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4 Burning Browns Questions, Including If They'll Consider Drafting A Running Back
Cleveland gets their offseason program rolling next week, here are four burning Browns questions before voluntary workouts begin.
The first week of April was mostly a quiet one for the Browns, who open up their offseason program in exactly one week. Elsewhere in the league though, a blockbuster trade between the Bills and Texans involving Stefon Diggs has shifted the hierarchy of the AFC.
As Cleveland continues gearing up for voluntary workouts and the draft here are four burning Browns questions:
Deshaun Watson said he expects to be ready for Week 1 of the season, but how active will he be at the start of the offseason program next week?
Watson is expected to be limited for the start of the team's offseason program but he will be present for the voluntary workouts. The first phase of the program consists of conditioning drills, meetings and rehab for players. He officially resumed throwing a couple weeks back, so I'd expect more the same for Watson when he shows up in Berea – continuing his rehab from shoulder surgery.
We'll see how much more active he is in the second phase of offseason drills which involve more on-field workouts and individual position group instructions. Ultimately, what's more important than how active he is in offseason drills is less important than Watson being onsidered ahead of schedule during his recovery. And the fact that he's saying he'll be ready for Week 1.
The Browns have revamped their running back room this offseason, but could they still prioritize the position in the draft this month?
It's a fair question because without Nick Chubb to carry the group last year we learned a lot about Jerome Ford. The 2022 fifth-round pick may have put up a respectable 804 yards in 2023, however, when you extrapolate out his eight breakaway runs for 266 yards he really only averaged 2.8 yards per carry. Ford is fine as a backup option and there may still be some room for him to grow. That said, he he doesn't necessarily look like the future at the position for Cleveland.
With that in mind its never a bad thing to start planning ahead. The Browns may have added Nyheim Hines (likely more of a kick returner) and D'Onta Foreman this offseason but that shouldn't prohibit them from potentially add another young option. They've already hosted FSU running back Trey Benson on a top 30 visit, so speculate away.
Does the Stefon Diggs trade situation provide any potential insight into how the Browns may feel about Amari Cooper as he approaches the age of 30?
The short answer is, maybe? For a number of positions 30 is always a daunting age around the NFL. That said, who the Bills were dealing with in Diggs and who the Browns are dealing with in Cooper is not a one-for-one comparison. For starters their personalities are very different. Diggs falls into that "diva wide receiver" category, Cooper is the antithesis of that and Cleveland loves him for it. Cooper is all about his work and isn't one to cause a scene
It was also apparent that Diggs production dipped last season, so much so that he had a reduced role in Buffalo's offense by the end of the season. Maybe that happens with Cooper too and then, sure, the Browns may have a decision to make. As things stand right now though I think they're more inclined to extend him than let him walk next offseason. Of course it all comes down to the money though and after back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons Cooper is setting himself up for another notable payday.
How much should people be reading into the Browns hosting QBs for pre-draft visits? What's it mean for Dorian Thompson Robinson?
Yeah so Cleveland has now hosted Joe Milton out of Tennessee and Michael Pratt out of Tulane for top 30 visits. I think that can mostly be chalked up to a team doing it's "due diligence." It all stems from the prevailing thought that it's not a bad idea to draft a QB every year if you can.
When push comes to shove I think this team still feels strongly enough about DTR that they probably don't end up adding another young QB for competition, especially considering how they've filled out the room already. It doesn't hurt to do their homework on these guys but I wouldn't read too much into it right now.
