Embracing the 53

The Browns and their fans found out Tuesday there is a price to pay when the talent quotient of the team becomes so strong, trims to the final 53-player roster become that much more difficult.

The club either released or waived a handful of players who contributed nicely during the exhibition season and otherwise would have either been strongly considered for the final roster or make it outright. And that is the best sign of all.

It has taken General Manager Andrew Berry less than two years to almost totally Cinderella this franchise from one of the saddest to one of the strongest, making it extremely difficult for free agents to crash through.

That, in large part, is because every one of the GM's 15 draft selections the last two seasons landed on the first iteration of the 53-man roster, including eight in the 2021 class. Prejudicial? Of course. But that's also his prerogative.

"Roster decisions are always a combination between the front office and coaching staff making sure it's not just the most talented 53, but the right 53 to serve the different roles we need on offense, defense and the kicking teams throughout the season," Berry said. 

To that end, the squad, for the time being because roster massaging is quite the norm at this time of the season, is comprised of 25 men on offense, 25 on defense and three special teamers. That balance very well could change by as early as Thursday when waiver claims activity is taken into account.

There were very few surprises among the 28 casualties. Twenty-one were flat out waived; the contracts of four others were terminated; offensive linemen Greg Senat and Drew Forbes were placed on reserve/injured; and wide receiver Damion Davis was placed on reserve/suspended.

Among the surprises were wide receiver KhaDarel Hodge, defensive end Joe Jackson and linebacker Elijah Lee. Hodge's release was an obvious nod to the glut in the wide receivers room. Jackson was the best defensive end in the exhibitions and Lee was clearly the best linebacker.

As it stands now, the roster lists just three defensive ends -- Myles Garrett, Jadeveon Clowney and Takkarist McKinley, the latter just now trying to get in shape after missing a huge chunk of training camp with personal issues. They need a fourth on the edge.

Seven linebackers are listed, but that is deceiving. It's actually five with Jacobs Phillips slated for IR with a torn biceps muscle and rookie Tony Fields II just now returning after missing all of training camp with a foot injury. He's also a candidate for IR.

Sticking with the defense, the secondary population of 10 breaks down to six cornerbacks and four safeties, eight of whom are healthy and ready to go. Corner Greedy Williams has trouble getting and then staying healthy. Ditto for safety Grant Delpit.

Perhaps the biggest surprise after the big roster purge from a positive standpoint overall is the seemingly-sudden emergence of defensive tackle Malik McDowell, who hasn't played a National Football League game since he was drafted by Seattle four years ago. He has been hampered by numerous off-the-field problems.

Odds on McDowell making it at the beginning of camp ranged anywhere from "are you kidding?" to "absolutely no chance." Two standout games in the last two weeks apparently sold Berry on wanting to see more. 

On offense, no big surprises outside of Hodge. But don't be surprised if Berry will on the lookout for a wideout to replace him. Breshad Perriman, who stood out for the Browns in 2018, was cut the other day by Detroit and is a possibility.

The 10-man offensive line room is fairly solid on the bench from a versatility standpoint. And head coach Kevin Stefanski is apparently satisfied with three tight ends unless, of course, one pops up on waivers he can't resist. 

And with the addition of rookie Demetric Felton, the running backs room might be the strongest and most dynamic this franchise has had since can't remember when.

Once everything clears from a roster standpoint, the 53-man roster for the season opener in Kansas City a week from Sunday very well will arguably be the strongest team to represent Cleveland in at least a generation.

Monday leftovers

Gonna get a little personal with the first item. Last May 1, I wrote the following piece summarizing the Browns selections in the National Football League college draft in downtown Cleveland.

"The final grade will be divided into two parts. The first two picks and the last six. They were so diametrically different.

"The first two selections without question were dynamite. I can't put enough plusses next to the A.

"Everything else is a disappointing fail. I wouldn't be surprised if one or two fail to make the final roster. Awarding a C- is being extremely generous.

"The finish wasn't nearly as strong as the start. Overall grade: C+."

Grading the draft is fun, but somewhat nonsensical because none of the players selected have played a game of professional football. Grading it accurately will not be known for at least a couple of seasons. 

But now that all but one of the eight young men chosen by General Manager Andrew Berry and his staff have displayed their talents on the pro level, even though they were meaningless exhibitions, I'm here now to correct (regrade?) the initial findings.

There is no question cornerback Greg Newsome II and linebacker/safety Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah were grand slams with the first two picks. Thus the A+++++++. It's that "disappointing fail" and subsequent C-that requires another look. Most notably the fifth and sixth rounds.

Two picks -- fifth-round safety Richard LeCounte III and sixth-round running back/wide receiver Demetric Felton -- have shown quickly they belong. Both have earned -- and are certain to get -- a lot of playing time this season.

Felton adds yet another dimension on offense. Makes no difference whether it's as a running back or receiver. He makes things happen. He reminds quite a bit of Duke Johnson Jr., who for four seasons was one of the few playmakers for the Browns in the lean years.

Both are 5-9, but Johnson, now a free agent, is about 20 pounds heavier. One thing is certain, though. Felton is not going to supplant Nick Chubb or Kareem Hunt at running back nor Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry at receiver. 

But creative playcalling by head coach Kevin Stefanski and offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt can take advantage of his unique qualities and skills and put him is certain sub packages that will get him as many as 15-20 snaps a game and make that sixth-round pick a steal.

LeCounte has taken advantage of injuries to Grant Delpit, Sheldrick Redwine and Ronnie Harrison Jr. to log 111 snaps in the three games, recording both of the club's interceptions. He overcomes his smallish size for a strong safety (5-11, 192 pounds) with a knack for being around the football. He owns the only two exhibition interceptions.

He also has shown a propensity for making solid tackles, a trait that was missing last season in the deep secondary. Even though Harrison is back, it looks as though LeCounte, who also has stood out on special teams, has earned a shot at being included in many of defensive coordinator Joe Woods' numerous packages.

As for the other four picks -- wide receiver Anthony Schwartz, offensive tackle James Hudson III, linebacker Tony Fields II and defensive tackle Tommy Togiai, the jury remains unconvinced. 

Schwartz made his debut in the Falcons victory Sunday night, catching one short pass and drawing a pass interference in 19 snaps. Hudson is raw. Makes no difference whether it's on the right or left side, although he looked better on the left. He appears to lumber rather than looking smooth. He's raw with lots of time to improve.

A foot injury has kept Fields under wraps throughout raining camp and the exhibitions. Grade him incomplete. And Togiai, whose forte at Ohio State was penetration, has found the NFL more challenging. 

So . . .  Because of Felton and LeCounte, change the grade for rounds 3-6 to a B- from a C-. And the overall grade becomes a straight B from a C+.

