Special teams, odds & ends, fill in the blank

The most overlooked phase of football by fans is special teams. What teams do to move the football and stop the opposition from doing the same is more prominently in their focus.

Coaches, however, realize the importance of the punting and kicking games and the defensive side of that aspect of the game.

That said, we take a look at what awaits the Browns in 2017 in the form of questions seeking (and getting) answers.

What is the most important aspect of specials teams?

With punting and kickoffs, it is all about field position. Same with defending in all phases of the kicking game. Pin the opposition as deep in their territory as possible when punting and kicking; shorten the field in the return game.

And where did the Browns rank last season?

They were average in the National Football League when it came to special teams. They ranked roughly in the middle of the pack when ranking that phase of the game.

So how does that bode for this season?

It will change dramatically this season with the arrival of Jabrill Peppers, who dazzled fans at the University of Michigan the last two seasons with his skills in the return game, averaging 13 yards on punt returns and 26.8 yards on kickoffs.

How does that compare with what the Browns did last season?

Duke Johnson Jr., the primary punt returner last season, averaged 6.5 yards per return. Mario Alford averaged 8.5. The club overall averaged 6.7 yards on 30 returns.

Kickoff returns, handled mainly by Ricardo Louis, George Atkinson III and Alford, weren’t much better with a club average of 18.6 yards on 34 returns with a long of 36 yards. The Browns clearly missed Travis Benjamin in those departments.

So theoretically, it appears as though the Browns have solved their return problems with Peppers.

Theoretically yes. But this is the NFL, where there is much more emphasis on special teams than in college. That’s a challenge Peppers, who owns wonderful instincts in the return game, will face.

And if successful, how will that impact the Cleveland offense?

It all goes back to field position. A successful return game shortens the field. It is always better to begin drives as close to the opponent’s goal line as possible. Last season, the Browns began many drives after kickoff returns around their 20-yard line. The goal this season should be stretching that average start much closer to the 30 or 35.

As for punt returns, doubling last season’s average of 6.7 yards should be a minimal goal for special teams coach Chris Tabor. And with Peppers, that appears to be a goal that can achieved.

But won’t his performance as a returner be diminished somewhat by his role as the starting strong safety?

It shouldn’t. He is young and most likely eager to show the coaches how valuable he can be with his versatility. In addition, coach Hue Jackson might draw up a few plays for Peppers as a running back.

So how many touchdowns will he score?

Let’s see. How about two as a returner, another pair as the strong safety and at least one as a running back. How’s that for blatant optimism?

What about kickoffs and punts?

Britton Colquitt returns unchallenged as the punter. He figures to be less busy than last season – 83 punts and a 45.3-yard average with no blocks – if only because the offense is marginally better than last season.

The placekicker will be the winner of the Cody Parkey-Zane Gonzalez duel with the latter, a seventh-round pick in the last draft, the favorite. Parkey joined the Browns last season after an early-season injury to Patrick Murray and performed well.

But the Browns did not choose Gonzalez to just challenge Parkey. They picked him because he was college’s best kicker last season for Arizona State. He has a powerful leg that can reach the end zone with a large degree of consistency on kickoffs.

Last season’s Lou Groza Award winner – a definite plus in Cleveland – also nailed all but two of his field goal attempts, including a seven-of-nine performance beyond 50 yards. But that was in the rarefied Arizona air. He will find late fall and early winter weather much more challenging in Cleveland.

Odds and ends

If the Browns get off to a bad start again, does Jackson survive the season? It all depends on how well – or poorly – they play. Three of their first four games are against division rivals, two at home.

The key will be game five at home against the awful New York Jets, who have cleared the decks in order to beat the Browns to the top pick in the 2018 college draft. Lose that game and Jackson’s sweat glands spring into action.

Who will lead the team in receptions at the end of the season? Believe it or not, Duke Johnson Jr. It wouldn’t surprise if Jackson uses the versatile running back as a slot receiver occasionally because of his sure hands and ability to break tackles in the open field. He’s got better hands than any of the wide receivers.

Which of the two rookie defensive tackles, Caleb Brantley or Larry Ogunjobi, becomes a major contributor? Fans, of course, want both to step up and contribute. Ogunjobi, a higher draft pick than Brantley, probably will get the first shot. But Brantley stood out at a more high profile program at Florida and could surprise.

Over/under on how many sacks the team records this season. An optimist would say 40, which would be 14 more than last season. I feel somewhat optimistic with the new scheme up front and change of attitude.

Over/under on how many sacks the offensive line will surrender this season? An optimist would say 48, 18 fewer than allowed last season. I feel somewhat optimistic there, too, but only if the offensive line stays healthy.

Over/under on how many games offensive linemen Joel Bitonio and JC Tretter play. Based on their injury history. Eight would be the number. And that is being optimistic.

When will the Browns win their first game of the season? Presupposing they lose their first four games, and it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that is a strong possibility, sign up the Jets as the Browns’ first victim in game five.

