As of this article, the Browns have wrapped up OTAs and mandatory minicamp, and now turn their eye toward getting prepared for Training Camp, which is set to begin on July 22. So far, the team has yet to run any full-contact drills, or put on pads, but everything seems to be running smoothly so far.
Deshaun Watson has had a chance to finally work with the full complement of receivers and pass catchers, and aside from a great defensive play here and there by one of our defensive backs, he has looked in sync with just about everyone, from Elijah Moore to Cedric Tillman, to Amari Cooper, and others.
Although unlike some in the Cleveland media who are gushing over how sharp Watson looks, I refuse to get excited just yet. It’s early. Way too early. Nobody’s wearing pads. They aren’t hitting each other. The defense isn’t coming after Watson. And they’re certainly not going full-speed yet or practicing realistic game situations. If Watson is still connecting with his receivers really well in full-speed, full-contact drills? Then I’ll have a reason to be optimistic and hopeful about winning in Week 1 against the Bengals on September 10. But not until then.
Bringing some bite back to the Dawg Defense!
Jim Schwartz has also been busy getting his new-look defense some action, mixing and matching the looks for the defensive front to see what works best. But above all, when the defense is finally unleashed during Training Camp, and the season, Coach Schwartz wants them to do two things: Play fast, and go full-bore. He runs a scheme that is centered around playing fast and at full potential.
If this works out, it would be a breath of fresh air. I’m sure Joe Woods is a nice guy and a good man. But he could not coach a defense. You don’t attack up front, and then play soft in the back end of the defense. That’s like slamming on the accelerator and brake at the same time and trying to go somewhere. It’ll never work, and all you’re doing is burning rubber while spinning your wheels.
Jim Schwartz won’t do that. That’s not who he is. At their absolute best, his Browns defense will terrorize opposing quarterbacks, and make plays in the back end, and capitalize on mistakes and bad decisions with the football. As I’ve said before, this kind of defense works best when plays are being made from front to back. What I mean by that is this: When the defensive front successfully pressures the quarterback, and the linebackers diagnose plays correctly and contain the opposing offense, opposing quarterbacks often make mistakes, which then leads to opportunities for corners and safeties to make plays on the ball.
We’ll have to wait and see what this new-look Browns defense brings to the table before we get too excited. But I like what I’m hearing and seeing so far. Coach Schwartz famously told rookie defensive lineman Siaki Ika that he wanted him to be “like a Ferrari, not a dump truck.” Which means Schwartz expects him and others to play an attacking style of defense most of the time, instead of just sitting back and blocking opposing offensive linemen. I like the sound of that!
Coach’s Notes, and the DHop Sweepstakes
In other offseason news, Browns Head Coach Kevin Stefanski likes how the rookie wideouts are progressing, especially Cedric Tillman, the Browns’ first pick of the 2023 Draft out of Tennessee.
According to Browns Wire, Stefanski likes the speed with which Tillman is learning the offensive scheme.
“I think Ced has done a nice job,” he said. “Like a lot of our rookies he’s swimming at times. We’re throwing a lot of information at them, he’s very, very intelligent, so he’s getting it, but it’s a lot. We don’t want to give them just pieces of it, we want to give them everything and just make them feel how much they have to work at this thing. A lot of our rookies, Ced included, are inundated with information and meetings and he’s doing a really nice job.”
While Tillman and the other wideouts seem to be having a solid offseason so far, it remains to be seen if a certain big-name free agent will be joining the wide receiver room in Cleveland. DeAndre Hopkins is expected to begin visiting interested teams starting on Sunday, but he hasn’t scheduled a visit to Cleveland, even though Deshaun Watson has been trying to recruit him, since the two once played together for the Houston Texans.
The Browns are currently sitting on about $18 Million in cap space after the contracts of John Johnson, Jadeveon Clowney, and Joe Haeg went off the books. Cleveland certainly has the money to go grab DHop if there’s mutual interest between both sides. But even though he’s a 5x Pro Bowler, and he has a great connection with Deshaun Watson, he’s also 31 years old, which is middle aged for an NFL player.
Not only that, but he hasn’t been named a Pro Bowler since 2020. If the Browns did sign Hopkins, they’re not only banking on Watson returning to his 2020 form, but they’re banking that DHop does as well. And having roughly $60 Million tied up in just two contracts for players that might not pan out, would be an extremely risky move.
Gearing up for Training Camp
Next up for the team? Prepping for Training Camp, which starts on July 22. Once Training Camp gets here, the Browns will spend the first eight days down in West Viriginia at the Greenbrier Resort, which Stefanski believes will help the team build chemistry with each other, as well as focus on the tasks at hand with little to no distractions.
“The Greenbrier will be an opportunity for us to get away from town and get under the same roof together,” he said. “Hopefully there’s no cell phone service, that type of thing. So it just allows you to just be around your team and really focus on the work. I mean, we’re down there, I think, for eight nights, and as we’ve talked about with that Hall of Fame Game, really gives us an opportunity to lengthen our runway into the season.
The Browns will end the Training Camp period of the offseason, and begin the Preseason part of the schedule by battling the New York Jets in the Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio on August 3. This will be the sixth time overall that the Browns will play in the Hall of Fame Game, and the first time since 1999, when they returned to the league.
In the meantime, stay on the Cle-Bus for breaking news and other important info, as we roll through this offseason. GO BROWNS!
Sources: ,clevelandbrowns.com, Browns Wire, The Plain Dealer
Picture Credit: ,SportsLogos.net
