Rookie linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah has a chance to bolt into the starting lineup if he has another practice week and game like last week. (Erik Drost)
Browns training camp peaks this week in joint practices with Giants
You must have an active subscription to read this story.
Click Here to subscribe Now!
Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland.
Takeaways from the day after the Browns opened the preseason with a sound and clean victory in Jacksonville …
The triumphs in preseason are fleeting. Teams don’t celebrate wins in practice games; they survive them. Beating Urban Meyer’s Jaguars wasn’t as important as setting up the coming week in as good condition as possible.
Mentally and physically, the Browns are right on schedule as the New York Giants invade for joint practices on Thursday and Friday in advance of Sunday’s second exhibition game in FirstEnergy Stadium.
This is hump week. Everything Kevin Stefanski had planned for his second Browns training camp centered on peaking this week, in terms of work.
Stefanski built a mini-acclimation period into the schedule leading up to Giants week. In a rare move, the Browns stayed in Jacksonville after the game for a good night’s sleep in a sequestered hotel with no other guests besides the team. They returned home Sunday afternoon. Monday is the players’ pre-scheduled day off, followed by two unpadded practices.
The two practices against the Giants should be the most intense days of work of the summer.
“As we get the Giants in here, those practices will be ramped up more in terms of reps,” Stefanski said. “We have a four-day block, so we will be smart in the first two.”
Saturday’s game against the Jaguars was mostly about the younger players. Now it’s time for the regulars to compete against another team. One-on-one passing and blocking drills are always highlights of these joint sessions, along with goal-line, red zone and two-minute team drills.
The big question is whether some of the important regulars sidelined the past week with injuries – Myles Garrett, Denzel Ward, Ronnie Harrison -- will compete against the Giants. Grant Delpit and Anthony Schwartz will be iffy, given the fact each has missed double-figure practice sessions.
“A lot of those guys are really close and I am optimistic about it, but I want to get to Tuesday to see exactly where everybody is. But I am optimistic that we will get some guys back,” Stefanski said.
Another question is whether Stefanski and the medics will green-light Odell Beckham Jr. to make his first appearance in team drills this week, or whether they will stay overly cautious and not let Beckham make his anticipated return and overdo it against his former team. The latter is more likely.
If the Browns can survive without any major injuries this week, they would be in good position to fine-tune everything for the season opener in Kansas City. If Stefanski likes what he sees on Thursday and Friday, the two remaining preseason games very well could be turned over again to the younger players.
Climbing
On a good night in Jacksonville for the rookies, linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah probably made up the most ground in working his way up the depth chart.
After missing the first days of camp because of Covid quarantine, JOK was better than A-OK.
He logged 47 snaps on defense – second to safety Jovante Moffatt’s 51 – and his 15 on special teams were a team high. Owusu-Koramoah didn’t just play; he made plays. He led players from both teams with eight tackles, had a sack on a blitz and two other tackles for loss. He was fast and furious, playing at a speed that projects him as a potential spy defender against quarterbacks Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes.
“He did make splash plays,” Stefanski said on a Zoom call Sunday. “He made good tackles along the sideline. He made a nice play on [a] screen [for a 2-yard loss in the final minute]. He needs to clean up his eye progression, and he understands that. To really play fast in this league, it is when you are not thinking. I think he is getting there. With a lot of work, I think he will get there. Overall, he understands there is plenty of work to be done.”
Two things out of control also raised Owusu-Koramoah’s stock. Mack Wilson, who has held down the starting WILL linebacker position since minicamp, injured a shoulder. Stefanski said he was waiting on MRI results to determine the severity. Also, Jacob Phillips, who was considered the favorite to win the starting job, played only 23 snaps and didn’t have anything close to a splash play.
It's conceivable that JOK can leap-frog onto the No. 1 defense during Giants week. Or it might take another game, or even two. But he’s already proved to be a fast learner. He does everything fast.
Brownie bits
Tight end Stephen Carlson suffered a major knee injury and could be lost for the season, per multiple reports. The team has not confirmed it. Carlson, 24, was signed as an undrafted free agent from Princeton in 2019 and find new life in Stefanski’s offense as the fourth tight end and a core player on special teams. The injury creates a competition between Jordan Franks and Connor Davis to replace Carlson …
Somebody on Stefanski’s offensive staff was given “reps” as a play-caller in Jacksonville, but the head coach wouldn’t say who …
Another rookie from the draft class of 2021 who received quality play time was offensive tackle James Hudson. The fourth-round pick started at left tackle and got a few reps at right tackle. Hudson, Chris Hubbard and Greg Senat are competing for backup jobs on Bill Callahan’s offensive line. It’s possible four spots could be squeezed in behind the starters, with backup center Nick Harris included. “James had some nice moments and some moments I know he wants back,” Stefanski said. “He played both sides of the line for us. He is somebody who we are going to continue to grow.” …
The roster dynamic between returner/receiver JoJo Natson, all-purpose rookie Demetric Felton and running back/returner D’Ernest Johnson is going to come down to the wire. Natson ripped off a 90-yard punt return in the fourth quarter, but it was erased on a clipping penalty on A.J. Green. The Browns haven’t had an electrifying return like that in five years …
The best offensive play of the night was turned in by the last receiver on the depth chart, Davion Davis, who was added to the roster at the start of training camp. Davis outleaped touted rookie cornerback Tyson Campbell for a 27-yard TD from Kyle Lauletta, one of his four catches for a game-high 56 yards. Davis was an undrafted free agent from Sam Houston State in Stefanski’s last year in Minnesota. “DD is a great kid,” Stefanski said. “Works very hard. It is funny, [wide receivers] Coach [Chad] O’Shea recently in one of their wide receiver meetings showed a highlight reel catch that Davion had in college so when the ball was in the air, I had that going through my mind. The kid came down with it and made a great play.”
