Tag: Dawand Jones

3 biggest surprises for the Browns halfway through the 2023 season

Who has impressed the most through 8 games?

We have hit the midway point of the NFL season and the Cleveland Browns are 5-3 despite some major injuries to key players. Nick Chubb hasn’t played since Week 2, Deshaun Watson has missed nearly four games, and Jack Conklin went down during the opener. Despite all of that, Kevin Stefanski has his team in the playoff race and within striking distance of first place in the division.

While plenty of players expected to play at a high level, there have been some surprises along the way that have really helped this team compete. Jim Schwartz has gotten the most out of his players and put them in situations to consistently succeed and make big plays.

Injuries are unfortunate but they also can open the doors for young players to step in and step up to the challenge. There are several players that have played some of their best football this year but here are the three that have surprised me the most.

RT Dawand Jones exits Browns vs. Cardinals with leg injury

Cleveland Browns rookie RT Dawand Jones exits Cardinals game with a knee injury.

Dawand Jones, the Cleveland Browns’ rookie right tackle, left the game against the Arizona Cardinals at the start of the third quarter with a leg injury. The injury occurred when a tackler landed on the back of his leg. Jones was able to leave the field under his power walking toward the medical tent. The fourth-round pick has drawn rave reviews across the NFL with his great play. Hopefully, he will be able to return later in the game.

This came right after injured left tackle Jedrick Wills returned to the field.

Backup swing tackle James Hudson III has replaced Dawand Jones for the time being. Hudson played in the game to end the first half after Jedrick Wills Jr. suffered a minor injury. The Browns will rely on their offensive line and running game to close out the game against the Arizona Cardinals. The Browns currently lead the Cardinals 13-0.

UPDATE: Jones is back on the field for the Browns.

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Browns Injury Report: Dawand Jones questionable, Greg Newsome out vs. Cardinals

And the last injury report of the week…

The Cleveland Browns started the week with a laundry list of injuries, but now enter their Week 9 game against the Arizona Cardinals in rather good health. The big news is quarterback Deshaun Watson, who was not given an injury designation and has been named the starting quarterback as the Browns return home to take on the 1-7 Cardinals. However, in some not-so-good news, cornerback Greg Newsome was ruled out and offensive tackle Dawand Jones has been listed as questionable.

Newsome will not be the only player to miss, but the only starter that will not suit up. This has become a theme throughout his collegiate and NFL career. His Northwestern colleague Cameron Mitchell will get the reps in the nickel in his absence.

Here is the full injury report of every player who was limited in practice or missed practice on Friday as the Browns get set to take on the Cardinals.

Another metric proving the Browns found a gem in RT Dawand Jones

Jones has been a steal so far

It shocked a lot of people in the NFL draft community when offensive tackle Dawand Jones fell into the fourth round of the 2023 NFL draft. He was a borderline first round talent that the NFL overthought and fell into the laps of the Cleveland Browns on Day 3 of the draft.

According to PFF’s grading system, Jones is the highest-graded rookie in pass protection this season. In 261 pass-blocking snaps so far Jones has allowed 12 total pressures and only two sacks. He has struggled at times as a run blocker but he has shown improvement as the year has gone on.

Cleveland has found their right tackle of the figure with the uncertainty of Jack Conklin’s injury history hovering over them. Jones is a massive human whose length and strength are incredibly difficult to beat with a power bull rush. He has shown good footwork and the ability to climb to the second level against the run game.

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Browns Injury Report: A flurry of players return to practice on Thursday

The Browns got quite a few players back on the field for Thursday’s practice

We are now just two days away from the Week 9 matchup between the Cleveland Browns and Arizona Cardinals. And as the 4-3 Browns prepare for the -17 Cardinals, they got a flurry of players back to practice. After getting quarterback Deshaun Watson back to practice on Wednesday, they now get both of their starting offensive tackles, Jedrick Wills and Dawand Jones, back to practice on Thursday.

There is still no news on who will be starting at quarterback for either of these teams on Sunday afternoon at Cleveland Browns Stadium. While Watson has practiced for two straight days, there has been no announcement as head coach Kevin Stefanski has stated PJ Walker will once again start if Watson cannot go.

After trading Josh Dobbs to the Minnesota Vikings, the Cardinals are now stuck with their rookie quarterback Clayton Tune. While they have not ruled out Kyler Murray making his debut this week, it seems unlikely as he did not practice on Thursday.

Here is the full list of players who either did not practice or were limited in practice for the Browns on Thursday.