Who benefits most from the switch to a four-man defensive front? Definitely Emmanuel Ogbah, Nate Orchard and Carl Nassib. Each excelled as down linemen in college and now each has a better chance than last season to get up close and personal with opposing quarterbacks in Gregg Williams’ scheme.

How many interceptions can Browns fans expect this season? They had 10 last season. With an improved pass rush, that figure could reach at least 16.

Fill in the blank

The team strength is . . . ostensibly the offensive line.

The team’s biggest weakness is . . . clearly the secondary.

DeShone Kizer will make his starting debut as a professional in game number . . . three in Indianapolis against the Colts.

The most important newcomer to the Browns is . . . defensive coordinator Gregg Williams.

The rookie who makes the biggest impact will be . . . defensive end Myles Garrett.

He will wind up with . . . sacks. Nine

The leading tackler will be . . . Tie between linebackers Jamie Collins and Christian Kirksey with more than 120 each..

Jason McCourty, a career cornerback, opens the season as the starting . . . cornerback opposite Joe Haden.

Duke Johnson Jr. will have (more or fewer) touches than last season. More.

Kenny Britt will have (more or fewer) receptions than Terrelle Pryor had last season. Fewer. Pryor had 77. Britt had a career-high 68 last season. His previous best was 48.

The season-opening quarterback will be . . . Brock Osweiler.

The biggest surprise on the roster in the season opener will be  . . . Brock Osweiler.

The Browns will win . . . games this season. You fill in that blank.

Questions seeking answers: Part Deux

Rarely is a coach the most important addition to any football team on any level. But it’s hard not to point to Gregg Williams as the Browns’ most important addition this season.

The voluble and very much out there new defensive coordinator of the club will bring qualities to the Cleveland defense that have been missing for way, way, way too long: Nastiness and attitude.

If the players play with the same intensity Williams coaches, if they channel his in-your-face aggression, if they embody everything he stands for when it comes to playing the game of football, Browns fans are in for a treat this season.

Not since the days of Marty Schottenheimer more than a generation ago have Cleveland pro football fans been treated to the kind of defense that reflects the blue-collar ethos the city used to be famous for in the early days of the Dawg Pound.

The Browns under Schottenheimer, as a defensive coordinator and head coach, played smart, aggressive football. Mistakes were rare. Victories were plentiful. And the fans became spoiled with good reason.

In part two of our overview of the 2017 Browns, we take a look at the defense, at Gregg Williams’ defense and what we can expect.

As we did with the offense, we start with the guys up front, the grunts who do not get nearly enough credit and set the table for those who labor behind them.

First of all, how much of a problem will the defense have shifting from a hybrid 3-4 scheme last season to what most likely will be a 4-2-5 look this season?

Not much at all because the Browns last season utilized college pass rushers as outside linebackers for the most part. Players like Emmanuel Ogbah and Nate Orchard now move back to defensive end, where they are more comfortable and productive.

And what makes them more effective there?

Ogbah and Orchard, along with returnees Carl Nassib, Cam Johnson and Xavier Cooper (who can also play tackle) and top draft choice Myles Garrett can concentrate on doing what they do best and that’s attacking the quarterback, a trait Browns fans haven’t been treated to in many seasons. Look for the Browns to significantly improve on their 26-sack season a year ago.

It’s not all about sacking the quarterback. What about stopping the run, something they haven’t been successful at for many seasons?

That’s the good part. Switching to a four-man front enables Danny Shelton to be the player the club thought it drafted a couple of years ago. While he improved last season as a nose tackle, he is much better suited to play next to a fellow tackle, avoiding much of the double and triple teams he faced in his first two seasons.

When facing one-on-one blocking, Shelton has proved to be almost impossible to handle. He clearly will be the greatest beneficiary of Williams’ defensive philosophy, improving his pass rush as well as stopping the run.

And who will play next to him?

That’s the intriguing part. Right now, veteran Jamie Meder has the inside track. But rookies Larry Ogunjobi and Caleb Brantley, both extremely explosive off the ball and owning the nastiness Williams likes, should give Meder stiff competition in what could be the best battle in training camp.

What about Garrett? Where does he fit in?

In the starting lineup, of course. You don’t sit the overall No. 1 draft pick. He is good enough to be a three-down player. His biggest problem will be adjusting to the speed and quickness of the National Football League after dominating on the college level.

Seems to be an awfully young defensive line with three rookies, a couple of pro sophomores and three third-year guys. How much of a concern will that be?

Not much. Better to work with a talented young group and let them develop. Anyway, chances are one or two of the youngsters might not make the cut unless Williams wants to have more than eight linemen at his disposal.

Okay, let us turn to the linebackers, a role that will be diminished somewhat by the Williams’ scheme, which focuses on the pass rush and a mostly nickel look in the secondary. Who stands out there?

Right now, it appears as though Jamie Collins and Christian Kirksey have a lock on that role. Both are coming off solid seasons and there is no reason for Williams to do anything more than cheer them on. Both are aggressive, smart and have a nose for the football.

