Mid-week thoughts

It's hard -- no, make that stunning -- to think the Cleveland Browns, many years ago one of the grand franchises of the National Football League, have not won their first two games of any season since 1993.

You read that right. It has been 27 seasons -- not counting the forced three-year absence by the NFL from 1996-98 -- since this once-proud franchise has been unbeaten after the first two games of the season, adding to its embarrassing recent history.

Of course, you have to win the first game of the season in order to accomplish this apparently difficult task. That, too, has been a huge problem, especially since this iteration of the Browns has done that only thrice since its rebirth in 1999. The first two were followed by a loss, including last season.

An interesting scenario accompanies the latest opportunity to bury another jinx. After a dominating display of power defensive football over the Cincinnati Bengals last Sunday, the Pittsburgh Steelers await them for game two Monday night at home.

Yep, the very same Pittsburgh Steelers who have bedeviled the Browns for the better part of the last 50 years. Couldn't have been any of the other 30 teams against whom the Browns have enjoyed at least a modest amount of success. Had to be the Steelers. How dramatic.

From an entertainment standpoint, it's the perfect matchup between storied and bitter AFC North rivals. And in front of a national television audience no less. Numerous terrific story lines for ESPN to dwell on about two teams that do not like each other.

Playing in Pittsburgh has been nightmarish at best, hideously embarrassing at worst for the Browns. Since 1999, they are 3-23 in the Steel City. The Steelers always seem to find a way to win whenever the Browns come to town to the point where Cleveland fans are shocked by a victory.

The Browns no doubt are feeling pretty good about themselves right now after Sunday's impressive victory. The Steelers, meanwhile, are coming off a 30-7 pounding at home against San Francisco Sunday. Now what are the odds the Steelers are going to lose two in a row at home?

Exactly. 

That Bengals victory had better be in the Browns' rear-view mirror. The Steelers have a psychological edge because, well, because they don't think the Browns can beat them at home no matter what happened last Sunday. No way Cleveland can come in and dominate for a second straight week.

That mind-set oftentimes can make a difference in the outcome of a game. The Steelers will be without defensive lineman Cameron Heyward, who has tortured Cleveland offenses seemingly forever. Makes no difference, they believe. They somehow will find a way to win.

This rivalry is so lopsided it honestly cannot be called a rivalry anymore. Until the Browns find a way to change that, nothing will change. They're an embarrassing 7-17-1 at home against them since '99.

Monday night will be a perfect litmus test for the Browns to determine just how seriously they should be taken this season. Knocking off the Bengals as easily as they did got plenty of attention around the NFL. But the Steelers at home? That's a different story. One can only imagine what a Cleveland victory Monday night would do.

That 1993 Browns, by the way, won their first three games -- Cincinnati and San Francisco at home and in Los Angeles against the Raiders -- under head coach Bill Belichick. Came back from 13-0 and 16-3 deficits to win, 19-16, in that one, scoring all their points in the fourth quarter

It was a season that ultimately produced the story of the year not only on the Cleveland sports landscape, but the entire NFL universe. That's right, it'll be 30 years since that Nov. 8 day the Browns waived Bernie Kosar for what was termed "diminishing skills."

Initially, Kosar was benched for Vinny Testaverde, but returned to the lineup when when Testaverde went down with an injury. In a 29-14 home loss to the Denver Broncos the week after the second bye of the season, Kosar threw for two scores, but was sacked six times. The next day, he was gone, replaced by Todd Philcox until Testaverde returned.

The Browns finished 7-9 that season.

Monday leftovers

The next-man-up mantra in football arrived early for Dawand Jones Sunday as the rookie offensive tackle  watched the Browns' offense struggle against the Cincinnati Bengals in the season opener.

On the club's fourth series early in the second quarter, Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson inadvertently rolled into offensive tackle Jack Conklin's left knee and tore his ACL and MCL, ending his season.

Without question a huge loss. Conklin is the club's second-best offensive lineman. Twenty-two snaps into the 2023 season and the oft-injured veteran was through. Head coach Kevin Stefanski without hesitation tapped Jones over third-year tackle James Hudson III to replace him.

Why not Hudson? Because he was strictly a defensive linemen until he switched to the other side of the football in his final year at the University of Cincinnati. He is still learning the position.

Jones was not only the right choice, he was the only choice. He has played offensive right tackle since he was in high school. And at 6-8 and 375 pounds, he is the perfect fit (roadblock?) to anchor the strong side of the formation.

Dominating for a couple of seasons with the exceptionally talented Ohio State offensive line prepared Jones for the National Football League wars. He booked 52 snaps against the Bengals and looked like he belonged.

He was perfect in pass protection, utilizing a strong anchoring drop step that enabled him to properly engage whoever was assigned to get up close and personal with Deshaun Watson. No one got even close to the quarterback's area code.

The former high school basketball player's nimble feet allow him, in spite of his extraordinary size, to change directions easily and keep himself squared up. It's something that can't be taught. His athleticism comes naturally.

Where he might encounter trouble initially is in the ground game, where he will be asked to pull and lead sweeps to his side or advance beyond the line of scrimmage and pick off a linebacker or defensive back at the second level.

His first big test is Monday night on national television in Pittsburgh against the Steelers, who are nursing a 30-9 bruising by San Francisco in their home opener Sunday. Conklin and position coach Bill Callahan can give Jones a lot of advice in dealing with superstar linebacker T. J. Watt.

The former NFL defensive player of the year got off to a spectacular start against the 49ers with five solo tackles, five quarterback hits on Brock Purdy, all three of the Steelers' sacks and a fumble recovery as his team was blown away. He has recorded 80.5 sacks in six seasons and one game despite missing seven games last season with a torn pectoral muscle.

