Anthony Schwartz conceded his confidence was shaken by two drops in the first Browns preseason game. His opportunity to rebound comes this week in joint practices with the Eagles. (TheLandOnDemand)
It’s a big week for Browns receiver Anthony Schwartz, who must seize the moment in joint practices with the Eagles
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.
Takeaways from Day 14 of Browns training camp …
Before Tuesday’s practice, young Anthony Schwartz stood in front of media and answered for the offensive horror show the No. 1 offense produced in Jacksonville on Friday night.
Schwartz’s two drops contributed to Deshaun Watson’s miserable 1-for-5 outing in his Browns’ preseason debut.
“There’s no excuses for me dropping the ball,” Schwartz said, apologetically. “But I can see I was little too into my head, pretty much pressing and not letting the game come to me. And I think that’s a thing I need to work on and get better at, far as mentally.”
Schwartz needed to begin to stack some good practice days in a row, right through the joint sessions with the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday and Friday.
But on his first opportunity in an 11-on-11 drill, Jacoby Brissett’s pass glanced off his hands at the 5-yard line with Greedy Williams clearly beat.
Schwartz jogged through the end zone and looked like he wanted to keep on going through the exit gate to Beech Street.
But this is not a story of failure. It is a story of hope.
Everyone on the Browns hopes that Schwartz can play through his drops and turn it around. With a depleted receiving corps after No. 1 Amari Cooper and No. 2 Donovan Peoples-Jones, the opportunity screams for Schwartz to get a grip on his young career and seize the moment. His 4.29 40 speed is too valuable to give up on.
“He is very accountable to himself and his teammates,” coach Kevin Stefanski said. “He is excited to get back to work. I think the big thing for any of us when we drop a pass, make a bad call or whatever it is, you have to move on. You can’t dwell on those type of things.”
The good news was that Schwartz moved on from his drop in the early portion of Tuesday’s practice.
Later, in a 2-minute team period, Schwartz beat rookie cornerback M.J. Emerson at the line of scrimmage and sprinted down the right sideline on a go route. Brissett laid it in perfectly. Schwartz saw the ball into his hands over his right shoulder, and hung on as he tumbled into the end zone.
The crowd in attendance on the last day of training camp open to the public gave Schwartz a loud Bronx cheer. Schwartz jumped to his feet and gave a look to the bleachers like “See! I can do it!”
This is a pivotal week for Schwartz.
A year ago, he sat out the joint practices with the New York Giants with a hamstring injury. Those two competitive days spring-boarded then-rookie cornerback Greg Newsome into the starting lineup last season.
This year, the joint practices with the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday and Friday could be the platform for Schwartz to establish himself.
“Yeah, definitely,” Schwartz affirmed. “The energy goes up during these joint practices. Last year I missed the Giants [practices], but I was able to see the competitiveness and how high tempo it was. I can’t wait to be a part of it.”
“Like all of his other teammates, he needs to get out here and get some really good work,” Stefanski said. “I think they are two really solid work days so there is going to be lots of volume there and opportunity for guys to take that leap, so to speak.”
Everyone is rooting for Schwartz to take that leap. He is a likeable, earnest, young player. After the drops in Jacksonville, Watson told him, “We got you. I’m still coming to you. I trust in you.”
“It instills more confidence, instills more motivation,” Schwartz said. “It was a great feeling.”
Then he added, “I know I got to get better.”
Rock star
In a vote among media who regularly cover the Browns, kicker Cade York won the Maurice Bassett Award given to the most outstanding rookie of training camp.
“Is that a first [for a kicker]?” asked Stefanski.
The answer is yes.
In 32 previous years of the award – starting with defensive tackle David Morrill beating out Bernie Kosar in the 1985 training camp – no kicker has ever won it.
It’s not like York didn’t face tough competition.
Emerson’s impressive camp was punctuated by a pry-away interception and then a 74-yard touchdown return ignited by a royal stiff-arm in the Jacksonville game. Running back Jerome Ford had TDs running and receiving in Jacksonville, plus a 41-yard run spurred by not one, not two, but three cutbacks.
But York has been rock solid in the specialist role the Browns have been looking to fill since Phil Dawson was banished in free agency 10 years ago.
The vote was announced before York went out and blasted 6 of 6 field goals – bringing his camp record to 28 of 30 – with the last two coming from 50 and 54 yards, as owner Jimmy Haslam peered from behind him.
Every one of York’s field goals on Tuesday actually sailed about 70 yards.
I can’t think of any kicker, Dawson included, who instilled so much confidence so soon in the entire team and coaching staff.
“I think all of our players have to have my trust – they have to trust me; I have to trust them,” Stefanski said. “They earn that on the practice field and they earn that in the games, but that is something that really is continual throughout the season.”
Brownie bits
The Browns claimed receiver Easop Winston, who was waived by the Saints. Interestingly, Winston, 6-0 and 192 pounds, and originally an undrafted free agent of the Rams, is more of a returner than a receiver. He had 10 punt returns for the Saints in 2021 for an 11.9-yard average …
The Browns got down to the 85-player roster limit. Among their moves was terminating the contract of defensive tackle Sheldon Day, placing center Nick Harris (knee) and center Dawson Deaton (knee) on injured reserve, and waiving linebacker Silas Kelly from injured reserve …
Cornerback Denzel Ward (foot) was activated from PUP. Ward took one rep in team drills. His participation in the joint practices with the Eagles will be decided on Thursday …
Defensive end Myles Garrett was excused for the third consecutive day for personal reasons. “He will be back when he is back,” Stefanski said …
Rookie defensive end Isaiah Thomas was out with a cast on his right hand. Thomas, who had two sacks and a tackle-for-loss in the first preseason game, told me he fractured a finger breaking a fall in Monday’s practice and could be out a couple weeks. Thomas was scheduled to be excused for the birth of his daughter in Tulsa in the next 10 days.
