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CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Browns beat the Jaguars in their preseason opener Saturday 23-13. But that’s exactly what the dashboard says.
Here are the real winners and losers:
WINNER: Jérémie Owusu-Koramoah
I’m not going to spend a lot of time on JOK here. We’ve discussed him in detail elsewhere on this website, such as in Mary Kay Cabot’s Saturday game review and Dan Labbe’s in-depth review of rookie performances, as well as Ellis L’s movie review. Williams and in this video.
(And also in my quick post-match #shamelessplug analysis.)
You saw the game. You know JOK was the big winner of the evening.
But what I’ll add to the conversation is this: Owusu Koramoah did something against the Jaguars that Donovan Peoples-Jones, Greg Newsome II, Greedy Williams, Demetric Felton and almost every other Browns couldn’t. .
He brought potential answers to a position group that desperately needed them.
Even with the addition of Anthony Walker this offseason, the Browns linebackers remain a unit looking for consistency and solid production. Mack Wilson’s play during training camp brought potential, but he left Saturday’s game with a shoulder injury.
Beyond that, it seems like a unit destined to have another season of the committee’s approach, where a lot of players are getting a lot of snaps.
In a preseason game, Owusu-Koramoah showed why the Browns chased him in the draft. He wasn’t perfect. But it’s hard to walk out of the game without thinking that the Browns are closer to having a linebacker who can make an impact no matter what.
LOSER: Trends
The Browns have used full-backs in 30 games against the Jaguars, or about 40 percent of their total offensive snaps.
It is not normal.
Andy Janovich dominated 20 games in a game twice last season, with a maximum of 24. As I wrote last week, full-backs haven’t featured as prominently in Stefanski’s offense as I thought so based on his time in Minnesota. Janovich played 16% of the snaps last season, and Johnny Stanton IV had 12 snaps when Janovich was sidelined by COVID-19 protocols.
Against the Jaguars, Stanton made 22 snaps on his own. Janovich had eight on the Browns’ first three records. Even crazier, Janovich and Stanton combined for five targets in the passing game (Janovich had five targets in 2020), and Stanton had six carries.
Using the rear wasn’t the only tendency to turn around.
Even if you take all six of running back Demetric Felton’s team targets out of the equation (he was used exclusively as a receiver on Saturday), the Browns still threw passes to their running backs 13 times. This is a team that placed 26th for targets, 27th for catches and 28th for running backs last season.
There is more. Baker Mayfield used playing action on 30.1% of his retirements last season, which placed 11th in quarterbacks. Case Keenum and Kyle Lauletta used him in seven games against the Jaguars, only 16% of their passing attempts.
I knew Stefanski wasn’t going to show much during the preseason, but I didn’t know he was going to lean so hard the other way.
Hand that over to a coach who wants to give the NFL as little information as possible about their attack in 2021.
WINNER: Sixth-round draft pick
While JOK was defense history, Peoples-Jones and Felton stood out on offense. This is fitting because they both become examples of the success of GM Andrew Berry’s end-of-round project.
Peoples-Jones was a sixth-round pick in 2020. Felton was a sixth-round pick this year.
It is good value.
Peoples-Jones made three catches in 15 snaps against the Jaguars. As he always does, DPJ made you believe he had 10 takes. This is what happens when you make them memorable.
It was a continuation of the active Peoples-Jones training camp. He appears to have split from the peloton in the battle for the role of # 3 catcher.
As for Felton, the Browns still call him a running back but never put him in the backfield against the Jaguars. Instead, he lined up wide or in the slot all 26 of his shots. The Jaguars tried to cover him with the linebacker on his first play, and that resulted in an easy 6-yard gain on an outside route. It wasn’t long before the Jaguars started using cornerbacks against him.
He still finished with four catches on a team-high six catches for 44 yards.
LOSER: Clarity for position battles
Greedy Williams and Greg Newsome II each played 18 snaps against the Jaguars. Good luck finding out which one came out on top in their pursuit of the starting point against Denzel Ward.
The Pro Football Focus rankings did not provide any separation. Williams gave up one catch on one target (cover level (57.4), Newsome gave up two catches on three targets (cover level 42.1). Both got roughly the same rating (60 , 5 and 60.0, respectively) against the run.
The bottom line is that none of their marks were very good.
In the kicking competition, Cody Parkey had two baskets, including one from 48 yards, while Chase McLaughlin added a basket and two extra points.
And finally, JoJo Natson, Ja’Marcus Bradley and Felton averaged underwhelming 5.5 yards on four punt returns (Natson and Bradley each have a six-yard return).
The fighting continues.
WINNER: This touchdown
I’m not sure if there’s a place for Kyle Lauletta and Davion Davis on the 2021 Browns roster. But there will always be a place on the team’s 2021 preseason highlights reel.
(Are the preseason highlights one thing? I probably should have checked that out.)
LOSER: A quick and painless end to a preseason game
Urban Meyer is new to it, so maybe we should give him some slack. But that didn’t make it any less unbearable when Meyer started asking for timeouts in the dying minutes of a preseason game he was down by 17 points.
Meyer used two of his timeouts with less than three minutes left as the Browns tried to run out of time.
Granted, he got points with a late touchdown. But fourth-quarter training by guys who might not be on the squad in three weeks is nothing nobody needs.
I know Bill Belichick agrees.
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Browns playoff shirts, hats for sale: Here’s where Cleveland Browns fans can order shirts and hats celebrating the team that qualified for the 2020 NFL playoffs.
More Browns Blanket
DPJ and JOK shine in 23-13 win over Jaguars
Should we stop pretending Felton is a running back?
Urban Meyer’s praise to Peoples-Jones proved in preseason opener
Keeping the starters on Saturday the right choice: 3 reasons why
Young Browns have a lot to prove in NFL preseason opener
Austin Hooper’s bigger role in the Browns offense
Watch: Mayfield connects with Hooper connects for a Day 13 touchdown
Former Browns LB Schobert traded to Steelers
Stefanski calls plays, Delpit perspectives and more: Hey, Mary Kay! video
The Cornerback Battle and Other Things To Watch In Jacksonville: Podcast
Felton don’t care how it goes, he just wants the ball
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