Cleveland Browns Preseason Week 2 studs and duds in win over Indianapolis

Stud: Jaelen Strong

When the Browns signed Jaelen Strong in February of this year, it made almost no news. The former third-round pick out of Arizona State was out of football in 2018 following an ACL tear in December of 2017 while he was with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

For Strong, the move was of huge significance. Cleveland is his third team and considering he has just three 31 career receptions, this could be the last chance he has to stick with an NFL team. So far, he’s been doing whatever he can to make the most out of this chance.

In the Browns first preseason game, he pulled down the first completion on their impressive opening drive — an 11-yarder off the arm of Baker Mayfield. He later caught a 16-yard pass from Garrett Gilbert, which was the only other target he received.

Fast-forward to Week 2 and he again was able to make his limited targets count. Strong had three passes come his way on Saturday and caught them all. He gained just 14 yards but the highlight of the game for him was his six-yard touchdown catch from Gilbert.

For the Colts, this just felt like another game against the former Sun Devil. Strong has four career touchdowns, three of which came while he was with the Houston Texans. And all three as a Texan were caught while facing the Colts.

In his first career game, Strong had two receptions for 53 yards — and scored a touchdown on both of those catches. He then scored later that same season again while facing the Colts.

With the recent suspension of Antonio Callaway, Strong’s chances of making the 53-man roster to start the season increased dramatically. Even if the original plan is to only keep him for the four games Callaway is supposed to miss, it would give him a shot to prove he still belongs in the NFL. And if he keeps playing like he did the last two weeks, he could very well prove that.