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.