The guess here is Jones will receive plenty of help with the five-time Pro Bowler from either a blocking tight end and occasional assistance from a running back other than Nick Chubb. 

***

While the defense was sending a message to the rest of the NFL with their amazing performance against the Bengals, the final outcome revealed there's still a lot of work to be done with the other side of the football.

Maybe rain was the causal factor, but that's an easy excuse. This offense was on and off all day. Short periods where it looked as though it was ready to explode, it fizzled due to a mistake. First it was losing a double fumble, first by Watson and then running back Jerome Ford. Then it was an interception of a tipped pass by Watson.

They basically stopped themselves. They marched up and down the field in the first half spinning their  wheels, cashing in only on the first of Dustin Hopkins three field goals before stringing together a nine-play, 67-yard drive in the final minute to reach the end zone,

The struggle continued in the second half and only a generous gift from Bengals head coach Zac Taylor,  fed up with his offense, decided to gamble on fourth down deep in Cincy territory and lost. Three plays and 18 yards later, the Cleveland offense wrapped up the game.

The big problem is the passing game, where timing is vitally important toward achieving success. Watson's timing with his receivers was spotty at best. He twice missed Marquise Goodwin deep as the speedy wide receiver broke into the clear.

Granted it's only one game and it won't rain every Sunday. It becomes a big concern if that timing and rhythm do not mesh by the time the bye week rolls around. Right now, it appears as though all the fireworks Watson promised from this revamped offense are nothing more than firecrackers with moist wicks. 

***

Enough cannot be said about the terrific showing of the Browns' secondary, playing almost joyously in Jim Schwartz's aggressive approach. Rarely was the passive zone defense fans have been saddled with the last three season deployed.

No, it was mostly man and occasional press coverage against a pretty good set of Bengals receivers that neutralized them. A combination of a strong effort from the defensive line, causing Cincy quarterback Joe Burrow to throw early and disrupt the timing, and some aggressive coverage made it look easy.

The top four tacklers were Grant Delpit, Greg Newsome II, Denzel Ward and Ray McLeod, who accounted for 21 tackles of which 13 were solo. McLeod, Delpit and Newsome played all 55 snaps. Martin Emerson Jr., the fifth member of that productive unit, had only one solo tackle, but hounded Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins all afternoon and shut him out.

***

The Browns' defense did not produce a takeaway, but was outstanding after each turnover by the offense. They forced a punt after the double fumble by Watson and Ford, and limited the Cincinnati offense to just a long field goal after the Watson pick near midfield.

Sometimes, it's the little things like that that quietly play a major role in victories. You don't often see teams with two giveaways and no takeaways winning games. In this case, solid transition defense saved the offense's butt.

***

Ya gotta love how much fun the defensive line is having. On a few occasions Sunday, Myles Garrett stood ramrod straight a yard or so behind the line in the middle of the formation before the snap, looking more like a middle linebacker to further confuse the Bengals' blocking. Another time or two, Garrett and fellow defensive end Za'Darius Smith lined up side by side. That's double trouble. 

Confusion seems to be the key so far. Make it difficult for opposing offensive lines to figure out what the Browns are doing and who to block. And then there are the numerous blitz packages Schwartz likes to employ, throwing in a linebacker here, a safety there. It really is fun to watch as opposing offensive linemen frantically gesticulate in an effort to make certain everyone knows his assignment.

***

Finally . . . The Browns hit Burrow 10 times. Garrett and Smith had four each. . . . Watson targeted nine different receivers against the Bengals. Elijah Moore and Amari Cooper each had seven. . . . Sure looks as though Chubb is going to be a big part of the passing game. He caught all four passes for 21 yards mostly on swing passes and checkdowns. . . . Those of you who suggested Corey Bojorquez was the reason Cade York had so much trouble kicking, the punter was the holder for all three of Dustin Hopkins' field goals Sunday -- all right down the middle.

Most impressive

Did you see that coming? Neither did I. And neither did the Cincinnati Bengals, who were thoroughly manhandled, dismantled and dominated by the Browns Sunday in the season opener by the lakefront, a 24-3 walloping that was a whole lot worse than the final score indicates.

This was overwhelmingly a 60-minute clinic conducted on domination by a superbly-prepared team in all three phases of the game, most notably by a smothering defense that played hair-on-fire football all afternoon. The Cincinnati offense looked like a punch-drunk fighter who had no idea where he was.

There was no way the Browns were going to come even close to losing this one. Those "wait, they'll find a way to screw things up and lose" moments never arrived. Never came close. It was a classic example of  imposing their will on the Bengals.

It was as near a perfect afternoon of football by the Browns as you can imagine. Just about everything worked. There were no threatening moments that in the past have brought misery to this fan base. Everyone did his job.

So how dominating was the Cleveland defense? Limiting one of the National Football League's best offenses to just three points is a feat in and of itself. And the numbers get even more startlingly impressive.

The Bengals owned the football on 13 occasions, 10 of which ended in a Brad Robbins punt. Dwell in that for a moment. Seven possessions were of the three-and-out variety. Dwell on. Drives were over seemingly before they got started. Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow looked dazed and clueless.

Jim Schwartz's defense was ubiquitous. They arrived in the close proximity of the football with stunning quickness. The tackling was solid. The pass rush was fierce and in the face of Burrow, who was often forced to deliver the ball before he wanted.

