Greedy Williams' injury-riddled year in 2020 leveled the playing field against rookie Greg Newsome for the No. 1 position battle in training camp. (Getty Images)
Projecting the winners of seven position battles at Browns training camp
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Editor’s note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland.
(First in a series previewing Browns training camp.)
The Browns take the field Wednesday for the first practice of coach Kevin Stefanski’s second training camp. His roster is loaded – the best ever in the Browns’ expansion era of 23 seasons and arguably among the top five in the NFL.
The offense from last year’s 12-6 team returns virtually intact with only a few additions. The defense has been completely overhauled with as many as nine starting jobs turning over from last season.
In this first edition of a three-part series, we analyze the main position battles we’ll be watching closely.
Browns position battles in training camp
No. 2 starting cornerback: Greedy Williams v. Greg Newsome
This is not exactly a winner-take-all battle. In fact, the “loser” of this competition remains a very important piece of the defense as the fourth cornerback overall (behind the two starters and nickelback Troy Hill) and figures to get a lot of reps over the course of the season.
Given No. 1 cornerback Denzel Ward’s history of missing 11 games in three years, the No. 4 cornerback is very likely to start a few games over the expanded 17-game season. More important than who wins this competition and starts Game 1 in Kansas City is that both players make it through training camp healthy. This is essential to each player because Williams did not play at all in 2020 and No. 1 draft choice Newsome, of course, is entering his rookie year. Rookies who miss time in camp because of injury always play the rest of their first year uphill and are unable to make up that lost time.
Williams participated fully in OTAs and minicamp, an indication he is fully recovered from an unusual nerve ailment in his right shoulder that sidelined him the entire 2020 season. The injury occurred on the first tackling drill of the 2020 training camp, which reminded some of the pre-draft rap of Williams’ tackling ability, or willingness to tackle. Williams’ size (6-2 and 185 pounds) leaves you wanting more from him on the field. He was credited with a mere two pass breakups in 12 games as a rookie.
Like Ward and Williams, Newsome’s durability in his career at Northwestern was questioned; he missed three games in each of his last two seasons. He chalked it up to bad luck. Other than that, Newsome has the ability, football IQ and maturity to seriously challenge Williams as a Game 1 starter even though he’ll be one of the youngest players (just turned 21) in the NFL.
Projected winner: Newsome.
No. 2 starting safety: Ronnie Harrison v. Grant Delpit
Yes, defensive coordinator Joe Woods wants to deploy three safeties at least 400 snaps over the course of the season, and the thought of having John Johnson, Harrison and Delpit on the field together is intriguing. Each has the skill set to play deep, in the box, or over the slot receiver. That flexibility from play to play could totally flummox quarterbacks in their pre-snap reads.
But when Woods fields the traditional two-safety look about 60 percent of the time, who will fill the spot opposite firm No. 1 Johnson – Harrison or Delpit?
Harrison was a godsend trade pickup from Jacksonville at the roster cut the week before the 2020 season opener. He was eased in over the first five weeks and then was a playmaker both as a hitter and in coverage. But he missed four games with a shoulder injury after a making a tackle on the first play against his former team. When healthy, Harrison looks like he could join the nucleus of this emerging AFC power. He is entering the final year of his rookie contract, however, so this is a big year for him.
Delpit missed his entire rookie season after rupturing his right Achilles tendon in a routine backpedal drill for defensive backs on Aug. 24. He had surgery the next day, so his recovery time of 11 months falls within the normal timeframe for complete recovery from the injury.
Like Williams, Delpit’s participation in minicamp and OTAs indicates he’ll be ready to go from the first day of camp, though he will be managed with days off periodically. The fact is Delpit got very little work in Woods’ defense before his injury last year, so he’ll essentially be a rookie again.
Projected winner: Harrison.
Weakside starting linebacker: Jacob Phillips v. Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah
Let’s start by projecting veteran free agent pickup Anthony Walker as the starting middle linebacker (Mike) and Sione Takitaki the starter on the strong side (Sam). That leaves the gravy position in Woods’ scheme -- weakside linebacker (Will).