*     *     *

Could there be a second chance for Kyle Markway with the Browns? The tight end, who spent all of last season on the practice squad and was let go earlier this year, returned a few days ago after being released by the Los Angeles Rams. 

The club's tight ends corps has been reduced to just three with Stephen Carlson on injured reserve. It will be interesting to see if the club, which uses tight ends liberally in a Stefanski offense, chooses to stick with three or expand.

Markway and Jordan Franks stood out in the Falcons victory, combining for nine receptions on 14 targets and 99 of the club's 372 passing yards. Each displayed good hands and a willingness to block. Both are 6-4, but Markway outweighs Franks by about 25 pounds.

*     *     *

He probably won't make the final count, but if the Browns have trouble on the edge this season, keep an eye on Cameron Malveaux if he is placed on the practice squad. Cleveland is the third NFL stop for the 6-6, 265-pounder, who had half of the Browns' four sacks against Atlanta and hit the quarterback three times.

Last season, Malveaux came off the practice squad when COVID-19 struck down Myles Garrett and played well in weeks 11 and 12 in victories over Philadelphia and Jacksonville with four solo tackles and a forced fumble. 

*     *     *

If there is one area of some concern for Stefanski, red-zone ineptitude qualifies, at least in the exhibitions. The offense was four for 13 inside the opponents' 20-yard line. Granted Case Keenum and Kyle Lauletta were the quarterbacks for the most part, and the starting offensive line, Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt were on the bench,  as well as the top receivers.

Still, when you get inside the other team's 10-yard line, good teams usually find a way to get into the end zone. Yes, even in the meaningless exhibitions. Establishing ownership at that end of the field can't be important enough.

*     *     *

Finally . . . If Malik McDowell doesn't make the final cut, there should be an investigation. The huge defensive tackle has played 44 snaps in the last two exhibitions after sitting out the opener and almost singlehandedly choked off the running game. In that limited time, he has racked up seven tackles, a sack and a half and three quarterback hits.  . . . The Browns outscored opponents, 59-36, in exhibitions. Of the 36 points the defense allowed, 26 came in the final quarter. Only10 points allowed in the first three quarters of each game. Not sure what that means, but it sure sounds impressive. 

Not bad at all

Kevin Stefanski either got very lucky Sunday night or the Browns' starting teams on both sides of the football are even better than advertised. Definitely the latter.

Ignoring those who believed he was nuts to play most of his starters in the meaningless final game of the exhibition season in Atlanta, the head coach gave those units two series each and luck had nothing to do with their success in the 19-10 victory.

Baker Mayfield and his buddies on offense were in mid-season form with two impressive drives even though Nick Chubb, Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr. were spectators and Kareem Hunt played just one series.

The defense, with Myles Garrett, Jadeveon Clowney and Denzel Ward enjoying the festivities from the bench, was sharp on its two possessions against the Falcons' second-string offense before taking the rest of the evening off.

With the exception of a couple of pass attempts batted down at the line of scrimmage, Mayfield was sharp, playing very much like the club's offensive linchpin as the Browns qualified for the National Football League playoffs for the first time since 2002.

Working behind an offensive line missing only center JC Tretter, he was in firm control, spreading the ball around, completing six of 10 passes for 113 yards and a 22-yard touchdown connection with KhaDarel Hodge on a beautifully executed misdirection play on the second series.

The opening series ran out of steam at the Falcons 9 as Stefanski twice challenged his offense to score touchdowns deep in the red zone and failed both times on fourth down. If you are looking for any negatives in this one, that would be it, which gives you some idea of just how good this offense is.

Mayfield failed to hook up with Austin Hooper on the first series and Case Keenum in the second quarter  missed D'Ernest Johnson after driving 66 yards to the Atlanta 3. Regular season and two field goals, not gambles, is the correct move. In exhibitions, what does Stefanski have to lose? Rhetorical question.

Once the starters retired for the evening, the offense rang up an additional 285 yards to finish with 443 (372 passing with Mayfield, Keenum and Kyle Lauletta), ran 75 total plays and controlled the football for an absurd 35 minutes as the defense limited Atlanta to just 12 first downs (the Browns booked 26).

The offense burped a couple of times in the second half when Lauletta, who probably will wind up on the practice squad, threw a couple of bad interceptions on consecutive possessions. He got lucky on the first when tight end Jordan Franks chased down Atlanta linebacker Kobe Jones after a 40-yard return and caused a fumble, which was recovered by Cleveland guard Colby Gossett.

Three plays later, Dwayne Johnson Jr. picked him off again. He wasn't so lucky this time, the Falcons converting the turnover  into their only touchdown of the night seven plays later, trimming the margin to 13-10.

Atlanta head coach Arthur Smith, perhaps taking a cue from Stefanski, gambled near midfield on fourth down with less than six minutes left in regulation and suffered the same fate. Defensive end Cameron Malveaux, easily the best Cleveland defensive lineman of the game, registered bis second sack of the contest, dropping quarterback Josh Rosen for an eight-yard loss.

Lauletta redeemed himself eight plays and 41 yards later with a 10-yard strike to Damion Davis with two minutes left. Chase McLaughlin who barely missed a 56-yard field-goal attempt earlier, was wide right on the extra point. He'll hear about that. 

Bottom line here is Stefanski knew exactly what he was doing. Was he really putting Mayfield in harm's way? Not really. The quarterback's uniform was spotlessly clean when he exited. And he showed he can play a mean air guitar after the Hodge touchdown.

When the games take on a much more important meaning beginning Sept. 12 in Kansas City, Sunday night's performance by the starters on either side of the football -- minus a few key players on both sides -- sure looked like a portent of things to come. Good things, that is.

Crystal ball revisited

Time to revisit the time machine one last time with the Browns' final roster cuts right around the corner with a few questions answered with regard to the shape of the roster.

For the most part, the predictions about a month ago haven't changed that much with injuries being the main factor in finalizing the list.

This will not be the roster, however, when the club opens the regular season in Kansas City against the Chiefs on Sept. 12. Even after the 53-man list is initially submitted, it probably will be massaged liberally depending on players the other 31 teams are jettisoning.

For the most part, subsequent moves will involve mostly the bottom roughly 25% of the roster with the starting offense pretty much the same as last season and the heavily-revamped defense fielding as many as nine new starters.

Many of the positional categories are unchanged from the last prediction piece. The status of some players have been moved around. But by and large the core of the team has not changed. The thoughts remarks have been abbreviated for the purpose of updating.

As with the last iteration of this exercise, 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 -- No change here.

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 -- No changes here. Kelly has run well in the exhibitions, but is a victim of too much talent at the position.. 

