As the Cleveland Browns prepare for their final preseason game against the Los Angeles Rams, they have various decisions to make. For some position groups, there is still work to do either because of injuries or they simply didn’t acquire enough talent. For others, it’s just looking at opportunities to upgrade. Finally, there are some potential trade possibilities for the Browns to try to bolster their roster or stockpile draft assets for the future.

Unfortunately, head coach Kevin Stefanski has made the decision to play his starters for 25 or 30 snaps, including his 40-year old quarterback, Joe Flacco. Hopefully the Browns are able to get off the field faster than that, reducing the chance for injury. Nevertheless, this will put some of the questions the Browns have to answer on display in the s0-called dress rehearsal. It does potentially provide some insight into how the Browns are thinking of addressing a few of them.

Quarterback

Everything here is either directly or indirectly about Kenny Pickett. The Browns think highly of Pickett and his ability, but a hamstring injury has all but wiped out any meaningful chance to compete for the starting job. He will not be playing in the final preseason game.

Do the Browns want to keep Pickett as a backup to Joe Flacco and see if an opportunity arises for him to see if he can realize the vision they had for him? It ensures they have a veteran backup, but since the team has every reason to keep both rookies, the cost of carrying four quarterbacks on the active roster is significant, even if they are four of the best 53 players.

Some of this depends on how the Browns evaluate Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders? If the Browns believe one or both of them could step in for Flacco were he to suffer an injury, then it behooves the Browns to trade Kenny Pickett as long if there’s a market.

There has to be a major sense of disappointment within the organization that they never got a chance to see just how far Pickett could go in this offense, but if they are going to be looking to make another significant investment at the quarterback position next April, they should try to move him.

Running Back

The Browns are still waiting for clarity from the league on their investigation of Quinshon Judkins. After that, the Browns have rookie Dylan Sampson and veteran Jerome Ford. More than likely, the Browns would simply keep three backs with someone like Ahmani Marshall on the practice squad, assuming he clears waivers.

If the Browns believe a suspension for Judkins is coming, thy will want to add more help. They might also want to explore if there’s someone they feel could ultimately surpass Ford.

The name that continue to make a ton of sense for the Browns is Audric Estime. Currently with the Denver Broncos, seemingly on the outside looking in, Estime could reunite with his former college offensive coordinator in Tommy Rees. He’s a powerful back that could pound between the tackles and because of his familiarity with Rees, could perhaps be a better fit with the Browns than he had with the Broncos.

Wide Receiver

Jerry Jeudy, Cedric Tillman and Jamari Thrash are locks. The guaranteed money suggests Isaiah Bond isn’t going anywhere. That leaves two spots. Diontae Johnson is a veteran, but he’s been inconsistent. Gage Larvadain flashes real ability, but needs to be better in terms of details in route running. Kaden Davis has been on the end of a number of passes from both rookie quarterbacks, including a pair of touchdowns.

There’s also DeAndre Carter, but he doesn’t contribute much beyond kick and punt return. Lavradain can return punts. Davis has returned kicks. Those two could combine to make Carter expendable. Beyond that, with the amount of receiver needy teams making trades to acquire help at that position, the Browns might be wise to try to move Johnson.

Tight End

After David Njoku and Harold Fannin, the Browns could go in a few different directions. They could simply keep either Blake Whiteheart or Brenden Bates, maybe make a waiver claim. However, the Browns aren’t afraid to simply use an extra offensive lineman as a tight end and there simply may not be much of a threat for Whiteheart or Bate to be claimed if they are subjected to waivers.

It’s highly unlikely they would both be claimed, allowing one to get to the practice squad of the Browns. They could then simply activate one of them as needed. This might be a position group the Browns use to keep another player they like, even if it’s only temporary. Whiteheart still seems like the favorite here, but neither one has made an argument to this point that demands they make the 53.

