The beginning of the OTAs at Cleveland for the Browns didn’t give us anything too surprising. Josh McCown, as expected, is practicing and getting reps with the starters. Johnny Manziel, fresh out of rehab while everyone is proclaiming that he’s a new, changed man, is with the backups.
That is to be expected. Not because McCown is such a good quarterback. Actually, last season he was quite terrible for the Buccaneers. But considering the position and team he’s on, he’ll get one more chance to start a season as the #1 quarterback on the depth chart. Manziel? He had a pitiful rookie season with embarrassing performances. He was a lot closer to getting left out of the league before he went into rehab than starting for a team.
There’s no quarterback battle there. It’s McCown, and then Manziel. At running back things might be a little bit more interesting.
Isaiah Crowell seems to be the man the Browns are counting on to lead their rushing attack. Considering their situation at quarterback, they’re going to need all the help they can get from the ground game. His backups? Terrance West and rookie Duke Johnson.
Not that it’s a landslide win for Crowell. Things might change, and there’s a chance he’s not going to be a feature back with 80% of the carries. A committee approach might be what we’re going to see. Crowell ran for 607 yards and 8 touchdowns last season (4.1 yards per carry). West finished with 673 yards and 4 touchdowns, averaging 3.9 yards per carry.
And Johnson (a third round selection out of Miami)? He ran for 1652 yards and 10 touchdowns last season and was also heavily involved in the passing game (38 receptions, 421 yards). He’s the third guy on the list right now, but his ability to do more than one thing could help him jump up the depth chart to some meaningful playing time in 2015.
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