And with 10 linebackers in training camp, it will be interesting to see how many Williams keeps. The favorites appear to be returnees Tank Carder, Dominique Alexander and Joe Schobert.

That takes care of the front seven. What about the secondary, an area a lot of people point to as the weakest on the team?

And it’s with good reason they do. The defensive backfield was absolutely hammered last season. It didn’t help that the defensive line was unable to drop opposing quarterbacks, who merrily strafed almost at will. Converting third-and-longs became commonplace against the Browns to the tune of 45.1% of the time.  

That secondary surrendered 261 yards a game, 36 touchdowns, three 400-yard games, five 300-yard games, picked off only 10 passes and allowed opposing quarterbacks to complete 64% of their passes. It was an offensive free for all in the Cleveland defensive backfield. And it is still the club’s Achilles’ heel.

Okay, let’s break it down. There are whopping 19 defensive backs in camp (or will be when Jabrill Peppers signs his rookie contract). (Update: He did Sunday.) That’s more than 20% of the roster. First, the cornerbacks.

There are a dozen of them. And none really stick out to the point where fans can rely on them. Brien Boddy-Calhoun and Jamar Taylor were minor surprises at the position last season, but both were prone to occasionally giving up big plays.

So where does Joe Haden fit into this picture? Now in his eighth season, this veteran is arguably on the downside of a career that began so promisingly. Nagged by injuries the last couple of seasons, Haden needs to be completely healthy in order to play the kind of aggressive defense demanded by Williams.

At one time regarded as one of the best press cornerbacks in the NFL, he needs to get back to that style, Williams should provide him with that opportunity. If he’s healthy and works hard, he is young enough – he’s only 28 – to once again become the corner Browns fans appreciated a few years ago.

The Browns signed Jason McCourty, an eight-year veteran, to bolster their cornerback roster. If he doesn’t beat out Taylor or Boddy-Calhoun to play opposite Haden, he could man the slot in Williams’ 4-2-5 look. Other possibilities are Marcus Burley, Trey Caldwell and Darius Hillary.

And the safeties?

Seven of them: four strong, three free. The most intriguing, of course, is Peppers, who probably will begin the season as the strong safety, where his main duties would be run support and checking the tight end and running back out of the backfield.

It also wouldn’t be surprising if Williams uses Peppers as a walkup linebacker in certain pass situations, much the same way the Pittsburgh Steelers used Troy Polamalu and Arizona Cardinals occasionally use Deone Bucannon, who splits his time between linebacker and safety. Returnees Derrick Kindred and Ibraheim Campbell provide veteran backup.

Free safety probably will wind up as a fight between Ed Reynolds II and Calvin Pryor III in a battle of Roman numerals with Pryor owning the edge.  Reynolds started seven games for Cleveland last season after injuries racked the position. Pryor, obtained from the New York Jets for Demario Davis, has started 38 games in his three-year career.

And finally, can it be assumed head coach Hue Jackson will cede complete authority of the defense to Williams?

Guess here is he better. Any interference likely will cause more friction and inner turmoil than Jackson, who had enough of that last season at 1-15, is willing to take on. If the defense goes sour this season, don’t blame Jackson, who has enough problems with the offense.

Tomorrow:  Special teams, odds and ends and fill in the blank.

Questions seeking (and getting) answers

The 2017 season officially gets under way for the Browns Sunday in Berea when rookies report to training camp. Three days later, coach Hue Jackson and his staff welcome the veterans and preparations for the season begin in earnest.

The first few days will be spent getting acquainted with 37 new faces occupying spots on the 90-man roster. That’s a radical turnover from last season’s unforgettable 1-15 season.

That includes 20 rookies as the Browns begin phase two of their plan to almost totally reshape the team. They will field one of the youngest teams in the National Football League this season.

And with youth, of course, comes struggle. Fans bore witness to that last season with a roster littered with first-year professionals. All of which provokes many questions. Here are answers to some of them.

In the first of a two-part look at the 20117 Cleveland Browns, we feature the offense . . .

Let’s start with the offensive line. Better than last season’s?

By far. Then again, it doesn’t take much to be better. Last season’s group surrendered an embarrassing 66 sacks, a club record that most likely will never be broken.

Adding (right guard) Kevin Zeitler and (center) JC Tretter in free agency and getting left guard Joel Bitonio back from injury helps immensely. It would help even more if Bitonio and Tretter can remain healthy for 16 games, which has proven difficult in the past.

Joe Thomas returns at left tackle, of course. Who plays right tackle?

It had better be second-year man Shon Coleman, who will battle Cameron Erving for the job. If Erving wins out, it will be a turnstile to the quarterback in the passing game.

What about the depth along the OL?

Definitely better than last season with the acquisitions of Zeitler and Tretter. John Greco and Spencer Drango coming off the bench in the event of an injury is a definite upgrade from last season. Can’t say the same for Erving, though.

Odds the offensive line will cut in half those 66 sacks?

Not in half. That’s way too optimistic. But look for a significant reduction like around 40 to 45, an improvement of a little less than a sack and a half a game.

