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Cleveland Browns: Who needs to show more in Preseason Week 2?

By Randy Gurzi

SANTA CLARA, CA - NOVEMBER 26: Carlos Hyde #28 of the San Francisco 49ers looks on during the warm up before the game against the Seattle Seahawks at Levi's Stadium on November 26, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA - NOVEMBER 26: Carlos Hyde #28 of the San Francisco 49ers looks on during the warm up before the game against the Seattle Seahawks at Levi's Stadium on November 26, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) /
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KNOXVILLE, TN – OCTOBER 25: Evan Berry #29 of the Tennessee Volunteers against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Neyland Stadium on October 25, 2014 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN – OCTOBER 25: Evan Berry #29 of the Tennessee Volunteers against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Neyland Stadium on October 25, 2014 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

Writer: Mike Lukas

The offensive player I want to see more of is wide receiver Evan Berry.

Here’s something shocking I just read in DPD: The Cleveland Browns haven’t returned a kickoff for a touchdown since Joshua Cribbs returned three in 2009. That’s pathetic, really, but with Cribbs now joining the Browns special teams coaching staff, that’s bound to change.

Especially given Evan Berry.

Along with running back Matt Dayes and strong safety Jabrill Peppers, Berry is auditioning to return kicks for the Browns in 2018, and from the looks of his football resume, he’s just the man to do it.

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An undrafted free agent and former Tennessee Volunteer, Berry was selected to the All-American team back in 2015 as, you guessed it, a return specialist. In his four seasons at Tennessee, Berry returned 53 kickoffs for 1,820 yards and averaged 34.3 yards per return. And get this – four of those returns were for touchdowns.

But how’s Berry at the NFL level?

Last week against the preseason Giants, Berry returned 2 kickoffs and averaged 26 yards per return. How about letting him return a couple of punts, too, and let’s see what this kid can really do. Given the new kickoff rules now in place that theoretically allow for bigger returns, a player like Berry returning kicks could make opponents start regretting every ball booted towards the Browns.

The defensive player I want to see more of is linebacker B.J. Bello.

Take a look at the NFL.com defensive stats of last Thursday’s preseason game against the Giants and leading the list of Browns tacklers with 4 is middle linebacker B.J. Bello.

You might ask, “Who dat?” (I know I did.)

Bello was signed as an undrafted free agent out of Illinois State in 2017. The Browns eventually waived the 6-foot-3, 229-pound Mike and signed him to the team’s practice squad and then promoted him to the active roster four days later.

The experts had doubted Bello the prospect.

His unflattering 2017 draft profile by NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein calls Bello:

"“too passive at the point of attack and lacks desired ‘dog’ demeanor on the field.” — Zierlein"

But in 2018 last week, Bello the Dawg had four tackles against the preseason Giants – more than any other Brown, including the ones he’s competing with.

The young man’s hungry, so let Bello feast against the preseason Buffalo Bills on Friday. Let’s see if his  “quick feet paired with an explosive burst” and his “ability to purse the perimeter with excellent speed” can prove his doubters wrong.

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