Browns lose Jack Conklin for season

  It was expected that the Cleveland Browns were going to lose starting right tackle Jack Conklin for the remainder of the season after his injury against the Cincinnati Bengals in the season opener and the news didn't bring a pleasant surprise as Conklin will miss the season with a torn ACL and MCL.

Conklin signed a four-year contract extension in the off-season and even though it was unlikely that Conklin would be around for all four seasons, the Browns certainly didn't expect to have Conklin play less than one game.

Conklin played fourteen games last season after returning from an injured Patella Tendon in the twelfth game of the 2021 season.

Cleveland will start fourth-round draft pick Dawand Jones in the spot vacated by Conklin and hope that the learning curve isn't too steep for the Ohio State rookie.

Jones played well against the Bengals in pass protection and is very nimble for a man his size (6'8 375 pounds) but will need to step up his game in the run-blocking department.

The Browns moved veteran Michael Dunn to the active roster from the practice squad and Dunn is a solid reserve lineman that would have made the roster for many teams out of camp, so while Dunn isn't as good as the players in front of him, the definition of depth is to have as many people as possible that are capable if they are needed to play.

Seldom are backup players the same level as the player they are replacing but the key is to lose as little as possible from the starter.

Dunn's best position is guard but he can play tackle in a pinch and 2022 fourth-round draftee James Hudson will be the main backup for Jones (and left tackle Jedric Wills) and Hudson will likely see a few snaps here and there when needed.

Another player to remember is former first-rounder Alex Leatherwood, who has struggled since his 2021 selection by the Raiders and was signed to the practice squad.

I think Bill Callahan may be the best offensive line coach in the game and I would be anxious to see if Callahan's expertise can turn around a player that was thought to be extremely talented when he entered the league from Alabama. 

Bengals Burrowed Under-Browns win Opener!

    The Cincinnati Bengals may have returned Joe Burrow in time for the league opener in Cleveland against the Browns. Still, it did them little good against their defense as the Cleveland defense bullied the Bengals in a 24-3 win in Cleveland!

Nick Chubb ran for 106 yards while DeShaun Watson ran for one score and threw another to Harrison Bryant for the Browns two touchdowns.

Cleveland is 1-0 and will travel to 0-1 Pittsburgh next Monday night.

Brownie Bits

1) Cleveland only finished with two sacks of Joe Burrow but the Browns pass rush was consistently forcing Burrow to throw the ball before he wished and the Cincinnati offense was out of sync all game.

Cleveland has to be pleased with the results of their pass rush and I think it was the number one factor in their win.

2) Burrow threw for a career-low eighty-two yards and even though the Browns didn't intercept Burrow, the play of the defense didn't allow Burrow to regain the chemistry with even his returning players.

Burrow's preseason absence likely contributed to some of the struggles but the defense of Cleveland seemed to be a larger factor.

3) I've been a Grant Delpit believer since the Browns drafted him and Delpit has disappointed me at times but gave me just enough hope to keep me on the hook.

Delpit led the team in tackles against the Bengals and seemed to be in on every play.

It's a long season but I'm encouraged that this is the breakout year for Grant Delpit.

4) I think DeShaun Watson was okay, not great and you still have to hope the Browns will receive better play when you consider what the Browns paid for him but he avoided the big mistake and he was good enough to win on a bad weather day,.

5) The weather was rotten with a hard rain falling throughout the game and that likely contributed to neither quarterback producing big statistics on the day.

6) The Browns did have some problems protecting DeShaun Watson at times as the Bengals sacked Watson three times and had success rushing him.

I wouldn't say I'm concerned yet but considering the investment in the offensive line, I will be paying attention to the protection next Monday in Pittsburgh.

7) The offensive line might have taken a severe hit already as tackle Jack Conklin was carted off the field by cart and Kevin Stefanski said "it doesn't look good" for Conklin after the game.

The fourth-quarter injury put a damper on the win and fourth-round draft choice Dawand Jones finished the game in Conklin's place.

8) Nick Chubb was his usual dependable self finishing with over one hundred yards and was the one offensive player that could be counted by either team.

Chubb averaged 5.9 yards a carry on his eighteen carries.

9) The Bengals converted just two of thirteen chances on third downs and only converted six first downs all day. 