Jackson is zeroing in on a more balanced offense this season. What are the odds he will be successful in his effort achieve that goal?

That depends almost entirely on how successful the Browns’ running game is. It sure wasn’t last season, although it averaged 107 yards a game, thanks mainly to a 231-yard game in the season finale in Pittsburgh, when the Steelers rested many starters.

The running game last season went through a terrible eight-game stretch midway through the season, seven of which produced ground games of 27, 40, 68, 45, 33, 33 and 58 yards.

If the offensive line can provide enough running room for Isaiah Crowell, who came thisclose to a 1,000-yard season in 2016, Duke Johnson Jr. and, maybe, rookie Matthew Dayes, then Jackson’s 50-50 goal has a chance at becoming a reality and strengthens the club’s ability to prolong drives and keep the defense rested.

How many touches will Johnson average and how much of a factor will he be in the passing game?

If Jackson truly wants to diversify his offense, Johnson has to be a big part of it. He has arguably the surest hands on the team and is the team’s most effective runner in the open field.

Problem is Jackson still runs him between the tackles on occasion. Johnson is more of a slasher who is more effective as a cutback runner. He needs at least 15 touches a game to be effective.

Enough about running backs. What about the wide receivers? Is the current corps better or worse than last season’s?

Worse. It might be the worst in the NFL. Well maybe the New York Jets’ wideouts are a bit worse. But there is no argument that can honestly disprove that notion with regard to the Browns, especially after the departure of Terrelle Pryor, the only legitimately dangerous wide receiver on the roster last season.

Is there anyone on the roster now who can duplicate Pryor’s 77-catch, 1,007-yard effort in 2016?

No. Pryor caught 45.8% of the club’s completed passes last season and accumulated 49.6% of the total yards by the position.

Well, what about Kenny Britt, who was signed as a free agent after Pryor left for Washington? Didn’t he have 68 receptions for 1,002 yards last season with Los Angeles last season?

Sure did. But which Kenny Britt did the Browns sign? The one who had a career year last season or the one who averaged 34.4 receptions and 554 yards in his first seven NFL seasons?

With an extremely young and inexperienced corps behind Britt, odds are he will come a lot closer to the numbers in his first seven seasons than the ones he put up last season.

But don’t wide receivers take longer to develop?

Yes, but Ricardo Louis, Rashard Higgins and Jordan Payton had such poor rookie seasons, it’s hard to imagine any of them making up for considerably lost ground. And Corey Coleman couldn’t stay healthy long enough to be reliable.

Is Coleman brittle or a star on the horizon?

Brittle wide receivers do not go far in the NFL. Perhaps it’s a bit premature to label Coleman as brittle right now, but he isn’t exactly off to a blazing start from an injury standpoint as a professional.

What about Josh Gordon?

Can’t discuss him until – or if – Commissioner Roger Goodell unshackles him. He may have already destroyed his career.

The tight end picture changed with Gary Barnidge’s departure and the drafting of David Njoku. How much of a factor are Njoku, Seth DeValve and Randall Telfer (if he can stay healthy long enough) in Jackson’s offensive scheme?

They will play a large part in both phases of the offense. Expect to see a lot of a two-tight end looks, especially in the running game. Njoku most likely will be a three-down tight end who will get plenty of looks in the passing game.

And whose passes are these young receivers going to catch? Who will be under center in the season opener against Pittsburgh?

The guess here is Brock Osweiler to begin with unless he is so abysmally bad in exhibition games that Jackson opts for either Cody Kessler or DeShone Kizer.

Kessler is a concussion – he had two last season as a rookie – waiting to happen. And throwing Kizer in there against the Steelers in the season opener would be – trying to be kind here – not advisable.

If Jackson wants to get anything out of Kizer, he must initially shackle him to the bench for several games, put a clipboard in his hand and let him learn all about the NFL from a safe place. Otherwise, the coach is messing with the kid’s future.

When Kizer does start, whether it’s through injury or incompetence, how much will Jackson dumb down his game plans?

If he is smart and really cares about his young quarterback, he will keep it as simple as possible.

Odds Osweiler will be on the roster at the end of the season?

Very good unless he suffers a season-ending injury early on.

Tomorrow: The defense and special teams

Berea shutdown

Shhhhhh . . .

It sure is eerily quiet at 76 Lou Groza Blvd. these days.

It’s so quiet, in fact, one can almost hear air slowly escaping from the hundreds of footballs at the site.

Just about everyone who is anyone is gone. Off to enjoy that rarity in the NFL world: A vacation. A chance to escape and enjoy a normal life for a couple of weeks.

It is what counts as the offseason in the National Football League. That time when those who run the Browns actually take time off to recharge the batteries and begin a countdown to training camp.

It’s the time when all the plans that have been made for the 2017 season are shelved temporarily and just about everyone takes a well-deserved break before gearing up for the new season.

About the only news coming out of Berea these days centers around why rookie safety/return specialist Jabrill Peppers has not signed a contract.

