Cleveland Browns: 3 players who need more freedom in 2019

In honor of Independence Day, here are three members of the Cleveland Browns who need more freedom in 2019 in order to reach their full potential

Independence Day is here, which got us thinking about freedom. While most of the nation is thinking about American Freedom, which is a great thing that shouldn’t be taken for granted, here at DPD we’re looking at freedom for players on the Cleveland Browns.

Last season, this team turned a corner as they were 5-3 in the second half. That left them with a 7-8-1 record overall, but we all saw how much better they operated once they got free from the previous regime.

Former head coach Hue Jackson seemed intent on holding players, and his coaching staff back as he wanted to be in full control. He famously said he was “driving the bus” on ‘Hard Knocks’ and then threw everyone he could under that bus. He even openly feuded with offensive coordinator Todd Haley — who was just as guilty in the power struggle and was also fired.

Once the king of the blame-passing was gone, the team started to improve. However, not all of the players hit their full potential. A large part of that was the fact that they were relying on some young players all over the field.

Whether it was the “training wheels protocol” like Tony Stark put on Peter Parker’s suit, or just a player trying to find his footing, there were some players who weren’t fully unleashed in 2018.

Here, we look at three such players who need to be given more freedom by new head coach Freddie Kitchens in 2019.