First-year Browns coach Hue Jackson will get to the bottom of several unsolved mysteries about his team in the coming weeks.
Although Jackson and his staff developed ideas in spring practices about which players will start or fill other prominent roles in the fall, their theories won’t be truly tested until pads are strapped on and hitting commences in training camp. Camp opens Friday at Browns headquarters in Berea. Pads and contact will be permitted beginning Sunday.
Jackson has vowed to feature live hitting during a physical camp. The approach should add intrigue to the team’s myriad position battles.
Here’s a review of the competitions on offense heading into camp.
Quarterback
Projected starter: Robert Griffin III
Analysis: Griffin will receive every chance to win the job after signing a two-year, $15 million contract in March, though inconsistent performances in spring practices open to reporters have prompted questions about whether he’ll squander those chances. Should he collapse, incumbent starter Josh McCown would regain control of the offense. But the smart money is on Griffin, who has taken the vast majority of first-team reps this offseason. Remember, the Browns acquired him because Jackson believes he can revive the career of the 2012 NFL offensive rookie of the year. It won’t happen if he’s on the bench. Rookie third-round draft pick Cody Kessler is a distant third in this race. The main question about him is whether he can develop enough this summer to become a viable No. 2. McCown’s future in Cleveland could hinge on it, especially if an injury to a quarterback on another team facilitates a trade. Austin Davis will likely be the odd man out unless McCown is moved.
Offensive line
Projected starters: Joe Thomas (left tackle), Joel Bitonio (left guard), Cameron Erving (center), John Greco (right guard) and Alvin Bailey (right tackle)
Analysis: Perhaps no competition on the team is as wide open as the one at right tackle, where Mitchell Schwartz started the past four years before being allowed to flee to the Kansas City Chiefs in March as a free agent. Bailey, a free-agent acquisition from the Seattle Seahawks, took almost all of the reps with the starters in the spring and remains in the driver’s seat. But rookie third-round pick Shon Coleman could push Bailey after spending the spring rehabilitating a surgically repaired right knee. Those two are set to duel for the starting gig with rookie fifth-round pick Spencer Drango, Michael Bowie and Austin Pasztor on the periphery of the right tackle Royal Rumble. Despite his rookie struggles in four games at guard last season, Erving appears to be unchallenged as the successor to three-time Pro Bowl center Alex Mack, who signed with the Atlanta Falcons in March. Moving Greco to center would probably be the most palpable contingency plan if Erving fails to deliver.
Wide receiver
Projected starters: Corey Coleman, Rashard Higgins and Andrew Hawkins (slot)
Analysis: Recently reinstated Josh Gordon needs to recover from a quadriceps injury before he can begin practicing, but if he can do so and be even half the player he was when he led the NFL in receiving yards in 2013, he’ll start when he’s done serving a four-game suspension. The entire NFL will be watching to see how good he can be after sitting out what would be 31 of 36 games. The four drafted rookies are Coleman (first round), Higgins (fifth), Ricardo Louis (fourth) and Jordan Payton (fifth). Coleman and Higgins have shown the most promise in the early stages, so Louis and Payton will likely fight several returning players to make the team, including Marlon Moore, Taylor Gabriel, Rannell Hall and Darius Jennings. Ex-quarterback Terrelle Pryor seems destined for the 53-man roster because his versatility complements Jackson’s creativity as a play-caller.
Running back
Projected starter: Isaiah Crowell
Analysis: The Browns are sticking with Crowell despite his infamous misdeed on social media, so he’s still expected to receive the majority of the carries in Jackson’s balanced attack. The staff views Duke Johnson as an explosive receiving threat. He’ll also rush a good amount, but the coaches will be careful not to burn him out with too many carries. Raheem Mostert, Terrell Watson and Glenn Winston will vie for No. 3 on the depth chart. Mostert’s value as a kickoff returner could give him a leg up, but Watson can’t be dismissed because Jackson brought him from Cincinnati. The pads will dictate whether Malcolm Johnson is adequate at fullback coming off a lackluster rookie season or whether a tight end should be converted.
Tight end
Projected starter: Gary Barnidge
Analysis: As long as his expectation to rebound from June 2 sports hernia surgery is fulfilled, Barnidge is a lock to start coming off his breakout season. Jackson likes to use two tight ends, though, so there still ought to be some curiosity here. The investment of a fourth-round pick would make rookie Seth DeValve the logical leader for the No. 2 role against Connor Hamlett, E.J. Bibbs, Randall Telfer and undrafted rookie J.P. Holtz. DeValve, however, has an injured hamstring, and Hamlett impressed in the spring.
Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Browns blog at www.ohio.com/browns. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/NateUlrichABJ and on Facebook www.facebook.com/abj.sports.