Theoretically, this is the position tailored for your best playmaker at linebacker. If everyone else is doing his job, the Will is freed up to roam the field from sideline to sideline and from line of scrimmage to intermediate areas. He also would stay on the field as one of two linebackers when Woods deploys his nickel (extra cornerback) or dime (extra safety) package. Thus, the Will generally is the team’s fastest and most athletic linebacker, but also must have the instincts to read where the ball is going.
Both Phillips and Owusu-Koramoah were hand-picked for this role by the current regime over the last two drafts. Phillips owns the advantage of having played nine games as a rookie, but an injury to his right knee in Game 1 and re-injury in Game 5 limited him to nine games overall and just 169 snaps, 15.7 percent of the defense’s total. When on the field, Phillips flashed the qualities that made him a projected fit in Woods’ defense.
Owusu-Koramoah was a popular pick in the 2021 draft because so many draftniks had him projected for the first round and the Browns nabbed him in the second round at No. 52 overall after a trade up. Despite great production in a hybrid role at Notre Dame, most likely it was JOK’s diminutive size that scared off most teams.
At his pro day workout, JOK measured 6-1 ¼ and 221 pounds. Phillips is 6-3 and 229. On paper, it may not seem like much difference, but at Browns minicamp, JOK was dwarfed in size by safeties and looked more like a cornerback than a linebacker. Still, his tremendous speed, game tape as a powerful hitter, and obvious versatility to be used in creative ways attracted him to the Browns.
Projected winner: Phillips.
No. 3 wide receiver: Rashard Higgins v. KhaDarel Hodge v. Donovan Peoples-Jones v. Anthony Schwartz
Higgins and Hodge are the present, Peoples-Jones and Schwartz the future.
Higgins and Hodge were signed to similar one-year contracts. Hodge opened the 2020 season as the No. 3 receiver because of his better blocking ability. But Higgins’ oft-overlooked value as a dependable target for Baker Mayfield emerged after Odell Beckham Jr.’s injury and he finished the season as a key contributor in the passing game. Clearly, Higgins is the better receiver, though Hodge has improved, and Hodge is the better blocker.
Now, the imposing Peoples-Jones could be better at both. He can make that statement with an outstanding second training camp and leapfrog both Higgins and Hodge for the most play time of the three.
As for Schwartz, his world-class speed is sure to be utilized in special situations, including as a decoy. But he is not a finished product as an all-around receiver at this time.
Projected winner: Peoples-Jones.
Nos. 1 and 2 starting defensive tackles: Andrew Billings v. Malik Jackson v. Jordan Elliott v. Tommy Togiai v. Marvin Wilson
They lined up with Billings and Jackson at OTAs and minicamp. Billings is a wide-bodied specialist against the run, a likely two-down player. At 31, Jackson still has some pass-rush quickness and played in Woods’ defense in Denver. Elliott received good experience as a rookie, 308 snaps (28.6 percent). Togiai, a fourth-round pick, and Wilson, an undrafted player given a high bonus to sign with the Browns, should get snaps as coaches will rotate freely at the interior positions.
Projected winners: Billings and Jackson.
No. 2 tight end: David Njoku v. Harrison Bryant
Njoku started 2020 as the No. 3 tight end, but that changed in December. Over the last seven games, including the two in post-season, Njoku had 16 receptions on 21 targets for 177 yards (no TDs). Bryant hit the rookie wall and had eight receptions on 15 targets for 74 yards (no TDs). In March, Njoku’s fifth-year option for $6 million in 2021 was activated. Njoku can be a free agent after 2021, and the Browns appear anxious to see him perform in his contract year.
Projected winner: Njoku.
Return specialist: D’Ernest Johnson v. JoJo Natson v. Anthony Schwartz v. Demtric Felton
The search for a bona-fide return specialist enters its sixth year.
Natson is a pure returner, but couldn’t make a mark last year because of an ACL tear. Felton returned kickoffs at UCLA and had a TD, but was unspectacular. Johnson improved as a returner last year. Schwartz has world-class speed, but never returned kicks or punts at Auburn.
There are some moving parts in this decision. It’s unlikely the Browns would employ strictly a return specialist; he has to be a contributor at a regular position. So the odds are stacked against Natson, the 153-pound former Akron Zip. Johnson and Felton likely are competing for the No. 3 running back spot. The winner there almost certainly would double as a returner. Conceivably, Schwartz could blow everybody away as a returner, if he seizes the opportunity.
Projected winner: Felton.