Some fans are getting a little bent out of shape, which keeps those who cover the team from forgetting about professional football for even a little bit and enjoying a little R&R themselves.

Peppers will sign a contract. Count on it.

His representatives and the Browns just need to iron out some language and the amount of guaranteed money they disagree on in the contract to nail his signature.

Peppers’ representatives also fronted for Joey Bosa last year and held him out of the San Diego Chargers’ training camp until just before the start of the 2016 season. The former Ohio State defensive end went on to become the NFL defensive rookie of the year.

Bosa’s recalcitrance to sign last year cannot be compared to the Peppers situation. He was the third overall draft. Peppers was the 25^th overall selection in the 2017 lottery. Negotiations parameters are not the same.

What you cannot count on from Peppers is when he will sign. Odds are he will do so sometime between now and the season opener in early September against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

OK, just messing with you. It most likely will happen between the time the club opens training camp on July 23 (when rookies report) and July 26 (when the rest of the club reports).

Sometime in those four days, when Peppers sees his fellow rookies in camp and in uniform and being coached up, he will develop an itch that needs to be scratched.

He is too important a piece in the revamped Browns secondary and he knows it. The sooner he reports to camp, the better it is for all involved.

It would not be wise for the Browns to be pound foolish, especially with someone they expect to be an impact player.

Browns’ offensive line second-best?

Pro Football Focus, an Internet statistical bible to many followers of the National Football League, recently paid the Browns’ new and improved offensive line a huge compliment, ranking it the second-best unit in the league.

With a caveat.

The headline read, ”Ranking all 32 offensive units heading into the 2017 season.” PFF’s Mike Renner broke down all 32 units before a snap has been made with money on the line.

And therein lies the delicate little tease that gets the attention of Browns fans, many of whom glom on to anything positive as if it were gospel. After 18 seasons of futility, who can blame them?

This was Renner’s surprising assessment of the Browns’ offensive line, now the league’s highest paid unit, for the upcoming campaign:

“The offseason free-agent spending spree could pay huge dividends in Cleveland. JC Tretter and Kevin Zeitler bring well-above-average grades from a season ago at center and guard, respectively. The only question mark comes at right tackle, where Shon Coleman looked at least competent in his 62 snaps as a rookie.”

Renner had the Browns sandwiched between the top-ranked Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers. He stated his conclusions were arrived at on “a multi-year grade based off snap counts and performance.”

There is no question Cleveland’s offensive line is improved over last season, when that unit surrendered a club record 66 sacks. It would have been worse if not for perennial All-Pro Joe Thomas at left tackle. Anything would be an improvement over that unit.

The addition of Zeitler and Tretter is, indeed, an improvement, as is the return from injury of left guard Joel Bitonio. But it’s also time to be realistic.

Tretter and Bitonio are quality linemen. When healthy. Their apparent fragility cannot be discounted. The question is whether they can book a 16-game season.

Based on their histories, they are injuries waiting to happen. Tretter has never played a full NFL season. And Bitonio, since playing all 16 games as a rookie in 2014, has missed more games due to injury than he has played healthy in the last two seasons.

Speaking of 2014, that was when the Browns actually had a quality offensive line with center Alex Mack anchoring Thomas and Mitchell Schwartz at the tackles and Bitonio and John Greco at the guards.

Browns fans surely recall that season when the Browns got off to a 6-3 start in Mike Pettine’s first season as head coach – enjoying the rarefied air of first place in the AFC North for a fleeting moment – before losing six of the last seven games to finish 7-9. The collapse began shortly after Mack broke a leg in game five.

The weakness on the current offensive line clearly resides at right tackle, where Coleman and Cameron Erving will battle this summer to replace the departed Austin Pasztor, who was a turnstile in pass protection last season.

As Renner noted, Coleman was competent last season in limited snaps (62). If he beats out Erving – and he should – he might see that many snaps in the season-opening game against Pittsburgh.

Tretter and Zeitler, who has avoided injury problems in the NFL, will have to make the biggest adjustments, coming over from teams that boast good offensive lines and know how to win.

Summing up . . . Thomas, the mainstay on the offensive line ever since his arrival in 2007, is not getting any younger. Bitonio and Tretter are injury risks. Zeitler, now the league’s highest-paid guard after agreeing to a five-year, $60 million contract, is solid despite never having been named to the Pro Bowl. And whoever wins at right tackle mans the weak spot on the line.

It’s nice to boast of having the NFL’s second-best offensive line, according to one reputable Internet site. With an offense that is at best suspect with regard to skill players, it will be interesting to see how much clout the revamped offensive line can deliver.

Coach Hue Jackson has indicated his offense will be much more balanced this season, which means the line, at least theoretically, will not be called upon to pass protect nearly as often as last season. That right there is a step in the right direction.

The two main areas of concern following the 2016 season -- and addressed by the front office -- were the offensive and defensive lines, an acknowledgment to the long-held notion that games are won and lost in the trenches.