He booked a career-low 82 yards on a 14-for-32 misty-rain afternoon as his record against Cleveland fell to 1-5. Ja'Marr Chase, Tyler Boyd and Tee Higgins, the outstanding trio of Bengals wide receivers, were shut down all day by a relentless Cleveland secondary. They were targeted 20 times with only seven connections totaling 49 yards. Higgins amazingly was blanked on his eight targets.

The Bengals had only six first downs (still dwelling?), gained 142 yards from scrimmage  -- this an offense capable of gaining that kind of yardage in a quarter -- and had the football for just 24 minutes. Thorough might be understating it. How about 2-for-15 on third down?

The Browns also won the field-position battle, punter Corey Bojorquez's booming first-half punts pinning the Bengals offense dangerously close to their goal line. The closest they got to the Browns' goal line was the 24-yard line on their first possession of the second half. It set up the only Bengals points of the afternoon, a 42-yard Evan McPherson field goal.

The Cleveland offense, meanwhile, threatened on a couple of occasions in the first half before finally putting points on the board early in the second quarter on the first of three Dustin Hopkins field goals, this one a 42-yarder right down the middle. Subsequent attempts from 34 and 43 were equally true.

Deshaun Watson showed very little of the fireworks he predicted, completing just half of his 20 throws for 85 yards in the first half, winding up 16-of-29 for 154 yards. But he made up for it with a brilliantly-conceived -- and executed -- 13-yard scoring run in the final seconds of the first half.

With trips right on second and 10, running back Jerome Ford joined them to form a diamond-shaped formation. Watson took the shotgun snap and immediately headed in the opposite direction, picked up blocks from Wyatt Teller and Amari Cooper and dove into the end zone.

They also had the luxury of spending a lot of time in Bengals territory, running 36 of their 72 snaps on that side of the 50. The 10-0 halftime margin was never in jeopardy, as it turned out, because Schwartz's army turned it on even more in the final 30 minutes. 

The frustration Bengals head coach Zac Taylor must have been experiencing evidently pushed him to commit a serious blunder by going for it on fourth and four at his 31-yard line with about 11 minutes left in the final quarter and trailing by just 16-3. The Browns apparently took it personally.

Myles Garrett, who played every position on the defensive line at one time or another, dropped Burrow for a 13-yard loss, gift-wrapping the final touchdown of the afternoon. After Nick Chubb, who pounded out 106 yards on 18 carries, gouged out 15 of those yards, Watson's short connection with tight end Harrison Bryant from the three put the game out of reach. Watson successfully sneaked the two-point try.

After a performance like this, it's time to play it's-only-one-game time. Does this type of performance engender thoughts of being comfortable enough to expect this kind of football for the next 16 games? Really?

Naysayers will argue this was an aberration. Won't happen again. Enjoy it while you can. Considering the history of this team over the last 25 years, that's a good argument.

Yes, it was only one game. But what a game it was as the Browns thumbed their collective noses at what had become an opening-game disaster since 1999. They genuinely and refreshingly looked like a very good football team for 60 minutes.

But an aberration? I'm not quite ready to go that far yet. It's going to take similar performances a week from Monday night in Pittsburgh and the next two home games against Tennessee and Baltimore to convince me to believe what I saw against the Bengals was anything but.

Opening-day hex?

As a general rule, the opening weekend of any National Football League regular season is clearly one of the league's numerous highlights. The weekend brims with excitement and anticipation.

The planet's most popular sport is back. Everyone is unbeaten and, for the most part, healthy. It's one of the sports calendar's biggest and most celebrated events of the year. 

Unless you're a fan of the Cleveland Browns.

Since 1999, when the franchise rejoined the NFL wars after an undeserved three-year absence, season-opening victories have been virtually absent, acting as a precursor to what has been a generation of abjectly awful football. 

Sunday's season opener at home against the Cincinnati Bengals marks the 25th anniversary since the return. The Browns are 2-21-1 in that time. Makes no difference where they open. They are 1-15-1 at home and 1-6 on the road. 

They were winless in the latter category until last season when a rookie placekicker drilled a miraculous game-winning 58-yard field goal in the final seconds down in Carolina. That one broke an 18-game  winless streak in opening games. Hmmm. What ever happened to that guy?

Home advantage? What's that? There is no such thing. Along the lakefront, it's almost non-existent. And now it's the Bengals' turn to extend the Browns' current winless streak at home in these games to 12 games. 

Okay, enough about these numbers. About Sunday's game.

From what we're all hearing out of training camp the past several weeks, it's going to be a whole lot different look with the Browns this season. What we saw in those four exhibition games from both sides of the football was vanilla compared to what awaits we've been told.

Entertaining, fan-pleasing high-tech, high-energy offense with footballs filling the air. Speed, quickness, play-making ability galore. And that's just the offense.  

Defensively, the unit you see this season will in no way resemble the passive unit that last season pretty much cost the Browns a revisit to the postseason. From what we know about him, aggression is more than just another word in the dictionary to Jim Schwartz. It personifies the new coordinator's approach to the game.

General Manager Andrew Berry provided Schwartz with what amounts to a brand-new defensive line to  help Myles Garrett with Za'Darius Smith, Ogbo Okoronkwo, Dalvin Tomlinson and Shelby Harris, and  veteran help in the deep secondary with Juan Thornhill and Ray McLeod. You can expect fewer blown coverages this season from that unit. 

Back to the offense. 

Deshaun Watson, who has the huddle for the entire season, has boasted, almost to the point of bragging, that "fireworks" are in the forecast. I'm kind of anxious to see how stodgy conservative playcaller Kevin Stefanski makes his offense of the last two seasons look ordinary.

"It's been great," Watson said recently of the new look. "It's been fun. It's been very exciting. And I think (Stefanski) is excited about getting into this week. I am, too." Somehow, I can't envision the even-keeled, unflappable head coach getting excited. Maybe a slight smile.

