The Cleveland Browns are getting set to play their final preseason game against the Detroit Lions on Thursday before embarking on what they hope is their first successful regular season in what seems like forever.
The Browns have gotten off to a 2-1 start in the preseason, but they are coming off of an ugly 13-12 loss at the hands of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a defeat that was so abysmal that head coach Freddie Kitchens called out the offense after the game.
Of course, it's just preseason, but Kitchens was not happy with the lack of progress.
So, here are three Browns players to watch in their final exhibition contest as they try to right the ship……………………….
3. D'Ernest Johnson
Last year, D'Ernest Johnson was working on a fishing boat. Now, he has a chance to make an NFL roster.
The running back has actually looked impressive thus far in preseason, showing skills as both a rusher and a pass-catcher out of the backfield, and with the trade of Duke Johnson and Kareem Hunt being suspended, Johnson has a shot of making the 53-man team.
Obviously, Nick Chubb is the No. 1 back, and Dontrell Hilliard seems to be in line to nail down the backup role, but other than that, there isn't a whole lot of competition for Johnson, who is still just 23 years old.
If he has another big game on Thursday, Kitchens may have no other choice but to put him on the opening day roster.
2. Braxton Miller
Before taking the field and catching a couple of passes for 11 yards in his Browns debut last week, Braxton Miller was in the middle of no-man's land, as he was without a team before Cleveland gave him a shot.
But now, with Antonio Callaway suspended for the first four games of the season, Miller, who last played in a regular-season game in 2017, may have a chance of snagging one of the Browns' final roster spots.
He will certainly be cutting it close, as he would be, at best, Cleveland's No. 4 receiver on opening day, but Callaway's ban has presented him with an opportunity to win the coaching staff over.
Miller recently said he feels at home with the Browns, as he is originally from Ohio and played his collegiate football at Ohio State.
We'll see if Miller will be able to call Cleveland home throughout the entirety of the 2019 campaign.
That starts with him having a good showing on Thursday evening.
1. Rashard Higgins
Rashard Higgins has already won the Browns' No. 3 receiver job by default, as Callaway's suspension basically handed him the job. But that doesn't mean Higgins doesn't have to work.
Cleveland needs a reliable No. 3 wide out behind Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry to ensure that its aerial attack is strong all around, and while Higgins is coming off of an impressive 2018 campaign in which he hauled in 39 receptions for 572 yards and four touchdowns, he has not fully proven himself just yet.
The 24-year-old has looked solid thus far in preseason action, catching 12 passes and scoring a touchdown over his first three games, but a final notable outing this week would go a long way in Higgins cementing himself as a key figure in the Browns' offense.
Follow Us
Subscribe