Undrafted safety D'Anthony Bell is on the verge of bucking two trends in the Andrew Berry era. (Cleveland Browns)
Second thoughts: The one Browns player to come out of nowhere to (possibly) make the team
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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.
Second thoughts on the Browns’ 21-20 loss to Chicago Bears …
1. In two previous seasons of the Andrew Berry-Kevin Stefanski partnership, no drafted player has been released and no undrafted player has made the initial 53-player roster. One player this year can buck both of those trends. Safety D’Anthony Bell, undrafted from West Florida, has been a turnover machine all summer. He swatted a ball loose in the first preseason game in Jacksonville and did it again in the last game against the Bears. He’s had at least two Pick 6’s in practices. Bell is over-aged for a rookie at 25 because of his circuitous path to the NFL – redshirted at Albany State, transferred to Iowa Central Community College, out of football one year, then to Butler Community College and two years at West Florida sandwiched around a canceled 2020 season due to the COVID pandemic. Bell was signed after exposure to defensive backs coach Jeff Howard at the 2022 East-West Shrine Bowl. If Bell makes the team as the fourth safety – he deserves it – he could knock 2021 fifth-round pick Richard LeCounte off the roster. There is a chance both could make the squad, but Bell has been more impressive. Bell was ranked 26th among safeties in the 2022 draft by The Athletic’s Dane Brugler, whose analysis of Bell proved spot on: “Overall, Bell faces a learning curve at the NFL level, but he has an appealing blend of size, speed and physicality with the talent to make an NFL roster,” Brugler wrote in his 2022 NFL Draft Guide.
2. Other than LeCounte, none among Berry’s three draft classes appears in roster trouble. The Browns simply won’t give up on receiver Anthony Schwartz this soon. And linebacker Tony Fields seems to be coming on as a special teams core player after an injury-marred rookie season. Six of Berry’s 24 picks should open the 2022 season as starters – left tackle Jedrick Wills, safety Grant Delpit, defensive tackle Jordan Elliott and linebacker Jacob Phillips from the Class of 2020; cornerback Greg Newsome and linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah from the Class of 2021. And the Class of 2022 has shown immediate promise, led by kicker Cade York, cornerback M.J. Emerson, running back Jerome Ford and defensive end Isaiah Thomas. Receiver David Bell also has come on of late and uncharacteristically quiet defensive tackle Perrion Winfrey hit the stat sheet with a fumble recovery in the Bears game. It’s imperative that Berry and his staff hit on middle-round picks because they will be without first-round selections in 2023 and 2024 due to the trade for quarterback Deshaun Watson, whose 11-game NFL suspension begins on Tuesday.
3. Chalk this up to quarterback fatigue: Reporters fired 12 questions at Stefanski in a Sunday afternoon Zoom conference and not a single one was about the quarterback situation. The Watson scandal has exhausted everyone. Jacoby Brissett’s first preseason appearance inspired nobody. And everyone is trying not to overreact to Joshua Dobbs’ impressive preseason. At this point, I would be surprised if Berry made a play for Jimmy Garoppolo. Nobody in the building seems to like him. More likely, the Browns will sign a quarterback to the practice squad. Might be Josh Rosen. Might be somebody else.
4. Berry is on the spot to acquire a decent receiver in trade or on the waiver wire. After Amari Cooper, the position group is woefully sub-par. Donovan Peoples-Jones has been the Invisible Man, Schwartz is a basket case, and the rest have been underwhelming. Bell is coming on and looks like a move-the-chains possession receiver – a more dedicated Rashard Higgins but less than a Jarvis Landry. Demetric Felton is WR5 right now. I don’t see a sixth receiver worth keeping on the active roster. Look for rookie Michael Woods to start the year on an injury list.
5. Some awards and dubious distinctions from training camp and preseason:
Biggest surprise: Dobbs, by far. Smart, athletic, assertive, productive and a decent arm. Who knew? But, please, stop with the leaps at the goal line. They are an injury waiting to happen.
Most exciting rookie: York. His tape-measure kicks in pre-game warmups are fast becoming legend. Can’t wait for upcoming duels with Justin Tucker and Evan McPherson. Imagine the AFC North title being decided by a kicker. It can happen.
Veteran player most likely to take a giant leap: Elliott. Myles Garrett singled him out as a breakout player-to-watch.
Saddest development: Jakeem Grant’s season-ending Achilles injury. The return specialist was so excited to “make history” with the Browns. His loss leaves the Browns with a committee of meh at returner.
Biggest disappointment: Schwartz. Over-drafted in the third round – don’t blame him – he not only has a problem catching the ball, he looks like a fish out of water at the position running routes, making adjustments and contesting catches.
Most likely thing to happen at running back: Browns don’t make a trade and keep four running backs on roster.
Best interview: John Johnson. Unceasingly candid, positively energetic and insightful.
Worst interview: Donovan Peoples-Jones. Polite but uncomfortably reticent and unwilling to engage in any meaningful dialogue.
