DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Browns Players - Booms and Busts.

Seems like we have had this sort of thread in previous years right before the season kicks off.

Players I think will take a giant step forward from last year, or be surprise contributors:

- DPJ - I think (hope) last year's regression was more injury driven than anything else. I still think DPJ has the physical tools to be a good WR. Not a #1 - but a really solid #2. Last year he was anything but.
- Harrison Bryant - I think he's also going to remind us why we thought he was a steal in his rookie year.
- Cade York - Feel like he's going to be a rock star for us.
- Delpit - I've always loved that pick. I think if he stays healthy he may become a true playmaker for the D.

Not pulling their weight?

- Schwartz is just too easy to single out - but he's got to be on the list.
- Njoku - as much as I loved the pick when we drafted him, I just don't see an end to his inconsistencies. He'll make great catches that will make your jaw drop, then kill a drive with a drop or missed block.
- Hate to put a back up QB on the list - but I expect healthy JB to be as bad or worse than what we had last year. As much as I like KS's offense, I think Brissett's arm talent will hold it back as much or more than Baker ever did. Seriously hope I am wrong.

** Adding guys I expect and think will play at an elite level:

- Garrett, Ward, JOK. Maybe Newsome.
- Teller, Bitonio, Conklin, Chubb, Hunt, Cooper and Watson when he plays.

I had Nick Harris.

Boom
David Njoku he will benefit from The absence of Hooper. More targets,more opportunities to
Create mismatches. Not having a threat after Cooper means Njoku becomes a big part
Of the offense

David Bell. He should be able to get lots of chances considering DPJ or Schwartz
Have not took their games to next level

Bust
Anthony Schwartz. Overmatched. Afraid to get hit. But yet Berry is still
Convinced he can play

Tommy Togehi..he really didn't impress at OSU.
Doesn't draw double teams.the weak link on the dline

Boom; Jacob Phillips. I've liked him since we drafted him but he's been hurt. If he stays healthy, I feel he can be really good. Solid tackler who plays sideline to sideline. Bust: Anthony Schwartz. I like him and want him to do well but not showing much up until now.

Players I think will take a step forward or be a surprise contributor:

Bryant - He's going to completely outpace Njoku and be the TE focus point by week 7
York - IMHO, will solidify the position for years
Bell - if the Browns are going to any type of threat through the air, Bell will have to step up and be that "go to" guy
Newsome - his growth will continue to impress

Not pulling their weight:
Wills/Conklin - Wills will continue to be exposed at LT forcing the Browns to not exercise his 5th year option, Conklin: very suspect if he's healthy enough to play and could be an injury waiting to happen, IMO he'll miss multiple games
Njoku - one of the highest paid TE's in football will still be listed as having potential after year 6 - when will the Browns accept, he's a bust?
DT's - 2nd year in a row that the Browns field the lowest rated PFF DT's in the league - with OT issues in 2023, DT will still not be addressed in 2023
Stefanski - a 5-win season gives Stefanski a 3-year losing record and puts him directly in the crosshairs of being on the hot seat at the completion of week 18 games.

He is summarizing his 3 years at the helm including his projected 5-12 for this season. That would make him 24-26 over 3 seasons.

Just because I don't believe he's a good coach doesn't mean you have to agree. Yes, if the Browns only have 5-wins this year, Stefanski will have a 24-26 record over 3 years. That my friend is a losing record over his 3-year career. The Browns must post 7-wins this year for Stefanski to have a 3-year winning record. The facts hurt but it's a reality nipping at his heals. Question, how many coaches in the NFL are currently the head coach of a team going into year 4 with the talent the Browns possess with a career losing record while coaching that team? Answer: only Matt Rhule for the Panthers that's heading into year 4 with a 10-23 record with 25% of the talent the Browns field. Great company to be associated with as an NFL head coach if the Browns only win 5-games this year.

Ahhh - it dropped off the front page so I forgot about that thread.

JOK in my mind is already elite. I fully expect him to improve and cement himself as a top play making LBr. Instincts, speed/burst, intelligent, stays on his assignment - an sideline to sideline playmaker.

The title clearly says "Browns Players." Stefanski is not a player.

Dot connecting......expert mode.

Boom: i think Njoku will have a pretty good year stat-wise (and probably Harrison bryant) … I also think that Ford will have a good year when given the chances

Bust: I’d say Cooper won’t put up a good year stat-wise. He’s not a good outdoor player and has a bad QB to start … Also, I’ll go with Greedy. Didn’t like what I saw from him in the preseason.

From "The Master" at following the thread title.

