With NFL training camps kicking off in July, it's time to get up to speed on all 32 NFL teams. Nick Shook has the lowdown on position battles, key players and notable subplots across the AFC North.
Catch up on the Cleveland Browns' offseason developments and 2024 outlook below.
Training Camp Dates/Information
- Players report: July 22 (rookies); July 23 (veterans)
- Location: CrossCountry Mortgage Campus | Berea, Ohio (fan information)
Notable Roster Changes
| 2024 Draft class | Selection |
|---|---|
| Michael Hall Jr., DT, Ohio State | Round 2 (No. 54 overall) |
| Zak Zinter, OG, Michigan | Round 3 (No. 85 overall) |
| Jamari Thrash, WR, Louisville | Round 5 (No. 156 overall) |
| Nathaniel Watson, LB, Mississippi State | Round 6 (No. 206 overall) |
| Myles Harden, DB, South Dakota | Round 7 (No. 227 overall) |
| Jowon Briggs, DT, Cincinnati | Round 7 (No. 243 overall) |
Preseason Schedule
- Week 1: vs. Green Bay Packers | 4:25 p.m. ET on Saturday, Aug. 10
- Week 2: vs. Minnesota Vikings | 4:25 p.m. ET on Saturday, Aug. 17
- Week 3: at Seattle Seahawks | 10 p.m. ET on Saturday, Aug. 24
2024 Schedule Notes
- The Browns play three straight road games (Weeks 4-6) before immediately playing three consecutive home games (Weeks 7-9).
- Cleveland finishes the season with four of its final five games vs. 2023 playoff teams.
- Based on their opponents' 2023 records (.547 win percentage), the Browns have the most difficult 17-game slate in the league.
-- NFL Research
What You Need To Know
1) Will Ken Dorsey prove to be the right fit for Cleveland? Despite helping spur incredible production from Joe Flacco and the offense down the stretch in 2023, coordinator Alex Van Pelt was let go this offseason, replaced by Dorsey, the play-caller cast aside by Buffalo in the midst of a trying 2023 campaign. This isn't your typical offensive coordinator swap, though, because head coach Kevin Stefanski has commanded Cleveland's offense as play-caller since he arrived in 2020, leaving the OC as more of a supportive assistant than a decision maker. Will that change with Dorsey? Or is the goal to bring new ideas to an attack that had grown a bit stale? A few key details are worth noting here: Buffalo's running backs struggled to produce with Dorsey calling plays, but QB Josh Allen enjoyed plenty of success. Could Dorsey provide a similar boost for Deshaun Watson, and would it come at the expense of Nick Chubb, whose own availability remains unknown following last season's significant knee injury? Tight end David Njoku touted Dorsey's offense as "juicy" this offseason, but it remains to be seen if Dorsey's arrival will produce positive changes as Watson enters another pivotal year.
2) Can the Browns' OL sustain success without Bill Callahan? While Stefanski earned Coach of the Year honors twice over the last four years, it likely would have been difficult to do so without the secret sauce provided by Callahan's expertise with the offensive line. This offseason, Callahan left to join his son Brian's staff in Tennessee, and Cleveland hired veteran OL coach Andy Dickerson in Callahan's place. The new arrival's performance will matter a whole lot to an offense that is aiming to help Watson finally produce at a level that matches (or at least comes close to matching) the five-year, $230 million deal signed by the QB in 2022. Though it's not glamorous, we all know football starts and ends in the trenches. The Browns will need to ensure they don't decline there in 2024.
3) Browns fans must be experiencing deja vu in 2024, once again preparing for a highly anticipated campaign that hinges on a massive unknown: Is Deshaun Watson finally going to be the star Cleveland thought it was acquiring in 2022? Watson's 2023 was plagued by injury and inconsistency, but there were glimmers of hope. He lit up the Titans in a 27-3 win in Week 3, completing 27 of 33 passes for 289 yards and two touchdowns, and he put together arguably his best performance as a Brown in Week 10, leading a comeback win over Baltimore on the road. That's where his season ended, though, as his need for shoulder surgery was revealed the following day. Had Watson just turned a corner, or was that strong showing a fluke? He's been afforded plenty of time to recover from his injury, and to digest Dorsey's offense. He should be prepared, but nobody will know for sure how Watson will perform until he takes the field. Entering Year 3 of his five-year deal, now is the time to prove himself. If he doesn't, Cleveland will have to start considering a future with a different QB1.
4) Amari Cooper has been a quiet constant for the Browns since he arrived in 2022, posting consecutive 1,000-plus-yard seasons and tallying 14 receiving touchdowns over the last two campaigns. The veteran receiver is dependable, but he's also 30 years old and entering the final season of his contract, so it's not surprising he's "trying to get paid this year." General manager Andrew Berry doesn't seem to be worried about a prolonged holdout by Cooper, who avoided mandatory minicamp, with Berry acknowledging that the situation is simply a part of the business of football, but we should all expect this topic to lead Browns coverage until a new deal is done. In the end, it is likely that the two sides work something out, even if it costs Cooper some camp reps with Watson.
5) Cleveland's unlikely run to the postseason in 2023 -- made while starting five different quarterbacks -- relied heavily on a remarkable defensive turnaround under coordinator Jim Schwartz, whose impact was so significant, he won Assistant Coach of the Year. Schwartz breathed life into the unit with an aggressive approach that capitalized on a talented front four and produced fantastic results in the secondary, helping three Browns defensive backs (Denzel Ward, Martin Emerson and Greg Newsome) finish in the top 11 in target EPA in the NFL (minimum 40 targets as nearest defender), per Next Gen Stats. The Browns finished first in total yards allowed per game and 13th in scoring. But they were also blown out by Houston on Super Wild Card Weekend, putting forth a sloppy effort that was unlike how they'd performed in the months prior. Was that a sign of things to come, or will the experience serve as a valuable lesson to take into 2024? The vast majority of Cleveland lineup returns this season, save for some linebacker swaps (Anthony Walker and Sione Takitaki are out, with Devin Bush and Jordan Hicks replacing them). Schwartz will be tested by the toughest schedule in the NFL. Can Browns fans trust the defensive renaissance? As with Watson and Dorsey, the answers will only become apparent once everyone takes the field.
