Crystal ball time

Now that training camp 2021 is underway for the Browns, time to haul out the time machine and see what the 53-man roster will look like when the final trim arrives on the final day of next month.

This will not be the roster, however, when the club opens the regular season 12 days later in Kansas City against the Chiefs. It will still be somewhat malleable, mostly at the bottom of the roster, until then and some of the names that appear here will disappear.

It will not be difficult this season to be correct on a majority of the choices, especially with an offense that returns most of last season's major contributors. The defense will be harder, primarily because General Manager Andrew Berry basically overhauled it.

Let's start with an easy one.

                    OFFENSE

Quarterbacks (3) -- Baker Mayfield, Case Keenum, Kyle Lauletta

Starter: Mayfield. Off the bench: Keenum. Practice squad: Lauletta

Thoughts -- Obviously a no-brainer. Barring an injury, which has never shelved Mayfield in his National Football League career, big things are expected of him.

Running backs (6) -- Nick Chubb, Kareem Hunt, D'Ernest Johnson, Demetric Felton, John Kelly, Tre Harbison

Starters: Chubb, Hunt. Off the bench: Johnson, Felton. See ya: Kelly, Harbison

Thoughts -- If Chubb and Hunt play every game (Chubb missed four last season), these two are more than capable of putting up 3,000 total yards from scrimmage and at least 25 touchdowns. They give defensive coordinators nightmares. Johnson can start for a few other teams. Felton is versatile as a returner and combo running back/wide receiver.. 

Fullbacks (2) -- Andy Janovich, Johnny Stanton

Starter: Janovich. Practice squad: Stanton 

Thoughts -- Janovich won't see many snaps, but is highly efficient when given the opportunity. Top notch blocker.

Wide receivers (10) -- Jarvis Landry, Odell Beckham Jr., Rashard Higgins, KhaDarel Hodge, Donovan Peoples-Jones, Anthony Schwartz, J'Marcus Bradley, JoJo Natson, Ryan Switzer, Alexander Hollins

Starters: Landry, Beckham. Off the bench: Higgins, Hodge, Peoples-Jones, Schwartz. Practice squad: Switzer, Bradley. See ya: Natson, Hollins

Thoughts -- It will be interesting to see if head coach/playcaller Kevin Stefanski tries again to force the ball to Beckham, who has caught just 55% of the passes directed at him by Mayfield in a season and a half. Landry is Captain Reliable; Higgins, Peoples-Jones and Hodge provide strong quality depth; and Schwartz, the track star, will be kept because he was a high draft choice.

Tight ends (6)  -- Austin Hooper, Harrison Bryant, David Njoku, Stephen Carlson, Jordan Franks, Connor Davis

Starters: Hooper, Bryant. Off the bench: Njoku. Practice squad: Carlson. See ya: Franks, Davis

Thoughts -- Same as last season with Bryant possibly catching more passes than Hooper after a poor second half last season. This will be Njoku's final season with Cleveland.

Centers (3) -- JC Tretter, Nick Harris, Blake Hance

Starter: Tretter. Off the bench: Harris, Hance

Thoughts -- Tretter needs to stay healthy to keep the smallish Harris tethered to the bench. Hance, who stepped into the breach due to injuries late last season and was impressive, is versatile enough to play anywhere on the offensive line.

Guards (7) -- Joel Bitonio, Wyatt Teller, Drew Forbes, Michael Dunn, Colby Gossett, Cordel Iwuagwu, Javon Patterson

Starters: Bitonio, Teller. Off the bench: Dunn. Practice squad: Forbes. See ya: Gossett, Iwuagwu, Patterson

Thoughts -- Arguably the best guard tandem in the NFL. Dunn provides adequate depth. Forbes, who opted out of last season during the pandemic, is there in case of injury.

