Browns 2015 Preview: Complete Cleveland Guide for Preseason, Season

The 2015 NFL season is rapidly approaching, with the preseason beginning on Sunday and the regular season just over a month away. So now is the time to take a look at what lies ahead for the Cleveland Browns this year.

Here's a complete primer of everything you need to know about the Browns heading into the season, from their preseason schedule to players to watch and regular-season matchups of note. 

Preseason Schedule

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The Browns play four preseason games this summer. Three of the four games will be aired on WEWS in the Cleveland area, while one will air on ESPN. Here is the schedule:

Week 1: Thursday, August 13, Browns vs. Washington, 8 p.m. ET (WEWS)

Week 2: Thursday, August 20, Browns vs. Buffalo Bills, 8 p.m. ET (ESPN)

Week 3: Saturday, August 29, Browns at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 7 p.m. ET (WEWS)

Week 4: Thursday, September 3, Browns at Chicago Bears, 8 p.m. ET (WEWS)

New Impact Players

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The Browns made a number of significant personnel moves during the offseason, and while not every player added will contribute this year, quite a few will be impact players during the 2015 season. 

QB Josh McCown: With second-year quarterback Johnny Manziel still learning what it means to play the position in the NFL, the Browns brought in the experienced Josh McCown to serve as a bridge quarterback for the 2015 season. McCown is currently in line to start, based on the work he's getting in training camp. It will take a huge leap by Manziel to overtake him this summer.

WR Dwayne Bowe: The Browns added veteran wideout Dwayne Bowe during free agency, and he'll be taking on the role that once belonged to suspended receiver Josh Gordon—that is, being the deep-threat on the field. Though the Browns aren't expected to be a pass-heavy offense, Bowe will still be invaluable. He's also serving as a mentor for the team's younger receivers.

DL Randy Starks: Veteran defensive lineman Randy Starks was brought on during the offseason to help the Browns' last-ranked run defense improve for the 2015 season. The Browns have a rotational line, which means that Starks won't be playing every snap this year, but he will be an integral part of the Browns' defensive plans on a situational basis.

CB Tramon Williams: When the Browns lost outside cornerback Buster Skrine in free agency, they opted not to hang their hopes on young corners like Justin Gilbert and K'Waun Williams. Instead, they signed veteran Tramon Williams to work alongside Joe Haden. 

DL Danny Shelton: Defensive tackle Danny Shelton was the first of the Browns' two first-round draft picks this year. Like Starks, Shelton will be primarily involved in the Browns' run defense. But his massive size also makes him an ideal nose tackle on passing downs because he can occupy multiple offensive linemen and help open pass-rushing windows for the team's linebackers and defensive ends.

OL Cam Erving: Cam Erving was selected with the team's second first-round pick this year because of his versatility. Though he played as a center in college, he can play guard and tackle, too, meaning he can fill in at any spot on the line should injuries occur.

Erving was initially thought to be a challenger for right guard John Greco's spot, but for now, he's working with the second-team offense and could take some time to crack the starting lineup.

RB Duke Johnson: Running back Duke Johnson, taken in Round 3 of the 2015 NFL draft, should be a centerpiece of the Browns' offense this year, granted that the hamstring injury that currently has him sidelined at training camp does not linger.

Johnson can run the ball as well as catch it, and though he'll be in a three-man timeshare with Isaiah Crowell and Terrance West, his unique skill set makes him a dangerous offensive weapon.

WR Vince Mayle: Fourth-round draft pick, receiver Vince Mayle, missed all of the Browns' OTAs and minicamp as he recovered from thumb surgery. But now he's back on the field for training camp. Mayle is most notable for being the first receiver the Browns have drafted since Travis Benjamin in 2012. However, the Browns are hoping Mayle will be more than a marginal player.

WR Terrelle Pryor: On the heels of a position switch from quarterback to wide receiver, the Browns picked up Terrelle Pryor on waivers. Though the summertime buzz about him is strong, converting to wideout is a difficult transition, even for a natural athlete like Pryor.

It will be hard for him to crack the 53-man roster, simply because Bowe, Mayle, Brian Hartline, Andrew Hawkins, Taylor Gabriel and perhaps Darius Jennings are all ahead of him on the depth chart.

The Offense

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The Browns made a change at offensive coordinator after the 2014 season wrapped, with Kyle Shanahan choosing to move on. The Browns hired John DeFilippo to take his place, and though some things won't change—like the offensive line's zone-blocking scheme—others will be drastically different this year.

