We have reached the midway point of training camp for the Cleveland Browns as they have played through preseason games against both the Washington Commanders and the New York Jets. We have seen a glimpse of Deshaun Watson and the first-team offense, but for the most part, the rookies and end-of-the-roster players have had the opportunity to make their impact on the field.
Through these first three weeks of training camp, what is one takeaway per position group that can be pulled as the Browns look to get back into the playoffs after a two-year hiatus?
Quarterbacks: Deshaun Watson showing a return to form
The last six games of the 2022 season were not kind to quarterback Deshaun Watson. But he was not the only contributing factor to that.
The head coach had to flip his playbook on its head 11 games into the season to accommodate a very different quarterback than Jacoby Brissett and Baker Mayfield. The offensive line had to get used to blocking for a guy who can extend plays with his legs outside of the natural structure of the play. The wide receivers had to get used to working the scramble drill, something they were not routinely asked to do.
Now with a full offseason with no different quarterbacks taking first team snaps, with no split expectations, the Browns seem to have worked through the kinks that appeared when Watson first took the field. And the reviews from their first appearance of the preseason against the Commanders were quite glowing.
The Browns’ 2023 season goes as far as Watson will take them, and for $230 million in guaranteed money, the organization better hope he has returned to form.
Running backs: Do the Browns need another body?
After letting Kareem Hunt and D’Ernest Johnson walk, the Browns only added one running back to the room until last week in the form of undrafted free agent Hassan Hall. They have since added Jordan Wilkins, who has not played much in the past two years, after the injury to Jerome Ford.
The question still stands now: do the Browns need to add another running back to the room?
They have put their trust in Ford, but now listed as week-to-week, the second-year explosive back may not be ready to roll when the Browns take on the Cincinnati Bengals in just three weeks. Both Demetric Felton and John Kelly Jr. have looked fine in the preseason, but neither are game-breaking backs who will move the needle.
The only issue, however, is that outside of Dalvin Cook that back does not exist on the open market.
Wide Receiver: It has been the Elijah Moore show
We got an excellent glimpse of what Elijah Moore could be for the Browns this season in their one possession on the field against the Commanders. They opened the game with no running backs on the field (and did it multiple times on the drive), but featured Moore in the backfield.
And on those looks Stefanski both motioned Moore out of the backfield, isolating him in the slot for a first down grab, then handed the ball off to him as well for a big 18-yard run. That was the only possession Moore played in the game, but the way the Browns used him in that 12-play drive is indicative of how they will look to get the ball into their new receiver’s hands in space.
Acquired for just the cost of moving down 32 slots in the 2023 NFL draft, Moore could prove to be a massive, massive steal.
Tight ends: David Njoku poised to continue to stack seasons
As the Browns have catered their offense to become more vertically threatening and explosive through the air, there should be no better benefactor to that than their most athletic offensive weapon in tight end David Njoku.
Coming off of a breakout season despite fighting through two different injuries, Njoku is poised to continue to reward the Browns for the contract they gave him just last offseason. Can he eclipse the 60-reception mark and set career highs in yards and touchdowns?
It will take a full season of health, but Njoku was on that pace a year ago despite missing three games and playing through more battered.
Offensive Line: Can Jedrick Wills put it all together?
Offensive line Bill Callahan is pushing fourth-year offensive tackle Jedrick Wills to finish plays through the whistle more consistently. And we got a small glimpse of that on Friday night. The technique is there, his snatch trap is refined, his foot speed is stellar out of his kick set.
But the consistency, the ability to lock in for 60 minutes, and the drive to find work until a whistle is heard has been missing from Wills.
The Browns picked up his fifth-year option, and while he is under contract for one more season beyond 2023, this is the make-or-break year for Wills. If he locks in and plays dominant football there will be no question about it: the Browns are going to be forced to pay him top left tackle money.
However, if it is more of the same, then they may start making contingency plans (which could already be in place in case of emergency) to transition a new left tackle onto the field in the future. He is certainly not as bad as you will read on social media, but he has yet to eclipse just the average tier of offensive linemen.
Can he take that step this season?
