With Cleveland Browns mandatory minicamp completed, we look at three burning questions moving forward.
Brad Ward
The Cleveland Browns wrapped up mandatory minicamp on Thursday, completing three days of full-squad workouts. The team will break for six weeks until reconvening for training camp, starting at the Greenbriar Resort in West Virginia.
The top concern over the summer was how Watson would recuperate from surgery to repair a fractured bone in his shoulder. He didn't throw in back-to-back workouts or team drills, but when he did get the opportunity, he looked "like himself," according to head coach Kevin Stefanski.
On the final day of minicamp, Watson had one of his better days of organized team activities and minicamp in the previous four weeks. He threw the ball downfield several times without any signs ofdistress. While this ultimately says nothing about his performance, it does indicate that his recovery is trending in the right direction.
Watson will continue to throw and rehab in the six weeks leading up to training camp, and everything points to him being fully healthy and on track when the season begins in September.
Not everything was good news this week. Browns number one wide receiver, Amari Cooper, was not in attendance and elected to hold out from participation in the mandatory minicamp. Cooper is in the final year of his contract, and the $20 million he is owed is not guaranteed, so while there have been rumblings about a Cooper extension, they have not been able to reach a deal to this point.
The team will have a relatively quiet six weeks as everyone looks to recharge before training camp and the start of the season. We will examine the depth at the defensive tackle position, discuss who will call plays for the Browns in 2023, and analyze how they will handle the new kickoff in "three burning questions facing the Browns post minicamp."
Defensive Tackle Rotation
The Browns have a deep pool of talent in their defensive tackle room. Returning players include Dalvin Tomlinson, Shelby Harris, Maurice Hurst II, and Siaki Ika. The Browns added to their already strong group when they signed veteran free agentQuinton Jefferson.In the draft, they selected Mike Hall Jr. in the second round and addedJowon Briggsin the seventh round. Both Hall and Jefferson have integrated well into the team alongside the returning players from last year's rotation.
Tomlinson didn't hesitate to say he expected to see Hall out there week one,"Oh, yeah, he's super athletic guy. You know, super explosive, super quick. And he's going to bring a whole different dynamic up front for us. Yeah, I want Mike to go out there and ball out week one."
When asked about Jefferson, Tomlinson talked about what he is bringing to the room,"Been amazing. He was out there doing some good work today, some good techniques, and, yeah, you know, we all learn from each other. So, the small things is, it makes the biggest difference for us up front. And Quinton, he brings a lot to the room, just from his experience."
Traditionally, the Browns keep five defensive tackles, and last year, they mostly utilized a four-man rotation throughout the season. The Browns might choose to keep six players on this year's roster due to the abundance of talent and their investment of draft capital, but they will face tough decisions as Ika and Briggs, both draft picks, could be left out.
Both Briggs and Ika have the skillset to play one technique, something that the Browns are looking to implement more of into their defense this season. Tomlinson would be the one player who can also handle that responsibility among the group that will definitely make this team.
It would be nice to keep Ika for depth up the middle and to let him develop. He is more likely than Briggs to be claimed by another team if they try to get him through to the practice squad, considering he was a third-round pick last year. Adapting to the NFL is difficult for young defensive tackles and takes longer than most other positions. It will be interesting to see if they feel they can afford to make a concession elsewhere on the roster to keep an extra talented player a defensive tackle.
Who will call plays for the Browns this season?
In the most recent episode of Watson's podcast, QB Unplugged, he spoke at length about how Stefanski has let new offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey take control of installing and teaching the new offense.
"That's another beautiful thing about Dorsey and just beautiful about Kevin, man, allowing that, because Kevin be in those rooms and he is allowing that to happen and let Dorsey, hey this is you, you take over the offense, you take over the QB room, and you know we work together to be able to try to build something very very special."
Stefanski turned over most of his offensive staff after the 2023 season, creating a brain trust that would collaborate to construct the Browns offense for this season.
While Watson's quote suggests Stefanski has taken a back seat, both have been calling in plays throughout OTAs and minicamps.
Ultimately, if Stefanski were to hand over play-calling duties to Dorsey, the process would still be highly collaborative, and both would be able to provide input. While Stefanski is letting Dorsey teach and install their offense, I don't know if this quote is any indication that Stefanski still won't end up calling plays come the regular season.
He has proven to have a good feel for calling games, sequencing plays, and staying one step ahead of the opponent. Much of the Browns offensive success can be attributed to his ability to call games in a quarterback-friendly manner.
We are still far from the regular season, and although Stefanski has clearly empowered Dorsey and his offensive staff, despite Watson's quote, I don't think we can close the book on who is calling plays yet.
How will the Browns handle the new kickoff; Can they protect Dustin Hopkins?
The Browns worked on the new kickoff for the second time in front of the press, and with more players present, we got an initial look at some of the returner combinations the Browns were trying out. They featured a running back tandem of Jerome Ford and Pierre Strong Jr, while Ahmarean Brown and Jamari Thrash comprised a wide receiver pairing. They also deployed a combination of the two, with Elijah Moore and D'Onta Foreman.
#Browns continue to work on the new kickoff pic.twitter.com/oXy3BtOWxD
— Fred Greetham (@FredGreetham9) June 13, 2024
Protecting K Dustin Hopkins
Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker is adjusting his summer workouts to prepare for the NFL's new kickoff regulations in 2024. Tucker noted that kickers have been involved in 25% of tackles on the NFL's revised kickoff, as seen in XFL games. This has inspired him to focus more on strength training.
After making one tackle last season, Browns kicker Dustin Hopkins was injured and out for the season. There have been discussions about the Kansas City Chiefs potentially using safety Justin Reed to kickoff and adding a defender.
really dialing in on perfecting the kickoff approach pic.twitter.com/DnNm9kVHpI
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) May 30, 2024
The main concern is the health of Browns kicker Dustin Hopkins. Hopkins is most valuable to the Browns when kicking field goals, and increasing his physical involvement may not be the best approach.
Tucker's statistic indicating that 25% of tackles involved kickers is staggering. It suggests that the XFL may not have effectively addressed this aspect of kickoffs, or that the Browns should consider using someone other than Hopkins for kickoffs. D'Anthony Bell kicked for the Browns in the Texans game last season, so the Browns could consider adopting a strategy similar to the Chiefs.
With Dustin Hopkins out (hamstring) safety D'Anthony Bell is warming up kicking on the sidelines. Next man up. I love this team. Let's go! #Browns #DawgPound pic.twitter.com/V8sK8Ytcnr
— Roberto Shenanigans (@Rob_Shenanigans) December 24, 2023
Hopkins was a tremendously valuable weapon last season, and the Browns need him healthy and not involved in covering kickoff returns. Special teams coordinator Bubba Ventrone has his work cut out for him, as does every special teams coach in the league. Therefore, putting Hopkins in tackling drills seems like the wrong approach.