Watson realizes he has a lot to prove after a disappointing six-game stretch last season after serving a league-imposed 11-game suspension. "I want to go out there and prove it," he said, "not just for people in general, but for myself because that's the type of competitor I am."

No more excuses for subpar performances by Watson in the passing game, not with a talent-laden receivers like  Amari Cooper, Donovan Peoples-Jones, Elijah Moore, Marquise Goodwin and tight end David Njoku in his arsenal.

Now does that mean less Nick Chubb? Can't imagine limiting touches to one of the game's top running backs. If anything, we might see Chubb more active in the short passing game with Stefanski's desire to spread the ball around.

The Bengals, meanwhile, have joined the league's elite in the last few years under Joe Burrow. That doesn't impress the Browns, who have won eight of the last 10 meetings. Burrow lost his first four starts against Cleveland before winning last December in Cincinnati.

He's coming off a calf strain that caused him to miss training camp, but he has been green-flagged for this one and his entire troika of wide receivers is healthy. The biggest change -- and I do mean biggest -- on that side of the ball is 6-8, 345-pound Orlando Brown Jr. at left tackle. Garrett will be his responsibility. FYI, the Browns have sacked Burrow 18 times in the five games.

As for the Bengals' defense the last few seasons, color them solid, not spectacular. Rarely make mistakes. But they might be a little vulnerable at safety after losing both starting safeties in the offseason.

Bottom line time: As a long-time follower and fan of the Browns, all this talk out of training camp about being entirely different from last season intrigues me. The talent level and versatility up and down the roster is convincing.

But then I remember it's opening day. Only one home victory -- a 20-3 victory over the Baltimore Ravens on opening day all the way back on Sept. 12, 2004 under quarterback Jeff Garcia in a season that ended with a 4-12 record -- to show for the last 24 years. 

Yes, this is a hell of a team now. Although many signs point toward winning Sunday, I just cannot dismiss the opening-game dark cloud this franchise lives under. I need to be convinced. Cade York is now on the Tennessee Titans' practice squad. He won't make a difference anyway. Make it:

Bengals 31, Browns 17

Where goest thou, Browns?

The 2023 Cleveland Browns are the most mystifying team in the National Football League. That is not a rhetorical statement. It is pure fact.

No one, not Kevin Stefanski, not Andrew Berry, not Dee and Jimmy Haslam III have any idea what will unfold in the next 18 weeks. They can hope, but that's about it.

What we know for certain is this edition of the Browns hasn't been this strong since the perennial playoff-seeking Browns of the mid- and late-1980s. It is a roster dripping with talent. And yet there are nagging suspicions that linger deep enough where doubts play games with your mind.

On the one hand, it is marvelously accomplished enough to ostensibly (gonna use that word a lot here) write the feel-good comeback story of the season. It is also a franchise that has miserably underachieved during the last generation and could ostensibly do it again.

It is quite capable of winning just a handful of games, say seven like last season, or winning as many as 10 or 11. The positives clearly lean toward the latter. But previous history begs to differ. Positive outcomes and Cleveland Browns in the same sentence or thought is an oxymoron.

Breaking it down . . . 

***

Offense: Quite capable of scoring from anywhere on the field. Strong line working in front of a dynamic backfield featuring arguably the best running back in the NFL in Nick Chubb, a beefed-up and vastly improved receivers corps and a couple of reliable pass-catching tight ends.

All led by the biggest puzzle of all, a Jekyll/Hyde quarterback whose performance, fairly or unfairly, will determine the fate of this woebegone franchise. One man, one goal, one starved fan base yearning for any kind of joy beyond the regular season.

Deshaun Watson early in his career was a brilliant quarterback for the Houston Texans until he wound up in a massive amount of trouble off the field. That's how he wound up with the Browns last year after being bribed by the Haslams that Cleveland was where he should be.

Watson's suspension-filled first season was a disaster. Couldn't have gone any worse. Looked nothing like his days in Houston. That was his Mr. Hyde persona.  But that was then. And by virtue of his descent to mediocrity, no one knows what to expect now. It's strictly a guess.

Watson bragged recently that the 2023 offense will look nothing like last season's stodgy edition. "It's going to be great," he declared. "I think Kevin (Stefanski) is on the edge of wanting to call some things. There are a lot of things that are going to look very different."

And then he teased with this. "Once Sept. 10 (the season opener at home against the Cincinnati Bengals) comes around, it is going to be fireworks," he said. "That's the plan. Don't hold anything back. Let it all loose. We want to go out there and have fun doing it."

Media reports out of Berea indicate everything is running smoothly on this side of the ball. Everyone looks good. Ready to begin the march ostensibly toward late-January football. 

I don't believe a word of it. I believe my eyes when the real games are played. Not what someone else observes in practice. That's the way I think. Can't help myself. I'm a half-empty sort. What my eyes see in person reveals a lot more.

If it's Watson's Dr. Jekyll persona and turns out that way, so much the better. Everyone prospers.

***

Defense: Capable of shutting down opposing teams with a new coordinator and a renewed and very refreshing aggressive approach. Last season, the passive pass.defense was primarily responsible for the 7-10 finish, blowing three very winnable games that greased the departure of coordinator Joe Woods.

New coordinator Jim Schwartz is from the old school, which teaches that if the opposing quarterback is on his back, he cannot throw the football. And with a brand new line surrounding the peerless Myles Garrett, that ostensibly will happen a lot this season.

