CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – Every year there are questions to answer during Training Camp and this year in no different for the Browns.
As veterans report for training camp, here’s a look at the questions they hope to answer on offense.
1. Deshaun Watson’s status leaves the Browns in limbo. Could the addition of Josh Rosen ignite a camp quarterback competition?
Following another busy offseason of roster reconstruction, the Browns begin preparations for another season with another new starting quarterback. They just don’t know who will start September 11 in Carolina Week 1.
Regardless of who that is, he will be the 18th different Week 1 starter since 1999 and the 33rd overall starter in the expansion era.
The entire quarterback room was blown up this offseason by EVP/GM Andrew Berry and four new faces were added – Deshaun Watson in a blockbuster trade with the Houston Texans that included six draft picks and a fully guaranteed contract; Jacoby Brissett signed from Miami to a one-year deal; Josh Doobs signed from Pittsburgh as a free agent and then last week free agent Josh Rosen was added.
Sue L. Robinson’s ruling regarding Watson is expected at any minute and the Browns are on pins and needles waiting to learn how long – assuming she rules that Watson did in fact break the conduct policy – they’ll have to wait for their $230 million investment to begin paying dividends for them.
Watson likely is headed to the reserve/suspended by the commissioner list for an undetermined amount of time opening the door for the rest of the room to be put under the microscope for the duration of camp.
Assuming Watson will be unavailable to begin the season, head coach Kevin Stefanski and offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt will be tasked with deciding if they will stay the course with the existing depth chart at the position or do they shake it up based on camp and preseason performance?
Cleveland said ‘no thanks’ on Watson in 2017 by trading the No. 12 overall pick to the Texans which they used on him and then the Browns passed on Rosen, selected 10th overall out of UCLA by Arizona, in 2018 for Mayfield, taken first overall.
Based on the early portions of their careers – and strictly based on pure football evaluations – the Browns blew it in 2017 by not keeping the pick and taking Watson but they got it right the following year by taking Mayfield over Rosen.
The last time he played, Watson, a three-time Pro Bowler, led the NFL in passing while Rosen is on his fourth team in four years with stops in Miami and Atlanta prior to landing in Cleveland last week.
Brissett, who has started 37 of the 60 games he has appeared in enters camp as the No. 2 QB on the depth chart and is in line to start the opener, but the Browns will look at Rosen, who has started 16 of the 24 games he’s appeared in and give him an opportunity to compete for a roster spot, and potentially playing time in Watson’s absence.
Once Robinson’s ruling comes down, camp could easily turn into a Brissett vs. Rosen competition to find out who will be Nos. 18 and 33.
2. Amari Cooper headlines a young receiver group for the Browns, but are the kids alright?
EVP/GM Andrew Berry lobbed the first grenade of the offseason by acquiring four-time Pro Bowl receiver Amari Cooper to replace Jarvis Landry, who was released in March, from the Cowboys. Aside from Cooper’s $20 million per year average salary, he didn’t cost much to bring in.
But Cooper, who has four 1,000 yard receiving seasons on his eight-year resume, was the extent of the major veteran additions this offseason at the position throwing open the door of opportunity to recent draft picks Anthony Schwartz and Donovan Peoples Jones.
Pro Bowl returner Jakeem Grant, signed to a three-year deal as a free agent this offseason from Chicago with 100 receptions for 1,140 yards and seven touchdowns in his seven-year career, provides depth at the position while also giving the Browns a much needed reliable and explosive returner on special teams, but he isn’t expected to be a primary offensive weapon like Cooper is.
Back to the youngsters.
Schwartz, drafted in the third round in 2021 out of Auburn, and Peoples Jones, a 2020 sixth-round pick out of Michigan, are going to be leaned on heavily behind Cooper along with 2022 third-round pick David Bell.
Bell’s foot injury that landed the rookie on the active/physically unable to perform list at the start of camp throws a wrinkle into the early position group planning while also freeing up additional reps during the early portion of camp for other players vying for jobs.
Of the nine-member rookie class – all selected between the third and seventh round this year – Bell is projected to provide the greatest production outside of fourth round pick Cade York, their new kicker.
Sixth-round pick Michael Woods II will compete for a back-end roster spot but expecting him to come in and be an immediate contributor isn’t fair or realistic based on the depth chart at the position.
Running back Demetric Felton spends just as much time working with the receivers and he will be in the mix for reps and touches at both positions.
3. Browns are stacked at running back, but is there room for them all?
They say there is strength in numbers. When it comes to running back, the Browns are stacked.
Three-time Pro Bowler and human bulldozer Nick Chubb is the lead Dawg out of the backfield followed by veteran Kareem Hunt as the duo returns as Cleveland’s prolific one-two punch for a third consecutive season.
Chubb has churned out 4,816 yards and 36 touchdowns while averaging 5.3 yards per carry over four seasons.
In three seasons with the Browns, Hunt has appeared in 32 games totaling 2,169 scrimmage yards and 19 touchdowns while averaging 4.4 yards per carry. Hunt is hoping for a contract extension, but he might be waiting a while.
D’Ernest Johnson, a restricted free agent this offseason, is back on a one-year deal. Johnson, who received a career-high 100 carries in 2021, continues to take advantage of his limited opportunities early in his career averaging over five yards per carry making him hard to cast aside.
Then there’s the enigma/Swiss army knife Demetric Felton, who bounces between the receivers and running backs in practice and had most of his game reps come at receiver as a rookie last season. Where does he fit in as a sophomore?
The surprise of the 2022 draft class came in the fifth round when Cleveland selected Jerome Ford, giving them a fifth body in the backfield and Berry some potential roster flexibility.
Maybe Berry can get Ford through waivers and on to the practice squad as insurance at the end of August but that isn’t always a given, especially if Ford impresses during preseason games and lands on the radar of 31 other teams.
Keeping all five running backs on the roster won’t be easy, and would require sacrifice at other positions, but it is not unrealistic to believe Berry might try.
4. Who will be the man in the middle up front?
The starting offensive line appears to be set with one exception – center.
Following the release of veteran JC Tretter this offseason, Nick Harris is expected to fill the void, but the Browns brought in some competition for the 2020 fifth-round pick by signing veteran Ethan Pocic from Seattle. Rookie free agent Brock Hoffman will also get some reps but it’s not likely he’ll get many with the first team barring an injury.
It could be argued this is a big year for left tackle Jedrick Wills Jr., who has struggled with staying healthy early in his career which has affected his play on the field. The 2020 first-round pick has shown he can play at a high level in the NFL, but can he do it while not being at 100 percent?
Right tackle Jack Conklin is coming off a pair of injuries, including a torn patellar tendon that ended his season right after he returned from a dislocated elbow that cost him three games. Conklin could be a PUP candidate to start camp but he is expected to be ready to go for the opener.
5. David Njoku got paid, will he put up big numbers?
David Njoku’s size, athleticism and potential earned him a top-5 contract at his position in the form of a four-year, $54.75 million deal this offseason that raised a lot of eyebrows and had critics asking, is he worth that much?
Berry and the Browns clearly feel he is.
If you look strictly at Njoku’s numbers – 148 catches on 240 targets for 1,754 yards and 15 touchdowns – it’s hard to make the case that he wasn’t overpaid, but if you’ve watched Njoku, especially under Kevin Stefanski the last few years, the growth in his game is noticeable and undeniable.
Following the release of Austin Hooper, Njoku is the lead player at his position, and we know how much Stefanski loves tight ends, so opportunity knocks for Njoku to put up those big numbers that fans have been looking for since he was drafted 29th overall in 2017 this season.