How is JOK elite? He has skills that can make him elite. Where did he finish in the DROY voting?
I don't recall him making as many splash plays when the defense needed to make a stop.
I think he is a very good LB but he isn't top 5 yet

From what I saw last year - I expect JOK to be a top 10 player at his position this year. DPOY / DROY ... popularity contests more than true reflection of the players ability.

Boom - Cade York

Bust - Cooper. Browns will be a ball control offense featuring the RBs and TEs. He will not get usual high volume of targets. Frustration will surface.

I think defenses will roll their coverage towards Cooper when they are in zone and shadow him in man. That should open things up for others.

Boom:

Njoku, due to the reason above and he is probably our number 2 target. I also think he and Baker did not have a good connection.

I agree about York.

Hunt could have a big year. I think we will throw him the ball more.

I had AJ Green as my boom guy earlier, but he might lose snaps to Emerson???

I think JOK will have a productive year.


Bust:

All our DTs other than maybe Taven Bryan.

Ronnie Harrison.........he's undisciplined.

I can't say Schwartz because absolutely everyone on here hates him.

Boom: David Bell
Bust: David Njoku

It would be awfully nice if David Bell had a good year

Hmm.
Boom players. Michael Woods II,
D'Anthony Bell.
Demetric Felton
Sione Taki Taki, > or course .. goes without saying.

Still Booms, Greedy Williams,
James Hudson OT- ascending.
Jedrick Wills OT- solidifying
Ethan Pocic OC Proven Veteran flying under the radar.
If there has to be One Rb Boom but not all 4, probably Nick Chubb and his pass catching.

Could be Boom players A.J. Green
and Tony Fields II.
Josh Dobbs.

A bunch of Real Players who are already so proven that they are beyond Boom status:
Njoku-- in spite of how he's talked about on this message board.
Bitonio--
Clowney--
Garrett-- (when he's not hugging opponents after a game.)
Kareem Hunt
Wyatt Teller
Jack Conklin, and ,
the other one; my favorite OT whose name I can't remember, who starts often though some call him a backup.but was injured last year. (H)? Who once was a stiller at one time long ago.

Busts...
The Future of Analytics. And or,
The decisions made by Analytics in the future.

Great company to be associated with as an NFL head coach if the Browns only win 5-games this year."

If you really believe that they will only wi9n five games this year, you must be on some kind of an agenda. They won 8 with an injured QB who threw picks in the most important times in games. The defense has been upgraded and are going into their third year under Woods. Our running game and Oline are some of the best in the league.
I know you think Brissett is a bum, but your boy Baker was a bum last year, due to his injuries and arrogance. But Brissett ended up starting for Indy on little to no time to prepare for it, and still had them winning, until he was injured.

I watched Baker in the preseaon, and while he looks healthy, he was still forcing the ball into double coverage. I like Baker, and am not trying to say he is a bum, but IMO, the step down to Brissett is not that far. Our defense will win us many games this year, I would put money on it.

I don't hate Anthony Schwartz, I hate what the team is doing with him. ( A Huge difference )
Pretending he is something more than a track guy still learning the game of football which is Uber difficult 'after' your're on an NFL field.
And apparently planning to 'feature' him when he... (IF BARELY) no, NO, hasn't done Anything to show he should even be playing. (So far.)
( say Uber difficult instead of impossible, because, well, Nothing is impossible with GOD.
but, does the team "have' ta go outta it's way to prove that point? haha.

How many is the offense going to win for you?
It always comes down to offense, offense wins games so often, not just in football but in Basketball, Hockey, Soccer, team sports.
A concept So Basic, and so proven over time that it's extraordinary for the Browns to ignore it or overlook it.

Boom (per my head)
JOK
Callahan (dude can never get too much love... he's going to have Wills playing well now that he's healthy and whoever is in there at center will be serviceable)
Newsome... and really the whole secondary
The usual guys (Chubb, Garrett, Clowney, Ward, etc)

Boom (from the heart)
Hunt - I hope instead of running the wheels off Chubb like some on Twitter were saying (we really have the worst local sports reporting group), we instead give lots of carries to both Chubb and Hunt. If this is Hunt's last season here, I hope we showcase him in a way that allows us to move the offense without trying to throw it all over the field... and there really can't be anything more demoralizing for a defense than when Chubb has been pounding the ball and goes off for a breath... only for a fresh Hunt to come in.
Brissett - Hope he can just play within himself and hit open guys when they're there.
Dobbs - Would be nice to have some plays set up for him to show off his skills a little bit.


Bust
Njoku - TC showed that he's still as inconsistent as ever. Dude is going to get the snaps and looks, but I don't have a great feeling about what he's going to do with that.
Schwartz - This was just for completeness. Hate piling on the guy but good grief.
Ronnie H - I agree with Vers (I think it was Vers to mentioned Harrison). This guy is going to continue to lose snaps to Delpit and possibly others. He was a great pickup and all, but he seems to make the most boneheaded plays.

