The Cleveland Browns are still deciding on their starting quarterback for the season and while Brandon Weeden has it locked up, there is no guarantee he will win it over Jason Campbell and the true test could come this week against the Detroit Lions.
The team won their first game 27-19 against the Rams and will play the Indianapolis Colts and the Chicago Bears the rest of the way in the preseason before opening the regular season against Miami. The Browns have a new regime in place anyway with owner Jimmy Haslam and head coach Rob Chudzinski and with Josh Gordon's suspension, they will be making sure that the team has fall back options going forward and at just 22-years-old, Gordon still has star potential, but he must be careful off the field now. The team is looking to improve after going 5-11 last season and Gordon was expected to be a big part of that in the second season with QB Brandon Weeden.
Preseason Schedule:
P2 Aug 15 DET @ CLE FirstEnergy Stadium 7:30 PM
P3 Aug 24 CLE @ IND Lucas Oil Stadium 7:00 PM
P4 Aug 29 CLE @ CHI Soldier Field 8:00 PM
The biggest issues for the team in camp are for Brandon Weeden to prove he is the starter of the future and he knows that he has a chance for big things with coach Rob Chudzinski, who helped guide the team to the playoffs previously and got some great stats out of Cam Newton in Carolina. Weeden was a first round pick of the past regime and after going 5-9 as a starter, the team is hoping he improves after throwing for 3,385 yards.
Mingo was selected with the number six overall pick in the draft in April out of LSU and the team is hoping he provides a consistent pass rush for a defensive line that lacked it last season. The Browns announced that the deal is worth $16 million over four-years and also includes a fifth year team option and the agreement ensures that Mingo will be with the team when they begin training camp on Thursday. The franchise has a new owner in Haslam and after signing Paul Kruger in the offseason and adding some other players to the roster, the team is ready to improve after some disappointing records under Pat Shurmur.
Mingo was the last rookie to sign with the Browns after cornerback Leon McFadden, safety Jamoris Slaughter, defensive end Armonty Bryant and guard Garrett Gilkey and that was a priority for Chudzinski heading into camp, as the team has a number of questions at various positions heading into the season. Chudzinski will look at how quarterback Brandon Weeden looks in camp and running back Trent Richardson will also be a primary focus, as he is banged up heading into workouts.
Josh Gordon has already been in hot water due to his drug suspension to start this season and now the team is worried that he running in the wrong circles. Many fans came at Gordon after seeing that he was partying with former Cleveland hero and enemy LeBron James after the Heat won the championship. Former Browns center LeCharles Bentley took to twitter to rail on him for it and the team has been more concerned about his maturity this offseason. Fans went off on him online as well and many wonder now what his future is with the team.
Gordon has shown that he can be an explosive receiver on offense, but after dealing with another drug offense, he is a player the Browns cannot fully count on going down the road. Gordon had a very solid season last year and he was expected to put up even more numbers, but now he will be out for the first two games. The Browns made a move earlier in the offseason after trading for Dolphins wideout Davone Bess and now Greg Little will have the chance to step up as the number two receiver in the offense and he could be the biggest beneficiary of Gordon missing the first stretch. Last season Gordon had 50 catches for 805 yards with five touchdowns and he averages 16 yards per catch and also added a season-long 71 yards reception during the year.
