Browns Draft Pick Could Be Surprising 53-Man Roster Casualty
With a roster loaded with depth across the board, few NFL franchises will have as many painful decisions to make to build their 53-man regular season roster as the Cleveland Browns.
Cleveland’s talent concentration among the defensive line is evident after the Browns added two more players – second-round selection Mike Hall Jr. and seventh-round pick Jowon Briggs – to an already-crowded defensive tackle room.
With eight players at the position, Cleveland will need to reduce that number by two or more athletes to create their game-day roster.
Is former draft pick Siaki Ika among those who could be a casualty of a 53-man roster selection?
The chance certainly exists Cleveland has decided to move on from the former Baylor Bear after selecting him last year with a third-round pick.
Ika was a healthy scratch the entire season until veteran Maurice Hurst went down with an injury near the end of the season, prompting Cleveland to insert the rookie into the lineup.
In 2023, the defensive tackle played in four games for the Browns, recording only a pass deflection on the stat sheet.
Ika started his college career at LSU in 2019, playing 17 games at the school before moving to Baylor in 2021.
At the Big 12 school, Ika showcased his talents by playing in 25 games and recording 27 tackles and four sacks in two seasons.
The 6-foot-3, 335-pound tackle is believed to have entered this year’s OTA session in better condition than he did as a rookie, showing the athlete had slimmed down in preparation to fight for his spot on the roster this season.
