Cleveland Browns studs and duds from 2019 preseason opener
By Dan Justik
Dud: Dontrell Hilliard
There has been a lot of hype surrounding Dontrell Hilliard after a strong start to training camp. With his strong play during the offseason and training camp, his presence helped make the Browns comfortable trading Duke Johnson before the game Thursday.
Hilliard started the game strong, especially in the passing game. The running back made several receptions and was able to turn upfield to get yards after the catch. But after the first drive of the game, Hilliard struggled to find room to make plays.
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The running back also made multiple errors that took points off the board for the Browns in the first half. First, Hilliard fumbled at the one-yard line after trying to score off the edge. Later on in the half, Hilliard was called for a holding penalty while in pass protection, which took the Browns out of field goal range.
Hilliard finished the game rushing for only 19 yards on nine carries, with his longest run going for seven yards. He also caught three receptions for 34 yards.
Hilliard’s inconsistency was slightly concerning now that he is expected to be the backup running back once the regular season starts. Although the offensive line struggled to create many holes for him to run through, Hilliard was unable to make many guys miss when he had the ball in his hands.
There are going to be a lot of expectations surrounding Hilliard following the Johnson trade. When the Browns take the field against the Colts next week, Hilliard will need to clean up some of his mistakes and put together a cleaner game when he is on the field.