The countdown 'til training camp is on.
In two weeks, the Browns will be back in Berea for five weeks of practices, meetings and preparations for the 2021 season — one that's filled with hype following several key additions to the defense and little changes to an offense that thrived in 2020.
We're examining each position on the roster as Day 1 of camp nears and continuing with a position that will feature at least three new starters and one pivotal leader.
The Defensive Line
Check out photos of the defensive linemen the Browns will be bringing into training camp
Defensive end Myles Garrett (95) during the third day of minicamp on June 17, 2021.
Defensive end Porter Gustin (97) during a NFL football game between the Washington Football Team and Cleveland Browns on September 27, 2020 at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Browns won 34-20.
Defensive end Porter Gustin (94) during the sixth day of phase three on June 3, 2021.
Defensive tackle Tommy Togiai (93) during the third day of minicamp on June 17, 2021.
Defensive end Takkarist McKinley (55) during the third day of minicamp on June 17, 2021.
Defensive end Takkarist McKinley (55) during the third day of minicamp on June 17, 2021.
Defensive tackle Sheldon Day (92) during the third day of minicamp on June 17, 2021.
Defensive end Curtis Weaver (59) during the third day of minicamp on June 17, 2021.
Defensive tackle Marvin Wilson (65) during the third day of minicamp on June 17, 2021.
Cleveland Browns defensive linemen Damion Square (61) during an NFL football practice at the team's training facility, Thursday, June 17, 2021 in Berea, Ohio. (AP Photo/David Dermer)
Defensive end Jadeveon Clowney (90) during the third day of minicamp on June 17, 2021.
Defensive end Cameron Malveaux (69) during the third day of minicamp on June 17, 2021.
Defensive end Jadeveon Clowney (90) and Defensive tackle Malik Jackson (97) during the second day of minicamp on June 16, 2021.
Defensive end Jadeveon Clowney (90) during the third day of minicamp on June 17, 2021.
Defensive tackle Andrew Billings (99) during the first day of minicamp on June 15, 2021.
Defensive end Curtis Weaver (59) during the third day of minicamp on June 17, 2021.
Defensive tackle Sheldon Day (92) during the sixth day of phase three on June 3, 2021.
Defensive end Jadeveon Clowney (90) during the first day of minicamp on June 15, 2021.
Defensive tackle Sheldon Day (92) during the sixth day of phase three on June 3, 2021.
Defensive end Myles Garrett (95) during a NFL football game between the Houston Texans and Cleveland Browns on November 15, 2020 at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Browns won 10-7.
Defensive end Takkarist McKinley (55) during the first day of minicamp on June 15, 2021.
Defensive end Romeo McKnight (57) during the sixth day of phase three on June 3, 2021.
Defensive tackle Jordan Elliott (96) during the ninth day of phase three on June 8, 2021.
Defensive tackle Malik Jackson (97) during the sixth day of phase three on June 3, 2021.
Defensive tackle Malik Jackson (97) during the fifth day of phase three on June 2, 2021.
Defensive tackle Marvin Wilson (65) during the sixth day of phase three on June 3, 2021.
Defensive tackle Andrew Billings (99) during the fifth day of phase three on June 2, 2021.
Defensive tackle Malik Jackson (97) and Defensive tackle Andrew Billings (99) during the fifth day of phase three on June 2, 2021.
Defensive end Curtis Weaver (59) during the sixth day of phase three on June 3, 2021.
Defensive tackle Andrew Billings (99) during the fifth day of phase three on June 2, 2021.
Defensive tackle Malik McDowell (58) during the fourth day of phase two on May 20, 2021.
Defensive tackle Jordan Elliott (90) during a NFL football game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Cleveland Browns on November 22, 2020 at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Browns won 22-17.
Defensive tackle Tommy Togiai (93) during the third day of phase two on May 19, 2021.
Defensive tackle Marvin Wilson (65) during the first day of phase two on May 17, 2021.
Defensive end Romeo McKnight (57) during the third day of rookie minicamp on May 16, 2021.
