Line coach Bill Callahan will make call on who plays left tackle for Browns in Baltimore
You must have an active subscription to read this story.
Click Here to subscribe Now!
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 Browns practice and interviews …
As the Browns turned attention to the biggest game of the year against the Baltimore Ravens, the good news is there was no question about the play status of quarterback Deshaun Watson.
But there’s always a brushfire for the coaches to put out and the one this week is kindling at left tackle.
With Jedrick Wills out a minimum of four weeks with an MCL sprain in his right knee, the logical choice to start Sunday in Baltimore against the NFL’s No. 1 sack team is James Hudson. There are complications, however.
Hudson has made seven career starts in his three seasons and all have been at right tackle. Further, Hudson practiced at right tackle on Wednesday because Dawand Jones was a DNP with knee and shoulder injuries.
So, who’s the Browns left tackle on Sunday?
“We have options,” coach Kevin Stefanski said.
Such as?
“The tackles on our roster,” he answered.
Those options include recently-signed Leroy Watson and Geron Christian, plus Alex Leatherwood on the practice squad. Moving left guard Joel Bitonio is an emergency option. He started at left tackle against the Raiders in a game in 2021 because of COVID issues to others. Another option – not likely – would be to move Jones to left tackle and enable Hudson to play at right tackle.
Kevin Stefanski said he'll 'lean heavily' on line coach Bill Callahan to decide the best option at left tackle this week in Baltimore. (Cleveland Browns)
Since Jack Conklin went down in Game 1 and forced Jones prematurely in at right tackle, Hudson has been trained at both tackle spots.
“Coach [Scott] Peters and Coach [Bill] Callahan have trained me and helped me get better on both sides. If the situation presents itself, no matter what side, I’m good,” Hudson said.
The bottom line is this: Callahan will make the call on who starts at left tackle.
Stefanski affirmed, “Coach Callahan does a great job with the game plan, with developing players, all those things. I lean heavily on his expertise really in all situations, but particularly right now.”
Long and short of it
There’s no question Watson is still in the process of recapturing his former game. One of his obvious shortcomings has been accuracy on shorter throws.
After his return to the field in a 27-0 blanking of the Cardinals, Watson conceded his accuracy isn’t where he wants it.
“I was 19 for 30, so I missed a couple of throws that I want, that I know I can make, and, yeah, we just got to keep striving, and I’m striving to get better each and every opportunity that I get,” he said on Sunday.
I revisited this topic with Watson on Wednesday and asked if it’s just a matter of getting his timing back in order to complete those touch throws.
“No, I mean, there’s nothing about getting anything back. It’s just connecting with the guys. That’s pretty much it,” he said.
Watson had a career completion percentage of .669 coming into this season. This year he is at .620 in four complete games and one in which he was pulled after one quarter.
I asked Stefanski his thoughts on Watson’s accuracy issues, particularly on shorter passes. His answer: “I’d have to look at the numbers. Are you going off of last week? Yeah, I wouldn’t … I think we’re early into his season, if you will. So not a major concern.”
Brownie bits
Slot cornerback Greg Newsome (groin) was a DNP after missing the Arizona game. With backup slot corner Cameron Mitchell now on injured reserve, Mike Ford would be next man up if Newsome doesn’t play. The Ravens use a lot of three-receiver formations with rookie Zay Flowers manning the slot. He’s their leading receiver with 45 catches on 62 targets for 472 yards and one touchdown …
Other Browns who missed practice with injuries were receiver David Bell (knee), receiver Marquise Goodwin (concussion), tight end David Njoku (knee), and running back Pierre Strong (hamstring) …
Running back Kareem Hunt, on what the Browns have to do offensively against Baltimore’s No. 2-ranked defense: “We just got to take care of the football. We can’t turn the ball over. We got to go out there and execute our job and just be detailed and we got to go out there and fight. We got to go out there and win our one-on-one matchups and battle.”
