3 Most pleasant surprises at Cleveland Browns camp

1. Linebacker play

Mack Wilson told us the linebackers were better than they were given credit for, but unfortunately, he has yet to be able to help prove that. This is because he was lost to a hyperextended knee right after making this proclamation. Still, even without Wilson, there were some linebackers who stepped up.

None, however, stood out more than veteran B.J. Goodson who seemed to make at least one big play in every practice — which was pointed out by Dan Labbe of Cleveland.com.

"“It starts with B.J. Goodson who has established himself in the middle of the defense. You see and hear Goodson throughout practice, and it’s not just because he’s a linebacker wearing No. 93. Goodson is on his way to wearing the green sticker this season and then the position can really build out from there.” —Labbe, Cleveland.com"

After losing Joe Schobert and Christian Kirksey this offseason, Cleveland added Goodson to bring in an experienced veteran. So far, the former Green Bay Packers and New York Giants defender seems to be up to the task and might be an offseason steal.

Even better news than the play from Goodson is the fact that he wasn’t the only linebacker to impress. There were also several coaches and members of the media signing the praises of Sione Takitaki, the second-year player from BYU.

A third-round pick last year, Takitaki proved to be a high-energy player but needed to hone his skills. So far in 2020, it looks as though he’s doing exactly that and he’s been popping up around the ball an awful lot.

None of this guarantees the linebackers will be excellent, but it was refreshing to see them stand out in a positive way after an offseason full of negative criticism.