The Browns are halfway through the season at 5-3, sitting as the AFC’s eighth seed, and the youth movement is already a big part of why they’re in position to make a run. Cleveland has only three more games left against teams above .500, which leaves the door open for a push. With so many rookies and second-year players on the roster, the Browns have gotten to this point faster than most expected.
That young core is already carrying real weight. Nearly 30 percent of the game-day roster comes from the last two draft classes, and eight of those players are starting and helping drive wins. Carson Schwesinger earned Defensive Rookie of the Year honors last season, while KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston are in the mix for Offensive Rookie of the Year this year.
But the next step for Cleveland is getting more out of the young players who are not regular starters. Four of them, in particular, deserve a bigger role in the second half.
Jerome Ford’s injury opened the door for Quinshon Judkins’ backup, Sampson, and when he returned in Week 7 against the Tennessee Titans, he showed exactly what he can add. He averaged 7.5 yards per rush and 10.7 yards per reception in that win, flashing the kind of burst this offense has lacked. Last week against the Pittsburgh Steelers, though, he touched the ball only once, taking one carry for seven yards in the blowout loss.
Cleveland’s run game has struggled all season, and Sampson looks like a player who can help change that. He can get outside, catch screens, and force defenses to account for him in space. When he’s involved, the offense looks different.
Bond has had a quieter season, but there’s still a role for him if the Browns choose to use it. The second-year receiver has only five catches for 86 yards, with most of his early playing time coming when Jerry Jeudy was struggling and KC Concepcion briefly exited a game with a concussion. Once Jeudy picked it up and Concepcion stayed healthy, Bond’s snaps dropped.
He brings straight-line speed that can stretch the field and create room underneath for Concepcion and Boston. He did have a couple of drops in the loss to the New York Jets, but the weather made things tough. If Shedeur Sanders gets the start for Cleveland, Bond should see more chances, especially since they built chemistry last season and Sanders throws a better deep ball than Watson.
On defense, Huntington has already made his case. He has racked up 3.5 sacks and was a steady presence in the middle of the line while Mason Graham and Michael Hall Jr. were out. Now that both are back, his snap count is likely to fall.
Still, there’s a strong argument for keeping him on the field, even ahead of Hall Jr. Huntington has been getting pressure over the center and helping against the run, which matters for a defense that has had trouble slowing rushing attacks this season. Graham and Hall Jr. both still appear to be playing through injury, and Huntington has earned more trust.
Then there’s McNeil-Warren, the strong safety from the University of Toledo who was viewed as a “steal” in the second round. His role has grown steadily, and he has backed that up with physical play, including some big hits on running backs and a goal-line stop against the Titans. He’s still behind Grand Delpit on the depth chart, but the case for more snaps is obvious.
Ronnie Hickman has been starting at free safety, and the secondary has had a couple of communication breakdowns. McNeil-Warren’s college tape points to a player who can operate in the middle of the field and read the offense. Cleveland could use more of that, along with more chances for him to make plays on the ball.
The Browns have young contributors all over the roster, and if they’re going to keep climbing in the playoff race, these four need more time on the field.
In Other News...
Browns Roster Shuffle Brings Back A Name Fans May Recognize
The Browns kept the practice squad moving with another round of roster tweaks, waiving wide receiver Bub Means, punter Wes Pahl, guard Vershon Lee and tackle Andrew Coker while adding three new names to fill the openings. Cleveland signed wide receiver Xavier Guillory, guard Austin Blaske and tackle Xavier Truss, continuing the kind of weekly churn that often defines the back end of an NFL roster.
Truss is the familiar name in the group for Browns fans who follow college football closely, since he played at Georgia before getting NFL looks with multiple teams. For Cleveland, the addition gives the team another offensive line option to evaluate as it sorts through depth and development on the practice squad, even if the bigger question is how quickly any of these moves can translate into real value down the stretch. [Read more 🡒]
Browns Are Suddenly Tied To A Franchise Shaking QB Debate
A rough start in Los Angeles has quickly turned Justin Herbert into one of the most intriguing names in the early-season quarterback chatter, and the Browns have been pulled into the conversation almost immediately. With ESPN Cleveland among those floating the idea, Cleveland is being mentioned as a possible suitor if the Chargers ever seriously entertain a move, even though any deal would come with a massive price tag and a complicated fit for a team that has already committed heavily at the position.
For the Browns, the appeal is obvious enough to understand even if the logistics are daunting. Herbert would represent a major swing at a franchise-changing quarterback, but the cost would be steep and the optics would be messy given the investment already made in Deshaun Watson. For now, it remains only speculation, but it is the kind of speculation that can linger around Cleveland whenever a big-name passer suddenly becomes available in the rumor mill. [Read more 🡒]
Deshaun Watsons Status Just Put Browns-Saints In A Different Light
Deshaun Watsons status has quickly become the biggest variable hanging over the Browns Week 9 trip to New Orleans. After experiencing symptoms following a hit in a recent game, the Cleveland quarterback was placed in concussion protocol, and his availability against the Saints now depends on whether he can be cleared in time.
For a Browns team trying to keep its footing, the timing matters as much as the opponent. The betting market has already nudged in response to the uncertainty, a small but telling sign of how much Watsons presence changes the outlook for Cleveland as it heads into a game that suddenly looks different than it did just a few days ago. [Read more 🡒]