Fullbacks (2) -- Andy Janovich, Johnny Stanton

Starter: Janovich. Practice squad: Stanton 

Thoughts -- No change here, although consideration was given to Stanton playing some H-back.

Wide receivers (11) -- Jarvis Landry, Odell Beckham Jr., Rashard Higgins, KhaDarel Hodge, Donovan Peoples-Jones, Anthony Schwartz, J'Marcus Bradley, Davion Davis, JoJo Natson, Ryan Switzer, Alexander Hollins

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

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

Thoughts -- Two changes here. Hate to see Hodge go, but adding Schwartz unfortunately triggers the move. Hope to get Hodge through waivers and added to the practice squad. I also I think the front office might swap out Higgins for Natson. Just a feeling. Natson is a one-trick pony. Davis is another victim of a lot of talent in the room.

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

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

Now: Starters: Hooper, Njoku. Off the bench: Bryant. Practice squad: Franks.  See ya: Latecomer Kyle Markway

Thoughts -- Njoku's strong camp brings Bryant off the bench. Carlson and Davis on IR for the season.

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

Starter: Tretter. Off the bench: Harris, Hance

Thoughts -- No change here.

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 -- No changes here.

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

Thoughts -- Taylor waived injured. Otherwise, no changes.

                    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 -- No changes here. McKnight already gone.

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

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

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

Thoughts -- Moving Day and, with fingers crossed, McDowell, who have been strong in the exhibitions, to the regular squad and dropping Elliott to the practice squad with Wilson.

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

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

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

Thoughts -- Phillips on IR; moving the wizened Smith from see-ya status all the way up to off the bench.

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

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

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

Thoughts -- Moving Green up from the practice squad and removing Jackson, who has been waived already with Kiondre.

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

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

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

Thoughts -- Moving LeCounte off the bench to starting status and eventually placing Delpit on IR until  he's completely healthy.                 

                SPECIALISTS

Placekicker (2) -- Cody Parkey, Chase McLaughlin

Then: Starter: McLaughlin. See ya: Parkey

Now: McLaughlin. Parkey waived injured.

Punter -- Jamie Gillan. 

Long snapper -- Charley Hughlett

Thoughts -- No other changes pending new developments in the kicking department.

Final tally: Offense, 25 players; defense, 25 players; specialists, 3

Was Stefanski kidding?

Maybe it was a wise crack by Kevin Stefanski at his post-practice gaggle with reporters as he announced Friday that Baker Mayfield and "select starters" would see their first action of the season Sunday night in the Browns' nationally-televised (NBC) exhibition finale in Atlanta. 

Then again, maybe it wasn't.

Asked if the surprising move meant the Cleveland offense would also include the entire starting line in the huddle to make certain Mayfield receives strong protection, the head coach cracked wise. "You guys have to tune in Sunday night (to find out)," the usually bland Stefanski said slyly. "NBC wants me to keep it a secret."

An opportunity for conspiracy theorists to jump all over that seemingly flippant remark. Did the Peacock network, sensing the Browns and Falcons would sit their starting quarterbacks in a meaningless game, suggest it would be a good idea for Mayfield and Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan to at least start?

Can't see NBC hyping Case Keenum of the Browns and Falcons rookie quarterback Feleipe Franks leading up the game and expect many viewers. Mayfield and Ryan haven't taken a snap in the first two exhibitions and no word yet out of Atlanta as to Ryan's status for the game

But if Mayfield and Ryan indeed do start, it would be within reason to assume Stefanski wasn't kidding about NBC. Gotta give Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth something to talk about rather than fumbling around to find something nice to say about players who probably won't make the final roster.

When asked to be more specific about his "select starters," Stefanski did not bite. "I"m not going to go through who's playing and who's not," he said and moved on.

But you can be certain that as long as he's in there, Mayfield will operate, barring injury, behind Jedrick Wills Jr,, Joel Bitonio, JC Tretter, Wyatt Teller and Jack Conklin along the offensive line with D"Ernest Johnson, John Kelly and Demetric Felton carrying the infantry load.

The guess here is Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry will watch from the bench with Donovan Peoples-Jones, Rashard Higgins, KhaDarel Hodge, JoJo Natson, J'Marcus Bradley and rookie Anthony Schwartz (until he aggravates his pulled hamstring) representing the wide receivers room. Tight ends getting work will be Harrison Bryant, Jordan Franks and maybe David Njoku for a series or two.

On defense, middle linebacker Anthony Walker, free safety John Johnson III, strong safety Ronnie Harrison Jr., cornerback Denzel Ward, defensive tackle Malik Jackson and edge rusher Takkarist McKinley probably will see the field for first time this season before the bench takes over.

While Stefanski did not come right out and call it a rehearsal game for the regular season, that is exactly what it is. He obviously didn't want to begin the season in Kansas City with an offense shaking off rust from relative inactivity outside of training camp.

A gamble? Sure, but you can also bet the playcalling for Mayfield will be as vanilla as possible with a significant number of high percentage passes in the package. He almost certainly will be instructed  to "don't' do anything stupid." Stefanski wants to exit this one with no regrets.

(Yep, blown to smithereens. The prediction, that is.) 

Midweek thoughts

Call it a hunch. A stab in the dark. A moment that woke me at 3 o'clock one morning. 

It's a question that will finally be answered by Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski Friday. I'm here to beat him to the punch.

Here we are with just one exhibition game left before the 2021 National Football League season begins in earnest and Stefanski has basically excused the starters on both sides of the football from entering the playing field.

Second-, third- and fourth stringers have won the first two games over Jacksonville and the New York Giants. With an opportunity to finish unbeaten in the meaningless exhibition season for the first time since 2017 -- the Browns were  4-0 that year, then went on to lose the next 16 games -- does Stefanski finally unleash his regulars and provide momentum for the regular season?

No, he does not. The explosiveness of the Cleveland offense, now in its second season under Stefanski and offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, allows the head coach to feel confident about what lies ahead, especially with the return of Odell Beckham Jr.

He doesn't need to see it first hand now in order to be convinced that keeping it under wraps is the wisest move until the money games arrive.

And although the defense will feature as many as eight or nine new faces, it is a considerably more talented unit than last season's crew, which imploded on a regular basis. If Stefanski wanted to see if it would become cohesive, he would have done so by now.

A 17-game season awaits. No need to expose your most valuable assets until you have to. Injuries, of course, are a big part of this collision sport. This training camp has had more than its share, mostly of the soft-tissue variety. 

That won't deter Stefanski. I think he runs out his backups -- he still has an 80-man roster with which to work -- one more time against the Falcons before making the gigantic trim to the final 53-man squad. Even then, there probably will be some roster juggling with regard to players not quite ready physically.

