Cleveland Browns' Biggest Preseason Disappointments So Far

Not everything goes as planned during the NFL preseason and training camp. Players expected to be major contributors often fail to meet expectations, others suffer injuries that put them behind their peers and roster surprises emerge, sometimes stealing starting jobs away in the process.

Here are five Browns who have been disappointments so far this summer. Though there is still time for these players to turn things around, expectations were high for these five, and they have failed to live up to them so far.

RB Duke Johnson

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It's not that rookie Browns running back Duke Johnson lacks talent—and he's still in the team's offensive plans this year. But it's hard to describe his summer up to this point as anything but a disappointment since Johnson has missed three weeks of practice with a hamstring injury.

In fact, head coach Mike Pettine said Johnson's absence was "disappointing," adding, "He'll have a lot of catch-up work to do. We're making sure he gets all of those reps mentally. But there's no substitute for actual live reps."

Johnson returned to the field on Saturday, and many are optimistic about his ability to contribute quickly, given that Cleveland's offense is similar to the one he ran in college at Miami. Pettine, via Scout.com's Fred Greetham, said as much, adding that Johnson is "far ahead of most rookie backs that I've been around."

But the real test will be in practices and in the upcoming preseason game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Until then, Johnson will try to show that his mental reps provided adequate enough preparation.

WR Vince Mayle

Tony Dejak/Associated Press

Fourth-round 2015 draft pick Vince Mayle's roster spot is not safe at the moment, with other young wideouts turning heads in training camp and the preseason. And Mayle's two preseason missteps to this point are helping his arrow trend further downward.

A pass that bounced off of Mayle's hands in the team's first preseason game against Washington led to an interception, and his two drops against the Buffalo Bills in Week 2 cost the Browns a chance at victory. Yes, Mayle is coming off of offseason thumb surgery, but even before that, as Bleacher Report's Matt Miller pointed out, Mayle had the most dropped passes in college football in 2014.

Considering the Browns' current receiver logjam, Mayle will have to find a way to stand out positively to make the final roster. Right now, he looks like a practice squad player at best.

CB Justin Gilbert

David Richard/Associated Press

The pressure was on Browns second-year cornerback Justin Gilbert this year. With little shot of unseating Joe Haden or Tramon Williams on the outside, he needed to prove he could be a reliable slot cornerback in order to beat out K'Waun Williams. At this point, it doesn't look like he's going to do it.

After struggling in the team's first preseason game, Gilbert had a brutal performance in the Browns' joint practice with the Buffalo Bills last week. According to Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal:

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[Gilbert] allowed 11 receptions (four in one-on-one drills, one in a seven-on-seven drill and six in 11-on-11 drills), didn't break up a single pass and surrendered a catch every time he was targeted. He unofficially surrendered one touchdown in a one-on-one drill and two during an 11-on-11 drill in which the ball was placed on the 25-yard line or closer.

"

He then suffered a hip injury in the following day's joint practice and did not play against the Bills. Gilbert needs to get back from that injury quickly, because with just two preseason games left, there are few opportunities left for redemption.

OL Michael Bowie

Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

The Browns brass thought highly enough of offensive lineman Michael Bowie that they claimed him off of waivers after the Seattle Seahawks released him due to a shoulder injury last year. But whatever potential they thought he possessed has not yet come into view.

Bowie has struggled in the Browns' two preseason games thus far and hasn't done anything to warrant more than a second- or third-string spot. He's been manhandled as a pass protector, often being thrown to the ground, and is also less-than-stellar at run blocking. As such, Bowie now ranks 99th (out of 102) tackles ranked this preseason by Pro Football Focus, with a negative-5.7 overall grade.

Not helping matters is the fact that Bowie suffered a shoulder injury—and not the same shoulder—on the final play of the Browns' preseason game against Buffalo. Bowie is an offensive lineman who cannot perform any of his position's requisite duties, and he's now hurt. This is not what the Browns envisioned when they picked him up last year.

TE Rob Housler

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When the Browns signed veteran free-agent tight end Rob Housler during the offseason, it was expected that he would take over the pass-catching role that once belonged to Jordan Cameron. But that hasn't come to pass. Housler is currently behind tight ends Gary Barnidge and Jim Dray and is quickly losing ground to undrafted rookie E.J. Bibbs.

Suddenly, Housler's roster spot is in jeopardy. And it doesn't help that he's rarely being targeted in the preseason. He saw just one pass thrown his way in the first preseason game against Washington and had just two targets and two catches for 27 yards against the Buffalo Bills. 

Housler has gone from an expected starter to a player on the fringe struggling to get on-field reps, let alone time with the first-team offense. Why? Because he's been dropping too many passes in practice to warrant playing time over Barnidge, Dray or even Bibbs. That's not a good sign for his chances to stick in Cleveland. This is a surprise, of the disappointing sort.