Cleveland Browns: 3 secret weapons for the 2022 season
By John Suchan
The Cleveland Browns are entering the 2022 season with a solid roster. While they have several popular players, they also have a few unknown secret weapons
The Cleveland Browns have a very good roster of players going into this 2022 season. They’ve added a few more players to that list that have been bonified superstars in the NFL as well in quarterback Deshaun Watson and wide receiver Amari Cooper.
These two have had plenty of success in the past and should give Cleveland an edge when it comes to playing the games and going to battle against their opponent. You add in a plethora of other stars already on the roster including Myles Garrett, Nick Chubb, Denzel Ward, and Kareem Hunt and this team seems to be primed for a great season.
Despite this talent, teams usually end up having a few players that have been relatively unknown in the past that end up jumping off the front page and surprising everyone. These are the secret weapons, and the Browns have several candidates for that role this season. Let’s now take a look at three of them.
Cleveland Browns 3 Secret Weapons
. Jakeem Grant. 3. player. 53. .
No. 3 Jakeem Grant, Kick returner, WR
A move the Browns made early on in free agency was signing Jakeem Grant. He’s been a kick returner and punt returner for all of his career and has made the Pro Bowl as a return specialist. Grant isn’t an imposing figure at 5-7 but he’s lightning with the ball in his hands.
Last season two rookies — Demetric Felton and Anthony Schwartz — alternated the return duties, and they weren’t incredibly successful. The special team’s room for the Browns hasn’t been able to be relied on in either the return game, or even when it comes to kicking the ball.
Cleveland drafted kicker Cade York to hopefully improve their chances on that end of scoring field goals and now with getting Grant to take kicks back in the return game, maybe they’ll be able to score a few extra touchdowns.
Browns fans of the past grew accustomed to watching great players return kicks with stars such as Josh Cribbs, Eric Metcalf, and Gerald McNeil. Can Grant be the next star that we’ll be talking about years from now?
Between kick and punt returns Grant has logged six touchdowns since 2016. He’s had punt returns for scores of 97, 88, and 74 yards. He’s also had two kickoff returns of 101 and 102 yards.
He also became more of a reliable target in the passing game. With the Browns still developing a new group of wide receivers, Grant may get opportunities, especially early in the season. In 2020, while in Miami, he was targeted 54 times and caught 36 passes for 373 yards. For his career, he’s caught 100 passes for 1,140 yards and seven touchdowns.
While he might not have been a secret to Miami Dolphins fans, he’s a relative unknown to the rest of the league. Let’s see if the Browns can use this first secret weapon wisely.