Subscribe
Follow Us
The Cleveland Browns are getting set to begin a season that they hope represents a massive change in direction for a franchise that has been laboring for the better part of two decades, as they will open up their preseason against the Washington Redskins on Thursday night.
This isn't any ordinary preseason for the Browns, as this time around, they are actually expected to be good.
Cleveland had an incredibly busy offseason, adding big names to bolster both sides of the ball and vault itself into the conversation of potential Super Bowl contenders heading into 2019. Yes; the Browns.
So, with all eyes ready to be on Cleveland on Thursday evening, here are three areas of focus for the Browns in their first preseason game.
3. Generating a Pass Rush
Myles Garrett racked up 13.5 sacks in 2018, but the rest of the team mustered just 23.5, resulting in the Browns totaling 37 sacks to finish near the bottom of the league.
That is something that needs to change in order for Cleveland to see some improvement from its 30th-ranked defense from 2018.
The good news is that the Browns added some pieces to help in that area this offseason, signing Olivier Vernon and Sheldon Richardson. Cleveland can also hope for more production out of youngsters such as Larry Ogunjobi, Genard Avery, and Joe Schobert.
Essentially, Cleveland needs to do a better job of getting to the quarterback in order to force more turnovers and finish defensive drives.
2. Rashard Higgins vs. Antonio Callaway
At the moment, Rashard Higgins appears to be well ahead of Antonio Callaway in the race for the No. 3 receiver role, as Callaway has actually been in the doghouse this summer in spite of an impressive rookie year.
However, an impressive preseason on the part of Callaway could obviously change things, and he has to know that he is fighting for his role.
Freddie Kitchens and the rest of the coaching staff will undoubtedly have their eyes on both receivers throughout the preseason, and if one significantly outperforms the other, they can probably punch their ticket to the No. 3 spot.
Right now, it seems that Callaway has to do more than Higgins does in order to win the job, but it should be a fun competition to watch, nonetheless.
1. Camaraderie Between Baker Mayfield and His Receivers
We don't know for sure if Baker Mayfield, Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry will be playing in the preseason opener, but assuming they do, it will be imperative that they all get on the same page right off the bat.
Mayfield has already lambasted his receivers in Browns' training camp, and while Beckham and Landry may not speak up about it now, you have to wonder if they'll hold their tongue if Mayfield does that to them in a nationally televised regular-season game.
That's why it is paramount for Mayfield to forget some chemistry with his receivers during the preseason. We can talk all we want about how they look together in practice, but game situations are entirely different.
The camaraderie that Mayfield establishes with his wide outs in preseason will almost certainly carry over into games that actually matter, so it's important for him to get off on the right foot this year for the Browns.