Offensive Line

There hasn’t been any clarity with the ankle injury suffered by Cornelius Lucas. Hopefully, that means that he will be ready to go by the time the season gets rolling, if not soon after. The only projected backup lineman that has been consistent to this point is Luke Wypler, firmly entrenching himself as the backup center with a chance to be the starter in the future.

Beyond that, it’s been largely inconsistent play up front from the second unit. Teven Jenkins, who could function as a bulldozer of a jumbo tight end, struggled in the first preseason game in pass protection. The second, he was excellent. Everyone else has largely been up and down within each game. The exception is Zak Zinter, who only played in the second game. While he wasn’t bad, he looked rather slow in terms of his speed to get to his spots.

Maybe the third game will be another step forward from the group. Whether it’s Lorenzo Thompson who might be a candidate to be a surprise player kept on the opening roster, everyone else is likely competing for another team or the practice squad. Javion Cohen, Jason Ivey and Sebastian Gutierrez all stand out as candidates.

Defensive Line

While it made sense a trade could help settle this group, it’s disappointing that trade included Jowon Briggs. Last year, Briggs came on strong the last month of the season, as an active run stopper who could work down the line. This year, he just looked like a stronger version. In that vein, he seemed perfectly cast to be a backup nose with a primary run focus.

The argument for moving Briggs comes down to a perceived lack of upside and believing the rest of the group can stop the run. Immediately, this might ensure Shelby Harris remains with the team. Harris has been a quality player the past two seasons. The issue for him was his age. He just celebrated his 34th birthday and it wasn’t immediately clear how he’d get snaps in this rotation. Since the Browns ask their defensive linemen to play a single gap, it gives them some flexibility in how they use them.

This also might clear the way for the Browns to keep both Adin Huntington as well as Cameron Thomas. They are making an impact both on the defensive line as well as on special teams. What stands out most, albeit in a small sample size is their respective pass rush win rates. In 34 opportunities, Huntington has a rate of 21.2 percent while Thomas has a rate of 25 percent in 28 attempts. By contrast, Julian Okwara has a 8.1 percent win rate in 39 opportunities and K.J. Henry’s win rate is 10.7 percent in 30 attempts.

Linebacker

The season-ending bicep injury to Bookie Watson is unfortunate. There was a non-zero chance that if Devin Bush was going to be suspended, Watson might have taken his job as the SAM linebacker. If Bush is suspended, the Browns could use that roster spot as a way to hide a player temporarily. That could be Kenny Pickett or another position, but given how much the Browns use the practice squad as an extension of their linebacker room, it likely will not be one of them.

The Watson injury could simply mean that Jerome Baker and Winston Reid occupy those last linebacker spots. Still, it leaves the door open a crack for someone like Easton Mascarenas-Arnold to try to make himself impossible to cut.

Corner

After Denzel Ward and Greg Newsome, who have both been hurt for parts of this preseason slate, there are a number of question marks. The slot corner spot is unsettled. It seems as if the Browns are cycling through so many options because they are searching for answers. This might have the biggest chance for a surprise of any room on the team.

With the Browns second in the order for waiver claims, corner could be the position they plan to prioritize. It’s just difficult to believe that anyone else is going to cut an answer with the number of team desperate for help at that position, but the Browns will likely grab someone.

Safety

Beyond Grant Delpit, the question is how many more veteran safeties the Browns want to keep. Ronnie Hickman looks to have locked up the free safety job. Rookie Donovan McMillon looks to have legitimate ability. Christopher Edmunds, in his second year, hopes to lock up a roster spot after spending last year on the team’s practice squad.

That leaves Rayshawn Jenkins and Damontae Kazee. If they keep Edmonds, that leaves one spot for one of these two. If not, they can keep both. There’s also a possibility that Nik Needham is retained as a corner because he could potentially also be depth at safety, where he’s played some reps in the preseason.

Special Teams

Rex Sunahara appears to have won the long snapper job. Corey Bojorquez was uncontested as the team’s punter. Kicker could be another curveball. There continue to be questions with Dustin Hopkins. The Browns could go with Andre Szmyt, who has been competing with him in camp or look for help outside the organization.