Browns vs. Bears: Previewing Cleveland's Preseason Week 4 Matchup

There’s not going to be much gleaned from Thursday night’s preseason finale between the Cleveland Browns and Chicago Bears. But that won’t stop the two sides from playing four quarters of competitive football.

Last year, undrafted running back Isaiah Crowell earned his keep by making a statement with 13 carries for 102 yards and one score. This year, he has probably earned the night off in the preseason finale.

But for those on each team’s roster bubble, Thursday night is their Super Bowl. It’s their last shot to make their evaluators change their minds or cement their status on the team’s 53-man roster.

For the Browns, a youth infusion has taken over their locker room, and general manager Ray Farmer appears intent on driving competition from top to bottom of the roster. That task gets a lot harder after Thursday night's preseason finale.

The game is really a play-by-play evaluation to determine the final couple roster spots on each team's roster. That evaluation ends quickly, as management must cut 22 more players by Saturday, September 5, at 4 p.m. ET in order to comply with the league’s maximum 53-man roster deadline.

Location: Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois

Time: 8 p.m. ET

TV: WEWS-5 (Cleveland)

News and Notes

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Four or Five Roster Spots Up For Grabs in Chicago

Mike Pettine gave us all plenty of reasons to tune into his Cleveland Browns’ preseason finale in Chicago. Speaking Tuesday on The Mike Pettine Show with Nathan Zegura and Ken Carman, the coach said there are four or five roster spot decisions that will be determined by the play on Soldier Field Thursday night (via Kevin Jones of ClevelandBrowns.com).

According to Jones, Pettine got even more specific, pointing out specific players and positional battles he is closely watching:

"

Josh Lenz is a guy that jumps out there. E.J. Bibbs will get another opportunity to play. He and Rob Housler will get some pretty good reps. Some of those young offensive lineman, Darrian Miller, Andrew McDonald, Vinston Painter, big Erle Ladson and Karim Barton – there’s not much difference between all of them. A game like this can certainly separate them.

Defensively, you look at Landon Feichter who’s been making plays. (De’Ante) Pop Saunders hasn’t had a chance to play a lot. Dylan Wynn is another guy, we haven’t done him a favor – we’ve had to play him out of position. This is a good night for him to get a lot of reps. Jacobbi McDaniel is a guy that’s proven he belongs at this level.

This will be their big opportunity.

"

There could be others in the mix, too. Pettine cited running back Isaiah Crowell’s breakout performance as a recent example of the impact of a big performance Thursday night.

Terrelle Pryor’s Performance Not “Make or Break” For His Roster Aspirations

Former quarterback Terrelle Pryor has never played in an NFL game as a wide receiver. So it’s absurd he might make the Cleveland Browns roster as one if he misses the fourth and final preseason game in Chicago, right?

Not so fast.

Head coach Mike Pettine said he’s hopeful Pryor will play Thursday night but that seeing him on the field isn’t an ultimatum for his roster chances, per Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal:

"

I don’t want to say make or break. I’m not going to deal with an absolute, saying he has to play, but we want to see him out there. We’re hopeful he’ll be out there. I can’t say today that he definitely will, but he should be. We’re hopeful. He was close to being able to go [Saturday], and give it another week, we’re hopeful he’ll be out there and we’ll be able to see him.

"

That sounds like a coach who has a strong feeling about Pryor without having seen him play, but that’s open to interpretation. The tone has been similar all offseason surrounding the gifted receiver. He’s a project, one who could end up helping out in a big way if he pans out.

With his height (6'4"), speed and experience playing in NFL offenses, Pryor’s projections vary from person to person, but there’s no denying his unique skill set that’s coveted by NFL personnel men.

We’ll see if he plays Thursday night, and if he doesn’t, we'll see if that affects the team’s stock in seeing his development through to the end.

Latest Injury News

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Player	Position	Injury
Charles Gaines	CB	Hamstring
Johnny Manziel	QB	Right elbow
Duke Johnson	RB	Concussion
Justin Gilbert	CB	Hip flexor
Nate Orchard	LB	Back
Pierre Desir	CB	Concussion
Brian Hartline	WR	Thigh

(Injuries courtesy of ClevelandBrowns.com)

Johnny Manziel has been doubtful to play in Thursday’s preseason finale since being shut down prior to last week’s 31-7 win over Tampa Bay. He hasn’t thrown at practice since, and it would be a shock if he played at all in Chicago.

