5 Newcomers Who Will Play Biggest Roles for the Cleveland Browns

The Cleveland Browns have changed things on both sides of the ball quite dramatically this offseason in an effort to turn around a franchise that has been perpetually struggling since returning to the league in 1999.

As such, a great number of new players—rookies and new-to-Cleveland veterans alike—will need to step up and play major roles this year for the team in order to make this experiment a success.

In the following slides, I detail five of these first-year Browns who are set to make quite an impact this season. If they do so, it should be a year of marked improvement for the AFC North's most troubled squad.

RB Trent Richardson

Both the Browns' running and passing games last season were anemic. But at least they took Trent Richardson with the No. 3 overall pick to help fix these problems.

Richardson should be both one of the top running backs in the league this season and a major receiving threat. He scored 24 total touchdowns last year at Alabama—four more than the Browns did as a team in 2011. Even if he doesn't match that production in his rookie season, he's certainly good for double-digit touchdowns—something that will help the Browns immeasurably.

Richardson is also skilled in pass protection and will be a useful run-blocker for the other backs on the Browns roster. His presence on the field will ensure the Browns put forth a much more threatening offense this year, which is just what the team sorely needs.

QB Brandon Weeden

Browns head coach Pat Shurmur said on Wednesday that he hopes to be able to name a starting quarterback by the time training camp starts, and all signs are pointing to rookie Brandon Weeden being that guy.

Weeden has been getting increasingly more reps with the first-team offense as OTAs and minicamp continue, and there have been nothing but rave reviews from onlookers about Weeden's arm strength and accuracy. 

He has also displayed the confidence and maturity which made him a standout to the Browns in the first place, and he should be comfortable enough as a rookie to make a real impact, even though the quarterback position carries with it a great deal of scrutiny and difficulty.

Though the Browns would be in a much better position offensively even if Colt McCoy remained the starter this year, thanks to Trent Richardson, things are looking even better now that Weeden is the player everyone hoped he'd be when drafted.

If he can continue his offseason success into the start of the regular season, then Weeden's impact will both be high and positive. 

DE Frostee Rucker

Frostee Rucker came to the Browns via free agency. The former Cincinnati Bengal is set to be the starter at right defensive end, replacing the ineffective Jayme Mitchell, who is now with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Browns were horrible at stopping the run last season, giving up an average of 147 yards on the ground per game. Shoring up their defensive line with run-stopping in mind was a major priority for the Browns this offseason, and the addition of Rucker should convincingly help that effort.

Last year, Rucker had 44 tackles, four sacks and six run plays stuffed at or behind the line of scrimmage. With the Browns, he'll be given even more responsibility and should flourish. He'll also provide valuable veteran mentorship for the younger players on the Browns' defensive line.

Any and every player the Browns can get to prevent being run on the way they were last season is a help and will make an impact, Rucker most definitely included.

RT Mitchell Schwartz

The Browns released starting right tackle Tony Pashos in March, after he had been dealing with a torn foot tendon throughout the 2011 season. Though Oniel Cousins was tasked with the right tackle job during the start of OTAs, the word is the job is ultimately second-round draft pick Mitchell Schwartz's to lose.

Right tackle was the only glaring weakness last year on an otherwise impressive Browns offensive line. Now, with Schwartz accompanying Joe Thomas and Alex Mack, there should be a good wall of protection for Weeden, as well as strong run-blocking for Trent Richardson and the rest of the Browns' backs.

With the Browns fairly quiet in free agency and worthwhile veteran starting right tackles not quite easy to come by, the team needed to address this issue in the draft. They did so by bringing on Schwartz, who, by starting this year, will indeed play a major role in the overall success of the Browns offense.

DT Billy Winn

Though the Cleveland Browns took a defensive tackle in the third round of the draft—Cincinnati's John Hughes—it's looking more likely that their sixth-round selection, Billy Winn, could end up playing a bigger role this season.

Starting defensive tackle Phil Taylor tore a pectoral muscle in May, an injury that could sideline him for up to the first half of the season. Though Scott Paxson, a third-year player, has been in Taylor's spot in this week's minicamp, head coach Pat Shurmur made it clear the real battle for the job will be between Hughes and Winn.

Hughes may be better served backing up nose tackle Ahtyba Rubin in his rookie season. Winn, who was a steal in the sixth round, has more quickness and ability to penetrate gaps, making him better suited to be Taylor's brief replacement.

Though Winn may not see consistent action throughout the entire season, he'll be taking on quite a bit of responsibility to start the year if he manages to win Taylor's starting spot.

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