General Manager Andrew Berry helped his new coordinator by importing Za'Darius Smith and Ogbo Okoronkwo to help Garrett, and tackles Dalvin Tomlinson and Shelby Harris to ostensibly plug up a middle that resembled the Red Sea after Moses did his thing.

Add a loaded secondary and very active athletic linebackers and you have a formula that can't be any worse than last season. 

It's fairly certain Schwartz will work autonomously. That will free up Stefanski, who was constantly badgered as the head coach with questions last season about the leaks in the secondary that cost games. Now he can concentrate on the offense, knowing Schwartz has everything under control.

That's a plus because Stefanski is probably sitting on a seat warming on a daily basis. Temperature of that seat will be determined after the Oct. 1 game against the Baltimore Ravens at home. Think job security.

***

Special teams: The only negative here is based on what transpired during training camp. Hello Dustin Hopkins. Welcome to the graveyard of placekickers in the NFL. Hope you last longer than Cade York. Your best Phil Dawson impression would be nice.

New coordinator Bubba Ventrone, who arrived with sterling credentials, is off to an interesting start. He lost his return specialist when Jakeem Grant tore up a knee tendon on the first kickoff of the exhibition season. Then he lost York, who melted down like a piece of Velveeta.

His return teams on kickoffs and punts need a little polishing, opposing teams in the exhibition season frequently establishing good field position. Other than that, can't complain.

***

Overall, the talent is unquestionably there. The big difference, the big separator, is knowing how to win. You can't teach that. It's a feeling. It's an attitude. It's a test of wills. It's imposing your will on opponents. Learn how to do that and you've won at least half the battle. The talent is present.

Good to be wrong

A moment please before beginning while I scrape all the egg off my countenance. Make that a couple of moments. Thank you.

After the Browns placed Austin Watkins Jr. on waivers Tuesday and made him available to the other 31 National Football League teams as they pared the roster to the mandated 53-man limit, fans were upset. I thought for sure he was gone.

But no one, to the surprise -- and subsequent delight -- of those who also believed the club's training camp star was gone, picked him up. Not one bite in spite of the fact Watkins put up 16 receptions of 257 yards,  a couple of touchdowns and numerous clutch catches in four exhibition games.

What's going on here? Is there something new in talent evaluation I missed? Is there a reason numbers like that aren't rewarded? Were there flaws in his performances I missed? 

Surely there had to be someone out on the NFL landscape paying attention to what Watkins was accomplishing. What didn't they see that we all did? 

Is there something we don't know about Watkins? Any off-the-field misbehavior that would scare off scouts? Is he too old at 25? Guess we'll never find out.

Better to enjoy what did not happen and be thankful his presence gives the Browns depth in the event any member of the extremely talented wide receivers room runs into physical problems. Watkins is now one injury away from suiting up.

***

The 15-man practice squad is comprised of Watkins and 11 training-camp teammates thought of highly enough to be invited back after clearing waivers. Quarterback P. J. Walker and offensive lineman Alex Leatherwood also were signed after being cut by the Chicago Bears.

Leatherwood is an interesting case. He played left tackle on the other side of the line from Jedrick Wills Jr. of the Browns at Alabama for a couple of seasons and was drafted as a tackle by the Las Vegas Raiders (17th) in the first round of the 2021 college lottery. 

Problems playing the position at the NFL level caused the Raiders to move him inside at guard as a rookie where he played all 17 games. His problems continued there, too, and the Raiders in a highly unusual move cut the cord after just one season. The Bears picked him up, but he logged just four games last season after missing time with mononucleosis and other injuries. They released him a few days ago.

Cleveland will be Leatherwood's third team in three seasons. In two short years, he is on his way to becoming an NFL vagabond at the age of 24. Guessing here the Browns will make him Bill Callahan's next project in an effort to halt the journey.

The highly-regarded offensive line coach, whose units with the Browns annually receive high praise as one of the league's best, is known for molding and developing struggling linemen, turning them into productive pieces.

Walker, a savvy four-year veteran, was signed to the PS instead of Kellen Mond. He most likely will become the scout team quarterback, whose important job is to simulate the tendencies of that week's opposing quarterback.

New kicker Dustin Hopkins will be backed up on the PS by Lucas Havrisik, who  previously was in camp with the Indianapolis Colts.

***

To no one's surprise, except maybe the Browns', Cade York is now a member of the Tennessee Titans practice squad. He, again surprisingly, cleared waivers and could have re-signed with Cleveland, but chose instead to head back down south.

York returning to Cleveland would have shocked me. He would have been placed on the practice squad behind newly-acquired Dustin Hopkins. Putting myself in his position, why would I want go come back to all that aggravation? That ship sailed the second he was placed on waivers.

"I think you can understand him maybe wanting to go somewhere else and maybe get a breath of fresh air," said Glenn Cook, the Browns' VP/Personnel. Ya think?

York might have to wait a little while to get his chance at retribution. The Titans, as the Browns, have struggled in the kicking department, so they traded the other day for 40-year-old Nick Folk.

***

And finally . . . Say goodbye to cornerback A. J. Green III and welcome fellow corner Khalef Hailassie, the only player thus far claimed off waivers from Kansas City. Apparently General Manager Andrew Berry saw something he liked from the undrafted rookie. Maybe it Hailassie's three solo tackles in the Chiefs' 33-32 victory in the exhibition finale last Saturday.

Hardly knew ye

Surprised Austin Watkins Jr. won't wear the Seal Brown and Orange this season? So was I. Disappointed, too.

Despite a terrific, eye-opening training camp, the big wide receiver failed to make the Browns' final roster cut Tuesday. Fans wondered why. Me, too.

