Browns That Made the Most Of Extra Snaps, And Those Who Didn’t
Cleveland Browns wide receiver Cedric Tillman (19) catches a pass in the third quarter during a Week 18 NFL football game between the Cleveland Browns at Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024, at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati.
I’ll be the first to admit that Sunday was a major reminder to me of how bad things used to be. Watching Jeff Driskel navigate the offense, paired with a defense with absolutely no playmakers took me back to 2017 when I watched every second of a season where the Cleveland Browns didn’t win once.
In a game where the Browns had absolutely nothing to gain, most of the 22 starters never even saw the field. They fell 31-14 in the season finale. More importantly, they found out they will be traveling to Houston to take on C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans in the Wild Card round.
I think most fans expected their opponent to be the Jacksonville Jaguars. Yet, after another collapse against the Tennessee Titans, the Jags missed the playoffs completely and handed the AFC South title to the Texans.
It certainly felt like a strange week for the Browns, who essentially had a strange hybrid of pre-season contest and bye week, but the rest will be great for a lot of guys who have been beaten up throughout the season. The one thing that does scare me is that the Texans already have a “win or go home” game under their belt, which gives a lot of young players experience and confidence.
As we head into the Wild Card weekend, let’s look at the ups and downs from the young talent on Sunday.
Players Who Shined
By resting so many starters, Andrew Berry and Kevin Stefanski got a great look at a slew of young players on film last Sunday. Not only did they get to see them in live game action, but they also got to see them go against a lot of NFL starters as well.
Even though the Browns got pushed around on Sunday, there were still some positives that stood out. Perhaps the best performance on defense was by Tony Fields. The third-year linebacker from West Virginia was a fifth-round pick who hasn’t seen a ton of time, but he ended up with 10 tackles in a game where he saw a ton of action.
Fields is an extremely athletic linebacker and has been productive on special teams, but his lack of size has kept him from being an every-down player to this point. That, plus the emergence of Sione Takitaki and Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, have really limited his snap count.
I’m not ready to say Fields earned a starting spot on defense next season, but I certainly feel much better should Anthony Walker, who has struggled with injuries, not be re-signed. In fact, Fields could get more of a shot as early as this week since Walker was placed on injured reserve.
Lethargic is probably a generous way to describe the Browns’ offense on Sunday under Driskel, but it did give David Bell a chance to show he belongs on this roster moving forward. Bell had four receptions on four targets for 68 yards and both Cleveland touchdowns in the game.
The Browns tried to force-feed Cedric Tillman throughout this game, but Bell had the best performance. Next offseason will be an interesting one for the Browns at wide receiver. Amari Cooper could very well be cut next offseason with a $20 million-plus cap number, which would require Bell and/or Tillman to really make strides.
I’m fully in the camp of finding a way to keep Cooper for at least another year, but it was a good sign to see Bell finally get some action and demonstrate some solid production.
Players Who Struggled
Just like we saw some good out of young players, we also saw plenty of bad on Sunday. This doesn’t mean it’s time to jump ship on any of these guys just yet, but the future certainly is in question for at least two players.
The most concerning dud on Sunday was rookie defensive tackle, Siaki Ika. The third-round pick from 2023 has been a healthy scratch for much of the season and finally saw a ton of playing time on Sunday.
Ika did manage to get one quarterback hit, but other than that he registered no tackles and appeared to be on the ground more than on his feet. Ika showed a real lack of leverage as the Bengals ran all over the Browns, but one performance doesn’t have to solidify his career.
The rookie likely won’t get many more snaps for the rest of the 2023 season, but with veterans filing in gaps at defensive tackle this year, there is no doubt that Berry is counting on production from him moving forward.
The other huge disappointment on Sunday was Driskel. I know he was just signed off a practice squad and had no reps with the team, but, wow, was he bad on Sunday. He showed no throwing ability. The Bengals crowded the line of scrimmage and suffocated the run game as well.
I know I’m being harsh on the new player, but this is a quarterback-friendly offense and there is no excuse for how poor he looked, especially in the first half.
After a topsy-turvy regular season, there is no doubt that this team and all their fans are ready to turn the page to the playoffs. The Browns certainly caught a break in that the AFC South is one of the weaker divisions in the NFL this year, but C.J. Stroud is playing at an elite level and has already shown he can carry this team on his back. The rookie QB will be pitted against veteran Joe Flacco, who was getting his driver’s license the same year Stroud was born. We’ll soon find out whether these new-look Browns, led by an old foe, can stave off the upstart Texans.
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