Browns return to their beginnings as an expansion franchise
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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.
Twenty-five years ago the NFL christened the Browns’ expansion era with an appearance in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game.
There was pomp.
There was circumstance.
There was a billionaire owner in Al Lerner, a respected team president in Carmen Policy, and a shiny franchise quarterback hopeful in Tim Couch. There was a sexy opponent in the Jerry Jones’ Dallas Cowboys. Future Hall of Famer Troy Aikman started the game at quarterback for “America’s Team.”
Anticipation was great. Northeast Ohio had their Browns back (sort of) after three years of purgatory, caused when former owner Art Modell absconded the once-great franchise created by Paul Brown and made an end run to Baltimore to avoid personal bankruptcy. Everyone was ready for the franchise re-boot.
The Browns won two games in their first season back and three in their second. And that wasn’t even as bad as it got.
Who could have envisioned the next quarter-century? Three winning seasons and two playoff appearances in 24 years. A 1-15 season in 2016 followed by 0-16 – only the second such season in NFL history. Cleveland deserved so much more.
So now we’ve all come full circle to Canton, where it all began. The Browns inaugurate the 2023 NFL season in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game Thursday night at 8 against the New York Jets.The anticipation of the Browns' silver anniversary season of their expansion era is greater than ever.
The Browns have another franchise quarterback hopeful in Deshaun Watson, new receivers, and a new (familiar) defensive coordinator who promises to lead the league in “bad-assery.”
There’s a billionaire owner who spares no expense to improve the franchise, an Ivy League front office with all the algorithms to keep the team ahead of the curve, and a passionate fan base begging for just one Super Bowl appearance in a generation. Just one.
This 2023 season starts with a celebration of the life and legacy of Jim Brown, the franchise’s greatest player who died in May, and the induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame of Joe Thomas, the expansion franchise’s greatest player, on Saturday.
It’s the Browns’ Silver Anniversary season of their expansion era. Maybe it will be fun.
Kellen Mond spent the entire 2022 season with the Browns after being claimed after the 53 roster cut.. He will make his first game appearance in the Pro Football Hall of Fame game against the New York Jets.
The QB3 battle royale
Coach Kevin Stefanski coined this extra fourth exhibition game as Preseason Game Zero. Neither Watson nor QB2 Joshua Dobbs will play. Nor will any starters. It’s an opportunity for the backups and young players to ball out and be noticed. The quarterbacks who play will be fighting for their roster lives.
QB3 Kellen Mond will start the game and play the first half for the Browns. And then 2023 fifth-round pick Dorian Thompson-Robinson will play the second half.
One will make the 53 roster. The other could be mothballed on the practice squad or be poached by another team.
Mond was claimed by the Browns last year at the 53 cut. He never played a game for the Browns. He was a third-round pick of the Minnesota Vikings in 2021. He had over 9,000 passing yards and 1,500 rushing yards in four seasons with Texas A&M.
Mond said, “I’m really excited. First time putting a Browns jersey on in a game, going to be able to start Hall of Fame game and have been off to a good start in training camp. So, I’m really excited.”
Mond will be relieved after halftime by Dorian Thompson-Robinson, a cocksure, young talent who played five years at UCLA and set several record.
Thompson-Robinson said: “It’s going to be super exciting. I’m obviously going to have family there and close friends, so super excited to be able to have them there and share that experience with me. But I’m ready to just go out there and get an opportunity to play. Being a rookie, you don’t really get as much practice reps, so finally being able to get in the game, the time is yours and you get to go out there and show what you can do. It’s fun for me.”
Watch these
Beyond the quarterbacks, here’s what I’ll be watching:
* The offensive tackles.
The starters could be Tyrone Wheatley Jr. at left tackle and James Hudson at right tackle. But because Wheatley suffered a minor injury at the bottom of the pile in the second fight in the final practice at The Greenbrier, he might not play. If so, Hudson will start at left tackle and behemoth 2023 fourth-round pick Dawand Jones would start at right tackle.
The young tackles have not looked good, to be honest.
* Jerome Ford.
The second-year running back made a mark as a rookie on kickoff returns but had only 8 carries for 12 yards as the fourth back last year behind Nick Chubb, Kareem Hunt and D’Ernest Johnson. Ford is undisputed RB2 behind Nick Chubb. He has displayed his receiving skills in practices, but he needs running reps in the preseason.
* Cedric Tillman.
The 2023 third-round draft pick from Tennessee is the biggest receiver in camp. He had a great junior year at Tennessee, but an ankle injury his senior year dropped him down in the pre-draft rankings. Tillman, 6-3 ½ and 213 pounds, has been very active in his first Browns training camp. His sell-out dive for a sideline catch from Mond at Tuesday’s practice was a preseason highlight.
* Austin Watkins.
An original undrafted free agent of the 49ers, this hulking 6-3, 209-pound receiver was added after Marquise Goodwin was diagnosed with blood clots in his neck and legs. Watkins has looked like a player in practice. Can he be a player in games? Play him.
* Siaki Ika.
The 2023 third-round pick from Baylor has a golden opportunity to earn first-team reps at defensive tackle. Can the 6-4, 358-pound Polynesian provide the internal pass rush, or is he just another space-eating, defensive tackle?
* Special teams.
New ST coordinator Bubba Ventrone abhors penalties. So zero penalties on Browns kicking teams are essential to earn a spot on the roster. Return specialist Jakeem Grant’s availability was not known. If he is active, his is worth watching.