Defensive Tackles: Trysten Hill making his mark, but needs to get on the field
The defensive tackle room just got tighter after the signing of Shelby Harris, but an unexpected standout may just sneak on the roster in former second round pick Trysten Hill. When I was in Berea last week, I heard from multiple people that Hill looked like a real rotational contributor on the practice field.
The problem, however? Hill has a cast on his wrist and has not taken any live bullets thus far in the preseason. Look for the Browns to roster 10 total defensive linemen, with the roster locks already looking like Myles Garrett, Za’Darius Smith, Ogbo Okoronkwo, Alex Wright, Isaiah McGuire, Dalvin Tomlinson, Shelby Harris, and Siaki Ika.
That leaves two prospective roster spots for the likes of Hill, Maurice Hurst II, Jordan Elliott, Tommy Togiai, and Isaiah Thomas to battle it out for. The competition is fierce, and Hill needs to get on the field to back up what he had been doing in practice before his injury in a live setting.
Defensive ends: Pressures, pressures, pressures
Myles Garrett will not play in the preseason, and that is extremely wise of the Browns. However, we got our first looks at Za’Darius Smith and Ogbo Okoronkwo in brown and orange, and they did not disappoint against the Commanders. The first-team defensive line ate up the Commanders’ blockers, even forcing a holding in the endzone that resulted as a safety.
Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz is just going to let these guys fire off the football and get after opposing quarterbacks. And for three players already near the top of the league in pressure percentage and pass rush win rate, this unit has the makings of one of the best in the league.
It will be a race to the quarterback between the three.
Linebackers: Tony Fields II proving to be a valuable depth piece
All three starting linebackers (four if you count the significant snap count Jacob Phillips had last year when healthy) ended their seasons on Injured Reserve a year ago. And this thrust now third-year linebacker Tony Fields II onto the field quite a bit, and he did not look out of place. Through two preseason games, it looks to be more of the same from Fields II, a player who is proving his value to the Browns.
Fields II played both SAM and WILL linebacker for the Browns a year ago at various times and held down the fort. Against both the Commanders and the New York Jets in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game, Fields showed he has a knack for rallying to the football.
Which is desperately needed on a team where health is a major concern in the linebacker room.
Cornerbacks: Less verbiage, more swagger
There were an inexcusable number of blown coverages from the overly talented Browns’ secondary a year ago. A unit consisting of two first round picks and a third round rookie standout, they have now been given the liberty to just line up and play.
Schwartz has simplified the communication on the backend, removed any if/then statements in coverage, which will allow for the likes of Denzel Ward, Greg Newsome II, and Martin Emerson to lock eyes with the man across from them and look to make their life miserable.
The scheme overhaul on the backend is minimal as Schwartz will also run a ton of Cover-1/Cover-3 looks like former defensive coordinator Joe Woods did. However, the communication simplification and freedom given to the cornerback room will give them opportunities to think less and play fast.
Safeties: Grant Delpit poised for a breakout season
We saw a mini-breakout at the end of last season from now-fourth-year safety Grant Delpit. And as he enters the last year of his contract, the full explosion could be among us.
The Browns went out and added a true post safety, something that has given the defense fits over the past two years as John Johnson III was filling a role he showed extreme discomfort in. This will help relieve Delpit of the need to feel like he has to mop up blown assignments and miscommunications defensively.
He has shown he is not afraid to trigger downhill as if he were shot out of a cannon in run support and even displayed immense range a year ago against the Commanders when he racked up two interceptions. Delpit is an incredibly smart and talented player, and now he finally has the liberty to show it.
Special Teams: Cade York must figure it out quickly
The Browns invested a fourth round pick into Cade York a year ago (there is probably a bigger lesson in here about drafting a kicker to begin with), so they are showing patience to the now second-year kicker despite a rocky start to his career.
However, he must figure it out quickly as kicking woes could de-rail a season of a team that has gone out of its way to bolster every other weakness on its roster. This crucial season for Stefanski, Berry, and the Browns cannot come down to the volatile leg of York.
And if it does, they may be costing themselves some close ballgames unless York gets it figured out fast.