The Browns, perhaps to mollify angry fans, say they'd love to bring Watkins back to the practice squad after he clears waivers in the next 24 or so hours. Fat chance. Every National Football League team has tape of the second-best receiver during the league's exhibition season. 

That tape showed Watkins with 16 receptions for 257 yards and two touchdowns in four games. He was also first in total yards, average yards per catch, average yards per game and second in yards after the catch.

He won't clear waivers. 

FYI, Chicago tops the waiver list, followed by Houston, Arizona, Indianapolis, Denver, Los Angeles Rams, Las Vegas,  Atlanta, Carolina and New Orleans. If you're concerned Watkins night wind up elsewhere in the AFC North, Pittsburgh is 17th, Baltimore is 23rd and Cincinnati is 29th.

After calming down, I got to thinking, trying to rationalize why the Browns' brass made this decision and concluded Watkins was a victim of a loaded wide receivers room. Quarterback Deshaun Watson should prosper with the talent in that room.

If this was last season, Watkins would have been a lock to make the final 53. Just a case of bad timing for the player and the team. There is no question General Manager Andrew Berry, head coach Kevin Stefanski and the coaching staff thought -- and probably argued -- long and hard before the final verdict.

Guessing it came down to Watkins or David Bell for the final spot. Watkins has more natural talent and makes plays. Bell was a very reliable receiver at Purdue, but didn't get many looks in his rookie NFL season. The big difference probably came down to special teams, where Bell excelled last season.

He saw only 35 targets all last season. Caught 24 (69%) for 214 yards and seven first downs. With the arrival of Moore and Goodwin, he might be targeted even less this season. Watkins would have booked plenty of bench time outside of special teams.

Another factor might have been trying to figure out how much Watkins would see the field. Whose reps would he take? Amari Cooper's? Elijah Moore's? Donovan Peoples-Jones'? Cedric Tillman's? Marquise Goodwin's? David Njoku's? Whose?

Showing up as an undrafted free agent just prior to camp, Watkins wowed just about everyone in Berea, taking the Browns by surprise. Capturing the imagination of the fans made the final decision that much tougher to arrive at.

***

That was the only major surprise in the final trims, although I can't believe defensive tackle Jordan Elliott made the final cut. That decision was more like a minor surprise. I'd love to hear the rationale for keeping him for a fourth season.

The Browns selected him in the third round of the 2020 college draft and he's been a huge disappointment. The 6-4, 305 pounder is not the run stuffer the club thought it drafted to neutralize opposing infantry attacks. Only 77 tackles in three seasons, just 35 solo, a mere seven quarterback hits and a teeny 2.5 sacks.

It's also why the Browns brought in Dalvin Tomlinson and Shelby Harris as free agents and Siaki Ika via the draft to anchor what has been a perennial weak spot in the Cleveland defense. Took Berry two seasons to figure that one out.

Elliott quite simply is not strong at the point of attack and can be frequently and easily maneuvered out of position. That he lasted this long is semi mind-boggling. Wouldn't be surprised if Berry scours the free-agent market for another defensive tackle in an effort to make Elliott an ex-Brown.

***

Nine rookies (including all seven draft picks) made the final cut, three of them from Ohio State. Safety Ronnie Hickman Jr. offensive tackle Dawand Jones and center Luke Wypler join cornerback Denzel Ward to give the Browns four ex-Buckeyes on the team for the first time in memory.

Nice to see linebacker Mohamoud Diabate and Hickman make the final 53. Both are undrafted free agents certain to receive plenty of action on special teams. They also have shown they can be trusted with reps on occasion on defense.

Diabate's size (6-4, 230) and athleticism and innate ability to frequently be in the vicinity of the football fits nicely into defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz's world of aggressive football. The fact he's a strong tackler and makes plays should win him some reps.

Hickman flashed early in the exhibition season with three interceptions, two in one game. Stuff like that garners more just a little attention from the coaching staff. He is also a sure tackler.

***

Finally . . . This is not the roster that will suit up for the season opener at home against the Cincinnati Bengals. It will be massaged a bit either through free agency or a trade or two before that game kicks off. . . . Other new faces on offense are quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson and wideout Cedric Tillman. On defense, they belong to cornerback Cameron Mitchell, defensive end Isaiah McGuire, Diabate and Ika.

It had to happen

In a way, I can't say "didn't see that coming." With one big whack, the Browns finally admitted making a mistake of monumental proportions on placekicker Cade York. 

After days and weeks of dodging questions and hemming and hawing on how safe the erratic York was with regard to being confident enough in his ability to kick a football through uprights from great distances to secure a place on the 53-man roster, the answer came silently and swiftly.

In a deal that was consummated Monday, but most likely initiated sometime Sunday, General Manager Andrew Berry sent a 2025 seventh-round draft choice to the Los Angeles Chargers for veteran kicker Dustin Hopkins and waived York after no longer believing in him.

As late as Sunday, head coach Kevin Stefanski danced and then danced some more when pestered by the media if York would be his kicker when the Browns open the regular season Sept. 10 at home against the Cincinnati Bengals. He never answered in the affirmative.

In spite of public verbal back-patting in an effort to assure York things would eventually work out, there obviously was enough concern in the last week or two that caused Berry and Stefanski to inch closer to making a move, one that needed to be made in the best interests of the franchise.

What almost surely pushed them over the edge was York's performances in the last two exhibition games, where it appeared his self-confidence looked shot. Failure to take a late lead against Philadelphia and outright failing to beat Kansas City had to be the last straw.

Earlier in the exhibition season, York twice had been given reprieves when penalties gave him a second chance. He still missed both. It was a sign at the time that apparently wasn't taken seriously by the front office before eventually taking on greater importance as the calendar crept closer to Sept. 10. 

