Tag: Alex Wright

How did the Browns’ rookies grade in Year 1?

A look back at the 2022 Browns rookie class.

After trading back and trading multiple picks to Houston for Deshaun Watson the Cleveland Browns ended up picking nine players in the 2022 NFL Draft. Fans were surprised when the team traded out of the second round completely and shocked when they decided to take corner Martin Emerson with their first pick.

Around the NFL writer Nick Shook released his grades for all of the AFC North’s rookie classes. Overall Shook graded the 2022 class for the Browns as a C plus. Let’s look over Shook’s grade and his comments as well as some thoughts of my own about the rookie class. This class takes a step forward in 2023 and will be important if the team wants to make the playoffs.

 

5 Browns who need to take a big leap in 2023

Who needs to take the biggest leap for the Browns in 2023?

To say the 2023 campaign was a disappointment for the Cleveland Browns would be an understatement. After making the playoffs in the first season under head coach Kevin Stefanski, they have left more questions than answers on the field over the past two seasons. To get back into the playoffs in 2023, the Browns will need big leaps out of players like quarterback Deshaun Watson, left tackle Jedrick Wills, and more.

There are no excuses left in 2023, and this current regime knows it. They had their best assistant sign an extension rather than jump ship, and they landed a top-tier defensive coordinator in Jim Schwartz. The belief in the building should be high, but the Browns need a big leap out of these five players next season.

[listicle id=83741]

Week 14 Injury Report: Amari Cooper only player with injury designation vs. Bengals

How healthy are the Browns going into their Week 14 matchup against the Bengals?

The Cleveland Browns are now just two days away from making a trip down I-71 South to take on their AFC North rivals, the Cincinnati Bengals. If the Browns beat the Bengals, it would make the sixth straight win over their in-state rivals, as head coach Kevin Stefanski has never lost to them. The Browns are relatively healthy going into this Week 14 matchup as well, as wide receiver Amari Cooper is the only player listed with an injury designation with a hip injury suffered in the win over the Houston Texans.

Who else showed up on Friday’s injury report? We take a look here.

[listicle id=82025]

Week 14 Injury Report: Browns missing 3 from Thursday’s practice

As the Browns look to make it three straight wins this season against the Bengals, they are getting healthy just in time.

The Cleveland Browns are looking for three wins in a row as they travel south down I-71 to take on the Cincinnati Bengals this Sunday. With a win at Paycor Stadium, the Browns will have swept the Bengals each year under head coach Kevin Stefanski. Needing to get healthy before they take the field against their division rivals, however, the Browns were still without three in Thursday’s practice.

However, with one player sitting out on a scheduled day of rest, only two did not see the field due to an ailment. Here is each player who was listed on the injury report and their practice status from today.

[listicle id=81958]

Upon Further Review: What stood out from all-22 of Browns’ win over Texans

What stood out from the all-22 view of the matchup between the Browns and Texans?

It is time for Upon Further Review, where we diagnose some things that show up once we get a birds-eye view of the game film. The Cleveland Browns won by a score of 27-14 over the Houston Texans, and it looked ugly from live viewing. The all-22 was also quite ugly, but it is always nice to add some context to what is happening outside of the broadcast view.

What stood out after digesting the coach’s film of this less-than-stellar Week 13 matchup between the Browns and Texans? Here are four bullet points, two offensively and two defensively, that made impressions on a second viewing.

[listicle id=81932]

Browns’ top 10 defensive players in Week 13, per PFF

Who were the highest-graded defensive players for the Cleveland Browns against the Houston Texans this week?

Make it two weeks in a row where an opponent has failed to rush for over 100 yards despite half of them coming on the opening drives. Joe Woods has his Cleveland Browns defense playing a “bend but don’t break” mold of football over this two-game win streak, and he even saw his unit score two touchdowns on the day against the Houston Texans.

With contributions from a variety of unexpected players, the Browns were able to limit the Texans to just 14 points, with half of them coming in garbage time. Looking purely at PFF grades, who were the top ten defensive players for the Browns this past Sunday?

[listicle id=81903]

Browns Rookie Stock Watch: Stock up on Martin Emerson, stock down on Perrion Winfrey

How have the rookies on the Cleveland Browns fared through the first eight games of their careers?

The Cleveland Browns are on their bye week this weekend, so this is a good time to re-evaluate the roster and take a look back at the season. We start that process today by seeing how the 2022 NFL Draft class has fared thus far through their rookie seasons.

Some have started the majority of games, some have hardly played at all, and some are just now ramping up their snap counts as they have been eased into their transition. How have these rookies handled their transition from the college game to the NFL level? We take a look here with this Browns’ rookie stock watch.

[listicle id=81002]

5 Bold predictions as Browns look to advance to 3-1 vs. Falcons

What are your strongest #Browns predictions for Sunday’s game against the Falcons?

We are now just two days away from gameday as the Cleveland Browns are set to travel to take on the Atlanta Falcons. In search of a 3-1 start for the second time in year three of the Kevin Stefanski era, this should be a game in which the offense can move the football at will.

The Falcons, sitting at 1-2 on the season, are more efficient offensively than many would think. Rookie wide receiver Drake London has been among the best offensive rookies to start their careers this year, Kyle Pitts has been a threat when utilized, and veteran hybrid player Cordarelle Patterson is third in the league in rushing.

Neither defense has proven to be capable of effectively getting off of the field either. We may see some fireworks in this one. Getting ready for the game, however, here are five bold predictions as the Browns and Falcons prepare for battle.

DC Joe Woods has high praise for rookie Alex Wright

#Browns coaches are taking notice of the strides Alex Wright has made.

As the Browns are still working through the injuries of both defensive ends Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney, rookie Alex Wright may have to make his second start of the season already. While the third rounder out of UAB has been tossed into the fire sooner than the team probably would have preferred, his efforts are not going unnoticed.

Defensive coordinator Joe Woods had this to say about his mammoth defensive end today:

“Alex is definitely getting better every week. He’s learning what life is like in the NFL, the players he has to go against every week. But you can see him from a technical standpoint, from a confidence standpoint improving in terms of playing the run, improving in the pass rush… he’s definitely getting better every week.”

Wright will be counted on in a big way again this week against the Atlanta Falcons, so the Browns will need that continued growth on the field.

[listicle id=79890]

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbw33aqtym0ft0g player_id=none image=https://brownswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

Browns: Looks like Alex Wright will start with Jadeveon Clowney out vs. Steelers

Jadeveon Clowney is out as the Cleveland Browns take on the Pittsburgh Steelers. This means rookie Alex Wright may be in line for the start.

[mm-video type=video id=01gdbrtxvahdc85862e7 playlist_id=01eqbw33aqtym0ft0g player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gdbrtxvahdc85862e7/01gdbrtxvahdc85862e7-55ba586ebeccbcb239ba7c169296ea33.jpg]

The Cleveland Browns will start third round rookie Alex Wright opposite Myles Garrett against the Pittsburgh Steelers Thursday night. Head coach Kevin Stefanski has stated that Jadeveon Clowney is still reeling from rolling his ankle against the New York Jets and will need more than a short week to recover.

Also out is former third round pick Chase Winovich after playing 26 snaps on Sunday with little success. This more than likely means that seventh round rookie Isaiah Thomas will see a plethora of snaps, and Isaac Rochell looks likely to get called up from the Practice Squad on Thursday night.

The Browns need a bounce-back win in the worst way, and being down a starting pass rusher is not necessarily a great start towards preparation.

[listicle id=79367]