These three under the radar Cleveland Browns players need to step up in Week 11
A year ago when the Cleveland Browns were rolling through the regular season and made a run into the playoffs, they had a first-year head coach and players that seemed to rise to the occasion each week. They were the darlings of the NFL and they couldn’t do much wrong.
A year later those good tidings are a distant memory. Now the Browns are 5-5 and looking at a huge uphill battle with themselves, their opponents, and a fan base that is disappointed at best.
Cleveland needs some players on their team to step up. Obviously, their franchise quarterback Baker Mayfield, has to play better and their other key players like wide receiver Jarvis Landry, running back Nick Chubb, and defensive lineman Myles Garrett all need to step up their efforts.
It would be nice if other players, that don’t get that weekly attention, could make more of an impression in the coming weeks. If the Browns are going to have any chance to finish the season well and reach the playoffs again these other under-the-radar players need to provide a spark.
Cleveland Browns RB Demetric Felton
Since the summer and Browns training camp, Demetric Felton had initially been talked about a lot because of his possible usage to the team as either a running back, wide receiver or kick and punt returner. He’s had a decent season to this point, but nothing to write home about.
In Week 2 when the Browns played the Houston Texans, Felton had a game that made an impression and had fans talking about the young player. He had a spectacular touchdown where he took a screen pass and danced around the Texans defense on the way to pay dirt. But since that moment, Felton hasn’t contributed much of anything.
If somehow, Felton could get going in the right direction maybe the team would have a better chance at winning Sunday.
He was only used on six plays on the offense last week against the New England Patriots. He was used a season-high 22 times on offense in the game against the Arizona Cardinals.
It would be nice to see the coaching staff utilize Felton more in the coming weeks, especially with the rash of injuries on the team.
Cleveland Browns WR Rashard Higgins
You’d think with a nickname of “Hollywood” that wide receiver Rashard Higgins would have a bit more flair on the team. Last season, a lot was made with the nickname as players such as Baker Mayfield would simulate taking photos of “Hollywood” walking on the red carpet.
Do you remember that star-studded moment in the Browns win against the Tennessee Titans after Higgins scored a touchdown? Well, that type of moment hasn’t occurred this year and you really question what the Browns and Higgins have in the works as the season finishes up.
It’s interesting that Higgins has been with Cleveland his whole career dating back to 2016. Hue Jackson was still the Browns’ coach then. He didn’t score a touchdown for his team until the very last game of the 2017 season. He’d have his moments before then. In the opening game of that 2017 season, he was good for seven catches and 95 yards.
When the Browns, next one-and-done head coach Freddie Kitchens came on board, Higgins was missing from the field as Kitchens seemed to have an issue with playing Higgins in games. ‘Hollywood” stuck to it and when Kevin Stefanski took over last year, he remerged from under his rock to help the team win and win a lot. His best performance was that Titans game where he went for 95 yards receiving and a touchdown where he did his red carpet walk.
This year Higgins has crawled back under that rock. He’s only caught 14 passes this season on 25 targets. That’s not a lot considering we are headed into Week 11.
Cleveland needs a little “Hollywood” to bring the spark back into this team. Browns quarterback Mayfield has had moments of success over their time together on the field and I’d look to watch for that again this weekend in the game against the Lions.
Cleveland Browns DT Tommy Togiai
The Cleveland Browns need their Ohio State star to step up. And no, I’m not referring to Denzel Ward, the Browns cornerback, but instead, I’m talking about Tommy Togiai, the new defensive lineman for the team that was recently promoted and played a nice game against the Patriots. He played 22 plays in the game and made a couple of nice tackles and assists.
Cleveland is in search of some new young blood on that defensive line. The team will likely be in search of more young talent in next year’s NFL draft. For now, Togiai is getting a great opportunity. I expect him to continue to make more plays and impress folks along the way.
Fans of the team love to support these new young players, especially if it can help in some way to give them a boost of confidence. The Browns defense is really struggling these days. They can’t stop the big plays very well and are giving their opponents too much time to make plays.
New talent like Togiai can hopefully help close those gaps in the defense the rest of the way. He was a stable figure in the Ohio State defense from his college days, even recording three sacks in his junior campaign there.
I’ll be keeping my eye on Togiai, Felton, and Higgins this week as they play the Lions in another must-win. Every game for the Browns is a playoff game and hopefully, these three can shine and bring back a little glory to the team.