He's seen enough and will make it official Friday. You'll see Mayfield, Chubb, Hunt, the terrific wide receivers corps, the solid line on offense, and Garrett, Clowney, Jackson, Ward. Owusu-Koramoah, Hill, Johnson and Harrison on defense soon enough. You've waited this along. A little while longer shouldn't be a problem.

Now watch Stefanski go out Friday and blow that hunch, stab and 3 a.m. to smithereens.

*      *      *

Jadeveon Clowney has rather interesting thoughts about members of opposing offensive lines, in particular the two men who flank the center. The defensive end shared them with the media Thursday.

Clowney, whose ability to stop the run far exceeds his ability to rush and sack opposing quarterbacks, occasionally will move inside to tackle in certain sub packages. As an end, he tangles with opposing tackles. Inside, he encounters guards. He doesn't think highly of guards.

"We love that matchup," he said. "We feel they're the unathletic guys. That guard position, they're just physical and maulers, not real athletes down there. We try to get in there and create those matchups for certain guys and hopefully we get some wins."

Wonder what he thinks of Joel Bitonio and Wyatt Teller, the two guys he faces in practice when he lines up at tackle. I wouldn't call them unathletic, not after watching them pull and trap, pull and lead and rank up there with the best pass-protecting guards in the league.

Clowney is clearly painting a picture with a broad brush. Most of the strong running teams around the NFL have guards who are decidedly the antithesis of unathletic.

*      *      *

Quick thoughts . . . Don't know why, but I get the feeling wide receiver Rashard Higgins might be among the roster cuts next Tuesday. It's one of those hope-I'm-wrong moments based strictly on a feeling. He's too valuable to lose. . . . If he makes the final 53, Johnny Stanton IV can thank his versatility (fullback, tight end). It'll be close between Stanton and tight end Jordan Franks. . . .  Cutting Joe Jackson in favor of Porter Gustin at defensive end is also a mistake. . . . Even though Takkarist McKinley has missed a huge chunk of training camp time with what the club called a personal problem, he'll make the cut. It's unfortunate because it deprives someone more deserving of the move up. . . . Rooting for Malik McDowell (based on just one game)  to be one of the four defensive tackles. That's because he looked so good against the Giants, even though it was against their scrubs.

Monday leftovers

It is now certain that one of the most important roster decisions Andrew Berry will make in the next few weeks involves a parade of candidates.

The Browns general manager is now tasked with finding a placekicker after Cody Parkey yanked a quadricep muscle sometime Sunday in the exhibition victory over the New York Giants and was placed on injured reserve.

Chase McLaughlin, with whom Parkey was dueling in training camp, is still around, but you can bet he won't be lonesome for long. The young National Football League journeyman -- the Browns are his eighth team since 2019 --  will soon have company.

This is a position that has gained in importance incrementally since the club's offense has graduated to dangerous status. Great teams, as a rule, have great kickers, or at least kickers who can make a difference in close games. In other words . . . clutch.

McLaughlin, who booted a 49-yard field goal that would have been good from 60 in the Giants' victory, does not fit that profile. He has missed six of 28 attempted field goals in his career, five of them between 40 and 49 yards. Consistency is not his calling card.

The Browns need a stone-cold kicker with icy veins you know, not hope, you know can be counted on to deliver in the clutch. Automatic Phil Dawson was such a kicker for the Browns for all those barren seasons. Unfortunately, he didn't get much help from the offense.

The need for this team to secure the services of such a kicker cannot be understated. That's why it is incumbent on Berry and his staff to scour as never before to bring in kickers off the street, if need be, to make certain this element of the team is not left wanting. 

Surely there are many placekickers lurking out there in the vast landscape of free agency who can come in at virtually a moment's notice in an effort to further their NFL careers. Berry & Co. need to find them with the regular season less than three weeks away.

Who knows? Maybe McLaughlin eventually turns out to be the man. Now that Parkey has been removed from the picture, he nevertheless needs to be challenged even more. 

*      *      *

It has become more than obvious that Greedy Williams cannot stay healthy. The cornerback is an injury waiting to happen at any time. All of which means he is becoming worthless as he attempts to resume his career. Playing football doesn't seem to agree with his body.

The 2019 second-round draft choice did bank 12 games in his rookie season after missing the first four with hamstring issues. A nerve problem in his neck and shoulder area shelved him the entire 2020 season. 

He fought his way back to the point where the club hoped he could play this season, but hamstring problems reappeared for a short time in training camp. He got the green light in the Giants exhibition, but exited after just 10 snaps with a groin injury.

It reminded me of the catchphrase the late Gilda Radnor used to say on Saturday Night Live as the character Roseann Rosannadanna when things seemingly went wrong.. "It's always something," she would say. 

Yep, that's Williams. If it's not one thing, it's another. When the groin heals, and there is no guarantee it will heal quickly, what's next? A knee? An elbow? A concussion? As it stands now, rookie Greg Newsome II has won the cornerback job opposite Denzel Ward almost by default. 

It will be interesting to see how patient the Browns are with Williams' visits to the dressing room to check out the latest problem. In order to be productive, he needs to steer clear of the dressing room and contribute. Whether that happens is the big question.

*      *      *

It is virtually certain Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (JOK) will be in the starting lineup in the season opener at Kansas City. The rookie linebacker, who flashed brilliantly in the opening exhibition in Jacksonville, started the Giants game, but was pulled after14 snaps.

Now that Jacob Phillips is through for the season (torn biceps) and Mack Wilson and Sione Takitaki are nursing lesser injuries, JOK is almost a lock to start at weakside linebacker with occasional trips to the slot in certain packages to cover the slot receiver.

Elijah Lee picked up the slack with a team-leading nine tackles (only four solo), along with veteran Malcolm Smith and Willie Harvey Jr., each booking six tackles. Lee and cornerback Brian Allen combined on a key stop on a two-point attempt by the Giants.

*      *      *

Based on his performance against the Giants, keep an eye on defensive tackle Malik McDowell. Off-the-field baggage has kept him from playing in the NFL until now. He has never played in the league after Seattle drafted him in 2017.

The Browns signed him as a free agent earlier this year. He did not play in the opening exhibition, but made up for it with a five-tackle, one-sack, two-quarterback-hits performance against New York and was a general fecal disturber against the Giants' running game.

Would like to see more of the former Michigan State Spartan in the final exhibition in Atlanta on national television Sunday night. The Browns could use all the help they can get at the defense's weakest area.

