Jacoby Brissett's preseason debut was also his preseason finale. That's the problem. (Cleveland Browns)
Browns work with Jacoby Brissett has only just begun as preseason ends on a rocky note
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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.
After producing three points in six series of work, Jacoby Brissett said it was “a step in the right direction.”
Which is something you say after your first preseason game, which it was for the Browns’ replacement starting quarterback.
But it was also his last preseason game. There are no more practice games.
“The plan” meticulously implemented by coach Kevin Stefanski to prepare Brissett for the season amid the chaos of Deshaun Watson’s legal proceedings and NFL suspension has reached the “hurry up, let’s go” phase.
The lingering feeling after the Browns’ 21-20 loss to the Chicago Bears in the preseason finale was that there was plenty of work to do in the 15 days before the season opens in Charlotte, NC, against Baker Mayfield and the Carolina Panthers.
Brissett managed just seven first downs and 152 offensive yards in six series. These weren’t the 1986 Chicago Bears, mind you. This was an opponent vying for the first pick in the 2023 draft.
“Obviously, we have more time coming up in the next two weeks,” Brissett said, sounding infinitely more carefree than the occasion warranted. “Today was definitely a good stepping-stone – getting in and out of the huddle, calling the plays and hearing it from Kev [through his helmet receiver]. I thought today was good.”
In six series, Brissett completed 13 of 23 passes for 109 yards. Amari Cooper, Nick Chubb, Kareem Hunt and two starting offensive linemen did not play.
Brissett was victimized by two more Anthony Schwartz drops. A deep ball for the young Schwartz just evaded his outstretched right hand. Another time, Schwartz was knocked to the ground making a cut on his route and Brissett’s pass for him was intercepted. Schwartz was targeted six times and caught one pass for eight yards. He was booed after his last targeted ball on a short slant banged off his hands.
“As you saw, I kept going back to him because of the confidence I do have in him,” Brissett said. “Look, it is part of the game. It is nothing to beat him up about. I was talking to him on the sideline like, ‘It’s just scar tissue. Just go back to work. Keep trusting yourself. When the page turns, you are on the other side of it.’”
The page turned on Schwartz, all right. But his roster spot will not pass him by.
“No,” Stefanski said. “Respectfully, we are going to make sure that we deal with things that are important, which are our players and how they respond to these things.”
The coach continued, “He is very accountable. I know he wants to be better. I know he will work very hard. All of our guys are going to continue to try to get better, and I know Anthony will, as well.”
Brissett’s spotty preseason debut for the Browns overshadowed another interesting performance by QB3-turned-QB2 Joshua Dobbs.
Dobbs played three series. The Browns scored a field goal and a touchdown with Dobbs on the field. The field goal was a gimme 46-yarder by Cade York after a Bears fumble.
But the touchdown came on 19-play, 89-yard march on which Dobbs converted the touchdown on a fourth-down pass of 6 yards to tight end Miller Forristall. Dobbs then converted the 2-point play with a scramble run punctuated by a leap just inside the near pylon.
Playing in every practice game, Dobbs produced nine scores in 11 series – five touchdowns and four field goals.
Is there a quarterback controversy in the Browns’ future?
“Jacoby is our starter,” Stefanski said. “But I am proud of Josh Dobbs. He has done a really nice job. Again, he is somebody who has worked very, very hard from the beginning when he walked in the door with us in the spring and through now. He plays well in these games. He is a very, very accountable teammate. Very pleased with Josh Dobbs.”
Other highlights for the Browns:
* York made a 70-yard field goal with five yards to spare in pre-game warmups. A video of the practice kick went viral on the Internet before the game started. So when York lined up for a 58-yard try in the first quarter, a palpable buzz spread in FirstEnergy Stadium. The kick was wide left, but York atoned with field goals of 57 and 46 yards.
“It does not really matter in pre-game,” York said of his range. “I was just warming up. I missed a 58-yard field goal today. I did not hit the best ball then, but I think they are just testing me a bit in the preseason. When the game is on the line and we need something, we can push it back a little bit. We will see what happens moving forward.”
* The defense forced two fumbles, one on a cornerback blitz by Shaun Jolly recovered by tackle Perrion Winfrey and another when undrafted safety D’Anthony Bell ripped a loose ball after a catch and it was recovered by linebacker Jordan Kunaszyk.
Bell’s second turnover of the preseason might have secured him a roster spot.
“It was awesome,” Stefanski said. “He is a very ball-aware player. He does that in practice. We chart every single one of those, the guys that rip and punch and try to get that ball out. He is always near the top [of the chart].”
* Josh Rosen became the only quarterback other than Dobbs to produce a touchdown in the preseason. Rosen scored on a 1-yard sneak three plays after the second defensive turnover.
The Browns suffered injuries to guard Wyatt Teller (knee) and safety Grant Delpit (hip). Stefanski said he kept them out for precautionary reasons. The news wasn’t as good for defensive end Chris Odom. He was carted off the field with an injury to his left knee.
The next order of business is the team’s cut to 53 players. GM Andrew Berry and Stefanski have until Tuesday at 4 p.m. to cut or injury-list 27 players. Then it’s back to work.
Brissett and the No. 1 offense need a lot of work.
