With roster set for opener, three question marks for the Cleveland Browns, another answered
The Cleveland Browns roster is set to take on the Tennessee Titans and the Browns still have some question marks, but they also came up with a great answer for what was one of the bigger potential problem areas entering this season.
When the Browns traded Jabrill Peppers as part of the Odell Beckham deal, it was understood that the position would take a step back. The team has opted for a committee approach to strong safety with Morgan Burnett, Jermaine Whitehead and Eric Murray.
It's difficult to get a real sense of how things will play out based on the preseason, given the fact that they aren't necessarily putting the roles together, rather just trying to get players reps. The big nickel concept has made a few appearances, but it stands to reason the team isn't just advertising what they are going to do there.
Damarious Randall is rock solid and the Browns need him to be great this year. Strong safety at least enters the season as the worst position on the defense, which isn't the end of the world, so long as the rest of the secondary can cover for it. With Peppers, he was integral to the success of the defense. For this group, it seems to be more of a bonus than something they are counting on to be effective as a foundational part of the defense.
Offensive tackle was always going to be a position where the hope was to get through the season unscathed as opposed to being a good spot. And given the way they finished last year in terms of keeping Baker Mayfield protected, they do warrant some credibility on this front. Much of this is due to Mayfield being good in the pocket and getting rid of the football quickly, but at least in pass protection, Greg Robinson and Chris Hubbard did enough.
Run blocking is the far bigger concern. Hubbard can reach well, but tends to give up ground when opponents can lock him up while Robinson's lack of balance has hurt him when trying to block in space. The hope is that an entire offseason where they were the starters, their second year with the team and getting a better offensive line coach in James Campen will pay dividends.
The blocking back position is interesting. At least for the time being, Freddie Kitchens seems to going full speed ahead with the idea that Pharaoh Brown can perform that role and they will look into whether Ricky Seals-Jones can.
That makes it unlikely that Brown lines up in a three point stance behind Baker Mayfield under center. It's far more likely to come in the form of playing as a wing or a sniffer type position, which is then going to pull and block someone. Maybe Brown can surprise and get low enough to dig a linebacker out in the hole running up the middle, but his length and body type suggest that's not likely.
Orson Charles was not a great H-back or fullback by any stretch, but it does seem odd that they let him go and didn't really replace him, instead opting to go with at the very least an awkward, perhaps aspirational fit in Brown.
The fact that we're talking about the lack of a fullback as a potential weakness for the Browns speaks to how talented this team is. They are good enough that this stands out.
Whether it was Austin Seibert or Greg Joseph, kicker was going to be a question mark. Seibert being a rookie having such a rough start to training camp will have fans and likely the coaching staff clenching every time he goes out there until he proves to be reliable.
One of the big question marks that the Browns came into the season with was depth on the defensive line. If the preseason is an indication, they've answered it with Devaroe Lawrence, who was largely dominant in the exhibition season. There have certainly been examples of guys who dominate the preseason and then do nothing in the regular season, but how he's winning seems legitimate. He doesn't have to be dominant to be effective, but just needs to make it so Sheldon Richardson and Larry Ogunjobi can stay fresher.
In that respect, Lawrence, who did nothing for the Browns last year after being acquired for just a seventh round pick, could be a game changer for the Browns. Even if his production in't anything to write home about, if he enables the two front line guys to increase the number of great snaps, then he's more than done the job. If he can produce, it makes the Browns defensive line downright terrifying.
