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https://dawgpounddaily.com/2021/06/02/cleveland-browns-5-biggest-training-camp-wildcard/

Cleveland Browns: 5 biggest training camp wildcards

The Cleveland Browns have one of the strongest rosters in the NFL and aren’t wanting for contributors at most positions.

However, they do have some very intriguing talents fighting for jobs, and some could end up making significant impacts for the team in 2021.

Here are five of them.

5. WR Derrick Willies
On his second stint with the team, Derrick Willies was a key part of Cleveland’s upset victory over the Baltimore Ravens in 2018, catching three of his five targets for 61 yards. He’s struggled with injuries since and has been waived multiple times, but the current front office and coaching staff thought enough of him to sign him to the practice squad in November.



He was active for just one game, the loss to the Jets thanks to COVID-19 ravaging the wide receiver room, but saw just three snaps. Given the performance of the other backups, it was both surprising and disappointing to see him not be given a chance considering he had previously worked with Mayfield.

Willies isn’t a burner, but he’s very explosive and agile for his 6-4, 207-pound frame, and provides elite size, something the rest of the WR room cannot offer. It is uncommon for a 6-4 receiver to move as well as he does, and it’s likely why the Browns have kept him around, albeit on and off, for the past few seasons through multiple coaches and general managers.

The wideout faces an uphill battle to make the roster, but he’s very talented. If he can remain healthy, he has a chance to show some things in camp.

NEXT: No. 4

4. CB Kiondre Thomas
Marvin Wilson will almost certainly make the final roster, but it’s a major longshot for all of the other undrafted free agents. Kiondre Thomas has perhaps the best chance to do so because of the position he plays, the team’s lack of depth there, and his elite athleticism.


Thomas was a solid collegiate player for both the Minnesota Golden Gophers and Kansas State Wildcats, but his athletic testing indicates some untapped potential. He ran a nice 4.44-second 40-yard dash and put up quality marks in the explosiveness and agility tests as well. He lacked ball production intercepting only one pass and defending 11 over 30 games, which is a concern. There is, of course, a reason he was not drafted despite his solid physical profile.

He’ll be competing with the likes of A.J. Green, Robert Jackson, and M.J. Stewart for the final cornerback spots. Assuming full health of the room, Denzel Ward, Greg Newsome, Greedy Williams, and Troy Hill are entrenched as the top four players.

That likely leaves two spots remaining, and considering the importance of the position as well as the injury history of the top three guys, quality depth becomes all the more critical.

While Thomas has been an outside-only player, his special teams experience and physical talent gives him a shot at the final 53, and a practice squad spot failing that.



3. OL Alex Taylor
Cleveland’s offensive line room was crowded even before the fourth-round selection of James Hudson. There will be some quality players cut or traded, and one of those could be Alex Taylor. Undrafted in 2020, Taylor bounced between the team’s injured reserve and practice squad with a cut or two sprinkled in.


Taylor is inexperienced and technically unrefined, but he is a lab-built scheme fit for this team and a perfect project for legendary OL coach Bill Callahan. He stands 6-8 with monstrous 36 1/8 -inch arms and jumped 116 inches in the broad jump. He’s an easy mover who has played both tackle spots, making him a potential long-term backup swing tackle, the role currently filled by Chris Hubbard.

Entering his second season, Taylor is behind Hudson in the depth pecking order, but moving on from such a talented player just because of the numbers game is not something that will be done hastily.

He may not make the final roster, but passing through waivers again is unlikely. The Browns have only four or five backup OL spots available, and at least six or seven players deserving of them. These are the types of dilemmas that good, deep teams must deal with.

2. EDGE Curtis Weaver
Curtis Weaver was an extremely productive college player, totaling 34 sacks and 47.5 tackles for loss over three seasons at Boise State. He has a very odd athletic profile; an unusual 6-2, 265-pound frame, poor explosiveness, and elite agility, all of which show up on tape.


