Cleveland Browns surprises and disappointments from first quarter of 2019
By Dan Justik
The Cleveland Browns struggles at the beginning of the season had the naysayers taking victory laps, but the disappointing start to the season has had its fair share of surprises.
Despite all of the hype in the offseason, the Cleveland Browns had the start to the season that was anticipated with all of the new faces on the roster.
It may not have been what the Dawg Pound wanted, but going 2-2 in the first quarter of the season was a good start for Cleveland, all things considered.
The offense has gone through growing pains, which has been much worse than expected. Despite having Odell Beckham Jr., the offense’s sputtering in the first three games created a lot of concern. But after their Week 4 performance, the offense seems to have turned the corner.
On the other side of the ball, the Browns defense is showing the potential of being a top unit in 2019, even though they are dealing with a multitude of injuries. Most of the Browns secondary has been dealing with injuries, but they are still performing at a high level with the backups.
The Browns still managed to put themselves at the top of the division after the first quarter of the season, which is the spot they needed to be in. Cleveland is already preparing to face the meat of their schedule over the next several weeks, so starting .500 gives them some wiggle room.
However, the struggles at the start of the season has seemed to fire up the Browns locker room, as Freddie Kitchens and Baker Mayfield have made it well-known they are out to prove people wrong now.
Cleveland looks like they are starting to play at the level they were expecting, even though they are not full strength. It may not have been the start the team wanted, but perhaps the slow start was a wake up call to the locker room that they needed to make adjustments to get the team on the right track.
With that being said, here is a look at the Browns who have surprised to this point of the season and the players who have disappointed.
Honorable Mention Surprise – Joe Schobert
It is pretty well-known that Joe Schobert can be one of the top linebackers in the NFL. He is excellent in pass coverage, but he needed to clean up his tackling and finish plays. And it seems like he has made those improvements in 2019.
Schobert leads the Browns with 44 total tackles and ranks fourth in the NFL. He has also made three tackles for loss, forced one fumble, and one pass defensed. He is still strong against the pass, as tight ends have been unable to make an impact against the Browns.
Schobert is not only the quarterback of the defense, but he has been one of the most consistent play-makers for the unit. Now that he is in a contract year, Schobert is going to make it hard for the Browns to let him walk away.