Defensive end Myles Garrett (95) after a NFL wild-card playoff football game between the Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers on January 10, 2021 at Heinz Field. The Browns won 48-37.
Defensive end Joe Jackson (91) during practice on September 21, 2020
Defensive tackle Malik McDowell (58) during the first day of rookie minicamp on May 14, 2021.
Defensive tackle Malik McDowell (58) during the first day of rookie minicamp on May 14, 2021.
Defensive tackle Jordan Elliott (90) during a NFL football game between the Cleveland Browns and Jacksonville Jaguars on November 29, 2020 at TIAA Bank Field. The Browns won 27-25.
Defensive end Porter Gustin (97) during a NFL wild-card playoff football game between the Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers on January 10, 2021 at Heinz Field. The Browns won 48-37.
Defensive end Cameron Malveaux (69) during a NFL football game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Cleveland Browns on November 22, 2020 at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Browns won 22-17.
Defensive end Cameron Malveaux (69) during a NFL football game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Cleveland Browns on November 22, 2020 at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Browns won 22-17.
Defensive end Myles Garrett (95) during a NFL football game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns on January 3, 2021 at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Browns won 24 -22.
Defensive end Joe Jackson (91) before a NFL football game between the Washington Football Team and Cleveland Browns on September 27, 2020 at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Browns won 34-20.
Defensive tackle Jordan Elliott (90) during practice on August 13, 2020
Defensive end Joe Jackson (91) during practice on October 14, 2020
What we know:Ever since Myles Garrett was drafted No. 1 overall in 2017, the defensive line has been one of the top strengths in Cleveland. Now, the question is how much better it can get with the additions of Jadeveon Clowney, the only other defensive end to be drafted first overall in the last decade, Takkarist McKinley and other new players capable of cracking the rotation at both D-End positions. Garrett and Clowney could become one of the most devastating pass rush duos in the NFL, but they'll still need contributions from the interior — arguably the most open position group on the whole roster — to maximize their Pro Bowl talents. That competition started once Larry Ogunjobi and Sheldon Richardson, the two DT starters from last season, left the Browns this offseason.
What we don't know:A lot of questions will be answered in this group this season: Who will start at defensive tackle? Who will be first in line for rotational reps behind Garrett and Clowney? How often will Garrett, Clowney and McKinley be on the field all at once? Will any of the young players in the group emerge as heavy contributors? How much can Clowney help Garrett, and vice versa? OK, now take a breath … Some of these questions will be answered in training camp, and some of them won't be answered until we're in the thick of the season. This group has a lot of proven veterans and a lot of promising pieces that could grow into bigger roles as early as Week 1, so it'll be up to defensive line coach Chris Kiffin and defensive coordinator Joe Woods to evaluate how to create a consistent package of pain for opposing quarterbacks every Sunday.
The X-Factor: Clowney. He picked Cleveland in his free agency search not only because he believed the Browns were one of the teams best shaped to win in 2021, but also because he thinks he can return to the same level of play that made him a Pro Bowler with the Texans for three years from 2016-2018. He's dealt with injuries in the seasons since, but if Clowney comes close to touching double-digit sacks like he did when he was healthy for full seasons, that likely means everyone on the D-Line — and the entire defense, really — is wreaking havoc.
The biggest number: 24.5. That's how many sacks Clowney totaled from 2016-2018, which amounts to just over .5 sacks per game. That's been the best stretch of his career so far, and he did a chunk of it alongside All-Pro DE J.J. Watt. Now, Clowney has an All-Pro player on the other side of the line again in Garrett.
Says it all: "When guys are trying to win and everybody is looking for the win, it brings out the best in everybody on the team. That is what we try to do here is bring out the best in every player. I think the staff is trying to do that. Winning is definitely going to do that. When you start winning, everybody is happy and everybody wants to go out there and make plays and ball. I am looking forward to that. Hopefully, we can get on that winning train and everybody just wants to go out there, dominate and make plays." - Clowney
How many were kept on the initial 53-man roster last year?: 8 (four DTs, four DEs)