He lacks burst, but shows quality hand usage and excellent bend, which made him one of Pro Football Focus’s top 25 prospects. He fell all the way to the fifth round due to injury concerns, and was then cut after just a week of practice. The Browns claimed him and stashed him on injured reserve all year, and he has worked hard to “transform” his body according to general manager Andrew Berry.

The top three EDGE spots are taken by Myles Garrett, Jadeveon Clowney, and Takk McKinley, but with how much defensive coordinator Joe Woods likes to rotate his linemen, the fourth end will have a role, and that could be Weaver.

He’ll need to show off that transformed body as well as increased aggressiveness in run support if he hopes to earn a spot, but his technique and bend give him two superior traits. We’ll see if the risk the team took ends up paying off.

1. DL Malik McDowell
Speaking of risks, it was a surprise to see the Browns bring in Malik McDowell because Berry and company have typically stayed far away from players with character issues. His off-field problems are well-documented, but the team clearly feels comfortable with where McDowell is mentally right now.


This is likely McDowell’s last chance to do something in the NFL, which is sad considering the immense talent he has. We could easily be discussing him as the best defensive tackle in the NFL right now not named Aaron Donald if McDowell had stayed clean and committed himself to coaching. Neither of those things happened in Seattle, and his career is now on the line.

As a prospect, McDowell’s combination of size, length, strength, and explosiveness was unrivaled in his own class and has yet to be matched. On a roster stacked with high draft picks, McDowell may be second to only Myles Garrett in terms of pure talent. He was raw and inconsistent at Michigan State, but was still able to dominate games with little effort.

It’s difficult to overstate how talented McDowell is, but talent is only part of the equation. Coming out, he publicly stated he wasn’t interested in being coached, and that was evident in his lack of technique.

An ATV injury that caused him severe injuries and multiple run-ins with the law have kept him off the field; he’s never taken an NFL snap and last played a football game on November 5th, 2016, and it’s hard to develop when you aren’t playing, or even practicing.


It’s hard to call McDowell anything but a longshot, but if he has truly changed and is ready to put in the work, he could make the roster as the last DL, providing both DT and EDGE versatility, quite similar to Malik Jackson.


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I think that Weaver and McDowell are the two I'm most looking forward to see what happens.

The front office seems VERY big on Weaver, and McDowell - if he is truly seeking redemption - could be a dirt-cheap monster.

The coolest thing is that we have enough talent and depth that we can afford to try to develop guys like this.


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... there goes Joe Thomas, the best there ever was in this game.

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6 Months ago, rofl if you want the Browns to sign you, tell them you are a long jumper whom the Bucc's have interest in.
Moving on, back to your regularly scheduled message board debate.

I like All of those players, (cept 1 a lil less ehh).

I would Love to See Kiondre on the team making plays, with his 4.38 40 (ahem! not 4.44) and knocking passes down, Get after it, get to it.

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Can Deshaun Watson play better for the Browns, than Baker Mayfield would have? ... Now the Games count.
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Upon 2nd look,
If Curtis Weaver is not on the 53 roster I'll be wondering what happened.
Level of play?
Somebody has to play DE opposite Myles.


Can Deshaun Watson play better for the Browns, than Baker Mayfield would have? ... Now the Games count.
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Sure. It’s not like we have Clowney.


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And Takk.


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Originally Posted By: PortlandDawg
Sure. It’s not like we have Clowney.


Totally wrote him off, and Takk McKinley too, but as #1 options are they really going to have a lot to prove,

That's what it is with Takk and Clowney, if they provide anything it's a bonus, the motivation factor, hope they can have some, well Clowney against the run,
and sometimes some will be dropping into coverage.

But true Edge Rusher,
Sure Clowney's in there! What am I nuts? (don't answer)
But I think we'll see, Weaver would really surprise me if he doesn't make the team.


Can Deshaun Watson play better for the Browns, than Baker Mayfield would have? ... Now the Games count.
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