Cleveland Browns 2024 training camp position group preview: Linebackers

BEREA — Training camp is fast approaching for the Browns.

Rookies are scheduled to report on Monday, with the veterans coming in the next day. The Browns will then head to the Greenbrier in West Virginia on July 25 for the first of seven practices over nine days there before returning to Berea for the remainder of camp.

Leading up to the start of camp, each Browns position group is getting its moment in the spotlight. Today, the linebackers take center stage.

For the previous position group previews, look here:

∙ Quarterbacks

∙ Running backs

∙ Tight ends

∙ Wide receivers

∙ Offensive tackles

∙ Guards

∙ Center

∙ Defensive ends

∙ Defensive tackles

Here's a look at the Browns linebackers heading into training camp.

On the Cleveland Browns roster: Linebackers

Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Jordan Hicks, Devin Bush Jr., Mohamoud Diabate, Tony Fields II, Caleb Johnson, Winston Reid, Charlie Thomas III, Nathaniel Watson

Projected starters: Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah and Jordan Hicks

You may be asking, "Wait a minute. I thought they played three linebackers in their base scheme?" You would be correct in that question. So why are just two listed? That's because the expectations are that the Browns will play a significantly higher percentage of three-cornerback or three-safety this season than they do base. If there were a third linebacker, it feels like it would be between free-agent signee and former first-round draft pick Devin Bush or fourth-year pro Tony Fields II. Having cleaned up that, let's talk about the two linebackers who should really be the heart and soul of this position group. Owusu-Koramoah is coming into his fourth season after finally having the break-out year in 2023. He led the league with 20 tackles for loss to go with 3.5 sacks, earning his first Pro Bowl selection. Hicks was signed in free agency on the same day the Browns lost Anthony Walker Jr. and Sione Takitaki, their two leaders at the position. The nine-year veteran, in some ways, takes their place at the front of the room. Hicks has posted at least 107 tackles each of the last five seasons, and has eight sacks combined over the last three years.

One to watch: Devin Bush Jr.

Bush is another of general manager Andrew Berry's attempts to get in on a diminished asset and hope it pays off. The University of Michigan product was the No. 10 pick in the 2019 draft, when the Pittsburgh Steelers did what they rarely do — trade up in the first round — to select him. His rookie year showed promise, with 109 tackles, four fumble recoveries, two interceptions and one forced fumble. A second-year knee injury, however, has been a major hurdle for Bush to overcome. He played in 13 games with three starts for the Seattle Seahawks last season. If Bush, who's father played for the Browns early in the expansion era, can find a way to get back to some semblance of the player he was as a rookie, it will be a major boost to both the defense and to a position group thin on proven high-level NFL production.

Potential training camp battle: Can Nathaniel Watson make it as a 6th-round pick?

Watson was the 206th player selected in April's draft, a sixth-round selection out of Mississippi State University. Almost immediately, the 24-year-old became an intriguing prospect on the roster for a variety of reasons. One was the high level of production Watson had the last two seasons in Starkville, with more than 200 combined tackles. The other was the various ways a player with his skillset could be utilized on not just defense, but also special teams. The question, though, concerns Watson's pathway to actually make the 53-man roster. How many linebackers do the Browns keep? How do special teams impact those bottom-of-the-roster decisions? How many open spots are there on the entire roster?

Impact of injuries entering training camp

There are no significant injuries impacting the linebacker group entering training camp.

Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