Two Overlooked Difference-Makers For the 2024 Browns
Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
As we inch further into July, we are now less than two weeks away from the Cleveland Browns having rookies report to Berea for training camp. On July 23, veterans will report, and camp will get fully underway.
Last offseason was strange, as the Browns drew having to play a fourth preseason game by kicking off the year in the Hall of Fame Game. This year will be different with only three preseason games, which will limit the number of snaps some of the guys at the bottom of the roster will see.
We all know that the key to the NFL is star power. The Kansas City Chiefs and New England Patriots didn’t win all those Super Bowls over the last 20 years by having a lack of talent. Both had superstar quarterbacks, as well as role players who were pivotal players on the roster. To say that the Browns need guys like Myles Garrett and Deshaun Watson to play extremely well in 2024 is way too obvious. If either of those guys have struggles or get injured, this team is going to struggle to get where they want to be.
Yes, the team managed to make the playoffs without Watson last year, but it’s not likely we will see that type of performance from backup quarterbacks (and the defense) again to make that possible. So let’s look a bit past those two franchise cornerstones. After you get past Watson and Garrett on this roster, here are the two biggest keys for Cleveland in 2024.
Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Linebacker:
A lot of people will likely jump to Denzel Ward on the defense as a key part of the 2024 season. And while they aren’t wrong, if JOK is healthy and performing at a high level, that will be a bigger X-factor for two reasons.
The first is, Cleveland’s depth at cornerback is a much different situation than at linebacker, with guys like Greg Newsome and Martin Emerson who have both played at extremely high levels. This isn’t to undermine how good and important Ward is, but more to highlight how good both Newsome and Emerson have been when needed.
At linebacker, however, the Browns have JOK, Jordan Hicks, and Devin Bush as the starters, but behind them, they have Mohamoud Diabate, Tony Fields, and Nathaniel Watson, none of who have starting NFL experience. Truth be told, even Bush is far from a lock to be the same player we saw with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2020. Remember, the 2023 version of Bush struggled to get on the field with the Seattle Seahawks.
Two, the Browns have gotten used to Ward not being on the field. Any way you slice the pie, Ward has not been dependable throughout an entire season. He has missed four or more games in four of his six seasons and consistently comes off the field during the game, which isn’t recorded on the stat sheet.
JOK had a bit of a letdown sophomore season in 2022, but played with a real fire in 2023 which got him selected to his first Pro Bowl. At 220 pounds, he is undersized, but we’ve yet to see a situation where he gets overpowered in the trenches. He is fantastic at squeezing through holes and has proven to be a great NFL tackler.
The sky is still the limit for JOK, and we should see Jim Schwartz utilize him more and more throughout the 2024 season as Schwartz figures out his strengths. If JOK can once again play at a Pro Bowl level, this defense will once again be dynamite.
Dawand Jones (and Company)
It’s easy to point fingers at guys like Jerry Jeudy, David Njoku, and Amari Cooper as players who must have big seasons, but ultimately, this offense’s success will come down to the offensive line. The guard play has been suspect at times, but the key for any offensive line comes down to how the tackles do against the elite speed rushers in the league.
Dawand Jones, Jedrick Wills, and Jack Conklin at times have all shown the ability to be solid NFL tackles. Conklin is, on paper, the best of the group, but is coming off back-to-back season-ending knee injuries. No matter how hard he’s worked, it’s hard to believe that he will be able to ever get back to 100% again. Even if he does, there is always a risk of another injury.
So Jones takes Conklin’s place as the biggest key in a tackle group full of potential difference-makers. While his play at Ohio State was rarely inspiring, Jones played phenomenally in the nine games he started last year as an injury replacement. One of those games was against TJ Watt, and Jones held Watt to the quietest he’s ever been in a Browns game. On paper, Jones is the third tackle, but he’s a legit contender to take over the starter role at either left or right tackle, perhaps as soon as the start of the season.
Wills is a wild card. He was the 10th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, and at the time it felt like a safe pick on a guy that was guaranteed to at least be solid. But nagging injuries have limited his progression in the league so far. If Wills can stay healthy and lose 15-to-20 pounds before the start of the season, he might be able to keep his job. But he takes far too many plays off, showing a lack of effort that can be frustrating to fans.
For Watson to have time to read a defense and push the ball down the field like Ken Dorsey wants, Jones (and/or Conklin and Wills) tackles are going to have to perform better than they did last season. Injuries killed this group last year, creating constant pressure which made it tough on each quarterback that lined up under center. That has to be fixed entering the season.
Up Next