Cleveland: Can two Browns rookie draft picks who missed virtually the entire preseason survive roster cuts this weekend?
Wide receiver Ricardo Louis, a fourth-round selection, and cornerback Trey Caldwell, a fifth-round choice, were among the Browns who didn’t play in the preseason finale Thursday night against the Chicago Bears. It was a last chance to audition before all NFL teams must trim their 75-man rosters to 53 players by 4 p.m. Saturday.
Louis played in the exhibition opener Aug. 12 against the Green Bay Packers and missed the final three preseason games because of a hamstring injury. Caldwell missed all four preseason games and almost all of training camp with a hamstring injury.
Louis and Caldwell returned to practice Monday and coach Hue Jackson was asked afterward if it was too late for them to earn roster spots.
“Never too late for anybody as you know. We will see,” Jackson said. “I don’t know if those guys can participate on Thursday, but we would love to have the opportunity to evaluate them further and see where it goes.
“It is still the body of work. The guys were here through OTAs [in the spring]. We would love to see them in a game. That would give you a little bit more clarification of what they are but, at the same time, we have a pretty good idea of who they are and where they are. Will it be tough for them to earn a spot? That is yet to be determined. We will figure that one out.”
Louis is probably more likely to make the team than Caldwell, but both players are on the bubble. They would be prime candidates for the 10-man practice squad if they’re cut.
Other Browns players who sat out against the Bears were cornerback Justin Gilbert (concussion), undrafted rookie cornerback Tracy Howard (hamstring), wide receiver Marlon Moore (hip) and running back Raheem Mostert (hamstring).
Veteran returns
The only surprise among the Browns’ inactives was that cornerback Tramon Williams wasn’t one of them.
Williams played despite sitting out practices the past week with an injured toe. He was sidelined for the third preseason game Friday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“I was able to move around like I really wanted to, so it was good to get that underneath my belt,” Williams said. “Whenever you come off an injury or whatnot, you always want to get out there and test it and see how it feels. I was able to get through it.”
There has been speculation about the Browns possibly cutting Williams because of his age (33), high salary ($6.2 million in 2016) and place in the pecking order after Jamar Taylor replaced him as the starter opposite Joe Haden nearly two weeks ago.
Yet Jackson insisted Monday that Williams remains in the team’s plans moving forward.
“Tramon? Oh yeah, Tramon is [in our plans],” Jackson said. “Tramon, we are just waiting for him to get over his little thing that he has with his foot and we will get him back out there. I’m excited about him. He is a pro. I like what he has done and, obviously, we need to get him more opportunities out there on the field.”
Asked if he feels secure heading into cutdown weekend, Williams said, “I hope so. There’s nothing guaranteed in this league. But I hope.”
Continuing to flash
Rookie defensive end Carl Nassib continues to have a more than respectable summer.
A third-round pick out of Penn State, Nassib batted down a third-down pass at the 6:29 mark of the first quarter to halt a Bears drive. After the play, he did his best Dikembe Mutombo imitation, wagging his finger in quarterback Brian Hoyer’s direction as if to say, “No, no, no!”
Nassib also had a quarterback pressure on a sack fellow rookie Emmanuel Ogbah recorded.
New look
With coach Hue Jackson stating his starters would get extensive work, the Browns opened in the nickel defense that included Nassib at defensive end, Ogbah at left defensive tackle, Xavier Cooper at right tackle and Armonty Bryant at right end.
Safety Jordan Poyer started and was joined by cornerbacks Tramon Williams in the slot and Haden and Taylor on the outside.
Bryant will begin a four-game suspension to start the season for using performance-enhancing drugs.
Old friend returns
Hoyer, a former Browns quarterback, returned to play at FirstEnergy Stadium as the Bears’ backup. It was the Lakewood native’s first appearance here since leaving the Browns in free agency after the 2014 season and signing with the Houston Texans.
An inconsistent season with the Texans and four interceptions and two fumbles in January’s AFC Wild Card Game ensured his departure from Houston. He landed with the Bears this past spring on a one-year contract.
Hoyer hit on 12-of-16 passes for 112 yards in the first half Thursday.
Special play
Linebacker Tank Carder came up with a big play on the punt team for the Browns, scooping up a ball that hit Bears returner BJ Daniels on the foot.
After a review confirmed the call, Browns quarterback Robert Griffin III led the offense on a six-play, 18-yard drive, capped by a 4-yard TD run by Isaiah Crowell.
Punters duel
Recently signed first-year punter Michael Palardy opened up the team’s battle at that position with a 39-yard effort. His competition, Kasey Redfern — whom the Browns acquired along with a 2018 fourth-round draft choice from the Carolina Panthers in exchange for punter Andy Lee — followed with a 35-yard effort on his first attempt.
Palardy also held on placekicker Patrick Murray’s successful extra point and on his missed field goal at the end of the first half.
Stepping up
Browns captains for Thursday’s game included left tackle Joe Thomas, quarterback Robert Griffin III and linebackers Demario Davis and Nate Orchard.
Night off
The Indians, fresh off a three-game sweep of the Minnesota Twins, had Thursday off, giving manager Terry Francona and bench coach Brad Mills the chance to get down on the field prior to the Browns game.