Talking Points: Rookies Shine, Schwartz Miscue, Browns Come From Behind to Beat Jets

Following the 21-16 Pro Football Hall of Fame Game victory over the New York Jets, there are a few things to talk about regarding the Cleveland Browns.

Brandon Little | Aug 4, 2023

Talking Points: Rookies Shine, Schwartz Miscue, Browns Come From Behind to Beat Jets /

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Cleveland Browns

Cleveland Browns began their 2023 preseason with a come-from-behind win over the New York Jets in the Pro Football Halftime game.

The Browns turned a 16-7 deficit at halftime into a 21-16 victory on Thursday night. Even a brief delay in the second half due to lighting malfunctioning couldn’t slow down the Browns’ comeback.

There was plenty to take away from this one, so I’ll dive right into it, taking a look at a few talking points.

Anthony Schwartz continues to be on the outside looking in

The Schwartz era continues to be a downward spiral that just keeps going down. Since being a third-round pick, Schwartz peaked in his first career game and never returned to that level.

Schwartz took an end-around in the first quarter and subsequently fumbled. It’s only preseason and you can’t put a ton of weight into single plays but Schwartz is a guy there’s just no roster spot for. He’s not proven to be an NFL-caliber wideout and he showed that again tonight.

By playing the entirety of the game essentially, that may be all you need to know about Schwartz’s future in Cleveland.

The rookies played well

Cleveland’s rookies contributed pretty well. Headlining it all was quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who came in and gave the Browns’ offense a big boost. DTR hit a few nice throws, used his legs, and even laid a big block on a Demetric Felton touchdown run. Fourth-round selection Dawand Jones was perhaps the most impressive offensive lineman on the night. He looked the part against some capable pass rushers.

Speaking of rookie offensive linemen, Jones’ college teammate Luke Wypler gave some solid play at center. Wypler reaches the second level quickly and he did just that.

Cedric Tillman had himself two catches for 35 yards. Tillman worked the middle of the field well on one catch and outmanned a defensive back on another.

Siaki Ika stuffed a running back on third down to begin the second half for the Browns’ defense.

Cade York?

Last year, York had his issues with eight missed kicks. The Browns’ first drive of the game they drove down the field and got into field goal position. It only led to a missed 49-yard field goal that was wide right. It’s definitely too early to talk about kicking competition but Cleveland shouldn’t be afraid to bring in competition if the misses continue.

Kellen Mond experience was uhhh …

Mond’s play was not good in preseason game one and we may have saw what Mike Zimmer saw in Minnesota. The Vikings gave up on Mond after just one year before Cleveland claimed him.

Mond threw a bad interception into a bracketed target that he will wish he could have back. There was a lot of dink-and-dunk in the first half and screens that resulted in yards after the catch. That helped Mond’s numbers look better than they were.

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