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The Cleveland Browns are set to get their preseason underway this Thursday when they play host to the Washington Redskins, which will be the first time in what seems like forever that a Browns preseason game has drawn any attention whatsoever.
Thanks to an incredibly busy offseason in which Cleveland made high-profile additions such as Odell Beckham Jr., Kareem Hunt, Olivier Vernon and Sheldon Richardson, there are very high expectations for the Browns heading into 2019.
So, while preseason performance is typically an indicator of nothing, it will be important for Cleveland to develop some chemistry, especially on the offensive side of the ball.
Here are three things to watch in the Browns' first preseason contest.
3. Duke Johnson's Touches
Yes, Kareem Hunt is suspended for the first eight games of the regular season, but he is eligible to play in the preseason, meaning we may get a look on how the Browns plan to use their three-headed backfield of Hunt, Nick Chubb, and Duke Johnson this week.
Of course, Johnson appears to be the odd man out, and, as a result, he requested a trade earlier this offseason and has not backed off of his demand.
Because of that, it will be interesting to see how Freddie Kitchens uses Johnson in the preseason opener. Remember: Johnson is more of a receiving back than anything else, so he can still have a role within the offense even when Hunt returns from his suspension.
But will Johnson get enough playing time/touches to keep him somewhat satisfied this Thursday? We'll see.
2. The Pass Rush
The Browns finished with just 37 sacks in 2018, which ranked in the bottom half of the league.
Cleveland tried to address its pass rush this offseason, bringing in Vernon and Richardson to help out Myles Garrett along the defensive front, and if those two can make a big difference, the Browns' defense could actually go from being terrible (ranked 30th in the NFL this past year) to actually being pretty good.
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We know the Browns have a lot of potential in their secondary thanks to youngsters like Denzel Ward (who had a terrific rookie year), Damarious Randall, and first-year cornerback Greedy Williams, but it all starts up front.
If Cleveland can generate some pressure on opposing quarterbacks, it will be in great shape.
1. The Dynamic Between Baker Mayfield and the Receivers
The whole dynamic between Baker Mayfield and his wide receivers has been a big topic of discussion of late, as Mayfield has thought nothing of reaming out his wide outs in plain sight.
The question is, will guys like Beckham and Jarvis Landry continue to put up with that as the season progresses?
Let's not only remember that Beckham and Landry are established NFL talents and grown men, but that Mayfield is also entering just his second year in the league, so he doesn't exactly have the resume to be calling out his teammates.
And even if he did have the resume, doing it in front of everyone is not a good look.
I get that this is really just Baker being Baker, but it will be intriguing to see if this becomes a problem going forward, even if the receivers say they are okay with it right now.