The good news is Manziel’s elbow tendinitis will not require surgery, he said, according to ESPN.com. With Josh McCown likely sitting this one out, Thaddeus Lewis should get the start, with Pat Devlin filling in the blanks.

Duke Johnson and Pierre Desir’s preseason Week 3 concussions kept them out of practice this week. Tuesday’s final session before the team traveled to Chicago Wednesday saw both Johnson and Desir absent from practice, apparently undergoing concussion protocols, per ESPN Cleveland’s Jason Gibbs.

Rookie defensive back Charles Gaines made a number of big plays while playing extended snaps against Tampa Bay last week. It’s too bad he left with a hamstring injury, and was held out of practice throughout the week. Gaines may have solidified a roster spot with his play to this point, but it’s unlikely he’ll be able to add to his resume in Chicago as he rehabs from that injury.

The Browns need a more consistent pass-rusher outside Paul Kruger this season, and rookie Nate Orchard looked the part for much of the summer and preseason before missing last week’s matchup in Tampa. He missed all week of practice, so it’s unlikely he’ll play in Chicago, but coach Mike Pettine said he shouldn’t miss any regular-season games, per Andrew Gribble of ClevelandBrowns.com.

Key Matchups

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Browns Front Seven vs. Bears Rushing Game

Cleveland’s rush defense has been a catastrophe since Mike Pettine and Jim O’Neil came to town, finishing last in yards allowed per game in 2014. But things seem to be trending up in that department. Pro Football Focus ranks their performance as the fourth best in the NFL through three preseason games.

But without their starters, O’Neil’s scheme has been susceptible to some big plays if his players get out of position. That makes the matchup against Chicago Bears backups Jeremy Langford, Ka'Deem Carey, Senorise Perry and Jacquizz Rodgers one of the most intriguing of the night. According to Pro Football Focus, Chicago’s run game has been the third most efficient during the preseason.

Whether it’s depth or real learning that has taken place in the second year of O’Neil’s scheme, the Browns have gotten better in stuffing the run. Look for their ability to contain Chicago’s ground game to be a big factor in determining the outcome of the game.

Browns Receivers vs. Bears Defensive Backs

You’d be surprised to know that PFF also ranks the Browns’ passing offense as the fifth best in the league to this point in preseason, too. Chicago’s pass defense, on the other hand, ranks in the bottom half of the league.

With guys like Terrelle Pryor, Josh Lenz and Darius Jennings vying for roster spots, it won’t be a surprise if Cleveland is able to exploit those matchups against Bears backups. Chicago’s starters may be improved from a season ago, but the Browns are deep with NFL-caliber receivers, and they’ll challenge its reserves even with Thaddeus Lewis or Pat Devlin at quarterback.

X-Factor

Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

Browns X-Factor of the Week: Darius Jennings

Darius Jennings has been a rock for the Cleveland Browns this preseason. Whether it’s returning kicks or getting open and making plays, the undrafted receiver and return specialist from Virginia has gotten it done.

Jennings was undrafted, but he is leading the Browns in all-purpose yards during the preseason with 228 total yards—a team-high 68 receiving and 160 return yards.

Along with receiver Josh Lenz, Jennings is competing for one of the final receiver roster spots. Given his demonstrated explosive play ability in the return game and as a receiver, don’t be surprised if Jennings makes a statement in one or both of those areas against the Chicago Bears.

Prediction: Browns 24, Bears 14

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Who wants it more? That’s what Thursday night’s preseason finale will come down to. Sure, the end result and much of the box score will be decided by many players who won’t be on active rosters a few days later.

But the competition will still be at a very high level. These are, in some cases, guys who are playing for their football lives. With everything on the line, we’re bound to see some type of fireworks under the lights of Soldier Field.

The Browns got a slow start to preseason, but have a few playmakers who should see significant minutes Thursday night. Darius Jennings and Josh Lenz are making it hard on Browns management to cut them, and they’ll be lining up against Bears hopefuls.

Don’t be surprised if the Browns make enough splash plays to finish preseason 2-2 and head into the 2015 season on a positive note.

Prediction: Browns 24, Bears 14 

Mike Hoag covers the Cleveland Browns for Bleacher Report and is the managing editor of Browns Beat.