I'll pretty much never have any expectations for the sixteenth guy signed to the practice squad.
Right. It's a rare Sunday when the fans at home are clamoring for the team to call up someone from the practice squad. This year, out of the 9 defensive linemen that Berry kept, 6 have notable asterisks or question marks--
DE Jadeveon Clowney (Injury history)
DE Takkarist McKinley (Focus, limited training camp)
DE Jordan Elliot (2Y, Still somewhat raw)
DT Andrew Billings (Conditioning)
DT Malik McDowell (4 years away from football, behavior issues)
DT Tommy Togiai (Raw Rookie Prospect)
Lining up quality vets on the practice squad who can play real snaps on short notice is less of a luxury and more of a responsibility to the rest of the team.
DT Sheldon Day - 20 games in last 2 years / 2 starts / PFF Grade = 56.8
DE Porter Gustin - 20 games in last 2 years / 3 starts / PFF Grade = 61.3
DE Ifeadi Odenigbo - 30 games in last 2 years / 15 starts / PFF Grade = 60.7
The Cleveland Browns feature a rebuilt defensive tackle room for the 2021 season, but there are valid concerns about the 1-tech position, and the preseason served only to amplify them.
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