Cleveland Browns: 3 takeaways on offense from the loss in Detroit
By Andrew Seibt
The return of Corey Coleman and Josh Gordon can’t come sooner
This is certainly a headline that is shocking and unsurprising at the same time. I did not think Josh Gordon was a serious candidate to play another game for the Browns, but if all things go well we could see him December 3 against the Los Angeles Chargers.
On the other hand, pun intended, Corey Coleman returns next week against the NFL’s nastiest defense in the Jacksonville Jaguars, so it’s all hands on deck.
On Sunday we saw the same trend that we’ve seen throughout the season with a lot of players catching passes, but failing to capitalize on the important ones when they needed them.
David Njoku failed to get his second foot down on a pass in the end zone on the first drive. Seth DeValve got stripped near midfield when the offense was moving late in the first quarter and the ball was returned for a touchdown.
I don’t think Ricardo Louis has caught a pass since he was at Auburn which is fitting after co-expert Steven Kubitza and I’s site retreat this past weekend to the gulf shores of Southern Alabama.
The point is, that despite a nice touchdown catch-and-run by Kenny Britt of 19 yards and 70 yards from DeValve, this team desperately needs playmakers. Duke Johnson once again led the team in catches with six which speaks volumes to the tight end and wide receiver play.
Njoku had one catch for three yards while being tied for the team high in targets with six. Louis wasn’t far behind with two catches on six targets.
Corey Coleman coming back gives the Browns a desperate upgrade at the position and hopefully takes some pressure off of guys like Louis and Njoku. Adding Gordon adds a threat that opposing teams actually have to game plan to stop, even despite having not played in three years.
Next: Discussing Week 10 in the DPD Podcast
If that 4.35 40-time recorded in Gainesville holds true, the Browns have a little wide receiver help coming this week, and potentially a lot coming in a few weeks.