Cleveland Browns: 5 biggest training camp wildcards
By Sam Penix
1. DL Malik McDowell
Speaking of risks, it was a surprise to see the Browns bring in Malik McDowell because Berry and company have typically stayed far away from players with character issues. His off-field problems are well-documented, but the team clearly feels comfortable with where McDowell is mentally right now.
This is likely McDowell’s last chance to do something in the NFL, which is sad considering the immense talent he has. We could easily be discussing him as the best defensive tackle in the NFL right now not named Aaron Donald if McDowell had stayed clean and committed himself to coaching. Neither of those things happened in Seattle, and his career is now on the line.
As a prospect, McDowell’s combination of size, length, strength, and explosiveness was unrivaled in his own class and has yet to be matched. On a roster stacked with high draft picks, McDowell may be second to only Myles Garrett in terms of pure talent. He was raw and inconsistent at Michigan State, but was still able to dominate games with little effort.
It’s difficult to overstate how talented McDowell is, but talent is only part of the equation. Coming out, he publicly stated he wasn’t interested in being coached, and that was evident in his lack of technique.
An ATV injury that caused him severe injuries and multiple run-ins with the law have kept him off the field; he’s never taken an NFL snap and last played a football game on November 5th, 2016, and it’s hard to develop when you aren’t playing, or even practicing.
It’s hard to call McDowell anything but a longshot, but if he has truly changed and is ready to put in the work, he could make the roster as the last DL, providing both DT and EDGE versatility, quite similar to Malik Jackson.
Next. Baker Mayfield’s finest moments. dark
He is a player to watch very closely during camp and the preseason, because if the Browns can get even half of McDowell’s talent, he’ll be a force on Sundays.