What position does he play?

Boom - Cade York, Grant Delpit, David Njoku, and Harrison Bryant

Bust - Only one, and he is the most obvious choice on offense...

Just hope that Cade York will provide kicker stability. Really the busts that needed to be cut but do not know how they are still on the team.

Everyone has their own right to their opinion. So yes, IMO - the Browns will be hard pressed to win more than 5 games. Offensively, they do not have the horses to put up over 25 points per week. If you look at their schedule for weeks 5-15, with the exception of Houston and New England, the Browns will need to score 25 points per game or more to post a victory IMO. I don't see us winning a game in the AFC North due to having the weakest WR group in the division. We also have the weakest DT's in the division. So, that would mean we will be last in passing and last in run defense in the division. That is not a recipe for winning in the AFC North.

I see the Browns losing 10 straight in the middle of the season. I see them winning 2 of the final 3 games with the final being a loss to PIT. That would mean the Browns must win 3 of the first 4 to get to 5 wins. IMO, ATL and the NYJ games are winners with the CAR a tossup and of course as explained, a loss to PIT.

You guys that insist on bringing up Baker to use in your arguments are the ones with an issue - not I. I also see the Brissett excuses are starting before we even play a game.

We’ve needed this since Dawson. It would be nice to feel comfortable inside the 40 yard line for once.

Everyone has a right to an opinion. Anyone has a right to agree or disagree. That's fine. I say we win between 6-8 games. Some are saying 10-11. Again, that's fine. I base my opinion on our weaknesses and strengths. Our strengths are not going to be able to overcome our weak WR's and our weak DT position. WE will probably have trouble moving the ball passing and stopping the run. Plus, if you look at our history we don't overcome adversity like this very well. I hope I'm wrong and we play better at these positions and JB plays better than we think he will. We'll start getting a better idea in a week.

They won 8 games with a totally different schedule in 2021.
Last year was a cupcake schedule for the Browns
Plus you add in The Ravens are healthy on defense.
The Bengals and Steelers made upgrades.
The Browns didn't face the Bills and Bucs last year
The Browns offense is facing better defenses in 2022 than 2021

All valid and plausible points.

Just curious... Are you saying Baker was more arrogant in 2021 than he was in 2020 when he helped lead the browns to the second round of the playoffs? Because I think you had it right up until the point you added the Haterade.

j/c:

The conversation on this thread has veered so far away from the actual topic that the latter is now just a distant memory.

I wonder if D'Anthony Bell could be a minor "boom" for us? Maybe on special teams as a dime defender in obvious passing situations? I like his quick-twitch and high motor. He impressed me against the Bears.

Boom - Both Njoku and Bryant. With Brissett at the helm for the first 11 weeks the tight end will be a major focus. I think the tight ends will excel in this offense with Brisett especially in the red zone.

David Bell - I think Bell will end up the steal of this draft. Just because of a slow 40 time of 4.6. That is the same forty time Jerry Rice ran when he ran at the combine in the 1980's. Now I am not saying Bell is destined for the hall of fame. But good hands , good route running, and knowing how to get open in pads are better qualities than blazing speed. See Schwartz!!! Just like the tight ends Brissett is more of a move the chains QB than taking deep shots. Look for Bell and the tight ends to be the main targets on 3rd down.

Kareem Hunt - Again looking at our QB's strengths and taking what the defense gives instead of taking shots and Hunt has good hands and run after catch ability. I'll predict most teams will try to take away the run game and the offense will be forced to use the short passing game to compliment the run. Hunt will excel in this role.

Bust - Anthony Schwartz. He is fast but not a great route runner and lacks good hands. Not a good combo for a WR.

The Steelers without Big Ben!!!

JOK is the linebacker we’ve wanted since the 90s

He is my big, bad, game-changing boom.

I won’t predict a bust.

Boom: Harrison Bryant. He will be the go to TE. Josh Dobbs. He will provide spark and take over the starting QB gig by week 3-4. Cade York. he is going to make the regular kicks and also make some long bombs. My fear is people will start complaining when he misses from 58 yards out. Come on folks, we need to keep it real once kicks start to near 50 yards. A lesser guy is LB Jordan Kunaszyk. I think he will be the ST ace people get behind. David bell. Not so much because he is great, but he can catch the ball, so to us fans he will be a big Boom.

Bust: As usual, Njoku will do what he does. He may not be a bust as a rookie, but Perrion Winfrey has been super hyped. He isn't going to be our monster in the middle. At least this year, providing a field day for some, Deshaun Watson isn't going to come back and be pro bowl type QB this season. We may even want to see Dobbs back in the games.