One notable change is the use of motion. Earlier in the year at the team's OTAs, ClevelandBrowns.com's Kevin Jones noted, "An educated estimate showed about 70 percent of plays called by offensive coordinator John DeFilippo had either a tight end or wide receiver moving around, and some plays had up to four players shifting around."

The Plain Dealer's Mary Kay Cabot also mentioned that motion would be a big part of DeFilippo's offense. She said, "The Browns want to run the ball a lot to take the pressure off [quarterback Josh] McCown."

"It will likely feature plenty of shifting and motion, and some elements of the West Coast offense and its short passing game. But DeFilippo also wants to push the ball down the field to the extent he can," she added.

Ultimately, this offense will be about protecting the football and limiting mistakes, which means not just running the ball heavily, but also asking McCown (or whoever the quarterback is) to throw short passes that allow the receivers to pick up yards after the catch. Efficiency is the goal.

The Defense

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The Browns made no changes on the defensive coaching side of the ball this year, which means they are heading into their second season with a defense built by both coordinator Jim O'Neil and head coach Mike Pettine.

Cleveland's secondary is set, aside from ironing out who among Pierre Desir, Justin Gilbert and K'Waun Williams will be working as the team's slot cornerback this year. In fact, the Browns may just have the best secondary in the NFL. It features cornerback Joe Haden and safeties Donte Whitner and Tashaun Gipson.

The key will be improving the output of the front seven, both in the run game and the pass rush. The Browns gave up the most rushing yards in the league in 2014 and totaled just 31 sacks. Some of this can be attributed to injuries—numerous players, mostly on the defensive line, missed time in 2014, depleting the Browns' depth and preventing them from maximizing their rotational approach.

With everyone healthy, including Phil Taylor, Desmond Bryant and John Hughes, and with the additions of players such as Danny Shelton, Nate Orchard and Randy Starks, the Browns are hoping to have much more success on defense this year.

Special Teams

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The Browns overhauled their special teams unit during the 2015 offseason, replacing kicker Garrett Hartley with Carey Spear and Travis Coons, who will battle for the job throughout this summer's training camp and four preseason games. They also traded for punter Andy Lee and replaced long snapper Christian Yount with Charley Hughlett.

The Browns are also spending their summer trying to figure out who their best options at kick and punt returner are. Travis Benjamin is hoping that he'll win out at punt returner this summer, but the Browns have been rotating a number of players at the return spot. 

The goal here is to improve field position and make things that much easier on both the offense and defense. And clearly, the Browns thought that everyone from 2014 needed to go in order to make that happen.

Regular-Season Schedule

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Here are the games the Browns are scheduled to play in the 2015 season:

Week 1: September 13, at New York Jets

Week 2: September 20, vs. Tennessee Titans

Week 3: September 27, vs. Oakland Raiders

Week 4: October 4, at San Diego Chargers

Week 5: October 11, at Baltimore Ravens

Week 6: October 18, vs. Denver Broncos

Week 7: October 25, at St. Louis Rams

Week 8: November 1, vs. Arizona Cardinals

Week 9: November 5, at Cincinnati Bengals (Thursday night)

Week 10: November 15, at Pittsburgh Steelers

Week 11: Bye

Week 12: November 30, vs. Baltimore Ravens (Monday night)

Week 13: December 6, vs. Cincinnati Bengals

Week 14: December 13, vs. San Francisco 49ers

Week 15: December 20, at Seattle Seahawks

Week 16: December 27, at Kansas City Chiefs

Week 17: January 3, vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

Matchups of Note

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Of the Browns' 16 games scheduled for 2015, a few matchups stand out. This starts with the team's four-game stretch spanning Weeks 4 through 7. Three of those four games are on the road, starting with the San Diego Chargers in Week 4, the Baltimore Ravens in Week 5 and the St. Louis Rams in Week 7. And in Week 6, the Browns host the Denver Broncos and quarterback Peyton Manning.

Another important stretch of games spans Weeks 9 through 13. Though the four games are split up by the Browns' Week 11 bye, all four contests are against AFC North rivals, beginning with a Thursday night game against the Cincinnati Bengals and wrapping in Week 13, also against the Bengals. 

In between are a Monday night meeting with the Ravens and a Week 10 road game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. At this point in the season, the division should start taking shape in terms of contenders and pretenders. If the Browns want to have any shot of being tops in the AFC North, they will need to have good showings in the majority of these four games.

Finally, the Browns close out the year with three difficult opponents—the Seattle Seahawks and the Kansas City Chiefs in Weeks 15 and 16, followed by a home contest against the Steelers in Week 17. Going on the road against Seattle and Kansas City will be tall orders for the Browns. Closing things with the Steelers only makes things even more difficult at the end of the season.