10) Tee Higgins may be the Bengals number two receiver but he's one of the best number two's in the league, yet the Browns held him without a catch in eight targets.

11) The Browns defense looked great, the offense not so great and the weather likely helped and hurt both sides of the ball.

Either way, it's a big win on a sloppy day and an interdivisional win on a day where the Ravens lost a key contributor for the year in J.K. Dobbins and Pittsburgh was pounded at home, a win in the opener could be big at the end of the year.

Browns slip against Saints,lose 17-10

    The Cleveland Browns allowed two touchdowns in the third quarter and didn't score a point in the second half as the Browns threw away a would-be victory in their final home game in an icebox-like stadium to the New Orleans Saints 17-10.

Nick Chubb rushed for 92 yards to lead the offense and Amari Cooper caught six passes for seventy-two yards to lead the receivers.

Cleveland drops to 6-9 on the season and will finish the year with two road games in Washington and Pittsburgh.

Brownie Bits

1)  Maybe the ground wasn't covered with snow but the weather was certainly a factor (six degrees and a windchill of fifteen below at kickoff) with the temperature and wind chill.

The game was the third coldest ever played in Cleveland and you would think that the home team would have an advantage over a team that plays in a dome in the Deep South.

2) However, you would be wrong as once the Saints figured out in the second quarter that using running quarterback Taysom Hill and Alvin Kamara to pound the football at the Browns run defense was the best way to get back into the game.

After the Saints committed to the running game, they outscored Cleveland 17-0 for the remainder of the game.

3) And there are the weekly Kevin Stefanski play-calling questions.

Early in the fourth quarter after two Nick Chubb runs, the Browns have a third and two on their own thirty-nine.

Considering the conditions and having Nick Chubb on your team, one would think that at least one running play would be in order.

Instead, DeShaun Watson throws two incomplete passes.

Too smart for his own good could be the epitaph on the Kevin Stefanski tenure in Cleveland.

4) The vaunted Cleveland pass rush never got to Andy Dalton and while Dalton threw only fifteen passes, I only remember one time that Myles Garrett (or anyone else) came close to dumping Dalton to the ground.

5) DeShaun Watson threw thirty-one passes (Over twice as many as the Saints tossed) on a day that should have favored what the Browns offensive identity is supposed to be.

No matter the performance of Watson, that's on Kevin Stefanski.

6) Watson didn't dazzle but in this weather very few could do so.

Watson's one interception wasn't a great pass but David Bell couldn't haul it in as it bounced off Bell and into the hands of a nemesis of Browns past- safety Daniel Sorensen, who returned the ball thirty-six yards to the Cleveland fifteen and gave the Saints a short field for what proved to be the game-winning touchdown.

7) Watson also didn't receive help from his pass catchers on the final drive when second and third down throws to Donovan Peoples-Jones and David Njoku were both on the money with both receivers failing to bring the ball in for game-tying scores.

Watson was then sacked on the fourth down attempt to end the game.

8) Watson also threw an excellent pass to Amari Cooper in the end zone in the second quarter but Cooper dropped the ball when just as the ball arrived, Cooper slipped on the slick turf and was unable to grab the throw.

It's understandable to have these things happen under the playing conditions but receivers are paid to catch the football.

9) The Browns did make a move earlier this week by signing veteran right tackle Jack Conklin to a three-year contract extension.

The signing of Conklin locks three of the five starters on the offensive line (Wyatt Teller and Joel Bitonio) into long-term contracts with a looming decision in the off-season for the team to choose whether or not to pick up the fifth-year option of left tackle Jedrick Wills.

10) The Browns were officially eliminated from the playoffs with the defeat.

This took longer than expected as due to an eye injury, I am only able to read/write in short time bursts.

That is also why there was not a PPM this week. 

Jack Conklin inks deal in Cleveland

The 2019 Cleveland Browns had problems on both ends of their offensive line with their tackles.

That's being kind on my part, but the interior line of the line looks strong entering 2020 and if the Browns were serious about improving the line, something had to be accomplished.

The Browns certainly didn't want to start two rookie tackles, so they were thought to be major players for an offensive tackle in free agency and they were as Cleveland signed arguably the best available tackle as Jack Conklin signed a three-year contract for forty-two million dollars.