Win the battles there and your chances of winning games improve exponentially. Based strictly on health – and that path is fraught with danger in a 16-game season – the Browns’ offensive line deserves the accolades awarded by PFF.

It should be interesting to see how much, if at all, realism and 16 football games during the regular season tinker with the pre-season optimism.

Browns need to be embarrassingly bad again

Let us be perfectly honest here about the 2017 Cleveland Browns.

The National Football League has become a quarterbacks league. If you have a quarterback who ranks anywhere from very good to exceptional, you have a great shot at not only making the playoffs, but advancing into February.

Teams that do not have a quarterback who fits that description, there will be no postseason. Only hope, in most cases, for the future. Color the Browns one of those teams.

That is why they must come close to replicating their disastrous 2016 season. It is their only chance to draft a quarterback whose collegiate credentials give them a chance to finally land their elusive franchise quarterback.

Brock Osweiler, Cody Kessler and DeShone Kizer are merely warming the job until that quarterback is ready to step onto the professional football stage. They are not the future of this team.

All three will play this season. The nature of the position, especially with this team, strongly suggests that is inevitable. A combination of injuries and poor play virtually guarantees it.

In order to be in position to draft their quarterback of the future, the Browns absolutely must lose as many games as possible in the upcoming season to insure qualifying for the top pick once again.

There are three quarterbacks in the next college draft who will sport far better credentials and talent than the top three in the most recent draft. And yes, that includes Kizer, who isn’t nearly ready to step in and be a pro and whose selection this year will be considered a mistake in the future.

Of those three college quarterbacks, only one stands out. His name is Sam Darnold from USC. And while UCLA’s Josh Rosen and Josh Allen of Wyoming present strong credentials, Darnold is clearly the top dog in this class.

All you have to do is look at what he did to Penn State in the last Rose Bowl as ample evidence. Yes, it was only one game, but sneak a peek at what he did after taking over as the Trojans’ No. 1 quarterback early in the 2016 season and you’ll have all the proof you need to see why he is special.

Right now, it looks very much as though three teams with dramatic quarterback needs will battle for Darnold’s services. You root for one of those teams. The others are the Los Angeles Rams and New York Jets, franchises located in major NFL markets, both figuratively frothing at the prospect of drafting him.

Those are the teams the Browns have to beat in the race to the bottom of the league and the top of the draft. They host the Jets in game four on Oct. 1, a game they must lose in the event tiebreakers are required to decide draft position.

The Rams and Jets are bad teams. The Browns are awful, especially on offense, but getting better, especially on defense. The downside is if they experience another season like the last one, it is highly likely coach Hue Jackson’s job will be in jeopardy.

Owner Jimmy Haslam III is renown for his knee-jerk reactions in the past with regard to his head coaches. A second straight embarrassing season could trigger another of those knee jerks.

That would be a mistake.

Jackson deserves a chance to work with a quarterback who gives him an honest chance at success in Cleveland. He didn’t have that chance last season and this season’s quarterbacks class in Berea does not provide much hope, either.

This franchise has waited long enough for its franchise quarterback to come along. One more season of abject futility won’t hurt any more than the 18 that preceded it, especially with a Sam Darnold lurking.

One goal in mind for Osweiler

If he weren’t so serious about it, one might think Brock Osweiler was joking his about chances of being the Browns’ starting quarterback against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the season opener on Sept. 10.

As recently as a month ago, the big quarterback was still rumored to be on his way out of Cleveland, the pawn in an earlier trade with the Houston Texans that added another second-round choice in next year’s college draft.

From the day the trade was announced, the general feeling was Osweiler would never take a snap with the Browns. The club somehow would find a way to unload his extraordinarily corpulent contract.

So the fact he is still with the team is somewhat of an upset. Not only that, but in the conversation as a viable candidate to not only play well enough to make the final roster, but possibly start.

Earlier this week at the team’s OTAs in Berea, Osweiler said he expects to be the man under center against the Steelers. And why not?

First of all, he is certainly not going to come out and say submissively he is conceding the job to Cody Kessler, coach Hue Jackson’s first choice to win the job. Like he said, “If I came out here and told you guys I wanted to be the backup, I’m in the wrong business.”

Certainly not the kind of attitude a coach – or his teammates, for that matter – want to see from someone playing the most important position on the team.

“The facts are I’m here,” Osweiler told reporters. “I’m playing football. I love being a Cleveland Brown and it has been great to work with coach Jackson and  (quarterbacks) coach (David) Lee. I’ve grown so much this spring.”

He said all the right things about Cleveland and the team’s organization, probably because he is thrilled to be out of Houston and as far away as he can be from Texans coach Bill O’Brien, with whom he battled before being benched last year in his lone season with the Texans.

Jackson, meanwhile, is taking a conservative approach with Osweiler, compared to his much more positive stance with regard to Kessler and rookie DeShone Kizer. “His role is to come in here every day, compete, get better, learn our system, fit into our culture and try to make it better that what it has been,” he said.

The five-year National Football League veteran has been around long enough to know what to say and when to say it and more important, when to keep his mouth shut and stick to football.

