3 Storylines to Watch in Browns Preseason Opener

Cleveland Browns football is back … in a way. A look into a couple things that are worth watching in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game tonight.

Author:
Brandon Little
Publish date:
Aug 3, 2023 9:21 AM EDT

In this story:

Cleveland Browns

Football is back tonight as the Cleveland Browns and New York Jets will play in the prime time slot. The Pro Football Hall of Fame game will give each team a total of four preseason games.

There is plenty to find out about in the preseason. Typically, teams have anywhere from 40 to 45 guys locked in. The preseason is about the rest of the guys battling it out to make that 53-man roster.

Going into this preseason game, much of it for the Browns will be about Joe Thomas entering the Hall of Fame, and deservingly so. But in this one, we’re going to key in on three on-field storylines to watch.

This could be the last chance for WR Anthony Schwartz

The former third-round pick was over-drafted in the 2021 NFL Draft. That is no secret at this point as Schwartz has failed to be anything for the Browns’ offense. Through two seasons he has 14 catches for 186 receiving yards. In his first career game, 69 of those yards came about.

In the NFL, you can only be a one-trick pony as a receiver if you’re actually executing that one-trick. If all Schwartz could do is be a deep threat, that would be fine. But he has one catch that was longer than 19 yards so far in his career. There have been drop issues, issues with route running, and simply issues with getting on the field.

Cleveland went out and added Elijah Moore, Cedric Tillman, and Marquise Goodwin to the position. Schwartz is on the outside looking in at this point, especially if Goodwin is able to return by early season.

This preseason comes as a chance for Schwartz to show some things, and perhaps it’s the last chance for that to happen. Expect Schwartz to play plenty through the preseason.

What exactly is Kellen Mond?

Cleveland claimed Mond prior to the 2022 season starting after he was cut by the Minnesota Vikings. After being a third-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the Vikings were done with him after one season essentially. They saw enough and believed he wasn’t a long-term fit.

With the Browns claiming him and holding onto him, they had to of seen something. They drafted Dorian Thompson-Robinson, so Mond’s only chance of sticking around is on the practice squad. But tonight comes as the first chance to see Mond in a Browns jersey. In a way, it’s a long-awaited debut for a player we haven’t been able to see yet.

In college, Mond was a pretty productive dual threat that was limited in the passing game. Mond completed less than 60 percent of his passes for an average of 7.3 yards per completion at Texas A&M.

Mond will get plenty of opportunity this preseason to play with the Browns playing four exhibition games. He won’t be on the Browns quarterback depth chart come week 1 but he could be playing for a spot on one of the other 31 team’s depth chart.

Can any rookie show they belong early

One of the best things about the preseason is you’re going to see plenty of the rookies normally. That isn’t always the case when the season comes around, as rookies have a depth chart to work up. Early on in the preseason, it’ll be a good time to get eyes on the Browns’ seven draft picks.

Cedric Tillman is going to have a shot to break into the wide receiver rotation, starting with that fourth spot. A big target that can move and make tough catches, Tillman is one to be excited about for the future.

If Siaki Ika can find a spot in the defensive tackle rotation as a rookie to run stop, that’ll be enough early on. The opportunity is certainly there for the 350+ pound human to take up space in the middle.

At defensive end, Isaiah McGuire could step up to be that fourth guy behind Myles Garrett, Za’Darius Smith, and Ogbonnia Okornkwo. He was productive in the SEC at Missouri and will be battling for snaps against Alex Wright and Isaiah Thomas.

Quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson is going ti get the entire second tonight. That means he’s going to have a chance to go win a meaningless game for the Browns if the opportunity is there. DTR is a pretty enticing player out of UCLA and he should play plenty this preseason.

Two Ohio State offensive linemen tackle Dawand Jones and center Luke Wypler are fighting for depth spots. Jones is physically ready for the NFL as long as he keeps the weight in check, while Wypler will need to continue getting stronger. Expect both to play tonight a bunch.

Cornerback Cameron Mitchell intercepted a pass in the red for Amari Cooper from Deshaun Watson this week in practice. Mitchell doesn’t have an easy path to playing time but could show enough in the preseason to make it hard to keep him off the field.

Overall, the Browns have a rookie class with some upside. If it works out for a few of them, it’ll be a good class considering they didn’t pick until the third round.

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