Tackles 6) -- Jack Conklin, Jedrick Wills Jr., Chris Hubbard, Alex Taylor, Greg Senat, James Hudson III

Starters: Conklin, Wills. Off the bench: Hubbard, Hudson. Practice squad: Taylor, Senat

Thoughts -- Looking for a strong second season from Wills, especially in the run game. Conklin is one of the best offensive tackles in the game. Average depth

                    DEFENSE

Ends (7) -- Myles Garrett, Jadeveon Clowney, Takkarist McKinley, Joe Jackson, Cameron Malveaux, Porter Gustin, Romeo McKnight

Starters: Garrett, Clowney. Off the bench: McKinley, Jackson. Practice squad: Gustin, Malveaux.. See ya: McKnight

Thoughts -- Count me a huge skeptic with regard to the pass rush. It will be the peerless Garrett and more than a few cross your fingers. Not counting on Clowney and McKinley to be major contributors. The Browns will miss Olivier Vernon.

Tackles (8) -- Andrew Billings, Malik Jackson, Jordan Elliott, Sheldon Day, Marvin Wilson, Tommy Togiai, Malik McDowell, Damion Square

Starters: Billings, Jackson. Off the bench: Elliott, Togiai. Practice squad: Wilson, See ya: McDowell, Square, Day

Thoughts -- Oh boy. There is trouble at this position. Only one of the candidates (Elliott) played for the Browns last season and it was sparingly. Expecting Togiai to surprise. Losing Sheldon Richardson in free agency was an unwise move.

Linebackers (9) -- Anthony Walker, Mack Wilson, Jacob Phillips, Sione Takitaki, Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Malcolm Smith, Curtis Weaver, Tony Fields II, Elijah Lee

Starters: Walker, Owusu-Koramoah. Off the bench: Phillips, Takitaki, Wilson. Practice squad: Fields, Weaver, Lee. See ya: Smith

Thoughts -- Walker stabilizes the middle, while JOK plays all over the field as the Swiss Army watch in coordinator Joe Woods' multi-look defense. Phillips, Takitaki and Wilson will see plenty of snaps. They're going to try and sneak Weaver, a terrific standup rusher, onto the practice squad.

Cornerbacks (10) -- Denzel Ward, Greedy Williams, Greg Newsome II, Troy Hill, M. J. Stewart Jr., Robert Jackson, Brian Allen, A. J. Green, Emmanuel Rugamba, Thomas Kiondre

Starters: Ward, Newsome, Hill. Off the bench: Williams, Stewart, Jackson. Practice squad: Green, Allen. See ya: Rugamba, Kiondre

Thoughts -- It would be nice if Ward and Newsome play an entire season without missing games due to injury. Ditto for Williams, who missed several games as a rookie and the entire 2020 season. Hill is one of the best nickel corners in the NFL. Jackson barely beats Green and Allen for the last spot.

Safeties (8) -- John Johnson III, Ronnie Harrison Jr., Grant Delpit, Sheldrick Redwine, Richard LeCounte III, Montrel Meander, Elijah Benton, Javonte Moffatt

Starters: Johnson, Harrison, Delpit. Off the bench: LeCounte, Redwine. See ya: Benton, Moffatt, Meander

Thoughts -- Woods most likely will use Johnson, Harrison and Delpit in a three-safety look in his 4-2-5 base. Each brings his own unique set of talents to the position. Delpit, who missed all of 2020, is the most versatile of this trio and very well be used like JOK.

                    SPECIALISTS

Placekicker (2) -- Cody Parkey, Chase McLaughlin. Starter: McLaughlin. See ya: Parkey

Punter -- Jamie Gillan. 

Long snapper -- Charley Hughlett

Thoughts -- McLaughlin wins the job because he has a stronger leg, But don't get too excited about him. The Browns will continue to scour the waiver wire in an attempt to strengthen the position. Gillan, coming off an average second season, had no competition in camp. And Hughlett is one of the best long snappers in the league.

Here's to health

We're mere days away from the beginning of Browns training camp for the most eagerly awaited season in more than a generation.

A starving fan base with tentacles that reach far and wide around the planet is more than ready to deal with all the bumps along the way to an anticipated second straight post-season appearance in an era that promises to be just as exciting as when Bernie Kosar Jr. commanded the huddle 35 years ago.

A few questions still linger, though, as the 90-man squad begins with closed practices Wednesday and Thursday before opening it up to the public. Most fall into the "what if" category and deal with injuries.

