Which Browns players do you think overachieve their current status?
Sam Penix:
Rashard Higgins is slated to be Cleveland’s WR3, although it remains to be seen how much of a role that position will play; head coach Stefanski did not use three receivers often in Minnesota, but Higgins is a better player than Olabisi Johnson, the Vikings’ third wide receiver.
That said, rookie Peoples-Jones could surprise as a rookie for the Browns in 2020. In terms of physical ability, he is second to only Beckham Jr. among receivers on the roster. His production was disappointing in college, but he gets open and has good long speed. It’s easy to write off a sixth-round pick as a depth player and special teamer, but Peoples-Jones could be the deep threat that this offense needs to function.
A day ago, I would have also said Drew Forbes. He’s extremely athletic and very strong; a perfect wide zone scheme fit at guard. Even as a rookie, despite the game moving too fast for him, he was one of the Browns’ five best offensive linemen during the 2019 preseason before missing the year with an injury. Now, with Forbes opting out of the 2020 campaign due to concerns over COVID-19, third-year player Wyatt Teller must step up and prove that new Browns OL coach Bill Callahan’s glowing pre-draft evaluation of him is correct.
Who might overachieve on defense?
On defense, Mack Wilson is perhaps the most divisive player on the team. After taking a look at his analytical grading, and I feel he is practically unplayable. Others saw his pick-six during the preseason and the fact that he played at Alabama, as a reason to think he must be a really good player. The answer is somewhere in the middle. He should never have been forced into the role he played for the Browns last season, and that was obvious early on.
He made some mental mistakes on the field that led to huge plays for opposing offenses. But as the season went on, those mistakes became less frequent, and by the end of the season, he became a solid LB. Wilson still isn’t going to be making impact plays in the run game, but he’s shown a good feel for coverage, which needs to be more consistent. He should be Browns’ starting WILL, as he was last season, but this year he’ll be much more prepared, and ready to hit the ground running.
Should I trust the hype when it comes to the Browns outlook for 2020?
Lloyd:
This is a perfect question. You and pretty much everyone bought into the false hope last season. The Browns, while adding two headline names in Beckham Jr. and Olivier Vernon, parted with two huge functional pieces in Kevin Zeitler and Jabrill Peppers. Both were key contributors to the team’s success in 2019, so addition by subtraction was vastly overlooked.
Wyatt Teller showed drastic improvement over the second half of 2019 and with the recent news surrounding Forbes, he will be the right guard from day one at practice. Although not an ideal scheme fit, his strength at the point of attack and bully ability (ask Geno Atkins) will help bring this interior part of the OL back to form.
Featured | Appreciation for Myles Garrett grows in 2020 amid Jamal Adams saga
The offensive tackle position in 2019 was hanging on prayer, a prayer that Greg Robinson and Chris Hubbard could improve upon, after the only real success they’ve had was in 2018. Jack Conklin whose technique has lapsed at times due to injury, stays in a wide zone system that he had great success with during his time in Tennessee.
Jedrick Wills Jr. will be asked to make a switch moving from the right side to the blindside but it’s rare to draft a left tackle at #10 overall and ask that player to be your fourth or fifth-best offensive lineman. This shows how well rookie general manager Andrew Berry has done. On defense, this team could barely field an OL that had five, maybe six players deep. This year’s group goes eight deep easily, including young athletes mixed with experienced contributors.
If you add in a full season for running back Kareem Hunt with his versatility, and the return of David Njoku and Higgins, who were both huge parts of the 2018 passing game, but non-existent in ’19.
In what will now be a secondary-focused defense, running nickel and dime quite often as Joe Woods has, rookie Grant Delpit is vastly more well-rounded coming into the NFL than Peppers was. Also for the first time in years, the Browns addressed defensive line depth, making huge additions to that side of the ball.
Yes, it’s hard to buy into the hype yet again; I’ve asked myself this same question for months, but this year it feels more real because it’s not based on just a name or two. The Browns outlook for 2020 seems quite real due to a roster that is vastly improved and has serious depth at the positions that matter.
For more Browns content and coverage, follow @BrownsPFN on Twitter and make sure to get your question in for next week’s edition of the PFN Browns Mailbag!