*      *      *

Finally . . . The Browns have an embarrassment of riches at running back. John Kelly ran like Leroy Kelly against the Giants with 58 yards in nine carries and a tackle-busting 21-yard run with a flat pass, but he bucks long odds to make the final 53-man roster. D'Ernest Johnson most likely will be Nick Chubb's relief on occasion. . . . Fullback Johnny Stanton IV sent a message to the coaching staff while displaying his versatility. The former quarterback played a little tight end, strictly blocking, and caught two passes for 33 yards. "Looking for a fourth tight end?" he seemed to say. "Here I am." Versatility like that could land him on the final roster. . . . Donovan Peoples-Jones  caught the only pass directed his way early in the game, but emerged with a highlight grab. Case Keenum delivered the pass late, forcing the wide receiver to reach back nearly three or four yards to haul it in one-handed for a 13-yard pickup. . . . Keenum also delivered an absolute dime to KhaDarel Hodge for the club's first touchdown on the opening drive, a seven-yard strike deep in the end zone corner that only Hodge could catch.

Wherefore art thou, starters

Unless he already knows and isn't willing to share it just yet, it will be very interesting to see if Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski intends to play the entire exhibition season with his starting lineups as spectators.

After watching his roster's second-, third- and, on occasion, fourth-stringers rack up a 17-13 victory over the visiting New York Giants Sunday afternoon and remain unbeaten after the first two meaningless games, one wonders whether the exhibition finale down in Atlanta might see more of the same.

It would be most unusual if Stefanski uses the regular-season opener Sept. 12 in Kansas City to debut his very talented regulars, whose only work thus far has been in training camp in Berea. Even then, it has been against teammates.

There is an entirely different rhythm and pace to the regular season. Everything happens faster, quicker, more suddenly than in the preseason, especially this season with the absence of a fourth exhibition, which forced a fewNational Football League coaches to at least think about resting starters in all three games.

Common sense, however, would dictate giving Baker Mayfield and his merry men at least a few series against the Falcons just to get them mentally, emotionally and physically prepared to play against men wearing different uniforms. Same with Myles Garrett and his merry men on the opposite side of the ball.

To throw them into the 17-game cauldron called the regular season without exhibition work, especially against arguably the best team in the American Football Conference on the road, is a gamble, particularly on offense where timing is of the utmost importance.

Live action, even in exhibitions, is important just to experience the feel and pace of the game. You don't get that in training camp, where the  biggest goal is remaining healthy. At some point, the starters have to feel what it's like to face someone other than teammates.

Yes, it's important to note construction of roughly a third of the roster is determined in the exhibition season, fewer this year because the Browns are loaded with talent on both sides of the football with as many as 30 players slated to see the majority of the reps and another 10 or so good enough to step right in.

Most of the final choices to fill out the 53-man roster will be selected according to how valuable they are on special teams. Few regulars play on the various teams

The starters just can't sit out the entire preseason, then flip a switch, step in right there against a team like the Chiefs, who are aiming for their third straight Super Bowl appearance, and be competitive. This team doesn't team have the kind of talent to overcome something like that.

Also bear in mind this iteration of the franchise is notorious for losing regular-season openers, having won just one in the first 22 seasons since the NFL allowed them to return in 1999. Unless, that is,  you consider that tie with Pittsburgh a few years ago a moral victory.

Asked after the game whether the starters will play in Atlanta and, if so, how much, Stefanski demurred. "I will do that next week," he said.

Sunday's victory over the Giants produced an offensive performance that could be labeled spotty at best, in part because the backups struggled against a better defense than they faced in the easy victory last week in Jacksonville.

The defense, which produced zero sacks and zero quarterback hits in the first three quarters, actually made Giants backup quarterback journeyman Mike Glennon and rookie Brian Lewerke look decent. The defensive line finally found some pressure in the final quarter with a pair or sacks.

They reserved their best effort after the Giants scored their second touchdown midway through the final quarter and attempted a two-point conversion. After a pass inference penalty negated the first attempt, which failed, the Giants tried to take the lead with a running play from 18 inches.

After defensive tackle Malik McDowell forced running back Gary Brightwell to bounce the play outside, cornerback Brian Allen and linebacker Elijah Lee closed in and stuffed him well short of the goal line.

That unit also caused the Giants to punt on six of their nine possessions, including four in a row spanning the second and third quarters. There's something to be said for that even though the lack of a pass rush was notable against New York's backups. 

The teams traded first-quarter touchdowns on long drives, Case Keenum connecting with wide receiver KhaDarel Hodge on a seven-yard score, easily his best throw of the day to the tightly covered Hodge. He reserved his worst throw for the next possession.

Keenum, who piloted the first three series, needed 10 plays and 65 yards to get the Browns to third-and-six at the Giants' 10 early in the second quarter. He saw tight end Jordan Franks in the end zone on play 11. He somehow didn't see Giants cornerback Quincy Williams, who was standing directly in front of Franks, and threw the ball right to him.

"Did not like that interception down there in the red zone," Stefanski said. "We can't do that and he should not do that. He knows that."

Kyle Lauletta, who looked good against the Jaguars, took over at quarterback late in the first half and looked just so-so against the Giants, but took advantage of a short field to break the tie early in the third quarter.

A Jamie Gillan punt pinned the Giants deep in their territory. The subsequent punt after a three-and-out went out of bounds at the Cleveland 44. Four well-executed plays and 56 yards later, running back John Kelly scooted five yards for the score.

Lauletta opened the possession with two passes to fullback Johnny Stanton that ate up 33 yards. Kelly took care of the rest with gallops of 18 and the final five yards.

Kelly, who put up 58 yards on only nine carries, gathered in a short checkdown pass later in the game and broke four tackles en route to a 21-yard gain that led to a 49-yard Chase McLaughlin field goal. 

Now it's on to Atlanta and the guessing game with regard to the whether the starters play. 

Hurtin' hammies

Full disclosure . . . I am not a doctor. I don't play one on the Internet. And I am not about to start. But I am going to address a medical issue that has afflicted the Browns for the last month or so.

Most of us are aware of what hamstrings are in the human body. They are a group of muscles -- four to be exact -- located in the back of the thigh that cross at the hip and knee. Straining or tearing them can be sore at best, painful at worst.

To pull -- or strain -- them usually results in an athlete missing valuable time to ply his craft. (So do groin muscles, but that's another story.) Such is the case with the Browns, 10 of whom are currently nursing some degree of hamstring woes.

Most of them are tethered to the sideline and unavailable for duty in exhibition games. That includes numerous starters and valuable contributors to the cause off the bench. And there seems to be no indication how long they remain unavailable.

Balky hamstrings do not heal overnight. Grade one and grade two strains-- which are considered moderate -- could take anywhere from three to eight weeks to heal with therapy. Grade three? Forget it. That could mean losing as much as half a season, perhaps more. A tear brings next season into focus.

With two exhibitions left, including Sunday afternoon's get together with the New York Giants at home, there is a very good chance most -- if not all -- of those 10 Browns might not play until the season opener in Kansas City on Sept. 12.