Like, for example, what if Baker Mayfield for the first time in his National Football League career suffers an injury? He has come close on occasion and it's only a matter of time before he misses a game for the first time in his pro career.

Questions like this have to be taken into consideration. They cannot be ignored or taken for granted. Football is not a contact game. It's a collision game. Quarterbacks, unless they are blessed, eventually pay a price to throw the prolate spheroid. Mayfield is due.

Then there's cornerback Denzel Ward, who has missed 11 games in his three-year career. Will he -- can he -- play a full season for the first time? Same with defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, who has proved somewhat brittle and was absent for a lot of games the last couple of seasons with two different teams.

Guard Wyatt Teller missed five games last season. And running back Nick Chubb needed five weeks to heel a knee injury. To be determined: Will cornerback Greedy Williams and rookie safety Grant Delpit, who both missed the entire 2020 season, be heathy enough to become major contributors to the secondary?

Luck is a key factor in the sustenance of a football team, especially one like the very talented Browns. Avoid injured reserve or the dreaded game-to-game designation, where the length of an injury seems to drag out seemingly forever, and you're golden.

Everything being equal, the team that stays healthy generally has a better shot at playing football in February than others less fortunate. The Kansas City Chiefs were one of the few outliers last season in this regard. They were beaten up, especially on offense, by the time they got to the Super Bowl and suffered the consequences.

The most important question with the Browns is whether they have the quality depth to overcome a rash of injuries, certain to be even higher this season after the league added a 17th regular-season game to the schedule.

That, as much as anything, should be an important consideration, particularly along the offensive and defensive lines. as General Manager Andrew Berry and head coach Kevin Stefanski whittle the roster to the final 53.

It's a situation that bears watching since the culture of the club changed so dramatically and completely last season and winning it all, for the first time in a generation, is legitimately the primary goal. Training camp competition will be quite a bit different and much more interesting this season.

A shot of realism

With all the feel-good talk surrounding the Browns this season, it is reasonable to assume there's got to be some pushback somewhere along the way. At the same time, there's also got to be a few doses of realism.

With the beginning of training camp about a week away, Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield gently slammed the brakes on what to look forward to this season with a dose or two of that realism the other day at his youth football clinic in an eastern Cleveland suburb.

"We have a lot of great players (on offense)," he said, "and this isn't taking anything away from them because I love these guys. But it doesn't matter who we have. If we don't have chemistry and we don't do our jobs, none of it matters.

"I'd say not taking anything for granted when it comes to chemistry. . . . The most important part is leaving nothing left unsaid. To me, that's where we are right now." In other words, emphasize communication.

Spot on. All that talent means nothing if even just one member of that unit strays and and plays differently. That's all it would take for an offense, whose success depends heavily on rhythm, timing and cohesion, to malfunction.

How often have we heard coaches after a loss moan that one little mistake here and another little mistake there contributed to the loss? Missed assignments are commonplace in football. 

Keeping them at a minimum separates the average teams from the good teams, the good teams from the great teams and the great teams from the championship teams.

Many, many years ago, Joan Ryan, the wife of Browns quarterback Frank Ryan, wrote a weekly in-season column for my old employer, The Plain Dealer. That was back when the Browns were one of the strongest franchises in the National Football League.

On occasion, she wrote about "zero defects," labeling them the great difference between winning and losing. The team that committed the fewest errors generally emerged victorious. Back then, fans did not view games as analytically as they do now.

Mayfield gets it. And by it, I mean he has a firm grasp on all levels as to what it will take to make certain another gigantic letdown, such as what happened during the awful 2019 campaign, is not repeated. 

He knows what it takes to make the coming season at least as successful as 2020's breakout season, if not more-so. He has declared publicly and confidently how he intends to run the huddle this season. Count on his mates on that side of the football paying rapt attention at all times 

Otherwise, as he said, "If . . . we don't have chemistry and don't do our jobs, none of it matters." 

Music to Kevin Stefanski's ears.

