The Cleveland Browns get back on the field Friday night against the Jacksonville Jaguars with a lot of questions still. While the team’s roster is stacked at most positions, the outcome of QB Deshaun Watson’s discipline and questions at receiver after injuries continue to be of concern.
There is also a lot to be excited about. RB Nick Chubb leads a great stable of running backs. The offensive line got RT Jack Conklin back and looks to continue to be one of the best in the league. The defense returned Jadeveon Clowney and retained a majority of their key players from last year’s defense.
There are several additions to the team that fans should also be excited about. For today’s Browns Stock Watch, we identify three of the team’s new players as ones we are excited to see on the field Friday night, one from each phase:
Offense - WR David Bell
Cleveland added Bell with one of their third-round selections in this year’s NFL draft. Bell was highly productive in college but fell due to poor testing at the NFL combine. He looked good during offseason activities but a foot injury kept him out of training camp until just recently.
We will be on the lookout for how Bell does in route running, creating separation and pulling in any passes headed his way. Basic counting stats will not be that important this early in training camp.
After missing most of camp so far, Bell may be used very sparingly as a part of his ramp-up.
Defense - DE Chase Winovich
Early in the new league year, the Browns traded LB Mack Wilson to the New England Patriots in exchange for Winovich. With DE Jadeveon Clowney returning, Winovich takes over the role that Takk McKinley had last year.
Which Winovich Cleveland gets will be interesting to watch. He combined for 11 sacks in his first two years in the league and played 58% of New England’s defensive snaps in 2020. Last year, he only played in 14% of the defense’s snaps and had no sacks.
Against Jacksonville, we will be on the lookout for how the former Michigan star is able to get off the ball, bend the edge and able to stay stout against the run.
Special Teams - K Cade York
The Browns have struggled kicking the ball for a few years now so drafting York in the fourth round made sense even if it was aggressive. York has impressed so far in his short time with the team, including getting lifted onto teammates’ shoulders, but has to prove it in a game.
York gets his first chance Friday night. It will be interesting if HC Kevin Stefanski stays aggressive on fourth down calls or gives his rookie kicker more chances to prove himself in a game situation.
If Cleveland has finally solved its kicking problems, things will be looking up. York won’t be able to do that on Friday night alone but it will be a starting point if he looks good.
