander has been hard to miss.

“He’s a hitter and he makes sure that he lets people know that in practice and coming up and making big plays and making noise,” cornerback Joe Haden said. “That’s one thing that you need as a linebacker is he’s not afraid of that at all.”

Carder may have an edge as he is a known quantity, especially to special teams coordinator Chris Tabor, but the more Alexander is on the field the more difficult he makes it for the coaches to ignore him.

Aug 18, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Mohamed Sanu (12) runs the ball as Cleveland Browns defensive back Jamar Taylor (27) defends during the first quarter at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

As long as he is healthy, Joe Haden will hold down one of the starting cornerback slots. Who lines up across from him remains very much an open question.

Tramon Williams entered camp as the starter, but took a back seat to Jamar Taylor this week during the joint practices with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

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The Browns acquired Taylor, a former second-round draft selection, in a draft day trade with the Miami Dolphins. He came to town with the reputation of a someone who struggles in coverage — he was ranked as the 110th worst corner in the NFL according to ProFootballFocus.com last season as a pass defender — but was competent against the run.

With Cleveland continuing to have issues stopping the run and tackling, having a corner who is willing to at least make an attempt at stopping the opposition could be why the Browns are giving Taylor an extended look. (For an example of what the Browns don’t want from their cornerbacks, check out this video.)

The move didn’t sit well with the veteran Williams and he hinted that it may not be permanent.

“From what I’ve heard, I’m not going to say it’s gone right now,” Williams said of his starting job, according to ohio.com. “I was told (the decision) was not from my play. You want to give a different guy reps and see what he can do, especially with a different team.

“So you have to go through those things, and right now I’m just at the point where I just have to sit and watch.”

Even if the move to make Taylor the starter does prove permanent, that doesn’t mean we’ve seen the last of Williams. The Browns still need someone to take hold of the nickel cornerback slot and it seems likely that Williams and Taylor will still be on the field together this fall.

“I think you can never have enough corners, first, I would say, and Tramon’s been a great pro for us,” Brown said. “Guys haven’t set the depth chart for Week 1. He’s a savvy veteran that’s come in and worked hard, played well, helped a lot of the young guys along as well. We do value him.”

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