Browns Injury Report: Cleveland starts Cardinals week with laundry list of injuries

The Browns got one key piece back in Deshaun Watson, but they are missing Dawand Jones as they prepare for the Cardinals

The Cleveland Browns are sitting at 4-3 on the season, looking to get back in the win column against the 1-7 Arizona Cardinals. As it sits just four days until gameday, however, the Browns have a lot of injuries to work through. While they got quarterback Deshaun Watson back to practice, they had a long list of players who missed. After exiting the game against the Seattle Seahawks, offensive tackle Dawand Jones has not yet returned to practice and is perhaps the biggest name on the list (no pun intended).

If Jones cannot go, the Browns will be forced to start their third different right tackle on the season in third-year player James Hudson III. It is a great thing to have the offensive line depth the Browns have as Hudson filled in against the Seahawks, grading out well in that game.

Here is the full list of every player who either missed practice on Wednesday or was limited by an injury.

Would the Jaguars still pick Anton Harrison in 2023 NFL draft do-over?

In a re-draft at DraftWire, the Jaguars went a different direction with the No. 27 overall pick.

The Jacksonville Jaguars moved down twice in April and still landed their guy, Oklahoma offensive tackle Anton Harrison, with the No. 27 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. But would they do it again?

At DraftWire, they did a do-over of the first round after the first eight weeks of the 2023 season. With the Jaguars still picking 27th (they were originally set to pick 24th), they landed Tennessee offensive tackle Darnell Wright instead in the re-draft. Harrison wasn’t selected at all in the first round.

In the real draft, Wright was selected 10th overall by the Chicago Bears. His 66.1 grade on Pro Football Focus is No. 1 among rookie linemen who have played at least half their team’s offensive snaps so far. Harrison has a 56.9 grade.

It’s not exactly a whiff for the Jaguars, though, as Wright was never on the board for them in the first place. However, Jacksonville passed on Ohio State’s Dawand Jones a few times before he was picked by the Cleveland Browns with the No. 111 selection in the fourth round.

In the DraftWire re-draft, Jones was taken sixth overall by the Arizona Cardinals. In his first seven career games, Jones has allowed two sacks and 12 pressures.

With the power of hindsight, the Jaguars probably could’ve waited a bit to get a quality right tackle a bit later. The quick improvements Harrison is making as a rookie should give them plenty of confidence they didn’t make a bad choice, though.

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Injury Alert: Browns RT Dawand Jones questionable to return vs. Seahawks with injury

The Browns lose another player to injury

The Cleveland Browns have started to unravel in terms of injuries. Player after player has started to fall off the field as they are locked in a tie with the Seattle Seahawks. This time, right tackle Dawand Jones has exited the game with a shoulder injury suffered in the third quarter. He is questionable to return. The Browns and Seahawks are currently locked at 17-17 in the third quarter.

Jones, of course, is starting because All-Pro right tackle Jack Conklin suffered a season-ending injury in the first game of the season. Jones has been a brick wall and a steal for the Browns this season, so losing him would be a big hit to their offense.

Former fourth rounder James Hudson III has entered the game in place of Jones as the Browns try to pull off their third straight win.

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Draw It Up: How the Browns used reverse plays to beat the Colts

How the Browns used WR reverses to beat the Indianapolis Colts

In this week’s installment of “Draw It Up,” we’ll explore the use of reverse plays by the Cleveland Browns. The Browns only ran one reverse against the Indianapolis Colts, but they incorporated the reverse motion into a handful of run plays.

Reverse plays are always controversial. When they work, the coach looks like a genius, but when the play fails, the coach is a moron with worms for brains. Last week, Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman participated in a role reversal when he grilled a reporter, the coach of the flag football team Freeman’s son plays for, on his decision to call a reverse pass that failed in the red zone.

No play is more criticized than the reverse. That’s why I want to look at the process that goes into a play that’s solely dictated by its results. Kevin Stefanski does love his reverse plays, a tendency that he receives plenty of criticism for. The goal of the reverse is to outflank an over-aggressive opponent. It’s a good way to keep defenders honest and make them defend every yard on a football field. 

PFF’s 10 highest-graded Browns’ offensive players vs. Colts

The offense found a way yet again

Quarterback Deshaun Watson returned to the field for the Cleveland Browns but not for long after a big hit in the first quarter the quarterback would not return. P.J. Walker took over again and though it wasn’t great all the time he was able to be good enough with the running game playing better as well.

In the end, the offense was able to put up over 30 points with some assists from the defense. Rookie Dawand Jones continues to impress and looks like a massive steal for general manager Andrew Berry. Overall the offensive line has shown serious improvements over the last two weeks.

Left tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. has stacked a couple of nice games after a rough start to the season. The wide receivers and tight ends continue to get open and make plays if the team could just get solid quarterback play.

Here are the top 10 performances on offense according to PFF in the win over the Colts.