Takeaways From Browns Mandatory Minicamp

Mandatory minicamp has come and gone and the Cleveland Browns have left us with some things to talk about.

Author:
Brandon Little
Publish date:
Jun 9, 2023 7:00 AM EDT

In this story:

Cleveland Browns wrapped up three days of mandatory minicamp on Wednesday and it was a good feeling to have some football back. Even if it was a bunch of 7-on-7 and drills, it was nice to have a sign that the season is inching closer.

There are some things you can take away from the three-day session that could be a good sign for the season to come. Following mandatory camp, players will have off until the end of July, when they will return for good with training camp.

Deshaun Watson looked the best he has in orange and brown

Part of this has to do with last offseason was whacky for him but Watson had his three best days as a member of the Cleveland Browns. There’s no sugarcoating that fact even if it was just in camp.

The pads were not on and the offense is set up for success in this kind of environment. Watson zipped the ball around to a slew of wideouts and he was often on the money, especially in the red-zone drills. Watson was not good last year in his six-game stint, there’s no hiding from that. But if the last few days were any hint, he’s ready to put that behind him and be himself going forward.

Elijah Moore landing in Cleveland could be legit

Throughout the three days there was one thing that stayed consistent, Moore was making highlight plays. Moore made multiple touchdown catches in the red-zone session and previewed what is possibly to come in the 2023 season.

Moore has a legit to get the ball a ton in this offense. The former Jets’ wideout is a 5-foot-10 guy with 4.3 speed when it comes to the 40-yard dash. During camp, the Browns got Moore the ball in the screen game, underneath routes, and he even showed up in the backfield.

I believe that Kevin Stefanski is going to get creative with one of his new weapons, and the result could be a pretty darn good season for Moore in 2023. He gave us those glimpses in camp.

A healthy defensive line on the field will wreak havoc

Camp isn’t a place for defensive linemen to leave their mark. Normally, it’s the offense that stands out the most. That was the case over the past few days as expected. But it was nice to see the defense on the field as a group for the first time.

New additions such as Za’Darius Smith, Dalvin Tomlinson, and Ogbonnia Okoronkwo were able to get some work in with Myles Garrett in a team environment for the first time. Garrett was at camp after taking OTAs off. Heading into 2023 he will be surrounded by the best supporting cast he’s had in his NFL tenure.

Tomlinson shared the excitement of this group this week.

"I already know what Za'Darius can do on the inside," Tomlinson said. “Just watching Ogbo and Myles on film and playing against them over the years and with all of us together and bringing our skill sets together, I feel like it's going to … I don't know how to put it into words. It's going to be amazing."

Marquise Goodwin has a defined role and it should be fun

Goodwin made some of the more exciting plays in camp. The speedster may be climbing in age at 32 but he’s not slowing down. Goodwin brought in a pair of deep balls from Watson for touchdowns, the throws were on the money and the catches were perfect.

The last couple of years it has been Anthony Schwartz the Browns have hoped could blow past the defense. To this point, he’s done that once in his career. He’s not likely to make the team and the Browns have found some speed to replace him, even if they’re speed attacks in different ways.

The signing of Goodwin was a surprising one but it is already showing why it makes sense. He stretches the field and even when he isn’t getting the ball, he’s going to be accounted for.

Cleveland will make a trip to West Virginia for some team bonding to kick off training camp at the end of July. They’ll take part in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game on August 3 against the New York Jets.

Minicamp was a time to show some glimpses of things to come and that’s what it did.

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