The twenty-six-year-old Conklin will immediately slot in for the Browns at right tackle and while it's left tackles that usually get paid the type of money that Conklin will receive to play right tackle, the Browns were in desperate need for a veteran tackle and while the Browns may have preferred a veteran at left tackle to protect Baker Mayfield's blind side, quality left tackles are a rare animal in the free-agent market.

Conklin was selected in the first round of the 2016 draft (eighth overall) from Michigan State and other than a few games in 2018 recovering from an ACL injury suffered in the 2017 playoffs, Conklin has been durable for the Tennessee Titans since his debut.
Conklin is noted for being a good blocker in pass protection but is an elite level tackle in the running game and could be the best right tackle in the game as a pure run blocker.
Conklin is more of a mauler at 6'6 than most tackles of his size as often taller tackles are more angular power forward types that use their size and quickness to make their blocks.
That's not the game of Conklin, who is more of an old school physical grinder that occasionally can be vulnerable by more athletic speed rushers.

Conklin will replace Chris Hubbard at right tackle who was awful in his two seasons since Hubbard was signed as a free agent from Pittsburgh and will change the position from strength to weakness along with upgrading the line on the overall.
Conklin, left guard Joel Bitonio, and center J.C. Tretter makes a strong nucleus of an offensive line with the likely high draft pick (either first or second round) replacing Greg Robinson at left tackle joining the unit.
The only position that should be open entering training camp in Berea is left guard as Wyatt Teller, who was acquired from Buffalo late in training camp last season will battle Drew Forbes, who impressed many in camp before a knee injury and former Ohio State Buckeye Malcolm Pridgeon for the spot.

At 26, Jack Conklin should be reaching his peak years and it appears that Tennessee, with their commitment to the power running game, has made a big mistake in not picking up his fifth-year option before last season.
This is my favorite signing of all as it shows that Kevin Stefanski's plans for the Browns are to install a power running game mindset, establish the run, and wear teams down physically which in the AFC North is a must.

Next time, I'll be writing about the Browns signing of Case Keenum as the backup quarterback where Keenum could mentor, backup or maybe push Baker Mayfield in a make or break season for the former Heisman winner.

Browns bulk up offense-Free Agency Signings!

The official start of free agency isn't until Wednesday, but teams are allowed to talk to players a few days before that and many players have already committed to new franchises.

The commitment means nothing as players can change their minds and occasionally, a player will change their mind and sign with another team as happened to the Browns in 2015 when they thought they had a commitment from tight end Jordan Cameron to return to the Browns and Cameron would renege to sign with the Miami Dolphins.

The Browns have commitments to add three players, two of which will become immediate starters with the third being a key backup and will hopefully help to push the most important position on the team.
Cleveland signed tight end Austin Hooper from the Falcons, tackle Jack Conklin from the Titans, and quarterback Case Keenum from the Redskins via free agency to bolster those positions, but the Browns made another move tonight as they acquired fullback Andy Janovich from Denver for a 2021 seventh-round pick.

Hooper and Conklin have Pro Bowl histories, Janovich is noted as one of the better blockers in the football and in an offense that uses the fullback often, and Keenum is the type of veteran backup that won't end your season if the starter goes down.
So these are all solid moves for a team that needed them but still needs more.

The Browns now have skill position standouts with Nick Chubb, Odell Beckham, Jarvis Landry, and Austin Hooper with an offensive line that looks greatly improved with Jack Conklin at right tackle joining Joel Bitonio, J.C. Tretter with a likely first or second-round draft pick at left tackle.
Baker Mayfield will have very few excuses for himself this year if his play does not improve and should Mayfield regress even further, Case Keenum would make a suitable bridge to the next Browns quarterback.

Cleveland still needs lots of help on defense and I'm looking for help on the defense to be added in free agency.
Linebacker will likely bring a player or two to a depleted corp and the Browns need a veteran safety after the recent release of Morgan Burnett and the decision to not bring back Demetrius Randall.
A decision on Olivier Vernon will need to be rendered and should they release Vernon, a replacement will need to be brought in.

I admit to being dubious of the hiring of Andrew Berry and I still have concerns about the Browns drafts under Berry, but credit is deserved here these are three excellent signings at positions of need.

I'm going to do more detailed posts on the new arrivals since Covid 19 has given me fewer things to write about over the next few days and there could be more players added to review as well.