Cleveland Browns: 3 Players that will be key in Week 2
By Randy Gurzi
2. T.J. Carrie, Cornerback
For the second week in a row, the Browns will be facing a tough slot receiver. In Week 1, it was Adam Humphries who was making his debut as a member of the Titans. Humphries came over in free agency after a career season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and looked to be a problem heading into the game.
That wasn’t the case as he had just one reception, which was rather unexpected. Cornerback T.J. Carrie spent the majority of the game on Humphries and should be praised for the work he did.
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As a thanks, he will draw another tough match with Jamison Crowder lining up as the slot receiver for the Jets. Crowder is also on a new team as he started his career with the Washington Redskins, but he got the ball a lot more than Humphries did in his debut.
Crowder caught 14 passes from Sam Darnold in the opener, although he managed just 99 yards. He did add a four yard rush to make it more than 100 total on the game, but the fact remains he did most of his damage close to the line of scrimmage.
It’s easy to brush off a guy who averaged just 7.1 yards per catch, but those receptions can be costly to a defense. It’s oftentimes those short grabs over the middle from a slot receiver that turns a third-and-short into another set of downs.
On Monday Night Football, Carrie will be tasked with making sure Crowder doesn’t come up with those plays. It won’t be an easy assignment, but he’s been up to the task before and should be once again.