The Cleveland Browns have expectations of not being one of the league’s worst clubs for a second consecutive year. GM Andrew Berry worked overtime this offseason to
address the weak spots and bring in new players to replace the ones who have left the team.
Now that training camp is over, and the air has cleared on the final 53-man roster and who is in and who is out, the focus for every player, coach, and executive is on the season opener, September 7,
against division foe Cincinnati Bengals in Cleveland.
There are many good-to-great players on this year’s roster, and still some problem areas. But this is one player on offense and defense, plus special teams who can change the narrative and perhaps be the difference in games.
Here’s the list:
Offense
TE Harold Fannin, Jr.
While most would point to the quarterback position as being the key component to success this year, the fact is, QB Joe Flacco is rarely injured, and is a seasoned veteran who has played 17 seasons. Yes, he is 40 years old, but in all likelihood, he will be fine.
The running game should be the main focus anyway. The offensive line is designed for the run game, and guys love to run block. This does cut down on the number of passes thrown.
But the passing game still needs to be successful and prevalent when called upon. The ideal situation would be for the rushing attack to consume 65%-70% of plays. Whether that becomes true for each game will be determined as the season rolls along.
The passing game needs to be the complement and not the focus. In order to do this, the offense will require qualified pass catchers.
WR Jerry Jeudy made the Pro Bowl last year as he had his first breakout year in the league. TE David Njoku, if he remains healthy, is a huge playmaker, but his health is always an issue every season. And on the surface, the offensive X-factor just might be Cedric Tillman starting on the outside opposite Jeudy, or the youngster Jamari Thrash starting in the slot.
The offense will get back to featuring two tight end sets. That requires two exceptional bodies to man the positions.
The player who will be this year’s offensive X-factor is rookie tight end Harold Fannin, Jr.
To begin with, Fannin comes to the Browns as a huge position of need. With a two-tight-end offense, a team needs a pair that can block efficiently and become more than adequate pass catchers. Jordan Akins had minimal production, so he was not re-signed. Blake Whiteheart is the best blocking tight end on the roster, but his passing targets are minimal, it seems, which justifies his TE3 designation. This offense requires two good pass catchers when they aren’t blocking for the run game. Njoku and Fannin fit the bill.
Bowling Green's Harold Fannin Jr is the best tight end this season. He's been targeted 72 times, reeling in 60 catches for a nation-high 830 yards and five touchdowns. One of the top playmakers at the position and my TE2 right now.
#NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/bv6RalJs2L
— Full-Time Dame
(@DP_NFL)
October 22, 2024
Berry did not draft another receiver in this year’s draft, but he certainly went out of his way to snatch Fannin. Six receivers were taken after Fannin and in the same round that Fannin was selected. That is how Berry viewed Fannin’s worth to a struggling offense.
Fannin led the nation in pass receptions last year. He also led the nation in total receiving yards. By a tight end – not a receiver.
This season, he will become the hidden gem that will change everything this offense will try to accomplish. He didn’t just dominate the nation’s tight end group; he dominated the entire receiving category.
The bonus with Fannin is that he is an outstanding pass catcher with size, but he is also an excellent blocker. A lot of tight ends who only catch the ball won’t or can’t block, but Fannin is able and willing to do the dirty work.
Defense
Cam Mitchell
There are plenty of candidates for the defensive X-factor.
Both Alex Wright and Isaiah McGuire fit this description probably more than any other players. With the defensive tackle position being a group with a bunch of new names, that unit should be considered solved as far as being able to stop the run. But the position opposite Myles Garrett is one that is in a state of flux between the two players. And this may continue all season.
Linebacker is also a huge concern. Three new bodies will start for the Browns this year. Has this ever happened in the history of the NFL?
The area that needs the most attention, however, is cornerback. The reason is that going into training camp, this group was viewed as a strength. Now, it is a question mark. The reason is because of one player: M.J. Emerson.
The Browns had the luxury of having three really good cornerbacks, something that is a rare occurrence in the league. Denzel Ward manned the left side with his Pro Bowl hardware, Emerson was on the right side, while former first-round draft pick Greg Newsome was taking care of the slot.
With Emerson’s injury, which placed him on season-ending IR, suddenly, there was panic in the cornerback room. Who would take his spot? The result became Newsome taking over Emerson’s spot, a position he originally manned, so he is familiar with the workload, and then Cam Mitchell taking over the slot.
The fact that Mitchell has now been thrust into the starting role is both exciting and concerning.
Is Mitchell ready for a starting role? And if so, is the slot where he should be placed? Moving Newsome outside means that the defensive backfield will have two new bodies instead of just one if Newsome had remained in the slot.
Mitchell was a fifth-round draft pick out of Northwestern back in 2023. His development has been on the fast track, and he has been given lots of snaps since his arrival in Cleveland. He played in the first nine games of his rookie season and the final five games. Although he had plenty of special teams snaps (185), he was also used quite a bit on defense with 281 defensive snaps.
Last year, Mitchell played in every game. He had one start. His special teams snaps decreased (138) while his defensive snaps increased (372). This means DC Jim Schwartz used him more and more on defense, especially in the final four games.
The job of the slot corner is not the guy who is going to rush the passer or come on a blitz. Schwartz requires his cornerbacks to cover man, and Mitchell will be required to take on the opponent’s slot receiver, which is usually a smaller athlete. Since Mitchell is 5’-11” and only 191 pounds, this will work well.
When Emerson became injured, the immediate reaction was for Berry to sign a seasoned veteran to come in and become the starter, either on the outside or in the slot. Instead, they have given the job to Mitchell.
The fact that Mitchell has played in 30 NFL games is a huge plus. The fact that he has just one start is troubling. Straight up: the success of the defensive backfield will lie solely in the hands and feet of Mitchell. He could be the answer for this defense in Emerson’s place, or he could be the target of every defensive coordinator.
Special teams
K Andre Szmyt
No doubt about it, the one player everyone is looking at on this year’s roster (not named Shedeur Sanders) is the new guy at kicker.
For one, releasing a veteran kicker is always a gamble when the choice is a young guy. Correction: unproven young guy. Veteran for veteran makes more sense. Dustin Hopkins played 10 seasons. Szmyt’s first NFL game will be this year’s season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals.
It is quite possible that the coaching staff decided to retain Szmyt instead of continuing with Hopkins, especially since his horrible season last year, plus the fact that he missed two PATs in the preseason. This means Symyt won the job by default.
He had a really good training camp and did not miss any kicks whatsoever in all three preseason games.
No doubt about it, Szmyt had a distinguished college career. He was nominated for the Burlsworth Trophy (top walk-on player) all four years and won the Groza Award as the nation’s top kicker in 2018. He was the only kicker in college football history who was a finalist for this award three consecutive years. He also won the Vlade Award, given yearly to the most accurate college football kicker.
He played at Syracuse as a fifth-year student because of the pandemic, so he knows how to kick in outdoor cold weather conditions. Szmyt became the school’s most accurate kicker in program history. He was named a unanimous All-American, First Team All-ACC, Third Team All-ACC, Athletic Director’s Honor Roll, and East-West Shrine Bowl invitee.
For his college career, he converted 85 of 105 field goal attempts (81.0%), 199 of 203 PATs (98.0%), and scored 454 points.
RELATED: 2024 UFL KICKING STATS
After being undrafted in the 2023 NFL draft, he was in the Chicago Bears camp before signing with the St. Louis Battlehawks of the UFL. In that league, he was the field goal leader (2024), going 19-21 in 10 games with a long of 61 yards.
The success of the UFL is one of the indicators that the coaching staff is using to gauge his abilities at the professional level. We will see.
