Some thoughts on the Grossi article:

A. This FO apparently wanted no part of Phil Dawson, so this uncertainty is what we get. I don't know if they were just wanting to be cheap, or to just say FU to a long time steady performer.

By Tony Grossi | ESPNCleveland.com

Photo/AP

Extra Points …

Five takeaways from the Browns’ 18-16 victory over the Chicago Bears …

1. Did David Nelson show enough in one mop-up exhibition game to make the final roster? I say yes. The receiver situation is this: Josh Gordon (suspended) will miss the first two games. Then there are Greg Little, Davone Bess and Travis Benjamin. Josh Cooper looks like a future chains-mover like Bess. So that’s five, reduced to four the first two weeks. Admittedly, Nelson was rusty in his first live action since tearing an ACL last September. He was out of synch in his routes and kept slipping. So give him some football cleats and give him plenty of practice reps now that he is healthy. His size and sure hands (based on his Buffalo years) will be assets when he regains his form and his confidence in a system still very new to him. The Browns have invested this much time waiting for Nelson to get on the practice field. They should not pull the plug on him now. There’s really nobody else better at the receiver position.

2. I’ve never seen the kicking game so uncertain on the day before final roster cut. That situation is this: Place-kicker Shayne Graham is reliable on field goals from inside 40 yards, but his short kickoffs are a liability. New punter Colton Schmidt displayed a strong leg on kickoffs in Chicago – and had a good punt in his only opportunity – but Spencer Lanning appears to be the stronger punter after two straight good outings. And Lanning was impressive in making the winning field goal in Chicago after Graham experienced tightness in his back in warm-ups. The Browns should try to avoid a weekly carousel at these positions, but I’m not sure how to resolve them. Plus, the kick returner situation is a puzzle. Dion Lewis’ season-ending injury has left Travis Benjamin as the only real option at kick returner, but the club does not want to over-tax him because of a presumed larger role on offense (and punt returner).

3. Do the Browns really need three quarterbacks over the age of 27? If they had a strong-armed developmental type, he would be automatic No. 3. But do they need Jason Campbell, 31, and Brian Hoyer, 27, both wasting away as Nos. 2 and 3 (whatever order you put them)? Neither of them are going to displace Brandon Weeden this year. If that does happen, the season will unravel fast and all attention will turn to the 2014 draft. So why not step “out of the box” and just keep two quarterbacks? If that were the case, my money would go on Hoyer as No. 2 because he is younger than Campbell, has more experience in a winning program than Campbell, and is a better field leader – as evidence in Chicago. If the Browns do need a third quarterback at some point this season, there is a list of a dozen or so who will gladly take their phone call.

4. There is an imbalance on the roster. There is a surplus at defensive line and linebacker and a severe need at cornerback, safety and running back. Also, I’m not comfortable without a blow-it-up, lead-blocking fullback on the team. Some of these weaknesses were the result of injuries, but the fact is there has been no injection of youth from the 2013 draft. After No. 1 pick Barkevious Mingo, who may be back for Game 2, the head-scratching decisions made in the draft have manifested into hair-pulling problems as the season begins. It will take some crafty personnel acquisitions to bail out some of the floodwater that has risen in the boat.

5. It appears to me that these are the key players on the roster bubble: Running back Brandon Jackson (1.5-yard average), H-back Brad Smelley, tight end Dan Gronkowski, linebacker James-Michael Johnson, linebacker L.J. Fort, linebacker Tank Carder, linebacker Justin Staples, end Brian Sanford, nose tackle Ishmaa’ily Kitchen, end Armonty Bryant, and offensive lineman Jarrod Shaw.

http://espncleveland.com/common/more.php?m=49&post_id=21601

Don't forget, Gordon doesn't count against the roster the first two weeks, so an extra guy will make the team, my 53rd guy is Roosevelt.

I also think they will bring in another running back and take a hard look at guards and corners.

Zombo