The preseason is wrapping up and there are several items worth discussing when it comes to the Cleveland Browns.
Baker Mayfield and playing time
As everyone saw last week, Baker Mayfield was thrust into the game after an injury to Tyrod Taylor. What followed was not exactly pretty. It became abundantly clear rather quickly that Mayfield is not ready for a few reasons.
First off he is still a bit rough around the edges. While he is capable of making some fantastic plays there are moments when it appears he is far from ready. Some of that is inexperience. An experienced player can make the proper reads and get rid of the ball before it is too late. Also they can make the right throws under pressure. Mayfield experienced errors in both areas as he threw an ill-advised pass which ended up intercepted and had the ball stripped away from him. Luckily the ball was recovered by Cleveland and a turnover was avoided.
The other issue is 100 percent to blame on the coaches. Mayfield has not received any snaps with the first team offense. When it came time for Mayfield to play with the starters there was a lack of chemistry and the offense looked like a mess. Giving Mayfield time with the starters would be best for everyone involved. If Taylor were to become injured during the regular season, Mayfield would need to be ready to come in and start without an issue. While it is understandable that the coaching staff wants to give Taylor as much time as possible with the first team so the unit can play at the highest level. The error is not having a backup plan in case of injury or poor play. Both instances which have been recurring themes over the last two decades.
Mychal Kendricks
The Browns released Mychal Kendricks after it was reported he was involved with insider trading. It is expected that Kendricks will have some serious legal issues here so his release is not exactly surprising.
Losing Kendricks hurts in a couple ways. Kendricks is a veteran who could help guide the defense and provide the team with an overall winning attitude. Kendricks was certainly in line for some major playing time.
What Kendricks’ release also means is that young players such as Genard Avery, James Burgess Jr. and B.J. Bello will have to step up and take his place. While they do not have the experience of Kendricks there have been flashes of their ability all throughout the preseason. This trio along with Jamie Collins, Joe Schobert and Christian Kirksey will have to work together to stop opposing offenses.
Joel Bitonio
After the retirement of Joe Thomas many panned the Browns for not addressing the left tackle position. Cleveland selected Austin Corbett in the second round of the NFL Draft which left many puzzled by the move. There was discussion about moving Joel Bitonio back to left tackle, a position he has not played since college and the criticism continued to come in. Moving one of the better left guards in the league to left tackle did not seem to make sense to some.
However after training camp and the first few preseason games it turns about Cleveland did the right thing. Bitonio has been fantastic so far at his new position and Corbett seems to have a solid start at taking over the left guard spot. The offensive line group appears to be much better than the unit that was trotted out last year. The Browns now have one of the better offensive lines in the NFL and will be able to enjoy much improved offensive success in 2018.
Browns have versatility in the secondary
The previous sentence did not seem like it could be a reality any time soon after last season. With the additions of Damarious Randall, E.J. Gaines, Terrence Mitchell, Denzel Ward and T.J. Carrie there are options in case of injury. In this case it was Randall who is injured and overlooked defensive back Briean Boddy-Calhoun took his place in the third preseason game and did not disappoint. Highlighting his performance was an interception of Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles.
Boddy-Calhoun has the ability to play both the free safety and cornerback position. Currently Boddy-Calhoun is listed as the backup free safety behind Randall. If Cleveland wanted they could line up Boddy-Calhoun along with Randall, Jabrill Peppers or Derrick Kindred in an effort to confuse the opposing offense. This versatile will pay off in the long run since it can provide different defensive fronts and insurance in case of injury.
Waiver Wire
The Browns hold the top spot when it comes to making waiver claims. This will come in hand when the final roster cuts are made after the fourth preseason game. John Dorsey and Co. will no doubt be active claiming other teams discarded players. Cleveland can add talent through the waiver process and upgrade their own roster. While some will be quick to judge this method, some of the best teams in the NFL utilize this process to build up their own roster. Cleveland being in the position they are in will allow them to claim players they truly believe can help them out.
It will be certainly interesting to see which players the Browns claim after the waiver process begins and which players decide to part ways with.
