CLEVELAND, Ohio – Scribbles in my notebook about what I’m hearing from the Browns OTAs:
Here’s the disclaimer: This is an upbeat time of year. No real hitting. It’s a lot of NFL style touch football. As one executive told me, “It’s almost like a passing camp, but you can still see things.” That said, here we go:
1. There is a lot of excitement about Elijah Moore. The Browns plan to use the receiver acquired from the Jets in different roles, not just as the standard wideout. They call him a “chess piece,” in terms of being able to move around the board (field). He’s not a pure speed guy always running deep routes.
2. Moore was high on the list of GM Andrew Berry, who first tried to deal for him at the 2022 trading deadline. Moore’s attitude is excellent. Of course, that’s true of about every player at this point. Moore had some problems with the Jets coaches last season. This is a fresh start for him with an organization that wants him and believes in him.
3. Here’s a negative view from ESPN’s analytics guy Bill Barnwell: “I wasn’t in love with the Browns’ move to trade away some of the draft capital they had left in a trade for Elijah Moore, who fell out of favor with the Jets. Cleveland moved down 32 picks in the process. While Moore looked promising as a rookie, he has already played two years of his rookie deal. With Moore, Donovan Peoples-Jones and a trio of third-round picks (David Bell, Anthony Schwartz and Cedric Tillman), the organization has chosen the quantity approach in attempting to find a No. 2 wideout behind Amari Cooper. I’m not sure it has one.”
4. This is where coaching matters. Can Kevin Stefanski put Deshaun Watson in the right situation to at least approach his 2020 Pro Bowl performance? Moore had a promising rookie year in 2021 as Barnwell admitted. Can the coaching staff prove their talent evaluators to be right about Moore?
5. I didn’t have a big problem with the Browns moving back those 32 draft spots to add Moore. They used that pick acquired from the Jets to select Cedric Tillman. The rookie from Tennessee has been impressive, using his 6-foot-3 frame to be a good target. He has been connecting with rookie QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson (DTR). They played together in high school at powerhouse Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas.
Cleveland Browns quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson has impressed the coaches with his ability to quickly grasp a new playbook. Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com
6. The Browns like how DTR has grasped the playbook and has a mature approach to preparation. The other three QBs were with the team last year: Kellen Mond, Joshua Dobbs and Watson. The Browns believe DTR spending five years with Bruins coach Chip Kelly, who previous coached in the NFL, helped DTR. DTR made 48 starts for UCLA. His maturity is obvious.
7. I hear Stefanski was a strong supporter of drafting Tillman. The rookie has a lot of talent in front of him at receiver: Cooper, Moore, Marquise Goodwin and DPJ. That said, he could see more action than you’d expect from a third-round pick.
8. Is the receiver room packed with stars? Nope. But Cooper is a Pro Bowler. I like DPJ, who has talent and size. I’m probably alone on this, but I still think David Bell can be a viable NFL receiver. Good QBs and coaches make average wide receivers look better. Let’s see if that happens.
9. “Attack ... attack ... attack!” That’s what Jim Schwartz keeps preaching, especially to his defensive linemen. He’s keeping things simple. He believes Za’Darius Smith, Dalvin Tomlinson, Myles Garrett, Ogbo Okoronkwo and Jordan Elliott are the key veterans. This is a different system. I wonder if Schwartz can find some football gold in the collection of young linemen Siaki Ika, Isaiah McGuire, Perrion Winfrey, Alex Wright and Tommy Togiai. At least one of those guys should be able to break into the defensive line rotation.
Za'Darius Smith believes he'll thrive in the 4-3 defense as a pass-rushing end. John Kuntz, cleveland.com
10. For most of his NFL career, Smith played in the 3-4 system as a linebacker. He is a natural 4-3 defensive end, ideal for Schwartz’s scheme. He was unhappy with his contract in Minnesota. The Browns have him in a good spot because his reworked contract is a one-year deal. He is playing for a new deal in 2024, which should bring out the best in him. At least, that’s the plan.
11. Smith is excited about being in the 4-3 alignment, which he played in college. He said Schwartz told him this: “We just need you to get off the ball, man. We know that you haven’t had that in the past eight years.”
12. While Schwartz has been using Grant Delpit and Juan Thornhill at both safety positions, I hear the Browns want Thornhill to be the pure “free safety.” That was the position John Johnson III was supposed to handle, but he had major problems in two years with the Browns. In fact, Johnson is still looking for a team after being cut by Cleveland in March.
13. While defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson was the high-priced free agent acquisition, Thornhill could be the most important. The Browns haven’t had a true “center fielder” at safety since ... who? The Browns desperately need a play-maker at the position. Remember all the blown coverages the last few years? That has to change.
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Cool stuff I’m hearing about Cleveland Browns OTAs, names to watch – Terry Pluto - cleveland.com
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