It is entirely possible many of them will play at that point, but also risk reaggravating the existing problem. And the fact hamstring muscle injuries tend to linger and do not heal in a short period of time pose a threat to quality of performance. 

Because the quadricep muscles, located in the front part of the thigh, and hammies are so necessary in helping athletes play the game at a high level, it places greater emphasis on keeping them healthy. 

It therefore is incumbent, it would appear from a layman's perspective, for the Browns to be extra cautious and make certain soft-tissue injuries such as these do not threaten to wreck what many expect to be a great season.

That, I would think, means it is safer to give the affected muscle group as much limited activity as possible until it is determined by a team physician to issue the green light. 

Some players have already indicated that if the regular season were to begin now, they would be able to play. You'd think they know their body well enough to make that choice. It also could be a testosterone approach to playing the game.

The Browns' mantra is to be "smart, tough and accountable." The big question with the regular season a little more than two weeks away is whether it is "smart" to play hurt in the first game of the season? And does it make you "tough" to do so if it hinders your ability to be "accountable"?

Exhibition thoughts . . . 

You know it's going to be a good season for the Browns when the biggest conundrum is whether Demetric Felton, a sixth-round pick at the last college football draft, is a running back or a wide receiver.

Felton, who began his collegiate career at UCLA as a 5-9, 190-pound wide receiver, switched to running back with the Bruins and became an all-purpose performer his junior season before concentrating on the ground game as a senior.

His versatility obviously caught the attention of Browns General Manager Andrew Berry, but no one knew exactly how he would fit into head coach Kevin Stefanski's offensive scheme. Coming off an abbreviated senior season averaging 111 yards a game on the ground and eight total touchdowns suggested running back.

That changed in a hurry when Felton began making his presence known in training camp that he was still pretty good at catching the football. And 25 snaps at wide receiver, mostly in the slot, in the 23-13 victory in the exhibition opener Saturday night in Jacksonville cinched the verdict. Or did it?

Felton was targeted a team-high six times and caught four for 44 yards. But Stefanski, when pressed, indicated there was a chance the rookie, who displayed the playmaking capabilities of former Browns running back Duke Johnson Jr., would get some reps at running back before the regular season begins.

The Browns obviously have an embarrassment of riches in the running backs room with Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt with D'Ernest Johnson playing well enough to start with a few other teams. So where does Felton fit in?

Stefanski is just curious enough to run that possibility up his flagpole and find out. And then we will finally be able to answer the question: Running back or wide receiver? The guess here is both with a strong lean toward receiver. The versatility angle will more than justify his selection so late in the lottery.

*     *     *

Felton making the 53-man roster impacts the makeup of the wide receivers room. Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr. will start with Donovan Peoples-Jones all but locking up the No. 3 role with a terrific camp. Barring unforeseen circumstances, Baker Mayfield's soul mate Rashard Higgins will be No. 4.

That leaves room for only one more receiver with the understanding Felton's versatility enables him to fit just about anywhere in Stefanski's offense. Candidates for the last slot are KhaDarel Hodge and rookie speedster Anthony Schwartz.

Hodge was a reliable, but seldom-targeted performer last season, but he is also highly regarded as a special teams player. He  caught only 11 passes last season (17 targets), but every one gained a first down, a statistic that should not be ignored.

Schwartz, meanwhile, can't stay healthy. Hamstring problems have sidelined the world class sprinter. And hammies,, like groin pulls,  have a tendency to linger. A solution if the healing process carries into the regular season is designating Schwartz for the injured reserve/return list.

*     *     *

The game plan for the Jaguars victory was so plain, so simple, so vanilla, the Browns did not use motion for any of their 71 plays. No motion to deceive or confuse the defense. Everything was as basic as basic could be.

It will be interesting to see if Stefanski adds a wrinkle or two in the offense in Sunday's exhibition at home against the New York Giants. With only three exhibition games this year, he's got to unveil something other than the basics by the time the real games are played.

*     *     *

It might take all three exhibitions to determine who wins the placekicking competition. Incumbent Cody Parkey was perfect, sort of, on his two field-goal attempts. But his 48-yarder that gave the Browns a 16-0 lead early in the third quarter doinked off the left upright and sneaked over the crossbar. Chase McLaughlin converted both extra points and connected on a 37-yard field goal on the opening drive. 

That Parkey never attempted a 50-yard field last season lingers in my mind. This very good offensive football team needs a kicker with a strong and accurate leg. No longer should drives stall at, say, the opponent's 35-yard or farther out and Jamie Gillan and the punt team trot out. That's got to stop.

I'm surprised the smart Browns front office has scoured the vast National Football League landscape and the best they can come with are two journeymen in Parkey and McLaughlin.  

*     *     *

The news that Stephen Carlson is through for the season is a big blow. The Browns still have three good tight ends in Austin Hooper, David Njoku and Harrison Bryant, though, after Carlson was placed on injured reserve with a knee injury.

The Browns have an option to keep (backups) Jordan Franks or Connor Davis or choose to fill the roster at another position. The latter seems like the likely move because the club doesn't use a three tight end look often enough to keep a fourth.

*     *     *

What made Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah's performance Saturday night semi-remarkable was that once he entered the game midway through the second quarter, he was in every play thereafter. In addition to the 47 snaps he took on defense, he also booked 15 special teams plays.

Of the 47 plays on defense, he lined up in the box 35 times. That's the kind of versatility fans can look forward to this season. It could wind up with opposing offensive coordinators constantly playing a game entitled "Where's JOK?"

*     *     *

No need to worry about the red-zone woes that plagued the offense in the first half of the Jacksonville victory. The likelihood of that happening during the regular season would be rare, not with the likes of Chubb, Hunt and the solid receivers corps.

Off to a good start

This is all you need to know about the Browns' exhibition season opener Saturday night in Jacksonville. They . . . 

Committed only three penalties (two late in the game) . . . recorded four sacks . . . did not turn the football over . . . created one turnover (an interception) . . . punted only twice (once with mere minutes left in regulation) . . . allowed only one sack . . dropped only two passes . . . and owned the football for 33+ minutes.

It all added up to a ridiculously-easy and most impressive 23-13 victory by a team that, with a few exceptions, was comprised of second, third- and a few fourth-teamers trying to make the final 53-man roster. 

There was not one moment when the Browns were not in charge of this one as they rudely welcomed Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer to the National Football League, albeit in a meaningless game.  

And they just as rudely said hello to quarterback Trevor Lawrence, the Jags' choice with the league's No. 1 college draft pick, sacking him twice and limiting him to six completions on nine throws for just 71 yards in two series.

