The Cleveland Browns are about to enter into their Week 2 matchup against the New York Jets on the heels of a Week 1 victory over the Carolina Panthers and former quarterback Baker Mayfield. Before we completely turn the page over, right tackle James Hudson deserves some praise for his performance.
With Jack Conklin still recovering from a year with a multiplicity of injuries that nearly caused him to retire, the second-year right tackle out of Cincinnati has been thrust right back into action off of a lackluster rookie season. However, it seems as though Hudson took his job personally this summer as he looked like a transformed player this past Sunday.
While he may not start with Conklin potentially gearing up to go this week against the Jets, let’s take a look at Hudson’s strong season opener.
Looking at the Data
As far as PFF grades are concerned, they are a good place to start but not the end-all-be-all. When looking at the grading for Hudson, however, there is no doubt they are high on the second year tackle out of Cincinnati.
They credited Hudson with just one penalty (where he got over-aggressive and blocked his man downfield on a pass play on the last drive of the game), and gave him high marks as both a run and a pass blocker. On the day, he was given a pass blocking grade of 73.3 and a run blocking grade of an astounding 80.9. This tallied out for an overall offensive grade of 76 for the former fourth round pick.
PFF charted him with just one pressure allowed on 19 true pass sets against the Panthers, and frequently against Burns. Not a bad way to start the season after tallying a pass blocking grade of just 57.9 a year ago. According to Football Outsiders, the Browns finished with the fourth-highest DVOA on the ground, and Hudson was a big part of that success.
Analytics are just a piece of the puzzle, but tape is a bigger piece, so that is where we will turn our attention to next.
Explosiveness and Functional Athleticism Visible on Tape
While Hudson did not test off the charts at the NFL Scouting Combine when he was coming out of Cincinnati, his functional explosiveness and athleticism show up on the field and on tape. It is an important reminder that Hudson has only been playing offensive tackle for a few years, so the strides in his pass set cannot be understated.
Hudson’s lower half looks clean and his foot speed is exceptional. Setting at 45 degrees or setting vertically, Hudson is showing very little discomfort in dropping into pass protection. He even displayed a great deal of flexibility to stuff one of the more bend-proficient pass rushers in the league in Burns when he opted to take the outside track.
This athleticism showed up on tape in the run game as well when Hudson was asked to work laterally and seal up the backside. It is no small feat to get out of your stance and get to a position where you can get your helmet across the helmet of the man a gap away (crossing face), but Hudson was able to scoop out backside three-techniques with ease against the Panthers, allowing for Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt to find cutback seams to work with.
Hudson is an extraordinary example of functional athleticism meaning more than testing numbers as he has plenty of explosiveness to work with.
Impressive but not Perfect Outing against Panthers
With Hudson’s explosiveness came a tendency to overset when working off the edge. Oversetting is when an offensive tackle is faced with a wide defender (and most prevalently an explosive and flexible one who has a knack for winning along the outside track) and he over-extends to reach him, leaving an alley inside for the pass rusher to take.
This happened on a handful of occasions against Burns as Hudson was clearly concerned with his speed and flexibility outside. This is how Burns was able to find some success against Hudson last Sunday as he was more than willing to then change his directions and explode through the gap Hudson had opened up.
As Hudson continues to grow as an offensive tackle, he will learn to stay on more of a narrow track and trust his hands to protect his outside shoulder rather than attempting to square up wide defenders. While Hudson did a decent job of changing directions and working back inside to an extent, guys like Burns will exploit any crease given.
This was one of just two areas that provided room for notable improvement against the Panthers as Hudson now prepares for the likes of Carl Lawson and rookie first round pick Jermaine Johnson this upcoming Sunday.
Physical Play Strength has room for Improvement
The second glaring area of weakness for Hudson was just his overall play strength. Hudson plays with a high motor and is willing to look for work until the whistle blows, but as he continues to clean up his hands, he still leaves his frame a bit exposed. When defenders can get into his chest, Hudson has a tendency to get blown off the ball.
His flexibility helps him limit these woes as he can still anchor in despite defenders blowing him back, but Hudson is not a guy at this point in time that is going to be identified as a mauler. This is an area that the weight room can improve, but Hudson may always be more of a savvy, technical player than a back breaker.
This shows up in the run game as well, as Hudson is not going to be defined as a “people mover” on the ground or dig out defensive tackles from their gaps. His hands do not carry much of a punch, as he does not have the knack for shocking defenders back onto their heels when he connects into their frame.
Regardless, however, Hudson still earned extremely high marks as a run blocker, and that has more to do with his savvy and wit than play strength. We take a look there now.
Hudson Winning with Wit over Brute Force
Sometimes a player does not have to be overly dominant physically to become a quality starter in the NFL. In fact, most players are not. Charles Cross went in the top-10 of the 2022 NFL Draft despite not being a dominant run blocker or a people mover. He plays with a strong core in pass protection and with clean hands and excellent grip strength.
As Hudson continues to sharpen his tools (his lower half is already looking more polished by the day), this could be his brand of football as well. Hudson graded out so highly as a run blocker despite his lack of physical dominance mainly due to his wit and how he positioned his body and framed off run lanes. While he did not dig defenders out of their gaps, he got himself in position, dug his heels in, and held on long enough for Chubb or Hunt to get through the gap.
This was the case time and time again. There is absolutely no doubt that Hudson is deep into the playbook and film study given the savvy and smarts that he displayed on the field. The future is quite promising for Hudson as he has proven to put in the work.
Where this might leave the Cleveland Browns
While we may be counting the eggs before they hatch after just one week of the season, the success of Hudson may put the Browns in a peculiar situation. While it was pretty obvious they were counting on Hudson being their starting right tackle in 2023 and beyond as Jack Conklin is in the last year of his deal (and with the multi-year signing of Joe Haeg to be the swing tackle), his success may allow the Browns to be creative.
If Hudson continues to play well while Conklin is out, and there is a chance he could play this week, the Browns may have the ability to float the veteran’s name on the trade market. His contact is set to expire, a young guy is playing well, and there are a ton of teams out there with bad offensive lines. There is a real chance the Browns may be able to get a significant draft pick for the two-time All-Pro right tackle in Conklin.
To be clear, Hudson has put the Browns into a great problem to have.
Sure, his outing was not perfect and there are plenty of areas for the former Michigan defensive tackle turned Bearcats offensive tackle to clean up, but his development from last year to Week 1 was staggering. As Bill Callahan continues to mold Hudson, it is clear Hudson has put in the work.
Now potentially faced with Carl Lawson and Jermaine Johnson this week should Conklin rest again, Hudson has a clear chance to win the job immediately instead of waiting until 2023.
