Envisioning Cleveland Browns' Starting Lineup for 2015 Season
The 2015 NFL draft is over. The bulk of free agency wrapped weeks ago. Though there is still work to be done, teams are ever-increasingly working out their rosters and depth charts as they approach minicamp and training camp season.
The Cleveland Browns selected 12 players in this year's draft. That will certainly affect their starting lineup for the 2015 season. With the majority of offseason activity in the books, here's an early prediction of who could be starting for the Browns this year.
Quarterback
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Starter: Josh McCown
The quarterback battle will be the biggest one to watch for the Browns this summer. The main competition should be between veteran Josh McCown and second-year player Johnny Manziel. Though Connor Shaw could quite possibly outplay both, many expect the starting job to come down to the two higher-profile Browns quarterbacks.
It's possible that Manziel ultimately starts in Week 1, especially as general manager Ray Farmer said in March, "If he's prepared and he demonstrates the things that he needs to demonstrate, then yeah he should get every opportunity to be the guy."
But as things stand right now, the first crack at the job appears to be given to McCown. Browns head coach Mike Pettine said on Monday that "it's fair to say" that McCown will be penciled in as the starter when the team commences training camp this summer. While that does not mean Manziel won't have the opportunity to wrest the job away, that job is McCown's today, and it's only fair to give him the nod in Week 1 because of it.
Running Back
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Starters: Isaiah Crowell, Duke Johnson
Last year, the Browns added two running backs to their roster, first taking Terrance West in Round 3 and then adding Isaiah Crowell as an undrafted free agent. Though West bested Crowell in yardage, with 673 yards on his 171 carries, Crowell did more with less, totaling 607 yards on 148 carries, as well as eight rushing touchdowns to four for West. Crowell also out-gained West on a per-carry basis, with Crowell rushing an average of 4.1 yards per carry to 3.9 yards for West.
This year, the Browns went back to the running back well, selecting Miami's Duke Johnson in Round 3 of the 2015 draft. Immediately, Cleveland's offensive backfield got appreciably better, but that also means that either Crowell or West will be relegated to a change-of-pace role or simply to the bench.
Of the pair of sophomore players, Crowell has the better shot to play a significant role alongside Johnson in the Browns' timeshare. Crowell has the power, the scoring ability and the better chance to gain yards on any given run than West. Johnson, meanwhile, will serve not just as a rusher but also as a receiver—good news for a running backs corps that totaled just 151 yards and one score between West and Crowell last year.
Wide Receivers
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Starters: Dwayne Bowe, Andrew Hawkins, Taylor Gabriel
Though the Browns brought on two veteran free-agent receivers this year, only one appears ready for a starter's worth of snaps: Dwayne Bowe. That's not to say that Brian Hartline won't see the field this year but rather that he'll be splitting time with Taylor Gabriel, an undrafted free agent from 2014 who went on to be the Browns' second-leading receiver in 2014.
Gabriel and Bowe will be joined by Andrew Hawkins, who led the Browns last year with 63 catches on 113 targets for 824 yards and two scores. But expect a rotation of wide receivers on the field for the Browns this year, especially given their quarterback situation. These three, however, have the best odds of being true starters.
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Tight Ends
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Starters: Rob Housler, Gary Barnidge
The Cleveland Browns had a huge issue at tight end to solve this offseason upon the departure of Jordan Cameron in free agency. Slowly but surely, they managed to do so, by bringing on veteran free agent Rob Housler to take on Cameron's receiving role.
Housler can block, but the Browns would be wise to have at least one other tight end involved in their offense this year. While Gary Barnidge had fewer receptions and yards last year than Jim Dray, Barnidge's higher run-blocking grade from Pro Football Focus seems to hint that he has the best chance to be the Browns' primary blocking tight end.
Dray, though, is adept at pass protection, which should result in his seeing playing time this year. And the additions of tight end/fullback/H-back Malcolm Johnson and tight end Randall Telfer in the 2015 draft could mean a plethora of tight end types filling certain roles for the Browns this year.
Offensive Line
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Starters (Left to Right): Joe Thomas, Joel Bitonio, Alex Mack, John Greco, Cam Erving
The Browns offensive line shouldn't see much of a personnel shakeup from 2014 to 2015. Joe Thomas and Joel Bitonio will be the left tackle and guard, respectively. Alex Mack should be 100 percent healed from his midseason broken leg and reprise his role at center. The only change comes on the right side of the line, with Cam Erving taking over for Mitchell Schwartz at right tackle, while John Greco will remain the right guard.