He is still a long way from his goal of becoming the Browns’ starting quarterback, though, but apparently heading in the right direction. From this point on, what happens on the field (in minicamps, training camp and exhibition games) will be the great dictator in Jackson’s final decision.

All Osweiler wants is a fair shot even though it appears his coach is currently leaning, if one correctly reads between the lines, toward Kessler, the pro sophomore. How much -- or whether -- that changes depends strictly on what happens in the next three months.

Why not Boldin?

Following up on the notion the Browns need at least one more veteran wide receiver to help the young kids on the roster adjust quicker to the National Football League, four names fit that profile.

In no particular order they are Victor Cruz, Stevie Johnson, Anquan Boldin and Vincent Jackson. Of the four, only one has escaped injury problems throughout his career.

The NFL careers of Cruz, Johnson and Jackson have been short-circuited at one time or another by injuries well into those careers.

Boldin, on the other hand, has been a rock-solid receiver, missing only four games while playing for four teams in his 14-year career during which he has maintained an excellence that has gone largely unrewarded (only three Pro Bowls).

Consistency and dependability are his main virtues. He would be the ideal choice should Hue Jackson see a need for at least one more wise head in the room besides Kenny Britt.

Never mind Boldin will turn 37 in October. He is surprisingly spry for his age right now. The 6-1, 220-pounder would also bring sagacity and pugnacity to the wide receivers room along with a large dose of professionalism that is missing.

He is still one of the best third-down receivers in the NFL despite his age. With the Detroit Lions last season, he caught 67 passes and scored eight touchdowns. He is the kind of receiver who keeps drives moving.

If there is one aspect of the Cleveland offense that seriously needs upgrading, it’s the ability to own the football for long stretches and keep the defense on the bench and well-rested.

His ability to get open, especially on third down, has enabled him to rack up nearly 13,800 yards and post seven seasons of at least 1,000 receiving yards. He clearly belies his age at a position that normally sees players retire at an earlier age.

The 6-5, 240-pound Jackson, who has six 1,000-yard seasons, is 34 years old and clearly on the downside of his career. A knee injury derailed his season five games into the schedule for Tampa Bay in 2016.

Cruz, 30, has not been an effective performer since tearing a patellar tendon in 2014 and missing the following season with an injured calf. He is no longer the explosive receiver he was with the New York Giants for several seasons.

Johnson, 31, missed the entire 2016 season with the San Diego Chargers after a torn meniscus. The owner of three 1,000-yard seasons hasn’t been the same player since recording the last one in 2012 with Buffalo.

So if the Browns somehow, some way decide it would be wise to add a veteran presence to the Kiddie Korps in the receivers room, the addition of Anquan Boldin would seem to be the correct move.

He is the NFL’s version of the Energizer Bunny. He keeps going . . . and going . . . and going . . . and . . .

Kenny Britt and the Kids

In the most recent college football draft, the Browns’ braintrust chose to ignore two positions: Linebacker and wide receiver.

Considering the move from a 3-4 look to a 4-3 scheme under new defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, it is understandable why there was no need to address the linebackers. It’s also why, because of a need to build up the front four, they selected three defensive linemen.

What is not understandable is why wide receivers were given no thought whatsoever. Heading into the draft, it was the weakest position (barely beating out the offensive line) on that side of the football.

In the lamentable 1-15 season last year, only Terrelle Pryor stood out among the wideouts. He was the Browns’ passing offense last season.

Wide receivers accounted for 2,029 of the club’s passing yardage in 2016. Pryor owned 1,007 of those yards, an astounding 49.6% of the production. And now he is gone, replaced by free-agent signee Kenny Britt, an eight-year veteran with mediocre credentials.

Britt arrives on the heels of what can be considered a career year with the Los Angeles Rams, putting up similar numbers to Pryor. After slogging around the National Football League in near anonymity for seven seasons, averaging 34 catches, 555 yards and 3½ touchdowns a season, he was 68-1,002 and five TD last season.

It obviously caught the Browns’ attention, firing up the argument as to whether this was, indeed, a career year (an aberration?) that will never be duplicated. Or maybe it was the light finally going on with still plenty of electricity left.

The difference there is that Pryor made his mark last season while still learning the position after failing as a quarterback and is clearly on the rise. Britt is a career wide receiver who had classically underachieved before last season.

Unless the front office sees the error of its ways with regard to wide receivers (there are 10 on the roster), it will be Kenny Britt and the Kids as the main targets of whoever winds up as the starting quarterback. And Britt is not good enough to handle being the No. 1 target with so little support.

With one exception, the remaining wideouts have no more than one season of NFL experience. Four are draftees from last season: Corey Coleman, Ricardo Louis, Rashard Higgins and Jordan Payton.

That quartet combined for 58 receptions for 698 yards and three touchdowns, the oft-injured Coleman leading the way with 33 of those grabs for 413 yards and the three scores.