Even though the results of these games were meaningless, this part of the season is a training ground to prepare teams for the regular-season grind. A dependable kicker is one of the main ingredients toward success. York was becoming the anthesis to that end, growing worse by the week.

The Browns play every AFC North team in the first four weeks of the season. Stefanski shouldn't have to worry about his unpredictable kicker during arguably the most important part of the schedule. That should be the least of his worries. He won't have that problem with the more reliable Hopkins.

The soon-to-be 33-year-old redhead was originally drafted by Buffalo in the sixth round of the 2013 draft and spent the first couple of seasons with the Bills and New Orleans, but never got into a game. He spent the next seven seasons kicking for Washington before moving on to the Chargers.

During his NFL career, the Florida State product has connected on 84.8% of his field-goal attempts and 94.9% of his extra-point tries. His reputation as one of the NFL's most consistent and accurate kickers precedes him.

The roster has been crafted to the point where everyone is all in. Strength abounds on both sides of the football. The goal of this team is not to just make the playoffs. Or win at least one post-season game. They want to play football in late January.

It has reached the point where the players no longer hope they can win. They no longer think they can win. They know they can win. They do not need distractions. York had become a distraction. Even though he was around for just one season, he had to go. 

It's been a brief but hard fall for York, who was drafted in the fourth round of last year's lottery after a heralded career at Louisiana State. He began his rookie season with eight field goals in a row before cooling off (only 16 of the last 24).

As it turned out, he reached the pinnacle of his brief career in Cleveland with a dramatic 58-yard game-winning field goal to knock off the Carolina Panthers in the season opener at home last season. Browns fans exulted. The missing piece of the puzzle had arrived. Until it hadn't. 

And just like that . . . gone.

Fireworks, York & Denzel

Throughout the exhibition season, the Browns' offense sure looked familiar. Like the last two seasons. Pretty much standard stuff with execution the main goal. 

Most of the players participating weren't going to be around for the regular season, anyway. So why bother installing the new --- and possibly radically different -- stuff for other teams to glom onto and prepare for? Stick with the old playbook.

And then Deshaun Watson broadly hinted after the 33-32 loss Saturday in Kansas City that just might be the case, almost boastfully suggesting the 2023 Cleveland Browns offense will be quite disparate without going into specifics.

"It's going to be great," said the quarterback, who will be the ringmaster of the new look. "I think Kevin (Stefanski) is on the edge of wanting to call some things. There are a lot of things that are going to look very different."

Now that's a tease that almost certainly will excite Browns Nation, especially those denizens who miss the early days of Stefanski, whose offense in 2020 was one of the most dangerous in the National Football League with Baker Mayfield in control.

Watson wasn't through. "We have 10 days to get that tuned up and ready to go," he said. "Once September 10th comes around in Cleveland Stadium, it's going to be fireworks. That's the plan. Don't hold anything back and let it all loose. We want to go out there and have fun doing it."

All well and good, but isn't Stefanski known for his conservatism on that side of the football? When Nick Chubb is your running back, you know he's going to get at least 20 touches a game. Air Stefanski might have to dial it back somewhat.

More Watson. "If you don't take your chances and try to be conservative, that's when you kind of get behind the 8-ball and we don't want to do that," he said. "We want to be able to take our chances and give our receivers and playmakers a shot."

Now all Watson and his cohorts -- and Stefanski, of course -- have to do is go out and make it happen.

***

Let's start with the facts: Denzel Ward is one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL. Has been ever since arriving from Ohio State as a first-round draft selection five seasons ago. Voted to two Pro Bowls. One of the league's best press-coverage corners. Cleveland-area product.

That said, it should also be pointed out Ward has never played an entire injury-free season in the NFL. The Browns have played 82 games the last five seasons. Ward has suited up for 66 of them, injuries robbing him of 16 games. 

Two concussions in his rookie season (missed three games); hamstring in 2019 (missed four games); calf in 2020 (missed three games); hamstring in 2021 (missed three games); concussion last season (missed three games). 

And now he is back in concussion protocol for the fourth time in his career after getting dinged early in the Kansas City loss. His troubling history with concussions questions Ward's availability for the season opener against Cincinnati.

If he hasn't been cleared by then, forget who would have to replace him. Right now, Ward has to be thinking how many more concussions does he have to sustain to determine how much longer he wants to be a professional football player.

Four concussions is serious territory. Ward might love the game, but is it worth getting your brain scrambled to the point where it impacts the rest of your life? Sometimes, it's wise to leave before the situation gets worse.

***

The continuing saga of Cade York rages on as the season opener nears. Stefanski on Sunday responded with a non-answer when asked if the troubled young placekicker will kick in that game. Check out the answer.

"Yeah, I think those types of things, as you know, we always keep those internal as we go through the week, but I'll reiterate I think Cade is very, very talented," he said. It's not that he didn't say yes that matters. It's that he went all-politician and answered a question that wasn't asked.

York thinks so, too, about the very talented part. Here he is after having a game-winning field-goal attempt blocked that could have turned the KC loss into a victory. 

"To be honest," he said, "people gave me pats (of consolation) on the back and crap like that. But I hate pity. Pity pisses me off. I want to be a weapon, I know how good I am. That's been the most frustrating thing the last month, struggling with that. So the real games start soon. Just trying to take a running start into the season and just putting them through all the time."

OK, so will he be the man against the Bengals? Don't ask Stefanski.

***

The Browns Sunday released wide receiver Anthony Schwartz among 14 cuts, trimming the roster to 75. The last 22 names will be released sometime between now and Tuesday at 4 p.m., the deadline for the 53-man roster. There were no surprises in this round of cuts.