Though ESPN Cleveland's Tony Grossi expects the rookie Erving to push Greco for his job, Greco was Pro Football Focus' 10th-best guard in 2014 and its sixth-best right guard, with Greco earning positive marks as a run-blocker while allowing just two sacks in pass protection. Meanwhile, Schwartz ranked 33rd among tackles last season and gave up a team-high seven sacks.
The right guard position is not broken, so the Browns don't need to fix it. The right tackle position, meanwhile, could use an upgrade. Ultimately, it looks like Greco can keep his job this year, with Erving stepping in for Schwartz.
Defensive Line
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Starters (Rotational): Billy Winn, Danny Shelton, John Hughes, Desmond Bryant, Armonty Bryant, Phil Taylor, Randy Starks
The Browns, like many teams in the NFL, take a rotational approach to their defensive line. So expect to see a multitude of players getting actual starts or starter-worthy numbers of snaps in 2015, much as was the case in 2014.
At defensive end, the Browns will situationally rotate among Billy Winn, John Hughes, Desmond Bryant and Armonty Bryant, while Danny Shelton, Phil Taylor and Randy Starks will see the most playing time at defensive tackle. Shelton will be the team's run-stopping nose tackle, though Starks and Taylor will also split snaps with the rookie.
Most importantly, though, is that the Browns will be getting back three defensive linemen who ended their seasons on injured reserve last year: Hughes, Taylor and Armonty Bryant. The return to full health on the line will certainly help the Browns as they attempt to not only improve their pass rush but also end their struggles with stopping the run.
Linebackers
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Starters (Rotational): Paul Kruger, Barkevious Mingo, Nate Orchard, Chris Kirksey, Karlos Dansby, Craig Robertson
The Browns also take a rotational approach with their linebacking corps, though not to the same extent as they do with their defensive line. The outside linebacker position, in particular, should remain relatively stable, with Paul Kruger likely playing the most snaps and Barkevious Mingo and rookie Nate Orchard spitting time opposite him.
The bulk of the rotational work will come inside. Karlos Dansby will see the most playing time, while Craig Robertson and Chris Kirksey will divide snaps much as they did last year or even be on the field at the same time in the team's various defensive formations.
Cleveland's defense totaled just 31 sacks last year, prompting the team to draft Orchard in Round 2 of the 2015 draft. It will be interesting to see if he ultimately pushes Mingo to the sidelines or if he can pull snaps away from Kruger, who has yet to live up to the five-year, $40.5 million contract the team gave him as a free agent in 2013.
Secondary
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Starters, Cornerback: Joe Haden, Tramon Williams, K'Waun Williams
Starters, Safety: Donte Whitner, Tashaun Gipson
The Browns currently have more cornerbacks than they know what to do with. Among the drafting of Justin Gilbert and Pierre Desir last year, their finding of undrafted diamond in the rough K'Waun Williams, their selections of Charles Gaines and Ifo Ekpre-Olomu in the 2015 draft, the presence of veteran Joe Haden and the offseason signing of free agent Tramon Williams, the Browns certainly have some interesting camp battles to look forward to.
But Haden won't be relinquishing his starting spot any time soon, and Tramon Williams looks like he'll be the first best option to replace the departed Buster Skrine alongside Haden. That leaves just the slot corner job up for grabs, and for now, it appears K'Waun Williams, who appeared in 13 games last year with four starts, has the fast track for earning it.
At safety, nothing will change. Donte Whitner and Tashaun Gipson, the latter coming off a late-season knee injury, will be the team's starters. Rookie Ibraheim Campbell could get some playing time this year but not enough to usurp either Whitner's or Gipson's spot on the depth chart.
Kicker
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Starter: Garrett Hartley
The Browns made the switch from kicker Billy Cundiff to Garrett Hartley in December of the 2014 season. Hartley ultimately made all three of his field-goal attempts for the Browns and both of his extra-point attempts; in contrast, Cundiff made 22 of his 29 field goals before being released and was 28-of-28 on extra points.
Hartley isn't the only kicker on Cleveland's roster at present, with Travis Coons and Carey Spear joining him. But Hartley is the most expensive kicker on the team and the only one with years of NFL experience to his name. For those reasons, he'll be the starting kicker for 2015.
Punter
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Starter: Spencer Lanning
Unlike kicker, there is but one punter on the Browns roster presently: Spencer Lanning. Lanning was re-signed this offseason to a one-year, $585,000 contract. Unless something happens to him, such as an injury, Lanning will be the Browns' starting punter for 2015.
In 2014, Lanning completed 93 punts for a total of 4,119 yards or 44.3 yards per punt. He averaged 39.2 net yards per punt, with nine punts going for a touchback, 26 resulting in fair catches and 42 being returned for 295 total yards or just seven yards per return.
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