The backups on defense kept the Jaguars offense on their side of the field for the most part through the better part of three quarters before scoring all their points in the final quarter. By then, the Cleveland defense, with the game firmly under control, had softened their coverage in the secondary.

This outstanding performance is almost certain to make General Manager Andrew Berry's job of molding the final roster that much tougher. Just about everyone who suited up and were healthy enough to play (with the exception of the starters, who rested) contributed.

If there were any negatives, one would be the offense's failure to score touchdowns on three first-half trips into the red zone with Case Keenum, who played the first three series, directing the attack on the first two. Head coach Kevin Stefanski gambled on the third with Kyle Lauletta at the helm the second quarter and failed on fourth down.

The other would be the absence of a ground game, which picked up just 41 yards on 26 carries, the offensive line failing to create any holes for running backs D'Ernest Johnson, John Kelly and Corey Taylor II and fullback Johnny Stanton.

Suffice it to say, that will not be a problem in the regular season with one of the NFL's best offensive lines and a running game that frightens a majority of defensive coordinators around the league. 

Most of the Cleveland yardage was gleaned through the air with Keenum and Lauletta targeting 15 different receivers 44 times, completing 31 for 319 yards, including Lauletta scoring passes to Davion Davis in the second quarter and Ryan Switzer in the final quarter.

The seven-yard toss to Switzer climaxed a dreamlike -- and almost unbelievable -- 20-play drive that consumed 89 yards and took a remarkable 10:28 off the game clock. Along the way, Lauletta converted five third downs and a fourth down.

With the run game controlled by the Jaguars, whoever called the plays on offense -- presumably offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt --  was not shy about using his backs in the passing game. They were targeted 18 times with 14 completions for 152 of the 319 passing yards.

The defense, meanwhile, looked much quicker than last season's sad bunch with rookie Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (JOK) in the starring role. The Browns' second-round draft choice seemed to be everywhere the ball was. 

He was like a heat missile, collecting eight tackles (all but one solo), a sack, a quarterback hit and three tackles for loss. Once he got his hands on the opposition, the play ended. It was as though he was omnipresent.

Other stickouts on defense included linebacker Elijah Lee, who had six tackles (four solo) and was a general fecal disturber; rookie safety Richard LeCounte III, who had the lone interception and a sack; safety Javonte Moffatt with four tackles and cornerback Kiondre Thomas, who played enough to register five tackles despite being buried on the team's depth chart.

If Saturday night's performance by this defense is any indication, it is going to be fun this season to watch coordinator Joe Woods, once the regulars return, ultimately incorporate JOK's seemingly extraordinary powers of winding up in the vicinity of the football become a staple on that side of the ball. 

Resting the starters

It didn't take much to upset the normal routine National Football League coaches routinely employed during the exhibition season. All it took was subtracting one game and adding it to the regular season.

With the regular four-game exhibition format, the initial game saw starters play a series or two and then sit. Game two saw the starters pushed to maybe three or four series. Game three, the so-called dress rehearsal for the regular season, called for the starters to play at least a series or two into the third quarter.

Game four, they sat while the coaching staff and front office shaped the bottom of the roster based mostly on what they witnessed in that game.

All that rhythm to set the 53-man roster is now gone. Unless they have a roster that needs a lot of massaging, teams are sitting their starters in game one with an obvious nod toward determining how the bottom of the roster will look. Time is of the essence.

So when the Browns open the National Football League exhibition season Saturday night down in Jacksonville, a vast majority of those who will play a prominent role in the club's fortunes this season will be spectators.

Head coach Kevin Stefanski has already said most of the starters on both sides of the football will sit this one out. In other words, shaping the back end of the roster is being moved up to game one. And don't be surprised if the starters sit out just about all of game two with game three acting as the dress rehearsal.

All the rookies -- there are 13 on the official roster -- will see action if healthy, as will 10 first-year players who saw little or no action last season. Coaches need to see rookies and first-year players who didn't get much of chance to display their wares in 2020 when the exhibition season was cancelled due to the pandemic. 

The Cleveland offense lost no one in the offseason and figures to be every bit as explosive as it was last season. That means backup quarterback Case Keenum, who has looked good in training camp, will open against the Jaguars before giving way to Kyle Lauletta, who will probably wind up on the practice squad.

Fans will see backup running backs (D'Ernest Johnson, Demetric Felton, John Kelly and Corey Taylor), a new offensive line (tackles James Hudson III, Alex Taylor, Greg Senat and Chris Hubbard, guards Michael Dunn, Drew Forbes and Blake Hance and center Nick Harris), and a new set of receivers (J'Marcus Bradley, Ryan Switzer, Alexander Hollins, Davion Davis and JoJo Natson).

Same with the defense even though there will be as many as nine new starters when the season commences. Fans undoubtedly will zero in on rookies Greg Newsome II at cornerback and Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah at linebacker, as well as second-year corner Greedy Williams, who missed all of last season.

Porter Gustin, Cameron Malveaux, Curtis Weaver and Joe Jackson will try to to imitate Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney in the pass rush, while rookie Tommy Togiai and pro sophomore Jordan Elliott get help from Sheldon Day and Damion Square at tackle.

Stefanski and his staff will probably be mixing and matching all evening. Barring any misfortune along the way, he'll come away knowing the 2021 Browns will be much stronger -- and deeper -- than last season.

Quality depth exists in a number of phases of the game, particularly in the secondary and at linebacker on defense. On offense, the wide receivers room is as deep and talented as it has been in years. Ditto the running backs room. But the starting offensive line better bank all 17 games.

One thing is certain: It's good to have the NFL back on the sports docket even though the next three weeks are relatively meaningless.

Rewarding Mayfield

The hot topic surrounding the immediate future of the Browns has centered lately on when owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam will give a nod of approval to making Baker Mayfield an extremely filthy-rich quarterback.

They have already approved exercising Mayfield's fifth-year option. All that remains is negotiating the length of an extension and the money involved. They seem to be slow-playing the situation, though, centering on other members on the roster first.

Unless negotiations are being held in secret, this one figures to play out for a while, perhaps lingering  well after the regular season commences on Sept. 12.

Mayfield is playing his part nicely in this little scenario, declaring he is "not doing the negotiating, so quite frankly, I don't give a damn," he Rhett Butlered. Didn't know he was a Gone With the Wind fan. "I'm worried about winning. The rest will take care of itself."

He uttered those words the other day after the Buffalo Bills announced Josh Allen, their quarterback, was rewarded with six-year contract extension worth $258 million, of which $150 million is guaranteed. That's almost $10 million more guaranteed money Kansas City's Patrick Mahomes received in his 10-year, $450 (some say $503) million deal. 