Random questions

Many questions still on the table with regard to the 2021 Browns will have to go unanswered until the money games commence Sept. 12 in Kansas City. Gonna take a stab here, anyway.

In no particular order . . . 

Like how improved will the almost totally revamped defense be? And can Baker Mayfield sustain his outstanding second-half performance last season? 

How much of a difference will Jadeveon Clowney and Takkarist McKinley make in the pass rush? And can Denzel Ward stay healthy enough to play a full season? Ditto for Wyatt Teller and No. 1 draft pick Greg Newsome II.

Who will be the No. 3 wide receiver? And how long will it take rookie Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah to fit in and become the key to the defense?

How healthy, really, are Greedy Williams and Grant Delpit? How important is it that JC Tretter plays in every game?

Who will be the club's placekicker? And why is no one concerned with Jamie Gillan's dropoff last season?

At what point do the rumors Odell Beckham Jr. will be traded die down? And will Jedrick Wills Jr. finally learn how to run block?

How much will the defense miss Sheldon Richardson and Olivier Vernon? And what are the odds Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt compile more than 2,700 total yards from scrimmage and score 30 touchdowns? 

Okay, that's enough for now. Now the not-asked-for answers.

There is no question the defense will be better this season, if for no other reason it can't be any worse than last season's abomination. Not with solid newcomers like John Johnson III, Troy Hill, Anthony Walker, Andrew Billings, Malik Jackson and rookies Newsome and JOK.

There is no reason Mayfield can't play as well as he did in the second half last season, if not better. For the first time since joining the Browns,  he'll play for the same head coach and coordinator for the second straight season.

As for Clowney and McKinley, cross your fingers and hope the somewhat brittle and very inconsistent Clowney can play all 17 games and McKinley finally wakes up and figures out how to be a quarterback disturber. By the way, add Clowney to that small group who have problems avoiding injuries. Ward and Teller are extremely valuable assets, but not when in street clothes on game day.

As for the No. 3 wide receiver -- look for head coach Kevin Stefanski to employ three wides more often this season -- it should be Rashard Higgins over KhaDarel Hodge and Donovan Peoples-Jones, who was terrific filling in when Beckham went down in game seven. Look for Mayfield to lobby for him if it's close.

Not to be concerned about JOK. He'll fit in just fine. His athleticism and feel for the game will more than nullify, or at least neutralize, any rookie mistakes along the way.

Hard to say just how ready Williams and Delpit are after sitting out the entire 2020 season with major injuries. We'll find out soon enough in about 10 days. 

Meanwhile, it is imperative for Tretter to take real good care of himself. He has started every game (65) since joining the club in 2017. He is the linchpin of that unit. They cannot afford to lose him. If he goes down, smallish Nick Harris will replace him and that's a huge problem. The barely 6-0 Harris was plugged in for two games last season as a rookie when Teller went down and looked awful.

Cody Parkey was all right last season in his second stint with the Browns, but he doesn't  have the big leg this club needs. He never attempted a 50-yard field goal. He'll compete in camp with Chase McLaughlin, who has become an NFL nomad at the tender age of 25. He is not the answer. 

Gillan, on the other hand, will compete with himself because the club obviously was satisfied with his performance last season despite significant drops in a few areas. He needs to help the defense with field position this season by dropping more punts inside the 20.

With the glut of wide receivers on the roster, it is only natural Beckham will be the subject of trade rumors. They won't die down despite denials by the front office. I'm not an oddsmaker, but I'll take a stab at 50-50 he'll still be with the club for the season opener. 

As for Wills, if he works as hard this season at improving in the run game as he did last season with pass protection, sure, he'll be fine with that aspect of the offense and become the well-rounded tackle the club had expected.

Damn right the Browns will miss Richardson and Vernon. Their absence causes last season's strongest unit on that side of the football to become the weakest this season. Be prepared for terrible run defense.

Odds-making again here with Chubb and Hunt. Providing they stay healthy, 2,700 yards might be a bit conservative, which would make them odds-on favorites to reach that figure. Easily. Last season, they combined for 2,362 yards from scrimmage and 23 touchdowns. And Chubb missed four games with an MCL injury. 

