Where the Browns Remain Vulnerable In 2023
Photo Credit: Julie Vennitti Botos via USA TODAY Sports
The Cleveland Browns officially have one preseason game under their belt. And while most of the starters didn’t see a single snap in the all-but-meaningless Hall of Fame Game, coaches were certainly able to get some good film on a lot of the young players fighting for a roster spot.
As much as fans don’t want to hear it, with the new roster rules for the 2023 season, you may see even fewer starters in preseason games. Previously rosters had to be trimmed down each week in August; now the roster is required to be down to 53 guys by August 29. With no tiered system, Andrew Berry and Kevin Stefanski may be enticed to play the younger guys even more.
I fully understand that injuries are the biggest concern for an NFL team in the preseason, but I would also argue that the Browns haven’t proven that they are enough of a high-quality team to let the starters go without some reps before the regular season kicks off.
Many experts love to tout that this Browns roster is as talented as any on paper. Unfortunately, they don’t play NFL games on paper. In fact, there are still a few areas of concern on this roster as we head into the 2023 season.
Offensive Line
One of Stefanski’s biggest gets when he became the Browns’ head coach was Bill Callahan as his offensive line coach. And while this group has always shown they are elite in the zone-block run scheme, there are far too many gaps in their pass-blocking techniques.
There is a ton of money tied up in this offensive line between Joel Bitonio, Wyatt Teller, Jack Conklin, and Jedrick Wills, yet they were a major part of the offensive blunders the last two seasons.
I don’t care how talented Deshaun Watson is, if you have half a second every dropback to make a decision, it’s going to make things difficult. Not to mention he was out of the league for more than 18 months and is still a bit rusty.
I’m still not sold on the idea that James Hudson is going to be a long-term solution at tackle, but Dawand Jones did impress in his rookie debut at right tackle.
If Callahan doesn’t get these guys in line, this offense is going to continue to struggle to put drives together.
Secondary
I’m not going to argue that I don’t love the starting four in the secondary for the Cleveland Browns in 2023, but to say there are zero concerns would be a lie.
Grant Delpit has had a checkered injury history and has been extremely inconsistent. I love that he is in a contract year and feel like that we will see the best of what he has to offer. If you remember back to how awful the secondary started in the 2022 season, Delpit was part of a lot of those busted coverages.
The Browns also have a ton of talent at cornerback with Denzel Ward, Greg Newsome, and Martin Emerson, but Emerson is the only one who has had one consistent season, and he was only a rookie.
I’m not here to be a Ward and Newsome hater, but they both lack leadership, and both continue to deal with injuries on a consistent basis. We have seen flashes of greatness from both, but if either one of these guys misses four-plus games again in 2023, the depth becomes scarce very quickly.
#Browns WR Elijah Moore was covered well by Denzel Ward—but Deshaun Watson showed off their connection with a perfectly placed ball.
Great play. The offense thought so too. pic.twitter.com/Fti1HVh7OH
— Camryn Justice (@camijustice) August 6, 2023
The Joe Woods zone scheme did no favors for Ward or Newsome. Both thrive in man-to-man coverage, which takes them out of run support — that’s where they struggle the most. Between the pressure that Jim Schwartz tries to bring and more man-to-man coverage, hopefully this secondary will shine in 2023.
Linebacker
The position that scares me the most in 2023 is linebacker. As with cornerback, when you look at the names you feel pretty good. But when you factor in that Sione Takitaki and Anthony Walker are both coming off season-ending injuries in 2022, you must question how healthy they’ll be to start the season.
Jacob Phillips and Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (JOK) have also been strong players at times at the linebacker position, but both have missed a substantial number of games as well with injuries that always seem to linger.
If JOK and just one of those three other guys can stay healthy for a full season, this group will be just fine. But if Cleveland goes multiple games with the top three guys out like they did for much of 2022, I don’t care how good your defensive line is, the entire unit is going to struggle.
The injury bug has hit the Browns hard the last three seasons, but linebacker seems to always get the worst of it. This position group isn’t at a place where Berry needs to add a piece, but it’s an area that could be overhauled next season if the injuries recur.
While I understand why Berry and Stefanski don’t want to risk starters getting hurt in the preseason, there are plenty of guys who could still use the reps to get prepared for the 2023 season. With a huge divisional game in Week 1 vs. the Cincinnati Bengals, it’s important for this team to be finely tuned on the first snap.
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