The "rest" Mayfield spoke of was clearly a signal to the Haslams that opening the vault would be a wise move, whether now or in the future. If Allen, who was taken six picks after the Browns snagged Mayfield with the overall No. 1 pick in 2018, is so richly rewarded, no reason to think Mayfield will get short shrift.

Insane? Of course. The dough being thrown around is crazy.

Wouldn't be surprised if the Haslams sent Bills owners Terry and Kim Pegula a thank-you note, dripping with sarcasm, for putting a huge dent in their budget for the next half decade. The Pegulas have set the standard and probably angered numerous owners in doing so.

Allen is a nice quarterback with a strong arm and some success in the National Football League. The Pegulas are clearly gambling he can do in Buffalo what Jim Kelley did more than a generation ago when he led the Bills to four straight Super Bowls (and lost them all).

But he is no Mahomes, who has led the Chefs to the playoffs three straight seasons with a Super Bowl victory and loss on his resumé. One can understand why the Hunt family dipped into their vast resources with him. 

Allen's signing and the pending signing of Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, who has turned  that franchise into one of the most dangerous in the NFL, has turned this into a race to see who is No, 2 after Mahomes.

Is Allen better than Mayfield? Jackson? Answer Left deliberately unanswered. That remains to be seen. All three are different. Allen is the gunslinger. Jackson is a running back playing quarterback. And Mayfield might be the best game manager of the trio. One is not that much better or worse than the other.

The ultimate winner, Mahomes notwithstanding, should be Mayfield if the Haslams play their cards right. All they need to do is wait until Jackson signs and then ink Mayfield for something like $100,000-$250,000 more than Allen or Jackson to make him No. 2 in this testosterone contest. 

It's hard to imagine someone eclipsing Mahomes' mega-deal because none of the candidates here are better than him or even as good as him. In fact, they are not worth the money with which they are being lavished. Unfortunately, that's life in the NFL these days. 

The Haslams have annually not come even close to exceeding salary caps because their rosters were never good enough to warrant paying excessively. For years, they almost always led the NFL in salary-cap space. Not anymore.

Now that the Browns have become good -- no, make that great -- and forced their owners to face a multitude of thorny contract negotiations with quality talent, the Haslams appear to be on the verge of moving into the NFL's elite neighborhood after all those years of misery.

They have come too far to mess this up. They will pay their franchise quarterback handsomely.

TC thoughts

In no particular order . . . 

I love training camp. All thoughts are positive. Nothing wrong with that. That's not why I love it. I view it differently.

Fans and some members of the media become delusional as they watch (or cover) what amounts to an intramural exercise as the 2021 National Football League season approaches. 

Jadeveon Clowney for example, is reportedly happy. The defensive end is also relatively healthy. Perhaps that's why he's happy. Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski labeled him "a fun teammate."

He is also beating up offensive right tackle Jack Conklin, an All-Pro with nothing to prove, during drills. Bulletin: It's early folks. It 's being treated as a precursor to what we'll see during the regular season. Uh. no.

Before camp is over, Conklin will be winning a majority of their skirmishes as he gets ready to battle defensive ends far superior to Clowney. A wee bit too early to get excited. 

If he stays healthy for the 17-game grind, though, the dynamic changes. Then factor in he has missed 11 games and recorded just three sacks last two seasons due  to injuries and you begin to wonder whether 17 games is being too optimistic. . . . 

On the other hand, Donovan Peoples-Jones has become the offensive rage so far. The big wide receiver has caught just about everything thrown his way. A quick peak at what he did in his rookie season indicates that's no surprise. 

The sixth-round draft choice bloomed unexpectedly after Odell Beckham Jr. went down for the season in game seven last season. Baker Mayfield targeted him only 20 times, but connected on 14 for 304 yards, two touchdowns and a 21.7-yard average. 

And get this. Ten of his receptions went for first downs. He dropped only one pass. It sure looks as though he has a tight grip on the No. 3 receiver role.  Two more things: He's a pretty good blocker and he's also working fulltime with return teams. . . . 

Speaking of wide receivers, rookie Anthony Schwartz has yet to display his wares. Considering he has hamstring problems, it's difficult to determine just when he'll be able to participate in drills. Hamstrings often take a long time to heal. And you don't want to come back too early.

Schwartz, arguably the fastest player in the NFL, is also a world-class track star. Balky hammies have bedeviled him since his high school days in Florida. It's going to be hard to determine just when he'll be able to practice. There is no guarantee he won't reinjure himself when he returns. . . . 

So when evaluating players based on their performances in training camp, bear in mind they are playing against each other. It's nice to get excited about a great pay or disappointed in a dumb-as-dirt play. Never expect too much based on training camp or exhibition games..

That will become much more apparent when the curtain on the 2021 regular season lifts in Kansas City on Sept. 12. That's when the speed and quickness of the game ramp up exponentially. It will be an entirely different game.

A good sign

Training camp is the scariest part of the season for professional football teams. The glow that emerges with all 32 teams on day one of camp can be extinguished just like that.

All it takes is one major injury to a key player and poof, Plan B suddenly comes into focus. Monday in Berea arose such a situation that has what appears to be on the surface, a good ending, eliciting a huge sign of relief among the denizens of Browns Nation.

Middle linebacker Anthony Walker walked -- reportedly limped -- off the field after sustaining a knee injury. Day three of camp and here we go again. Hasn't this franchise had enough devilishly bad news early in camp over the last two decades? 

The club declined to talk about it other than to say Walker, who is counted on to be one of the major pieces -- the defensive signal-caller -- of a total revamp on that side of the football, will undergo an MRI to determine the extent of the injury. 

My most immediate thought, of course, given the history of such an occurrence with this club, Walker is gone for the season. That's my pessimistic gene out of control. And why not? Wouldn't be the first time it was correct.

So when word filtered down Tuesday that the MRI revealed no damage and that Walker would miss anywhere from one to two weeks, my initial reaction was that the good fortune this team experienced last season was a precursor to more of the same this season.

It is a sign that it's going to be different in 2021. The bad news that annually clobbered this franchise early in the season since its rebirth in 1999 has seemingly taken a turn for the better. How refreshing.

After resting the dinged knee, Walker is expected to be as good as new, or as good as any player should feel after playing a game where collisions are not only inevitable, but the norm. He is expected to be ready for the regular-season opener on Sept. 12 in Kansas City.

The argument can be made that the middle linebacker, especially someone as savvy as Walker, is the most important player on that unit. He is the connector between the plug uglies in front him and the secondary behind him. Losing him for the season would have been a significant blow. 

Look for defensive coordinator Joe Woods to lean heavily on his young veteran to make certain the execution of the defense runs smoothly and correctly. No blown assignments, which last season occurred way too often, forcing the offense to simply outscore the opposition.

That won't be the case this season. And Walker will be one of the major reasons why.