Cleveland Browns: Desmond Harrison’s improvement is night and day
By Joel W. Cade
The Cleveland Browns made a risky decision to start rookie Desmond Harrison out of training camp. But the decision is paying big dividends.
The Cleveland Browns do some dumb things. They lose games in way stranger than fiction. They leave fans on a weekly basis talking to themselves wondering what just happened.
It looked like starting rookie Desmond Harrison at right tackle was one of those decisions. He did not play much in the preseason. He spent most of camp riding a bicycle as a part of the tour de Berea crew.
Yet, head coach Hue Jackson decided to start Harrison when the regular season came along.
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The decision looked really bad the first two weeks of the season. A simple review of the coach’s film shows a guy off balance who could not establish a strong base. He was getting pushed back into quarterback Tyrod Taylor almost every pass play.
But then he progressed. There was no magic change or sudden epiphany where it all came together. He simply got better each week and progressed.
Now Harrison looks like a legitimate left tackle. His pass block drops could be better. But he drops with enough space to set up before engaging the defender. His footwork was once the stuff of nightmares. But he is now using the correct footwork and it is paying off.
Indeed, Harrison had his best game of the season last Sunday against the Oakland Raiders. He manhandled people in both the run and the pass. But he did have his moments of inconsistency. One play he throws defenders around like a rag doll. The next play he is losing his balance.
But one area he has shown the greatest improvement is taking on a bull rush. Instead of getting driven back into the quarterback on a regular basis, Harrison is now setting then resetting his base. He is effectively stopping the bull rush before it can be effective.
His progression from week 1 to week 4 is night and day. It is hard to believe that this is the same person at left tackle. His technique is significantly improved. With that improvement comes better overall play on the field.
Next. Grading the first quarter of the season. dark
Things are changing for the Browns. A once obviously stupid decision has turned out to be an investment in a clear diamond in the making.