The Cleveland Browns already got a glimpse of what KC Concepcion can do. He kicked off his NFL career with an electric 31-yard punt return that could've gone the distance with one broken tackle.
He then made acrobatic catches and capped off his evening with a 14-yard rushing score on a jet sweep. Concepcion's do-it-all skillset bodes perfectly for Todd Monken's offense, and Cleveland's head coach will look to get him involved early and often.
Concepcion's prowess on special teams might also change the team's plans at wide receiver. Instead of keeping a training camp standout like Gage Larvadain or one of Monken's guys like Tylan Wallace, a more traditional pass catcher might sneak his way onto the 53-man roster as the sixth WR.
“We want to get him the ball as much as we can," Monken said. "He’s gonna be a real weapon."
Todd Monken wants to use 'weapon' KC Concepcion on special teams
Unlike some first-rounders, Concepcion won't shy away from playing on special teams. He also wants to be involved as often as possible, and he's already set a high bar for how many kick-return touchdowns he wants to score as a rookie — "Three and above," he told reporters this week.
That spells trouble for Larvadain. He's shown impressive chemistry with Shedeur Sanders and has made big plays for the second-string offense. He also got multiple opportunities on special teams in the preseason opener.
But if the Browns intend to get Concepcion rolling and involved with that unit, there may not be room for Larvadain. In his place, they might want to keep a more traditional wide receiver like Luke Floriea, who's made big play after big play in training camp and only missed the 53-man roster last season because of an injury.
Of course, this is a great problem to have. The Browns pretty much went from having the worst wide receiver room in the league to having more mouths than they can feed. Props to general manager Andrew Berry and the front office for turning this room around almost overnight.
Concepcion was one of the team's two first-round picks, and the heavy usage in the preseason opener hints at him being way ahead in the pecking order. The same can be said of second-round standout Denzel Boston, with Jerry Jeudy also a lock to make the roster.
Isiah Bond can provide another big-play specialist for the downfield passing game, leaving one or two spots up for grabs. Cedric Tillman's injury woes will most likely cost him a spot, with Larvadain, Floriea, Wallace, and Malachi Corley all fighting for one or two spots.
Let the best man win.
Add us as a preferred source on Google