Getting closer

So why does it seem as though time is passing, at least for Browns fans, ever so slowly? It's as if it's slogging along at the pace of a tortoise.

It's been only six months since the Browns were knocked out of the National Football League playoffs by the Kansa City Chiefs. Why does it feel longer?

The correct answer is fans are so enthralled with and excited about their team and the approaching season, it can't get started soon enough. That's the effect this franchise now has on its fan base after finally shedding its role as the league's stepchild.

Two decades of embarrassingly miserable football are now a distant memory. Only eleven days remain until the anxiously-anticipated 2021 season begins in earnest with the opening of training camp in Berea. For those who can't wait, it'll probably seem like 11 weeks.

The anticipation is such now that Web sites all over the NFL landscape have to tap their creative juices with the Browns on vacation, coming up with ridiculous storylines more than a few readers don't care about. They're scrambling to maintain the club's relevance as the calendar seemingly creeps along.

They figure there's no such thing as too much Browns, especially after opening eyes with their performance last season. Manufacture a Browns-related story and it will generate hits. 

In years past, that was not the case at this time of the year. The Indians and Cavaliers provided the sports escape. The hope for the Browns was always there early, but faded quickly after reality set in. For 20 excruciatingly long years.

Well, the reality now is the Browns have quickly and startlingly approached NFL elite status to the point where even the most severe critics of the club have glommed on to the fact this is a pretty good football team.

Training camp is no longer a ho-hum-nothing-to-get-excited-about-here situation. Not with this team. Browns Nation has waited a generation for this and can't wait to reap the rewards. They enjoyed the sneak preview last season and long for more. 

The Browns -- and their fans -- realize getting where they are now was difficult and well-earned. But not as difficult as it will be maintaining that status. No longer will they be the soft spot on the schedule. And that provides head coach Kevin Stefanski with his greatest challenge.

Tick . . . tock . . . tick . . . tock . . . 

Q&A Part Trois

Time now for a look at the 2021 season for the Browns through a more specific lens . . . 

With all the positive reaction about this team by just about everyone in the National Football League universe, what is the likelihood of a gigantic letdown and a tumble back into mediocrity or worse?

Not this season and probably more than a few more after that. This team truly is too good to slip back. Too deep to slip back. Too loaded to slip back.

With what certainly seems to be the kind of front office and smart leadership this franchise has sought for the better part of two decades now firmly in place, the future glows brightly. Browns fans should have no problems getting used to winning games. 

They've suffered enough and are about to be amply rewarded for their loyalty, which had to be painful for the zealots who maintained their faith throughout the years. They had better make room for those who jumped off the bandwagon along the way but are clamoring to climb back on.

Now for some other questions seeking answers. Hopscotching around, let's begin with this: How much will the defense miss defensive tackles Sheldon Richardson and Larry Ogunjobi?

More than you'd think, especially Richardson, easily the best defensive lineman against the run the last two seasons. I don't see anyone on the roster who can come close to what he meant to that aspect of the game.

None of the current defensive tackles played for Cleveland last season. Andrews Billings and Malik Jackson more than likely will open with rookie Tommy Togiai and Jordan Elliott in backup roles. It is also possible defensive coordinator Joe Woods will move edge rushers Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney inside on occasion.

But right now, gird yourself for a possible return to the days when the defense surrendered hundreds of yards on a weekly basis.

Why won't Stefanski give wide receiver Rashard Higgins a bigger, no make that much bigger, role in his offense? 

Beats me. For crying out loud, he surely has to know Baker Mayfield and Higgins have connected successfully on nearly 70% of their passes. Why tether him to the bench? He's clutch. He's reliable. And Mayfield loves him. He needs to see the field a whole lot more.

How much playcalling latitude will Stefanski give offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt this season?

He almost certainly will for the three exhibition games. But don't count on that once the regular season starts. Not certain whether it's a lack of confidence -- Van Pelt certainly did well in the playoff game victory in Pittsburgh last season when Stefanski was laid up with COVID-19 -- or having a tough time separating himself from those chores. 

