The waiting period is about over and the NFL season is just right around the corner. For the Cleveland Browns specifically, they will begin training camp next week and have three preseason games in August to ramp up for the 2024 campaign.
Throughout the preseason games, the Browns have never played the starters much under the current regimen. There shouldn’t be an expectation that will change, so the opportunity is going to be there for players who may not be at the top of the depth chart.
Every year, camp darlings come about, and last year it was wide receiver Austin Watkins. This year, a few players standout that could have fans interested.
G Javion Cohen
Cohen was the Browns’ top undrafted free agent signing and a player that many believed would be drafted . Cohen was a strong pass blocker in college and did not give up a sack until his senior season at Miami. A former starter at Alabama too, so he has seen his fair share of good competition.
Cracking the roster won’t be way when you add that the Browns drafted a guard in Zak Zinter, but it is doable. Each of the last couple of seasons, the Browns have rostered an undrafted free agent. Cohen could be next in line.
RB Nyhiem Hines
Hines is a veteran and well-known but the perfect kind of player to stand out in training camp. Hines has never stood out as a pure running back, instead, he has been a tremendous pass catcher out of the backfield over the course of his career. Add in his return ability and you have a player that can make an exciting play pop at any given time.
With the timeline unknown on when Nick Chubb is going to be ready to go, Hines could be a key part of the offense early on in the season. As far as through training camp and the preseason, we could hear his name a lot.
WR Jamari Thrash
The thought was that Cleveland would take a wide receiver early in the NFL Draft, but they waited until later to draft Thrash. It could end up being a very nice value pick, as Thrash is a well-rounded receiver who was a late bloomer in college.
With Amari Cooper possibly out some of training camp, the opportunity is there for more reps to be given out to the rest of the roomer. No one else on the roster can replicate what Cooper can do, but the opportunity is a bonus to others in itself. Thrash can win downfield and get open and has a chance to carve out a depth role in Year 1 with Cleveland.
DT Mike Hall Jr.
The Browns top draft pick from the most recent cycle is a player that many will have eyes on when the pads go on and for good reason. Hall has a chance to be an important factor for the Browns as an interior pass rusher. A young player stepping up and being a piece to build around in the middle of the defense would be big for roster building.
A strong training camp from Hall could make a player like Maurice Hurst expendable. Hall being another productive pass rusher would be a big development for Jim Schwartz’s unit.
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