Schwartz was a curious -- no, make that shocking -- third-round draft pick in 2021. The Browns wanted speed. Schwartz had plenty of that. Only one problem. He couldn't catch the football. Always believed he was a world-class sprinter masquerading as a football player.

General Manager Andrew Berry twice passed (for Schwartz and offensive tackle James Hudson III) on Amon-Ra St. Brown, who was grabbed by the Detroit Lons in the fourth round and has become one of the league's outstanding young receivers. 

The Pro Bowler has booked 196 receptions for 2,073 yards and 11 touchdowns for the Lions after a productive career at USC. Ironically, Berry loves productive players. Flat our missed here.

What have we learned?

Four meaningless exhibition games now in the books. Time to start taking professional football in Cleveland seriously. 

But first, a question: What have we learned about the Browns the last several weeks? We learned . . . 

Despite all the wonderful things we have heard about how much different, how much better the offense will look this season, we saw little evidence of that in the exhibition finale Saturday afternoon in Kansas City, a hard-to-swallow 33-32 loss after holding a 22-3 first-quarter lead.

Head coach and chief operating officer for the offense Kevin Stefanski has a lot of work to do with that side of the ball before opening up the regular season two weeks from Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals.

To give you some idea of just how bad it was when the Browns owned the football, none of the three quarterbacks were effective. Yes Deshaun Watson was the quarterback of record when the offense put two touchdowns on the board in the first 15 minutes, but he looked nothing like the terrific practice quarterback we've heard so much about.

He was shaky at best. It took him four possessions to sustain any kind of momentum, generating just 43 yards on the first three before shepherding an 80-yard scoring drive. He completed half of his 10 throws for 93 yards, but 53 of them were on a scrambling heave to a wide-open Amari Cooper in busted coverage that led to one of the scores.

It's not the kind of performance you expect from your starting quarterback as you head toward the regular season. Unless Stefanski has a surprise or three in his arsenal that he hasn't unveiled yet, this offense still looks a lot like 2022.

Backup Dorian Thompson-Robinson, after three showy games, looked ordinary, banking nothing in a couple of quarters. Kellen Mond solidified QB3 with an equally ordinary stint, but he was the quarterback when Cade York's 40-yard field goal recaptured the lead at 30-29 with four minutes left in the game.

If it wasn't for the opportunistic Cleveland defense in the first quarter, this would have been a rout for the Super Bowl champs. A large majority of the credit in the first 15 minutes belongs to the defense, which put up six points and produced a short field for another.

And that brings us to what we learned about the starting defense.

Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz had to like what he saw in the first half with three interceptions, two (by safety Juan Thornhill and rookie cornerback Caleb Biggers) that wound up in the end zone for a 29-16 halftime lead.

Players were flying all over the field, shutting down a Chiefs offense with Patrick Mahomes II sitting this one out. In four possessions, the defense forced a Harrison Butker field goal after a takeaway in Cleveland territory on the opening possession, consecutive picks by the defense and a punt, limiting the Chiefs to just 46 yards on 16 snaps.

Operating without Myles Garrett, who was watching from the bench, Schwartz's swarming very active defense showed, unlike their brethren on offense, they are more than ready for the regular season. 

Unlike the last few seasons, this unit shows strong signs of almost certainly becoming the offense's best friend, producing short fields all season. In these four games, the defense picked off seven passes and recovered a fumble.

The middle of Saturday's three interceptions gave Watson a short field at the Chiefs 16. Three plays later, tight end David Njoku hauled in a pretty fade from the 12, easily the quarterback's best throw of the afternoon.

Now about that hard-to-swallow loss. We learned . . . 

It's time Stefanski steps up and admits there is at the very least some level of concern with regard to York, his very unreliable placekicker. If he continues to say, almost defiantly, that he is not worried and remains confident in the second-year kicker, he's not dealing with the truth.

It's safe to say at this point that Stefanski, as he is wont to say, better not have "a ton of confidence" in his kicker. This has turned into a major problem that needs to be addressed pronto. Time to bring in another kicker? You really need to ask that?

At this point, it's not about winning or losing games anymore. It's about what is wrong with this young man. Nothing seems to be getting through to him with regard to how important he is to this team, to the program. One can only wonder what his teammates are thinking as he continues to fail in clutch situations.

Forget his six-for-six perfectos in practice from various distances. They mean nothing. All it proves is he's terrific in practice and a whole bunch gets lost in translation when the actual games are played. I'd much rather him look terrible in practice and kick them right down the middle when it counts.

This game could have been won with a 43-yard field goal. Similar situation in the tie with Philadelphia in the last game. York had a chance to put the Browns up with six minutes remaining, but was wide left from 41 yards.

In this one, Mond had put York in position to make a 40-yarder that regained the lead a possession earlier. Butker got the lead back with a 44-yarder right down the middle, as were all of his boots. This time, Mond got York, who also had missed an extra point earlier, to the KC 25. 

The confidence Stefanski has in York hasn't reached me yet and I couldn't help myself. I foresaw a negative result. Wide left, wide right, certainly not down the middle. I never gave consideration to a block. This time, the blocking up front broke down and Chiefs defensive tackle Phil Hoskins swatted away the low trajectory takeoff.

Overall, York is four for eight on field goals and perfect on five points-after, although his miss against the Chiefs was wiped out by a roughing penalty and the Browns were successful on a two-point attempt. He's been successful from 43, 37, 43 and 40 with misses from 49 (wide right), 46 (wide right), 41 (wide left), and 43 (blocked).