Tag: Dawand Jones

Multiple Ohio State rookies make Cleveland Browns roster

Some former Ohio State players got good news on Tuesday. #GoBucks

With NFL preseason play over, Tuesday was the deadline for teams to cut their roster to 53 players. The Cleveland Browns‘ cuts brought pleasant news for many former Buckeyes.

Dawand Jones was a fourth-round pick in 2023 after being a two-year starter for the Buckeyes at right tackle. He received a great deal of praise for his play with the Browns in the preseason. Jones made the 53-man roster and has potential to be a starter for the Browns as early as this season.

The Browns also drafted another two-year starter on the Buckeyes offensive line, Luke Wypler. The rookie center also made the 53-man roster with strong preseason play.

Former Buckeyes safety Ronnie Hickman showed up with a terrific preseason with three interceptions and bucked the odds by making the 53-man roster despite going undrafted in the 2023.

Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

Tanner McCalister who started at nickel safety last season for the Buckeyes after transferring from Oklahoma State received good news as well. He made the Browns’ practice squad.

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PFF’s 10 highest-graded offensive players vs. Chiefs

Who impressed PFF the most in Saturday’s preseason finale

The offensive starters for the Cleveland Browns, minus Joel Bitonio and Nick Chubb, got the most playing time they have had all preseason in the finale on Saturday. There were some growing pains out the gate with Jordan Wilkins fumbling twice but overall they were encouraging.

They were able to move the ball both on the ground and threw the air with Deshaun Watson making some productive throws after extending the play with his legs. A good portion of the top-graded players on offense continue to be on the offensive line as the team will have tough decisions to make in the coming days.

Browns rookie OT Dawand Jones dominating in preseason

Dawand Jones has been so good in the preseason he’s pushing for a starting spot on the Browns offensive line.

The Cleveland Browns were patient in the 2023 NFL draft and it has really paid off. Cleveland snatched up former Ohio State offensive tackle Dawand Jones in the fourth round and he has easily been the best rookie offensive tackle in preseason.

How good has he been? Jones has played 111 pass-blocking snaps over the course of three games and hasn’t allowed a sack or even a quarterback hit. Jones has been playing exclusively at right tackle but the Browns are planning to try him on the left after such a strong performance. The Browns currently have Jedrick Willis listed as the starting left tackle and Jack Conklin on the right.

Most draft pundits, myself included had a much higher grade on Jones than the NFL seemed to. The vast majority of mock drafts had Jones coming off the board in the second round with some brave souls pushing him up into the late first round. The way Jones has played, those pundits are looking pretty smart right now.

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Dawand Jones continues to shine for Cleveland Browns

Former Ohio State Buckeye is having a stellar preseason! #GoBucks

Dawand Jones had an amazing career at Ohio State where he earned All-Big Ten honors twice and even earned illustrious All-American honors for his elite efforts in 2022. If that isn’t enough to receive some NFL draft hype, Jones went to the Senior Bowl and set the wingspan record at 89.5 inches, which makes his massive size at 6-foot, 8-inches and 374 pounds even more mouth-watering.

The opinions on Jones varied from first-rounder to third-rounder, but him falling to the fourth round was not seen as a legit possibility until some interesting rumors were spread surrounding some possible unfavorable interview answers at the combine and questions about his weight.

Due to these issues, the Cleveland Browns were able to snag Jones in the fourth round. Although it is only the preseason of his rookie year, Jones looks like the steal of the 2023 NFL Draft. We already dove into his stellar debut and second showing, which resulted in rave reviews from Pro Football Focus, but Jones continued to showcase his potential against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Leading up to Cleveland’s third preseason game, Jones was getting social media hype for his performances during the practices, but during the game, Jones went face to face against first-round selection, Nolan Smith and had another impressive showing.

Jones may not start as a rookie, but it is pretty clear that the pre-draft rumors were very incorrect.

 

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LOOK: Mammoth Dawand Jones stands next to 5-foot-6 Jakeem Grant Sr.

Need a good laugh?

Do you need a hilarious laugh today? Take a look at this image (courtesy of Abby Mueller) of the biggest player on the Cleveland Browns, offensive tackle Dawand Jones, standing next to the smallest man on the roster in wide receiver Jakeem Grant Sr.

