Cleveland Browns Week 6 Stock Report

The Cleveland Browns pulled out a wild 33-30 overtime win over the Baltimore Ravens in Week 5, which marked the first time the Browns had beaten the Ravens in Baltimore since 2007. The win propelled them to a 2-3 record, good for third place in the AFC North.

Some Browns players contributed more than others in the win, however. Here are the Browns whose stocks are on the rise and those who are on the decline headed into Sunday's meeting with the Denver Broncos.

Stock Up: K Travis Coons

Rob Carr/Getty Images

There has been an epidemic of kickers missing both field goals and extra points this season, but the curse has yet to affect Browns kicker Travis Coons. 

Coons has been perfect so far this year, making all 11 of his field-goal attempts—3-of-3 from 20-29 yards, 4-of-4 from 30-39 yards and 4-of-4 from 40-49 yards—as well as all nine extra points he's attempted this year. He's one of just nine kickers who have made 100 percent of their field-goal attempts this year (and among those nine, two have missed extra points).

But there was no field goal more important for Coons this year than the 32-yarder he made in overtime against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 5 that resulted in a 33-30 Browns win.

Coons has proved not only to be a reliable kicker in a season where that's becoming rare, but he's also a clutch kicker who can win games for the Browns. His stock is undoubtedly on the rise heading into Week 6.

Stock Down: WR Dwayne Bowe

Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

Despite the Browns signing veteran wide receiver Dwayne Bowe to a two-year, $12.5 million contract in March, he's yet to earn his keep in Cleveland. A hamstring injury cost him most of training camp and all of the preseason, as well as the Week 1 contest against the New York Jets.

But, now healthy, Bowe has twice been inactive on game days, including in Week 5 against the Baltimore Ravens. All told, he has played just 12 snaps this year and has been targeted twice with no receptions, per Pro Football Focus.

Other Browns receivers, such as Taylor Gabriel, Andrew Hawkins and Travis Benjamin, along with tight end Gary Barnidge and running back Duke Johnson, have been holding down the fort in Cleveland's passing game. But it's not a good sign that Bowe, who was brought on to stretch the field and score touchdowns, cannot even dress for a game at this point.

Stock Up: QB Josh McCown

Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports

Every week, the Browns offense gets better and better, and quarterback Josh McCown has played no small part in the improvement.

McCown played well in Week 5 against the Ravens, completing 36 of his 51 pass attempts, for 457 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed three times for 12 yards and an additional score. The performance earned him AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors.

He also broke records. His 457 passing yards set a Browns' single-game franchise record, while he also became the first quarterback in league history to pass for at least 450 yards, throw two passing touchdowns, rush for a touchdown and not throw a single interception.

It seemed impossible that McCown could recapture the lightning in a bottle of his five-game stretch as the Chicago Bears starting quarterback in 2013, given what came before and after in his career. But yet here we are, with McCown ranking as one of the most explosive passers in the league. 

Stock Down: LBs Paul Kruger and Barkevious Mingo

Scott R. Galvin-USA TODAY Sports

The Browns are constantly trying to find ways to improve their defense, particularly the performance against the run. So, to that end, Browns head coach Mike Pettine decided to shake things up at the linebacker position in Week 5.

Outside linebackers Paul Kruger and Barkevious Mingo went from playing 56 and 20 snaps, respectively, in Week 4, to 28 and three snaps in Week 5 against the Ravens, per Pro Football Focus. Kruger has totaled only half a sack this season and 11 combined tackles, while Mingo has been playing sparingly, mostly in coverage.

Any Browns defender who is underperforming this year is open to demotion, whether that means reduced playing time or being benched outright. Cleveland's need to stop the run at this point is so great that shuffling the linebackers could be a common occurrence until this problem is solved. And for now, Mingo and Kruger don't seem to be major parts of that solution.

Stock Up: LB Nate Orchard

Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

There are other reasons beyond the simple search for improvement that saw the Browns make changes at their linebacking division of labor in Week 5. According to head coach Mike Pettine, it also came about because certain linebackers "being attached to certain packages," according to the Akron Beacon-Journal's Nate Ulrich.

In addition, it was a result of Pettine wanting more playing time for rookie linebacker Nate Orchard.

Orchard, the Browns' 2015 Round 2 draft pick, did not appear in the Week 1 contest against the New York Jets. He made his regular-season debut in Week 2, playing 13 snaps. That increased to 20 in Week 3 and 25 in Week 4 before reaching a high of 43 snaps against Baltimore, according to Pro Football Focus. He was also the team's starter at left outside linebacker.

Orchard didn't record a sack in the game, though he did have two quarterback hurries, five combined tackles and a pass defensed. Clearly, the Browns want to see what they have in the rookie, and with linebacker Scott Solomon going on injured reserve on Wednesday, Orchard's playing time should continue to increase. 

So long as Orchard can continue to make positive plays against the pass and the run, he could continue to eat into Paul Kruger's and Barkevious Mingo's snaps as the season wears on.