What are realistic expectations for rookie hybrid linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (No. 28)? (Cleveland Browns)
Three questions for every position group as Browns come together for three-day minicamp
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Editor’s note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland.
With the JC Tretter-led boycott of voluntary OTA practices now expired, the complete Browns roster – 90 strong – is expected to attend coach Kevin Stefanski’s mandatory minicamp beginning on Tuesday.
The minicamp, which runs through Thursday, will be both the first chance and the last chance for the Browns to be fully together until training camp convenes in late July.
Stefanski has described it as a learning camp, not a competitive one, so the level of intensity on the practice field is expected to be on the lower side. Players will work on the field in helmets, jerseys and shorts for about two hours on Tuesday and Wednesday and one hour on Thursday.
It’s not enough time, really, to resolve all the issues lingering among the position groups. So the following questions won’t be answered until well into the three-game preseason schedule in August.
Defensive line
1. How much can be expected out of free agent pickups Jadeveon Clowney and Takk McKinley after they missed eight and 12 games, respectively, with injuries last year?
2. With eight defensive tackles squaring off for four jobs, will the new starting tandem be better than departed duo Sheldon Richardson and Larry Ogunjobi?
3. Can hulking lineman Malik McDowell complete an improbable comeback and make an NFL roster for the first time since drafted in 2017?
Linebacker
1. With an average weight of 227.3 pounds – lightest in the league – have the Browns overdone the emphasis on speed over size?
2. What’s a realistic expectation for rookie hybrid Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah?
3. Can Mack Wilson beat the odds, bounce back from a disappointing season and legitimately compete for a starting spot?
Secondary
1. Who will win the marquee battle of training camp for the second starting cornerback spot between Greedy Williams and rookie Greg Newsome?
2. Can Grant Delpit return from Achilles surgery for coordinator Joe Woods to implement a three-safety alignment with John Johnson and Ronnie Harrison?
3. Can Troy Hill (two Pick 6’s with the Rams last year) bring a new dimension to the nickel back position?
Offensive line
1. Will Jedrick Wills make a big jump in his second season at left tackle?
2. Can rookie James Hudson develop rapidly enough as a swingman to displace veteran Chris Hubbard as the line’s sixth man?
3. What effort will the Browns make to re-sign emerging All-Pro guard Wyatt Teller, who’s entering his final year before free agency?
Wide receiver
1. What’s Odell Beckham Jr.’s mindset and physical shape after rehabbing from ACL surgery while the offense matured without him?
2. Can Kevin Stefanski re-implement Beckham into the passing game without destroying the chemistry that flourished with Rashard Higgins, KhaDarel Hodge and Donovan Peoples-Jones?
3. How much can rookies Anthony Schwartz and Demetric Felton be incorporated into an already crowded offensive picture?
Tight end
1. Was David Njoku’s late-season surge a sign of professional maturity or does he fall in line behind Austin Hooper and Harrison Bryant as the third tight end?
2. Will the top three tight ends be more involved in the passing game after combining for 89 receptions, 886 yards, and 9 TDs last year?
3. Does Bryant have a ball security problem?
Running back
1. Will Nick Chubb receive a contract extension before the season?
2. Is this the year that coaches develop a package to utilize Chubb and Kareem Hunt in the backfield together?
3. Will Felton and D’Ernest Johnson compete for the same No. 3 back/special teams role?
Quarterback
1. Will Baker Mayfield receive a contract extension before the season?
2. Was Mayfield’s last eight games the baseline of what’s to be expected as he enters a second season with the same coaches and system for the first time?
3. As Case Keenum enters his second season, is Kyle Lauletta seen as a legit future replacement as the backup?
