Cleveland Browns Who've Turned Heads in Offseason Workouts
The Cleveland Browns will soon wrap up their voluntary offseason workouts, which lead up to mid-June's mandatory minicamp. Though observations have been limited and there are numerous rules governing what teams can and cannot do during this period in the offseason, players have emerged as standouts in Cleveland's OTAs.
Here are five players who have looked good in OTAs thus far, paving the way for what should be a strong summer of minicamp and training-camp practices.
CB K'Waun Williams
1 of 5
Though 2014 undrafted rookie cornerback K'Waun Williams played only 352 snaps last year according to Pro Football Focus, and most of those were in the slot, he still ranked 13th among all cornerbacks for the year. So it's not surprising that Williams is a standout in the Browns' OTAs thus far.
Last week, Andrew Gribble of the Browns' official website noted that "Williams made a number of plays during Tuesday's two-hour session," including "a number of interceptions." This drew praise from fellow cornerback Joe Haden, who said, "He's a scrappy dude and plays really physical. He's confident. He just knows the game. He takes coaching very well and he's one of the best nickelbacks I've seen as far as playing in the slot. He's able to guard the [Andrew] Hawkins and the [Wes] Welkers; those type of guys."
Browns head coach Mike Pettine noted to the Cleveland Plain Dealer's Tom Reed, "He's one of the guys this spring that if you kind of had to rate the guys that have taken a big leap from the previous year, K'Waun is up there. A lot of it's just a credit to him. He took that time from January to April. You could see he looks different physically. He's bigger, but he's leaner. He's moving better."
Based on his OTAs performance thus far, it's fair to say that Williams is leading the group of cornerbacks vying for the starting slot job this year.
RB Duke Johnson
2 of 5
Rookie running back Duke Johnson missed the opening portion of the Browns' latest OTAs to deal with a family matter, but he rejoined his team last week and immediately made an on-field impact.
ClevelandBrowns.com's Andrew Gribble pointed out a run last week that, as head coach Mike Pettine phrased it, "would have been a 40- or 50-yard chunk," "[if] we weren't playing flag football." It was a play that stuck out to veteran left tackle Joe Thomas, as well, who said: "He read his blocks perfectly, he saw the seam, he was patient. That's what you need as a running back. I hope we see that as the season goes on. I think you are going to see a more explosive offense this year."
Johnson, drafted to add speed to the Browns' running backs corps as well as to catch passes out of the backfield, has already showed off his ability to do both. Though Pettine noted that "He's got a lot to learn, but he's probably a typical rookie where he is right now," Johnson has already been impressive in the non-contact portion of the offseason.
WR Rodney Smith
3 of 5
The Browns acquired former Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Rodney Smith on waivers in October of last year. Though he was active for four games in 2014, he didn't record a single reception. But based on his performance in OTAs so far, he may see a marked increase in on-field action in 2015.
New offensive coordinator John DeFilippo, as Browns' head coach Mike Pettine said, "has some unique things that he's putting in that, just looking at them from a defensive perspective, are very challenging." One of those things is using the 6'5" Smith as a slot receiver.
This experiment has paid off, with Kevin Jones of the Browns' official website noting that "Smith made a number of plays Tuesday. He gallops across the field and is consistently getting open."
Smith will have a tough competition ahead of him, with Dwayne Bowe, Brian Hartline, Taylor Gabriel, Andrew Hawkins and Vince Mayle all in front of him on the depth chart. But if he can prove to be a versatile receiving weapon, the Browns may have no choice but to find a way to get passes to him this season.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
CB Justin Gilbert
4 of 5
Cornerback Justin Gilbert's rookie year did not go entirely as planned. The Round 1 pick saw the field sparingly, unable to win the slot cornerback job from Buster Skrine, and ended with a one-game suspension imposed by head coach Mike Pettine. But Gilbert has gone to great lengths this offseason to get his mind back onto his career, and so far, it's looked successful.
Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal reported last week that Gilbert had a good day of practice at OTAs, saying "During an 11-on-11 drill in the red zone, Gilbert broke up two passes from quarterback Johnny Manziel. He knocked away a pass intended for wide receiver Paul Browning, then poked the ball out of the grasp of wide receiver Rodney Smith."
This led to Pettine saying that "I definitely see changes. But [it's] probably too early [to know whether he has really turned the corner]. It's just all about consistency—just coming in here perfecting his craft every day. Right now, it's so far, so good."
Fellow cornerback Joe Haden has also seen the changes, saying to Ulrich that, "He’s comfortable. You could tell. He’s just making plays. He’s not in a rush. He knows the defense. So now, it’s more just getting lined up, looking at the splits and going and making a play, and he seems a lot more comfortable." Haden also noted a difference in Gilbert's work ethic.
Though K'Waun Williams has the edge in the Browns' battle at slot cornerback, it will be Gilbert who will challenge that edge as the summer unfolds. A newly focused Gilbert could be a huge asset for an already strong Browns secondary.
QB Josh McCown
5 of 5
The praise is ramping up for current first-team Browns quarterback Josh McCown. At a Browns' Fan Fest panel on Saturday, both head coach Mike Pettine and general manager Ray Farmer had nothing but good things to say about the as-of-now presumed 2015 starter.
Pettine, via Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal, said, "Until you feel you've found what you would call a long-term solution [at quarterback], I don't think we could have done any better than bringing in a guy like Josh McCown."
Pettine went on to say:
"It's like having another coach on the field, and it's all genuine. That's the thing you like the most. Despite his age, people that have been at practice agree, he can still spin it. We didn't just look to bring in a guy who was just going to be a mentor. We wanted a guy who we think can still play a little bit if you put him in the right circumstances. He's been more than advertised.
"
Though McCown struggled as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' starter in 2014, Pettine said last month that it wasn't an issue in his eyes. "It was pretty clear to us when we looked into the results what happened for him a year ago, that a lot of those circumstances were out of his control that made the year as difficult as it was," said the coach.
While it's not a given that McCown will be the Week 1 starter, granted that there has been no quarterback competition at OTAs by design, McCown clearly has the vocal support of his coaches. He also has earned the respect of left tackle Joe Thomas, who said last week, "[McCown's] a guy that’s been around a long time. So, he obviously understands what it takes to be a winner in the NFL. When you have a guy like that at the quarterback position—it's just the No. 1 position where you need that leadership and command of the huddle."
It will be an uphill battle for Johnny Manziel or even Connor Shaw to unseat McCown as the summer rolls on.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
.png?w=480)
