Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr. realize their roles have been reduced in the Kevin Stefanski offense. (Cleveland Browns)
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland.
Takeaways from Browns practice and interviews …
It’s becoming apparent to the Browns’ pair of $14 ½ million receivers – Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr. – that 100-yard receiving games and 1,000-yard receiving seasons may be harder to come by in the Kevin Stefanski offense.
As the Browns’ offense is fueled by the heart-and-soul running tandem of Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt, Landry and Beckham seem to be accepting roles as accomplices rather than focal points.
This may be bad news to fantasy football club owners. But in real football, this is very good news for the Browns.
“The strength of our team right now has been our running game, and we want to continue to try to use that as much as possible, but I think we are smart enough to recognize when the ball needs to be in the air and not on the ground,” Landry said.
“We have a lot of unselfish guys in this building. That is what it is going to take when you have a lot of Pro Bowl-caliber players on one team, to be unselfish and understand that when a ball comes your way, just take advantage of the opportunities, whether they be few or many. I think that the guys in this building recognize that and are aware of that.”
Through two games, Chubb (184 yards, 5.8 average) ranks fourth in the NFL in rushing, and Hunt (158, 6.9) ranks ninth.
Landry is 48th with eight receptions and 50th with 107 receiving yards. Beckham doesn’t show up in the top 50 with seven for 96. Beckham’s 43-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown in the second quarter against Cincinnati opened up a 14-3 lead.
“One of my biggest growths has come in acceptance, in a sense, and for me knowing it is probably not going to be that kind of season [with big receiving numbers],” Beckham said.
“Nick Chubb needs to be the No. 1 rusher in the league or Kareem, as well. You have two legitimate No. 1 backs in the backfield, and our team is very, very, very good at running the football, so you have to play to your strengths. Then I think you learn where you fit in and where you are able to make your plays and how you can help the team.
“I want that big block that springs him free just to see him running down the field, even though he is not going to give me any love after it and he is not going to have much emotion about it. Just to see him running free and down the sideline is going to be a great feeling.”
Yes, focusing on Chubb and Hunt is the way to go. They are a unique tandem and having something unique gives the Browns a big edge.
But the reality is Landry and Beckham will be needed for the Browns to build leads or to play from behind – and to beat better teams than Cincinnati.
The “throw to score, run to win” formula is hardly fail-safe against playoff-caliber teams.
The yips
Special teams coordinator Mike Priefer said he was “very disappointed” to have to change kickers after one game.
The Browns gave up on 2019 fifth-round draft choice Austin Seibert after he missed a PAT and a 41-yard field goal attempt in the Game 1 38-6 loss to Baltimore. It was Seibert’s sixth PAT miss in 17 games.
The Browns replaced Seibert with Cody Parkey, who made 5 of 5 PATs in the 35-30 win over the Bengals.
“We had to make the change,” Priefer said. “It was a change that was necessary because it was more mental than anything with Austin. I think Austin is still an NFL kicker. I think he will kick in this league for a long time if he can get the mental part of it figured out because he is very, very talented.”
Priefer looked under siege in his Zoom call on Thursday. Besides the failed fake punt in Baltimore, Priefer’s prized kickoff coverage unit, which led the NFL in 2019, ranks dead last with an average drive start after kickoffs of the 34.5-yard line. That’s more than 10 yards worse than a year ago.
“We are not playing at the expectation level that obviously I have set for this unit or the guys have set for themselves,” Priefer said. “We obviously have not covered kicks anywhere near like we covered them a year ago.”
Defensive reinforcements
It appears that two defensive players most likely to see more duty against Washington are newly acquired safety Ronnie Harrison and nickel back Kevin Johnson, who’s back after missing four weeks with a lacerated liver.
Coordinator Joe Woods said he has a better understanding now of what Harrison can bring to the defense and he expects his snaps to go up after easing him in the first two games.
“That dude practices with his hair on fire,” Woods said of Harrison. “I was in there taking snaps as scout team quarterback, and man, he was scaring me in terms of what he was doing. He brings that type of presence to our defense, but you do not want to put him on the field until you feel like he knows enough to have success because if he goes out there and he is not comfortable and does not execute, now you are kind of working backwards.
“He will be in the picture more this week and the upcoming weeks, but we definitely want to put him in there based on what we know he can handle.”
Johnson was listed as full participation in Thursday’s practice, whereas cornerback Greedy Williams (shoulder) and linebacker Mack Wilson (knee) have been limited in their first practices in 4-5 weeks.
“I want some reps, practice reps with our guys,” Woods said. “There are different things each week that teams do that you have to be on point in terms to defend. If you can’t get out there and go at high-tempo and get those reps, it is hard to execute it on game day. The guys are out there participating. We have to take it day by day and evaluate them, and hopefully, we get them all back for the game this week.”
Ends Olivier Vernon (abdomen) and Adrian Clayborn (hip) did not practice once again, meaning it’s possible that Porter Gustin will get his first career start at the end opposite Myles Garrett.