Cleveland Browns Offense Already Answering Some Big Questions in Preseason

The Cleveland Browns' first preseason game of 2015 went almost as well as could be expected. Though they didn't win, falling to Washington 20-17, they escaped the game injury-free. And their offense—a new-look unit running coordinator John DeFilippo's scheme for the first time against an unfamiliar opponent—looked as though it has been making significant progress.

The defense, however, left something to be desired, but the good news is that the Browns have three more preseason games, two major roster cuts and one month until they suit up for Week 1 of the regular season against the New York Jets. There is time for tweaks and adjustments. 

But the biggest questions the Browns have stared down this offseason concern that offense and the men tasked with running it. And while those questions weren't—and couldn't have been—completely answered on Thursday, there are clear signs that this group is capable of running DeFilippo's offense the way he envisions it.

Player	Atts.	Comp.	Yds.	Comp.%	TD	INT	Sack
McCown	5	5	33	100.0%	1	0	0
Manziel	11	7	42	63.6%	0	0	1
Shaw	10	5	64	50.0%	0	0	2
Lewis	4	2	15	50.0%	0	1	2

Starting quarterback Josh McCown made his Browns debut on Thursday night and put forth a flawless performance, leading Cleveland on a nine-play scoring drive in the team's first possession. McCown completed all five of his passes for 33 yards and a touchdown to receiver Travis Benjamin before his night was over.

Though aided by a 35-yard defensive pass-interference penalty called against Washington cornerback Chris Culliver, McCown looked like a poised veteran, especially when protected by one of the best pass-blocking offensive lines in the league. He was particularly fond of throwing to Benjamin and Brian Hartline, while Taylor Gabriel also had a key first down on the drive.

That drive was McCown's only work for the night, but it's clear he's the favorite to start in Week 1 and has mastered DeFilippo's playbook. That playbook should only get more interesting as the preseason wears on and we get a better idea of exactly what he has planned for the regular season.

Getting running back Duke Johnson back from his hamstring injury will also add more variety and flash to Cleveland's offense, given his ability to play as both a runner and receiver.

Ron Schwane/Associated Press

Backup quarterback Johnny Manziel also looked sharp during his time on the field, a span that stretched from the Browns' second offensive series to the first drive of the second half.

"Sharp," is a relative term, of course. What it really means is that he looks like he's made appreciable improvement from what was in many ways a disastrous rookie season. It wasn't flawless, and it didn't have to be—it just had to look more professional.

While working with mostly first-teamers in the first half, Manziel looked comfortable and confident. Though he did show off his trademark escape abilities and his scrambling prowess, it all looked far more edited down and controlled than a year ago.

Manziel ultimately completed seven of his 11 pass attempts on the night for 42 yards and one sack. He also had a 12-yard touchdown run on a drive that followed Johnson Bademosi recovering a fumble on Washington's 36-yard line.

Though three of Manziel's four first-half drives resulted in Browns punts—including two three-and-outs—it was easy to see that Manziel is making progress in an offense that, as the Sports Daily's Christopher Hansen noted, was simplified to the needs of a second-year quarterback.

And not only was Manziel "more decisive than a year ago," as the Plain Dealer's Tom Reed pointed out, he was also able to handle a technical glitch. Head coach Mike Pettine (via Kevin Jones of ClevelandBrowns.com) said that at one point, Manziel's headset went out for a play, and instead of calling timeout, he called his own play—and it worked.

It wasn't all sunshine and rainbows for the Browns offense, with the team totaling just 170 net yards to Washington's 368. As a group, the Browns' four quarterbacks passed for a total of 154 yards, and the team netted only 45 rushing yards on 19 attempts for 2.4 yards per carry. 

But this was the bare-bones, not-scheming-for-an-opponent version of a Week 1 preseason offense, and for what it was, it proved to be quite efficient. There is much to build upon here, for both McCown and Manziel, and improvement should only continue as players like Johnson, Dwayne Bowe, Shaun Draughn and even Terrelle Pryor work their way back from their respective injuries. 

Though the Browns offense isn't one that will light the world on fire this year, based on Thursday's sampling of it, it won't be another kind of fire, either—dumpster, tire, garbage, take your pick. This is an efficient, ball-controlling offense that can be tailored to the strengths of both McCown and Manziel. It takes advantage of mismatches and utilizes the team's best playmakers.

Hints of that peeked through on Thursday, and it should only get better as the Browns continue on their path toward the Jets in Week 1.