We have finally arrived. We have real live Cleveland Browns football tonight as they take on the New York Jets in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game. We will get to see the 2023 NFL draft class in the brown and orange for the first time, and while most of the veterans will sit this one out, we will get to see those fighting for a roster spot have the opportunity to shine.
In this edition of Browns Wire Roundtable, the staff discusses who we are most excited to watch as the team takes the field in Canton, Ohio tonight.
S D'Anthony Bell
Bell is a second-year safety who was a special teams ace last season. D’Anthony is fighting for a roster spot this summer after the Browns revamped their Safety room. Fighting for a roster spot isn’t new for Bell, who was the only undrafted free agent to make the team last year.
That’s because D’Anthony Bell loves football. It’s evident when watching him fly down the field on kickoffs, alliding with blockers, before delivering a strike to the returner. It takes guts to play special teams, but it takes an iron will to be good at it. Bell played fewer than 70 defensive snaps last season. The Pro Football Hall of Fame Game will be a good opportunity for Bell to play Safety.
Bell must show off his coverage ability this summer to lock in a roster spot. I’m hoping the simple schemes employed by both, the offense and defense, will allow D’Anthony to play fast and confidently. D’Anthony embodies many aspects that have drawn me toward football, and I can’t think of anyone else I’m more excited to watch at the dawn of a new season. – Browns Alchemy
OT Dawand Jones
The Browns nabbed Ohio State offensive tackle Dawand Jones in the fourth round in the 2023 NFL draft. And given their uncertainty about the future at left tackle, he may have to step in at some point not so far away. I had a second round grade on the former Buckeye behemoth pre-draft as he fell due to work ethic concerns and concerns about his weight fluctuation.
If the Browns can get the most out of Jones and get him to buy in, they got one of the very best offensive tackles in the nation a year ago for a bargain. In a season where the Buckeyes came within inches of upsetting Georgia, Jones surrendered just two true pressures all season, coming out with a pass blocking efficiency grade of a massive 99.3% (according to PFF).
As he suits up for the brown and orange for the first time, it would be a joy to watch him dominate inferior competition. – Cory Kinnan
WR Cedric Tillman
With most of the starters sitting for Thursday’s game third round pick Cedric Tillman is the player I’m most excited for. Some, including me, were surprised that he was the pick but Tillman can flat out get it done. He’s a wide receiver with the body of a tight end with the size and strength to fight through contact and win contested catch opportunities.
Tillman is a good route runner that creates good separation despite not having the blazing speed to run away from defenders. In high school, Tillman played with quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson, so he will likely see a good volume of chances on Thursday. – Jacob Roach
