The Cleveland Browns are trying to turn the page from Week 2 and carry that momentum into a stretch that could get loud in a hurry. First comes the home opener in Week 3 against the Carolina Panthers, where Cleveland goes in as an underdog against a Panthers offense led by Bryce Young. If the Browns can handle that business, Week 4’s Thursday night matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers could come with some serious juice off the shores of Lake Erie.
Cleveland has also spent the past week adding familiar faces from Carolina. The Browns brought in WR Jimmy Horn Jr. at the end of Week 2’s practice schedule, then added LB Krys Barnes on Tuesday.
The bigger headline for Browns fans, though, is what the team announced for that Steelers primetime game: Thursday Night Football will be “Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Game” themed.
That setup has become a bit of a pattern. As noted by our friend CLEology, someone from the incoming Rock & Roll Hall of Fame class has performed during this themed week for the past two years. This year’s inductee list includes Phil Collins, Billy Idol, Iron Maiden, Joy Division/New Order, Oasis, Sade, Luther Vandross, and Wu-Tang Clan.
A look at current touring schedules narrows the field. Phil Collins, Joy Division/New Order, Oasis, Sade, Luther Vandross, and Wu-Tang Clan are all either not currently on tour or otherwise unavailable.
Wu-Tang Clan is scheduled to perform in California on the day of the game, so they can be ruled out. Iron Maiden is set to play in Mexico on October 2nd, which makes them an unlikely option.
Billy Idol has shows on September 25th and 27th, but nothing on October 1st, the day of the game, or after that.
In Other News...
Todd Monken's Aggressive Style Is Testing Browns Fans Already
Todd Monken wasted little time putting his stamp on the Browns, and one of the earliest examples came in a game against the Buccaneers when he went for it on fourth down from his own 34-yard line. It was the kind of decision that tells a locker room a coach trusts his team, but it also left Cleveland flirting with a mistake that could have handed away points and tilted a tight game in Tampa Bays favor.
The Browns were already chasing at halftime before flipping things around in the second half and pulling out a 23-19 win, which made the call easier to defend in hindsight. Monken stuck by the aggressive approach afterward, even while acknowledging the execution on that play fell short, and that tension is exactly what will keep this new look under a microscope as the season goes on. [Read more 🡒]
Browns Suddenly Have A Tyson Campbell Concern They Can't Ignore
Tyson Campbell was on the field for the Browns against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers even while working through an ankle issue, and he still managed to log five tackles before things took a sharper turn. After a collision, Campbell left with ankle and hip injuries, then did not come back once the weather delay hit, leaving Cleveland to finish the game without one of its more important defensive pieces.
Todd Monken said Campbells progress will be monitored through the week, and there is at least some optimism about his availability for the next game. Still, the Browns have reason to be careful here, because an injury that was already bothering him before kickoff became a bigger concern by the end of the afternoon, and his status now feels like one of the more important health questions on the roster. [Read more 🡒]
Browns Fans Are Already Feeling The Weight Of The Myles Garrett Trade
The Browns were hoping the Myles Garrett trade would help reshape the front seven quickly, and the early returns have been uneven. Jared Verse, the two-time Pro Bowler acquired in the deal, has had a quiet start in Cleveland, with a low pressure rate and no sacks through his first two games. Opponents have also keyed on him more heavily, and the Browns have not been able to give him much help up front because injuries have thinned out the pass-rushing group around him.
There is still plenty of time for Verse to settle in, and Cleveland knew it was getting a developing player with real upside when it made the move. The trade also brought in additional draft capital, which gives the Browns more flexibility beyond this season, but the present-day concern is obvious: without healthier support around him, Verse is being asked to do a lot before he has had much chance to find his footing. [Read more 🡒]