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Cleveland Browns: What to look for in Preseason Week 1

By Matthew McFatridge

NORMAN, OK - NOVEMBER 25: Quarterback Baker Mayfield #6 of the Oklahoma Sooners speaks to the media after the game against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on November 25, 2017 in Norman, Oklahoma. Oklahoma defeated West Virginia 59-31. (Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images)
NORMAN, OK - NOVEMBER 25: Quarterback Baker Mayfield #6 of the Oklahoma Sooners speaks to the media after the game against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on November 25, 2017 in Norman, Oklahoma. Oklahoma defeated West Virginia 59-31. (Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
(Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /

How will Gregg Williams align his new defensive backs?

General manager John Dorsey gave defensive coordinator Gregg Williams a bunch of new toys in his defensive backfield. With Myles Garrett a year stronger and smarter, and a deep linebacker corp, Williams will be able to experiment with some new lineups this year. His first taste of that will come Thursday against New York.

Much like the quarterback room, Dorsey has pretty much cleaned house and replaced most every defensive back from the 2017 roster. The sole survivor at cornerback is Briean Boddy-Calhoun, and Derrick Kindred and Jabrill Peppers at safety.

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The rest of the faces were brought in via trade or free agency, as the team looked to bring in talent to replace the underperforming group of the year before. It began with the trading of Kizer to the Green Bay Packers, in which the Browns acquired safety Damarious Randall, who is almost a sure lock for one of the safety positions. Peppers and Kindred will most likely be in competition throughout the preseason for the other starting safety spot.

As for the cornerback position, rookie first-round pick Denzel Ward will most likely get plenty of playing time so he can get a feel for the NFL speed of play. Free agent signings T.J. Carrie and Terrance Mitchell will also get a bulk load of play time Thursday.

The main question most have is how Williams will lineup all these guys. He has a ton of talent to work with now, and with him loving to be creative with his front seven blitzes, can likely mix it up and trust his defensive backfield to lock down receivers to allow those blitzes to get home. Expect lots of different defensive looks and lineups against the Giants, as he tries to work out what exactly works best to put the players and the team in the best position to perform.

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