Ranking Cleveland Browns' Top 5 Sleepers to Watch in Camp

There are already locks and long shots to make the Cleveland Browns' 53-man roster. But there are also sleepers in between, some of whom may be locks (but no one knows why) or long shots (because no one knows who they are). 

These players could see their stocks—and thus, spots on the depth chart—rise in the final months leading up to the start of the regular season. Here are five sleepers to watch in Browns training camp this year. 

S Jordan Poyer

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The Browns' starting safety position is set—for now. Tashaun Gipson and Donte Whitner appear poised to reprise their roles from last year. But safety Jordan Poyer could make things difficult for Gipson this summer, even though Gipson has totaled 11 interceptions over the last two years.

Poyer filled in at safety during the Browns' OTAs while Gipson sat out in protest of his second-round restricted-free-agent tender. Gipson signed the tender and arrived in time for the team's mandatory minicamp in mid-June, but he suffered a hamstring strain while working out on his own in Texas, allowing Poyer to again take his first-team reps during the three-day camp.

Browns head coach Mike Pettine then said that Poyer could continue to work with the starters into training camp—and not as punishment to Gipson for his holdout.

Defensive coordinator Jim O'Neil said, "Poyer has opened my eyes to the type of player he is. He has really taken advantage of the reps that he's been given, and he's done a great job. His pre-snap communication has been outstanding. He's improved in man coverage. I know he'll tackle. He's been a guy who has really stepped it up this offseason."

Ultimately, Poyer may not wrest the starting job away from Gipson, but he could steal snaps. And keep in mind that Gipson missed the final six games of the 2014 season with a knee injury. If that should happen again, Poyer will be first in line to take his spot, and he seems more than capable of handling the job.

QB Connor Shaw

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Cleveland third-string quarterback Connor Shaw only saw the field in one regular-season game last year, filling in as a starter in Week 17 for the injured Johnny Manziel and Brian Hoyer. Shaw didn't do a great job, completing only 14 of his 28 pass attempts for 177 yards, no touchdowns and an interception, but the impression Shaw left was greater than the stats he put up.

Shaw not only suffered a rib injury in the game, but he also took hard shots to his kidneys. And he wasn't quite prepared to be called up, either.

Left tackle Joe Thomas noted:

"

He did a great job—outstanding. I don't know if he took one snap with the No. 1 offense until this week. To come into a really difficult place to play against a really good defense, it just shows the type of person he is and that he's a quarterback who belongs in the NFL. It wasn't perfect ... (but) he far exceeded everybody's expectations.

"

Further, as pointed out by former Browns tight end Jordan Cameron, Shaw had spent all of his rookie year to that point playing safety and quarterback for the scout team. He was on the practice squad until the Saturday before the game and took his first snaps with the first-team offense that Wednesday.

Shaw may not beat out presumed starter Josh McCown this summer, but the high praise he got after Week 17—and from Pettine in May—could be an inkling that he could rise to the No. 2 spot on the Browns' quarterback depth chart this summer. He's definitely a player to watch.

DL Randy Starks

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With the Browns using a rotational approach to their defensive line, it's easy for some of the line's key players to fade into the background. But one to watch this year is Randy Starks, a 11-year NFL veteran who spent his last seven seasons with the Miami Dolphins.

Starks will be a major player in the Browns' bid to improve their last-ranked run defense. He will also be a key source of leadership on a young defensive line.

Starks said in April, "One of the things I'm going to do in the D-line room is show my leadership—things I've learned through the years. I'm going to pass it on to these guys. I don't know everything. I'm still learning. At the end of the day, I think I have enough knowledge where I can come in and help."

He's delivered on that promise so far, with defensive line coach Anthony Weaver saying last month, "He's so savvy. And the leadership he's brought to this group has been tremendous." Weaver added that, "The beauty with Starksy is that his football IQ is so high, that he knows all the spots already. Now I know I can make him fit with whoever."

Starks said he's "a big fan" of Cleveland's defense, adding, "This is an attacking scheme. It's not so much read-and-react like a traditional 3-4. We're going to attack and make tackles-for-a-loss. There's no waiting around."

If the Browns do have a better run defense this year, Starks will be one of the major reasons behind it. He won't stay under the radar long.

CB Justin Gilbert

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When is a Round 1 draft pick a sleeper? When he's cornerback Justin Gilbert.

Gilbert, the NFL's eighth-overall draft pick in 2014, had a rocky rookie year, mostly owing to immaturity, as Gilbert himself will be the first to admit. But he didn't have a bad year on the field—according to Pro Football Focus, Gilbert allowed just 29 of the 48 passes thrown his way to be caught, for a total of 379 yards and one touchdown. Quarterbacks throwing his way ended with a passer rating of 83.6.

But Gilbert is even lower on the totem pole this year. ESPN's Pat McManamon believes that Gilbert will have to beat out K'Waun Williams at nickel cornerback to get significant playing time this season, and he's not wrong—especially now that veteran Tramon Williams has been brought in to play on the outside alongside Joe Haden.

Still, the Browns drafted Gilbert in Round 1 for a reason. And because of that, he should logically be able to beat out the undrafted K'Waun Williams or even beat out Tramon Williams on the outside. This summer is a huge one for Gilbert. And it's also a strange one, because he's both very much on the radar and in other ways, completely off of it right now.

OLB Scott Solomon

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While all eyes are focused on 2013 Round 1 pick Barkevious Mingo and whether he will ever live up to his collegiate billing, outside linebacker Scott Solomon has been absorbing all of his OTA and minicamp reps. Mingo underwent offseason shoulder surgery that has kept him from participating in any on-field drills, and Solomon has handled his added responsibilities well.

Browns defensive coordinator Jim O'Neil said after minicamp, "Scott is very quickly becoming one of my favorite players on the defense. He embodies everything we talk about when we say 'Play Like a Brown.' I think the offense calls him 'Bloodbath' because it's like a heat-seeking missile coming off the edge." 

Though O'Neil noted that Mingo will still have a role, given that he's the Browns' "best outside linebacker in coverage," he also added this: "No one is guaranteed anything on the defense. ... You're going to have to earn playing time. We're deep in every position group. Mingo is going to have to come back ready to go, and he's going to have to earn it."

O'Neil added about Solomon's role this year that, "I do see him competing with Armonty Bryant at the rush linebacker position. I see him getting a considerable amount of reps on early downs. He's going to have to earn his reps in later downs in passing situations, but he is definitely going to help us on the edge in the run game."

Solomon was a relatively unknown player last year, landing in Cleveland in December and playing two games, totaling one sack and seven combined tackles. But he looks to be a major fixture on the Browns defense this year. It will be interesting to see just how much playing time he manages to steal from Mingo this summer.