Jones is listed at a massive 6-foot-8 and 374 pounds, while the tiny Grant Sr. is listed at 5-foot-6 and 161 pounds. It truly is the tale of two players who somehow play the same sport.

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Podcast: Which Browns stood out and who struggled vs the Eagles?

Who helped their stock and who hurt it on Thursday night?

The Cleveland Browns have their third preseason game in the books as they tied the Eagles 18-18 on Thursday night. Wide receiver Austin Watkins Jr continues his great preseason as he made play after play. He showed great body control to adjust to the ball in the air to go along with nice physicality and route running.

Add Cedric Tillman to the mix and the team has some really tough decisions to make at the position. Another young player making a statement is linebacker Mohamoud Diabate who plays with great range and physicality and his athleticism makes for a good coverage linebacker as well.

The struggles of Cade York continue as he isn’t showing any signs that he is figuring something out. He continues to push the ball right and after getting a second chance at a game-winner he way overcorrected missing it wide left.

We go over these players in more detail in this week’s episode which you can watch by clicking here.

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PFF’s 10 highest-graded Browns on offense vs. the Eagles

Who shined the most on offense against the Eagles

After several brutal practices with the Eagles in Philadelphia, the Cleveland Browns faced them in their third preseason game on Thursday night. The Austin Watkins Jr. story continued as he made even more impressive plays this week.

He understands how to attack a defense and mixes good size and body control with reliable hands making his case for why he should make the roster. Whether he makes it here or somewhere else Watkins Jr. will be on an active roster this year.

Outside of that, the offensive line depth continued to play at a high level with the two Ohio State rookies, Luke Wypler and Dawand Jones, playing well again. How did the top offensive players grade out in Philadelphia according to those at PFF?

The DTR Show, roster spot battles, and more to watch for as Browns take on Eagles

The Browns, led by rookie quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson, will take on the Eagles tonight. What should you be watching for?

After two days of joint practices with the Philadelphia Eagles, the Cleveland Browns will now square off with them in their third preseason game of the 2023 season. Dorian Thompson-Robinson will start this game as both Deshaun Watson and Joshua Dobbs will not suit up in Philadelphia.

Thus far we have seen flashes of the first-team offense (who will not play tonight), dominant performances from the 2023 NFL draft class of rookies, and some camp battles heating up as the end of training camp nears.

As the Browns get set for another week of preseason action, what should you be watching in this exhibition matchup against the Eagles?

Dawand Jones praised in PFF ‘Preseason Stock Watch’ article

Maybe Jones can get on the field more than we may have originally thought this season. #GoBucks

With preseason NFL football games underway, it is an important time for rookies to prove their value to their team.

Former Ohio State and now Cleveland Browns offensive tackle, Dawand Jones, is making a good case for himself to receive playing time in the regular season because of how he has played in the preseason thus far.

Pro Football Focus’ Sam Monson came out with an article highlighting players whose stock has gone up and down at the start of the preseason. Jones was amongst those to deserve praise with Monson having some glowing remarks to say about him.

“Jones, a mammoth rookie right tackle, got another healthy dose of playing time this week, adding 54 snaps to his debut of 74 in the Hall of Fame Game,” wrote Monson. “He had another excellent outing, allowing just one hurry across 39 pass-blocking reps.

“Jones has looked excellent as a pass blocker when the league trend is for second-string linemen to struggle in that area. Many argued that he was a first-round talent who slipped to the fourth, and his preseason so far has been adding credence to their case.”

Jones was a fourth-round pick in last year’s draft for the Browns, so while they may not be in a major rush to get him on the field, he certainly has been impressive thus far and is off to a promising start to his rookie campaign.

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3 Browns, 1 former Clevelander named Secret Superstars of preseason Week 1

Three current Browns and one former Browns player were named as Secret Superstars by Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar. Here is what Farrar had to say…

The rookies from the 2023 NFL draft class have been standing out for the Cleveland Browns thus far through training camp and the preseason. The notable headliners are fifth round quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson and fourth round offensive tackle Dawand Jones.

And it has not gone unnoticed by Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar. Both players, including a third member of the Browns’ rookie class were named as Secret Superstars from the preseason Week 1 action. A former Browns starter made the cut as well as he debuted with his new team.

Take a look at what Farrar had to say about the likes of Thompson-Robinson, Jones, and more!