Top Position Battles to Watch in Cleveland Browns Training Camp

The 2012 Cleveland Browns have several polarizing positional battles heading into minicamp.

There is an obvious quarterback competition between third-year QB Colt McCoy and seasoned rookie Brandon Weeden.

Then, there is a remaining roster that collectively helped the Browns underachieve yet again by finishing 4-12 in 2011. Surely, quarterback is not the only position that needed an upgrade this offseason.

Perhaps the biggest question at hand is whether or not you believe the Browns front office has done enough to address those deficiencies. But no matter, for the current task at hand I will examine what has been done so far in the personnel department and what will likely be intriguing competitions come training camp.

Defensive Tackle

The assumed loss of Phil Taylor after tearing his pectoral muscle in a weight-lifting accident has created a competition for the opposite defensive tackle slot next to Ahtyba Rubin.

Adding and maintaining depth is a beautiful thing. In instances such as the unexpected loss of Phil Taylor, it is even more so justified. The additions of John Hughes and Billy Winn are not looking as much like acts of lunacy and more like smart depth additions to a roster lacking adequate options.

Although Winn was selected deeper in the draft than Hughes, he projects better as the gap-shooting DT that the Browns envisioned when they selected Phil Taylor in the first round of the 2011 draft.

However, the right option to replace Taylor may not come from this year’s rookie class. In backup duty in 2011, Brian Schaefering and Scott Paxson both performed adequately. Paxson, to me, would likely be the front-runner for the job if the season were to start today. His quickness and initial first move make him a more ideal gap shooter than the other candidates.

However, that is the reason for minicamp and OTAs. Rookies Hughes and Winn will be added to the mix and may come out and surprise many in Berea.

Billy Winn has caught my eye and I have to tell you that I wouldn’t be surprised if he is starting opposite of Ahtyba Rubin on opening day.

Quarterback

The Cleveland Browns did not select 28-year-old Brandon Weeden in the first round of the 2012 NFL draft to play behind Colt McCoy. McCoy, a former third-round pick, had his chance to prove his potential over the past two seasons. In that time span he has not done anything remarkable to solidify his hold on the position.

He also couldn’t stay healthy.

Forget about notions about McCoy’s father’s comments pushing the Browns front office away from him. The decision to move on from McCoy was made based on his pedestrian performance on the field.

Sure, McCoy can make some of the throws and he can even manage a game effectively at times. But that is obviously not what the brass had in mind when they envisioned turning the awful offense around during this offseason.

It may come as a shock to you, but there has not been a vote of confidence in McCoy this entire offseason. Before missing out on the rights to draft Robert Griffin III, there wasn’t even the consensus to name McCoy the starting QB over career backup Seneca Wallace.

Unfortunately for McCoy and his great drive, character and dedication, he will likely follow the career path of Seneca Wallace.

The job, in my eyes at least, is Weeden’s to lose.

Fullback

In 2011, the Cleveland Browns drafted Owen Marecic in the fourth round to replace Lawerence Vickers as their starting fullback. Concussions and inconsistencies plagued the bruising back from Stanford. Marecic didn’t live up to the hard-nosed style in the NFL that he created for himself in college.

This year, the Browns picked up Trent Richardson’s college teammate and lead blocker Brad Smelley with a seventh-round compensatory selection.

At first glance, Marecic’s job is not in trouble. Smelley is a versatile H-back that can play anywhere from slot, tight end and fullback. His best blocking for Richardson came from his ability to use his leverage to eliminate defenders. He did that by being lined up in most positions in the Alabama offense. He was also a sure-handed threat to catch a pass from any position he lined up.

Smelley reminds me a lot of Peyton Hillis because of this versatility.

While he likely wont turn into the dual-threat and bruising H-back Hillis became, he has the needed skills to not only make the team but to devalue the importance of Marecic’s role. The battle for playing time and roles will likely swing in Smelley’s favor because of that versatility and his familiarity with Trent Richardson.

Wide Receiver

The most glaring hole in the Cleveland Browns offense has been at the wide receiver position. Blame Colt McCoy for his perceived lack of arm strength and poor decision making (check-downs), but the receivers in 2011 did not carry their weight, either.

Frequent drops became common and ended many drives prematurely. Rookie wide receiver Greg Little was one of the biggest culprits of that crime.

Injuries plagued starting flanker and second-year man Mohamed Massaqoui. When he was on the field, he hasn't made the impact his second-round selection warranted.

Former undrafted free agent Jordan Norwood caught on toward the end of the season but was rarely utilized. He was tendered and signed in this offseason and is a favorite to make the roster and receive an increased workload in 2012.

For a team whose offense is predicated upon using the passing game to move the ball downs the field, the Browns could not even remotely execute the aerial attack to do so.

Heading into minicamp, the Browns have brought basically the same crop of players in from last offseason with the additions of fourth-round pick Travis Benjamin and undrafted free agent's Bert Reed, Jermaine Saffold and Joshua Cooper. They will also bring second-year WR (but still technically a rookie) Rod Windsor to camp.

Cooper, if you haven’t been told repeatedly already, was college teammates with Brandon Weeden. Their familiarity and experience together may weigh in heavily on Cooper’s chance to succeed and make the 53-man roster.

There is stiff competition all throughout the Browns receiving corps, with very few favorites and sure-things right now.

Greg Little will likely start at the No. 1 or No. 2 WR/flanker position, but who will be across from him? Jordan Norwood and Travis Benjamin will LIKELY compete for the No. 3/slot receiver position.

The most likely choice for the opposite flanker position and favorite heading into camp is Massaqoui. His experience in the system will give him a leg-up on the rookies but he could be dropped as fellow second-rounder Brian Robiskie was in 2011.

Enter Carlton Mitchell. Mitchell is the man to beat if Saffold, Reed, Windsor or Cooper have any ideas of making the team this season.

However, the way I see it, Mitchell may be a more attractive option for the Browns than Massaqoui. Massaqoui’s ability has been on display. His ceiling is pretty apparent after two seasons. Mitchell will come cheaper around contract extension time and does have a high upside due to his size and athletic ability.

This is one positional battle that will not settle itself out until opening day.

Follow Mike on Twitter @BigHoagowski