Hamilton Journal News

5 positions that require attention this offseason

BEREA — The Browns coaching staff remains a work in progress as exact responsibi­lities continue to get finalized. Meanwhile, the personnel department has entered into its favorite time of the year.

This week saw the two premier college all-star games/ NFL draft scouting events take place. The East-West Shrine Bowl teams have been practicing in Frisco, Texas, while the Senior Bowl practices have begun in Mobile, Alabama.

A month from now, in late February, the Scouting Combine will take over downtown Indianapol­is. A month-and-ahalf from now, in mid-March, the new league year will get underway, meaning the start of free agency and trades.

The draft itself will be held just under three months: April 25-27, in Detroit.

This is a critical offseason for the Browns if they want to prove this past season’s 11-6 record and playoff berth weren’t random one-offs. Much of their success, naturally, is tied to the return of quarterbac­k Deshaun Watson from injury, the way he meshes with offensive coordinato­r Ken Dorsey and the defense’s ability to sustain success from one year to the next.

However, a big part of it is also going to be how the roster is supplement­ed. There’s more than two-dozen imminent free agents from the 2023 roster, and a large percentage won’t be back.

That means there’s positions requiring new additions, either to restock or to upgrade. What follows is a look at five specific positions where that will be necessary.

Backup quarterbac­k

Watson’s the starter. The

Browns insist Watson will be healthy, although they won’t come out and say specifical­ly when he’ll be able to fully participat­e. The only other quarterbac­k on the roster, Dorian Thompson-Robinson, is coming off his own season-ending hip injury. So, yeah, this is a position of importance this offseason. The Browns would love to believe Watson will play a full season, and maybe he will in 2024. But coming off the shoulder injuries he dealt with this past year that limited him to another six-start season, it would be wise for them to maintain their stance, as general manager Andrew Berry said, at the “top of the league in backup quarterbac­k expenditur­es or resources.” Does that mean Joe Flacco comes back? Probably not. There are, however, some intriguing potential names on the free agent list, including Gardner Minshew, Tyler Huntley and old friend Joshua Dobbs.

Wide receiver

This seems like it’s perpetuall­y a position of need going into every offseason. The Browns appeared to attack the position hard in all ways of acquisitio­n last offseason by trading for Elijah Moore, signing Marquise Goodwin and drafting Cedric

Tillman. Moore made some big plays, especially when Flacco became quarterbac­k. A scare with blood clots and then, later, a midseason concussion never allowed Goodwin a chance to build off a big spring. Tillman, meanwhile, was a rookie who was serviceabl­e but still has room to grow. That leaves Amari Cooper, who’ll be 30 and in his 10th season, as still the team’s most reliable threat. This feels like a position that will, yet again, be taken care of through multiple means. The only question is if this time will be the time where it all actually comes together.

Defensive line

Time to make a foray onto the other side of the ball so this list doesn’t just become every position on offense. This didn’t get into the nuance of end vs. tackle because, to be honest, the Browns probably need to invest in both. Defensive tackle is an obvious need, with basically the entire group outside of Dalvin Tomlinson and Siaki Ika being free agents. Defensive end Za’Darius Smith is a likely candidate to walk as a free agent. While they did sign Ogbo Okoronkwo last March, and second-year pro Alex Wright took a step forward over the second half of this past season, having another veteran edge rusher opposite Myles Garrett is a necessity, not a luxury. That’s especially true in defensive coordinato­r Jim Schwartz’s scheme, which the Browns saw firsthand this season.

Offensive tackle

Here’s all you need to know about this position: James Hudson III, who’s going into the final season of his rookie deal, and Leroy Watson IV, who started the season on the San Francisco 49ers practice squad, are the only tackles currently under contract for 2024 who didn’t finish the season on injured reserve. Yes, the Browns should get left tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. and right tackles Jack Conklin and Dawand Jones back from their various season-ending knee injuries. This past season, though, showed just how valuable tackle depth is for an offensive line. Considerin­g the fact Wills will be playing on his fifth-year option only makes the position all the more important.

Linebacker

Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah may be on the verge of a massive season as the Browns’ off-ball linebacker. Tony Fields II, Mohamoud Diabate and Charlie Thomas III are the only other linebacker­s who are currently signed for 2024. Linebacker isn’t a premium position in Schwartz’s scheme. It isn’t a position that the Browns can completely forget about, either. The guess is that they re-sign Sione Takitaki, while the season-ending injuries the last two years makes bringing back locker room leader Anthony Walker Jr. a more complicate­d decision. Regardless, there are players available who won’t break the bank, either through a free-agent deal or because they’re on their rookie deal.