The Cleveland Browns, like the rest of the NFL, are very early in their offseason programs. With the second week of OTAs ending on Thursday, Cleveland has a lot of unanswered questions.
The big ones have nothing to do with on the field but could impact on the field with the looming discipline for Deshaun Watson and the uncertainty of Baker Mayfield’s future.
On the field, the team is overloaded at running back, has some sorting out to do at wide receiver and the defense has a few question marks.
On the defensive side of the ball, the line’s interior is considered the biggest weakness on the team, while the secondary deployment could be interesting.
This week’s OTAs gave us a look at who could be the starting defenders with new addition Taven Bryan joining third-year man Jordan Elliott on the line. With Troy Hill traded back to Los Angeles, Greg Newsome II seems likely to replace him:
Few notes on first team defense
Taven Bryan and Jordan Elliott the DT’s
Greedy the outside corner opposite Denzel, Newsome in the slot #Browns
— Matt Fontana (@MattFontana83) June 1, 2022
Tommy Togiai, Perrion Winfrey, Sheldon Day and undrafted free agent Glen Logan are also competing for spots on the interior. With Myles Garrett, Jadeveon Clowney, Alex Wright and Isaiah Thomas all capable of moving inside, Cleveland could roll out lineups with three or four defensive ends at times.
Newsome moving inside was predicted when Hill was traded. However, the team has the flexibility with its three safeties and Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah to get creative with their slot coverage.
Rookie M.J. Emerson and A.J. Green will also factor into the cornerback rotation as backups.