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Summary from the Final Week of Camp
Quarterbacks
For the first time this preseason, Browns fans got to see Baker Mayfield play football. The starting quarterback played the first quarter against Atlanta and went 6-of-10 for 113 yards and a touchdown. Mayfield had been begging to play last week and got his wish in Week 3. He will be ready to lead the Browns offense when the games matter. Case Keenum again handled the backup role and looked far better than third-string quarterback Kyle Lauletta. Keenum will be the QB2 when the season starts.
Running Backs
After the injuries to Travis Etienne and division rival J.K. Dobbins, Browns fans are probably happy Nick Chubb didn’t play in any preseason games. He has looked good in practice and will be ready to play against Kansas City. It has been a largely quiet camp for Chubb’s backfield mate Kareem Hunt, but he did play a few snaps against Atlanta, recording two carries for five yards. Expect Chubb and Hunt’s workloads to match last year’s. The team’s running backs carried the ball 69 times in three preseason games and were targetted 38 times. Chubb and Hunt will split that work again this season and will likely be one of the NFL’s top backfield tandem. D’Ernest Johnson and Demetric Felton completed for the No. 3 spot all summer. Johnson played with the starters after Hunt left the game. He carried the ball three times for 11 yards and also caught five passes for 44 yards. Felton managed 15 yards on four carries. If Johnson is the RB3, Felton’s ability to play both running back and wide receiver should keep him on the 53-man roster.
Wide Receivers
Odell Beckham, Jarvis Landry, Donovan Peoples-Jones, Rashard Higgins, and Anthony Schwartz are roster locks. Beckham continued working 1-on-1 with Mayfield this week and even participated in 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills for the first time this year. He did not play against Atlanta but looks promising for Week 1 against Kansas City. Rashard Higgins tweaked something in practice this week, but head coach Kevin Stefanski said it was not serious. The real question is whether or not the team will keep a sixth receiver? Davion Davis had a good preseason and caught a late touchdown this week, but he will miss the first two regular-season games serving a suspension. KhaDarel Hodge came on over the last two weeks and caught the Mayfield touchdown against Atlanta, but he was among the cuts to get the team down to 53.
Tight Ends
Tight end is a team strength. Austin Hooper, Harrison Bryant, and David Njoku will all play regularly. Hooper had a rough camp, dropping too many passes. Those drops looked worse compared to Njoku, who is having a great summer. The Browns paid Hooper a lot last offseason, so he isn’t going anywhere. Njoku recently spoke about changing his attitude this offseason and how he now wants to extend his contract in Cleveland after requesting a trade a year ago. Speaking about the loss to Kansas City in the playoffs last year, Njoku said, “It was a little emotional, but I had to just pick myself up, as well with my teammates picking me up, us picking each other up, it really was more like a team-bonding thing. That's when I realized back then, as funny as it is, even with all of the emotions, I didn't want to leave. I wanted to stay here because the camaraderie that we have, it's second to none.”
Kickers
Chase McLaughlin badly missed an extra-point attempt and hit the upright on a 56-yard attempt during the last preseason game. He did make two short field goals and an extra point. Kevin Stefanski said, "I think it’s a pretty cut and dry — it’s a make or miss league...All these guys are working very hard. He’s competing for a spot. I know he had that miss, but he has done a nice job in camp, and we value the practice reps, joint practice reps, the game reps — it’s all of it.”
Defense
As if on-field injuries weren’t problem enough, now the weight room isn’t safe. After missing practice and the second preseason game due to COVID protocols, Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah hoped for a significant role in the finale. Instead, he cut his head in a weight room accident and cannot put a helmet on over the stitches. He will be fine for Week 1 but could face a steep learning curve. Takkarist McKinley rejoined the team after an extended absence. He was gone for about three weeks but still figures to be the No. 3 defensive end in a rotation with Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney. In the secondary., Greedy Williams and Grant Delpit both missed practice this week and did not play against the Falcons. Their status is still up in the air for Week 1 against Kansas City, arguably the best passing attack in the NFL. Defensive coordinator Joe Woods lists “points allowed” and takeaways as the two key priorities.
Returners
JoJo Natson needed to earn the return specialist job to make the final roster, but his performance was relatively pedestrian through August. Since the Browns opted to cut Natson, DErnest Johnson, Donovan Peoples-Jones, and rookie Demetric Felton could all contribute.
Summary from Week 3 of Camp
Quarterbacks
Baker Mayfield looks sharp in practice but was held out of the Giants game. He joked about starting a fight at joint practices with New York to be “forced” to play as punishment. He wants to play but knows he and his team will be ready for Week 1 regardless. Mayfield talked about building chemistry with Odell Beckham. “We get routes on air. During the special teams breaks, we are getting reps pretty much every day that he is running. We are trying to save his legs for the real thing. but we are getting plenty of reps right now.” Case Keenum is firmly entrenched as the No. 2 and threw a masterful touchdown in the first quarter against the Giants.
Running Backs
While they have had a relatively quiet camp and preseason, Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt give the Browns a formidable running back duo. This week, coach Stefanski and running backs coach Stump Mitchell discussed managing their volume every week. Mitchell is given a range of volumes each week for each player, Stefanski calls the plays, but Mitchell decides which back is on the field. "I have to juggle that the entire game," Mitchell said, referring to Stefanski's carry totals. "I don't want to be over that by more than two because then I'm going to get chewed." The battle continues between DErnest Johnson and Demetric Felton for the third spot. Felton spent a good portion of last week as a wide receiver to make up for some injuries. However, this week, he was almost exclusively a running back and had eight carries to Johnson’s four versus the Giants. Stefanski mentioned that the ability to use Felton at either position could give opposing defenses problems.