The Browns will not frighten secondaries this season. With the exception of three-year veteran James Wright (a long shot to make the team), all the others are second-year men or holdovers from the practice squad. That is it. The lack of experience is alarming.

(The status of Josh Gordon, in limbo courtesy of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, is not a factor here. At least not yet. Until a final decision is rendered the commissioner, Gordon is merely an X factor.)

One of the weak links of last season’s team is now even weaker with the departure of Pryor. Coach Hue Jackson again faces the same problems with less talent than 2016.

It is entirely possible Jackson again will attempt to place a major emphasis on the running game, thus cutting down on the number of times his quarterbacks are forced to resort to the aerial game.

Last season, Jackson indicated one of his goals was to run the ball as much as throw it. In other words, let the run set up the pass. He didn’t quite make it. Check that. He didn’t come close.

The Cleveland offense ran the ball 38.2% of the time last season and heaved it 61.8%. Much of that disparity was due to a defense that bled points at a near record pace and put the team so far behind that throwing the ball became a necessity.

Jackson’s goal of a well-balanced offense is anathema to the passing league the NFL has become in the last several seasons. But when you have limited talent on the offensive side of the ball, the tendency is to go with something less risky. In other words, throw the football less frequently.

What was it that Woody (Three Yards and a Cloud of Dust) Hayes said all those years ago as he was becoming a coaching legend at Ohio State? “Three things can happen when you throw the football and two of them are bad.”

Jackson needs help with his wide receivers. Coaching goes only so far. Outside of Britt (and that’s an iffy situation), there are no wise heads in the wide receivers room. No veteran who can shepherd these youngsters through tough times. Teach them the ins and outs and nuances of the game while contributing themselves.

They are out there, but the Browns’ apparent stubbornness that accompanies their belief they are in good shape will in the end produce the same results, maybe worse, than last season.

The Cleveland front office seems to be sanguine about the wide receivers. They shouldn’t be.

Don’t bet on Kessler

Here we are on May 14 and Browns coach Hue Jackson all but anoints Cody Kessler as his starting quarterback for the 2017 season.

With less than four months between now and the season opener at home against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Jackson appears to have made up his mind. Plenty can happen in those four months and yet, Jackson can’t help himself.

“Obviously, Cody will start this out,” Jackson said Saturday. “He deserves the opportunity to.”

And then the coach temporarily sidetracked himself, declaring that “this thing is open, it really is” before adding it’s Kessler job to lose. “They’ve got to take it away from him.”

This is not the time of the year teams reveal their depth charts. It is the time when coaches keep the media guessing on who starts, especially since many of the final decisions won’t be made until the week leading up to the opening game. No need to make declarations now. Let it all play out.

Why the rush? Why put unnecessary pressure on those involved in the quarterback competition? Is there any question the quarterbacks room this season – at least based on those currently on the roster – will be filled with mediocrity?

How can anyone get excited about Brock Osweiler, a journeyman (at the tender age of 26) who might have peaked in Denver a couple of seasons ago?

Or Kessler, who rang up zero victories in eight attempts in his rookie season? Granted it was behind arguably the worst offensive line in the National Football League, a unit that can’t help but be better this season.

Or Kevin Hogan, whose best shot is the practice squad?

Or DeShone Kizer, a wet-behind-the-ears flamethrower who will be taking baby steps well into his rookie season?

This is what Jackson and quarterbacks coach David Lee – especially Lee – face as they attempt to right an offense that was abysmally awful last season. Then it was Robert Griffin III, Kessler, Josh McCown, Charlie Whitehurst, Hogan and, for a few plays, the departed Terrelle Pryor.

It was a gallery of mediocrity at the most important position on the team that could not prevent, although they had plenty of help from the defense, the embarrassing 1-15 record.

And there is no evidence that would lead one to believe this season will be any better, even though Jackson generously heaps praise on Kessler.

“Cody has done a great job and that’s the reason I brought up his name first,” he told the media. “He’s really improved. He’s worked his tail off and deserves the right and opportunity to walk in this building and walk out there first."

Opportunity? No argument there. Right? Well, that’s an entirely different matter. Nothing Kessler did last season gives him the right to be designated the leader in the clubhouse. Not even “earned” works here.

“They’ve got to take (the starting job) from him. . . ." Jackson said. "They better take it from him because I know him and he’s not going to give it up.” Wow, a pep talk even before the OTAs, mandatory minicamp and training camp this summer.

At the same time he boosted Kessler, Jackson allowed there would be competition. “They’ll all get reps,” he said, including Kizer. “. . . I’ve been through this before a few times, so we’ll get these guys reps and (Kizer) has to take some because I’ve got to continue to evaluate him.”

For what it’s worth (take your best shot, I’ve got thick skin), I believe Osweiler (assuming he is still with the club) will take the job from Kessler and wind up under center against the Steelers in the opener after all this bullroar quiets down.

Why? Simply because he is the most experienced quarterback in the room (the only one to record an NFL victory). I can’t imagine the Browns will start the season with a quarterbacks room with no victories.

And, most important, because he gives the Browns the best shot at winning.