He'll soon realize that the demands of being a head coach some day will force him to give up those duties so he can concentrate on the entire scope of a game. Like focusing on making the correct decisions on penalties, time management, making certain the correct moves are being made on defense and special teams as well. 

Speaking of defense, how long will it take for that side of the football to jell to the point of making plays on a sustained basis?

With a dozen new men who have never payed together, it could take as long as the first month before they start to click and Woods settles on situational packages best suited to the talents of the various players. It won't be easy, but the schedule is in their favor early on.

After the season opener in Kansas City, the defense will face Houston and Chicago at home and the Vikings in Minnesota in the next three weeks. If it takes longer than four games to achieve cohesion, trouble lurks. I don't see that happening.

Who will call signals on defense?

Two candidates: Middle linebacker Dwayne Walker and safety John Johnson III. Both possess strong leadership qualities. It will be interesting to see who Woods trusts to call signals, The guess here is Johnson, who can play either safety position and will play every snap. Walker most likely will be a two-down player and exit on obvious passing downs. Both men are huge upgrades over last season.

How long will Woods stay with his 4-2-5 base look?

Because the NFL remains a pass-happy and pass-heavy league and because the Browns now have quality personnel to be effective against the forward pass, get used to it. With some much versatility in the secondary this season, Woods can interchange cornerbacks and safeties in his nickel and dime packages and not be nearly as concerned as he was last season.

How hot is the seat Woods occupies?

Given all that talent, the temperature will start warm and rise and fall on a weekly basis. He got the mulligan last season with the penurious approach by the front office on defense.  There will be no such excuses this season.

What will be Stefanski's greatest concern on offense?

Keeping the line healthy, particularly at center. The quality quotient of the line drops dramatically if JC Tretter misses any time. Everything else falls into place if the trenchmen remain vertical from a competitive standpoint all season.

What can fans expect from Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt?

Lots more of the same. Production, production, production. And then more production. On the ground, Through the air. Enjoy it while you can because one of them won't be here in a couple of years. 

How much better will Baker Mayfield be this season?

He's just getting started in this offense. It took him half a season to climb on board last season, but once he did, the comfort and confidence levels were obvious. The amount of respect he gained from his huddle mates will pay big dividends this season. He is not the same quarterback who arrived in Cleveland in 2018.

Turning to special teams, how worried should Cody Parkey be about losing his job?

This club needs a solid placekicker. Parkey didn't exactly cover himself with glory in his second tour of duty in Cleveland. He missed four extra points, but made 19 of 22 field goals, the fifth-lowest field goal total in the league. He never attempted a field goal of 50 or more yards. He will be challenged by Chase McLaughlin, who has kicked for five teams in his two NFL seasons. The Browns can do better here.

What about punter Jamie Gillan?

Seemed to suffer from the sophomore jinx. His net average dropped four yards to 38.3 yards and he landed just 14 punts inside the opponent's 20-yard line, a 50% drop. All that despite punting a dozen fewer times than his rookie season. That needs to improve, Can't ignore the importance of field position. Interestingly, the Browns did not bring anyone in to challenge him.

And the return game?

Bad news all over the place. This franchise has not returned a punt for a touchdown since Travis Benjamin did it way back in 2015, He also returned two more in 2012 and 2013. (That does not include the 86-yard punt return by rookie Damon Sheehy-Guiseppi in a 2109 exhibition against Washington. He was cut a month later.) 

You've got to go way back to 2009 to locate the last kickoff return for a score. Josh Cribbs had three that season, including two in week 15 in Kansas City in a 41-34 victory. Officially, the last kickoff return for a Cleveland touchdown was on Dec. 20, 2009. 

It looks as though returnee D'Ernest Johnson and rookie draft pick Demetric Felton will battle it out to be the return specialist with Felton also slated to show his versatility at running back and wide receiver.

And finally, who will be Browns' rookie of the year, most improved player and most valuable player?

Hybrid linebacker/safety Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah takes down rookie honors; defensive tackle Andrew Billings, a COVID-19 opt out last season, will show why the Browns signed him away from Cincinnati; and the offensive line becomes the collective MVP.