CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – And so begins the 2023 season for the Cleveland Browns.
Veterans join the rookies and quarterbacks at the Browns facility in Berea Friday morning before they hop on a plane for West Virginia to kick training camp off for real on Saturday.
Here’s a look at the top storylines we’ll be following in the coming weeks leading up to the regular season.
Road trippin’ – Starting Saturday the Browns will spend nine days in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia at The Greenbrier with the idea being it will help bring the team together early in camp, free from distractions. The Hall of Fame game against the Jets will be August 3 followed by Joe Thomas’ induction ceremony two days later. The Browns head to Philadelphia in the middle of August for a pair of practices and a preseason game with the Eagles. Head coach Kevin Stefanski hopes the time away from Berea will bring his team together and set the tone for the upcoming season. From the first walkthrough on Saturday, there will be seven weeks and 50 days of preparation for the season opener September 10.
“New” offense – Quarterback Deshaun Watson spoke this offseason about the offense being “new” and revamped for this year to better utilize his skills as a passer and threat to run. Watson, who showed marked improvement in his chemistry with newcomers Marquise Goodwin and Elijah Moore during the offseason program and minicamp, invested plenty of time this offseason studying the playbook and working out with skill players in Puerto Rico and Miami. Now it’s time for Watson to show he was worth every draft pick and every penny by leading an offensive juggernaut this year and the foundation to do that continues to be built during camp.
Backup O-Line – The starting five up front are set – Jedrick Wills at left tackle, Joel Bitonio at left guard, Ethan Pocic at center, Wyatt Teller at right guard and Jack Conklin at right tackle. Nick Harris, who played very well in place of the injured Pocic last season, is a lock to make the team but there will be plenty of competition for backup roles and if the last two years have taught the Browns anything, there’s no such thing as too much offensive line depth.
The Schwartz is with them – New defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz is taking a man-to-man approach to his defense with a focus on individual players winning their assignments, which should eliminate the paralysis by analysis breakdowns we saw so much of a year ago. Schwartz is a no nonsense, motivational and engaging leader. To increase the effectiveness of the defensive line, Schwartz plans to utilize their depth to rotate bodies up front and on the back end. How will Schwartz make perennial Pro Bowler Myles Garrett, who is coming off back-to-back franchise record 16-sack seasons, even better? With all due respect to the offseason additions made to the roster, Schwartz may end up being the most valuable addition to the organization.
No quarter given – Being drafted by Andrew Berry is no longer a guarantee of a roster spot. Not with so much at stake this year. 2021 third round pick Anthony Schwartz enters camp with a steep uphill climb to make the active roster. Last year’s third rounder David Bell is on the bubble. With one cut down on August 29 from 90 to 53, getting young draft picks through waivers to the practice squad will be easier with over 1,150 names from around the NFL hitting that wire at the same time.
Draft and develop – Expectations for this rookie class should be tempered. The seven draft picks – Cedric Tillman, Siaki Ika, Dawand Jones, Isaiah McGuire, Dorian Thompson-Robinson, Cameron Mitchell and Luke Wipler – are essentially projects, some more polished coming in than others, but any impact any of the picks will make as rookies will likely come in a reserve role barring unforeseen circumstances or a breakout camp and preseason from them.
Crowded rooms – The top four receivers are locked in – Amari Cooper, Elijah Moore, Donovan Peoples-Jones and Marquise Goodwin leaving two or maybe three slots open for Bell, Schwartz, Jakeem Grant (because the NFL continues to minimize kickoff returns with rules changes), Tillman and five others to compete for. The running back room is also intriguing. Nick Chubb is Nick Chubb. Jerome Ford is likely the No. 2 back and Demetric Felton, who spent the last two years mostly with receivers, is back to his natural position. How many tight ends will be kept behind David Njoku? On the defensive side of the ball, look for Schwartz to emphasize defensive line and defensive backfield depth. The battles for these reserve roles will be fun to watch to see just how the numbers game plays out. Remember, difficult roster decisions are a great problem to have.
X-factor – Unfortunately injuries always play a significant role in camp. Last year the Browns lost Grant and Pocic to season-ending injuries. By Week 18, the entire starting linebacker corps – Anthony Walker, Jacob Phillips and Sione Takitaki – ended up on injured reserve. Walker and Takitaki didn’t practice this offseason and their availability at the start of camp should crystalize in the next 48 hours or so.
