Browns Rumors: Latest Buzz, Players to Watch at Mandatory Minicamp
The Cleveland Browns made it back to the postseason in 2023, despite having a rotating cast at quarterback. However, the Browns were quickly ousted from the playoffs, as their reliance on backup quarterback Joe Flacco finally caught up to them.
Cleveland is hoping that 2024 will bring more quarterback consistency and a deeper push into the postseason. For that to happen, though, it will need to avoid the major injuries that arose during last season and get the sort of above-average quarterback play that it has yet to see from Deshaun Watson.
Watson (shoulder) is slowly working his way back to health, and the Browns are busty incorporating new players like Jerry Jeudy, D'Onta Foreman and Jordan Hicks. There will be no shortage of storylines to track this month in Cleveland.
Browns mandatory minicamp is set to begin on June 11. Here, we'll dive into some of the latest buzz, storylines and players to follow in the coming weeks.
Deshaun Watson Expected to Be Ready for Week 1
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Since arriving via a trade, Watson hasn't played like the Pro Bowler he was with the Houston Texans. He had his best game as a Brown in last year's 33-31 comeback win over the Baltimore Ravens but was lost for the season after that game.
Watson is still recovering from shoulder surgery and hasn't been a full participant during organized team activities (OTAs), but he has resumed throwing. The Browns and new offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey have reportedly been pleased with the work Watson has done.
"It
was the first time in organized team activities that Watson had really
opened it up, and Dorsey and others were thrilled to see it. Watson is
about six months out of surgery to repair the fractured shoulder socket
and partially torn labrum, and is on track to start Sept. 8 against the
Cowboys," Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com wrote.
The Browns, who started five different quarterbacks in 2023, added insurance this offseason. Second-year QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson is back, and Cleveland signed Jameis Winston and former Ravens backup Tyler Huntley.
However, the plan is for Watson to start and show some semblance of the quarterback he was early in his career. If he can, the Browns and their playoff-caliber roster could be a serious threat in the AFC.
New-Look Receiving Corps Taking Shape
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General manager Andrew Berry is eager to give his quarterbacks a functional receiving corps. To that end, he has regularly added to the receiver room. Last year, he drafted Cedric Tillman Jr. and traded for Elijah Moore. Two years ago, he drafted David Bell and traded for Amari Cooper.
This offseason, Berry traded for Jerry Jeudy and drafted Jamari Thrash.
To this point, Cooper is the only one of the bunch who has developed into a reliable playmaker for the Browns. However, Moore had a career year as Cleveland's No. 2 receiver last season, and Jeudy brings a first-round pedigree to the group.
With Dorsey, who helped develop Josh Allen into a Pro Bowl quarterback, overseeing the operation, Cleveland's receiving corps may finally explode.
"I just feel like it's going to be a lot more explosive," Moore said, via a team transcript (h/t Myles Simmons of ProFootballTalk). "It's super exciting to line up … with these guys."
Jeudy can sort of be viewed as the first-round pick Cleveland didn't have this year, and Thrash is an intriguing playmaker who could carve out an early role. Cooper's job is secure, at least until the 2025 offseason, when he'll be a free agent.
It'll be interesting to see if Moore can maintain a prominent role and what the new additions mean for returning players like Bell and Tillman. Plenty of eyes will be on the receiver group in minicamp.
Questions Remain at Running Back
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In recent offseasons, running back was perhaps the one position that didn't carry questions. Nick Chubb was one of the best in the NFL, and his production never lacked consistency. However, Chubb suffered multiple torn knee ligaments in Week 2 of last season and is highly unlikely to be available early in 2024.
"Still has got a long way to go, but he's progressing nicely given this point in time," Berry told The Ken Carman Show with Anthony Lima on 92.3 The Fan last month (h/t Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk).
Jerome Ford should again be Cleveland's starter while Chubb recovers, but the Browns also added Foreman and Nyheim Hines this offseason. Hines is also working his way back from a significant knee injury, one he suffered in a jet ski accident in 2023.
Hines has not participated in OTAs but does plan to be available for training camp, according to Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.
While fans won't get to watch Chubb or Hines in minicamp, they'll certainly have ears perked for recovery updates. They'll also get a look at how Foreman fits into the backfield equation and how players like Ford and Pierre Strong look in Dorsey's offense.
The Browns are hoping that Chubb will return at some point in 2024, and they'll likely lean on a backfield committee in the interim.
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