The Cleveland Browns made it a priority to get better on the perimeter this offseason, drafting wide receiver KC Concepcion in the first round and wideout Denzel Boston in the second. The two rookie wideouts exceeded expectations in training camp, and they are already making promising plays two weeks into their rookie season.
Concepcion leads the team with 10 receptions, and both he and Boston have a team-high 11 targets, while Boston leads the team in receiving yards with 154 and two touchdowns on seven receptions. These numbers come with Cleveland’s offense very much being a work in progress, so it’s fair to say the two young receivers are just getting started.
Ideally, it’d be great to see the duo take another step forward every week, but they’ll be facing a cornerback duo in Week 3 that could make that difficult. The Browns will face off against the Carolina Panthers, who have a cornerback tandem of Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson. They’ll give Cleveland’s rookie receivers the biggest test of their young careers, and the result will say a lot about where the team’s pass game is.
Denzel Boston and KC Concepcion face major challenge vs. Panthers corners Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson
Anyone who’s only causally paying attention to Carolina may not guess that it has one of the best cornerback duos in the NFL. The Panthers gave up 59 points to the Chicago Bears in Week 1, so fans wouldn’t think Carolina has anything going on defensively. However, Jaycee Horn is one of the best corners in the league, and Mike Jackson is also playing really good football right now.
For starters, Carolina was mainly dominated on the ground by Chicago in Week 1, giving up 291 rushing yards and six touchdowns. That was an overall defensive collapse that didn’t have much to do with the coverage abilities of Horn and Jackson.
In coverage, Horn has been elite throughout his six-year career whenever he’s been healthy, and that’s why he was a Pro Bowler the last two seasons. This year, the veteran corner has been moving around, playing on the inside and outside, and has been good at both. Jackson, on the other hand, grew into a really good corner for the Panthers last season and has picked up where he left off.
Horn and Jackson surely recognize that the Browns are leaning on Boston and Concepcion in the pass game, and the corners would be glad to give the rookies their welcome-to-the-NFL moment. Sunday will be a big challenge for Cleveland’s young wideouts, but that also means it’s an opportunity to make a huge statement.
If Boston and Concepcion can continue to make big plays against two really good corners, they will make it clear that they are ready to carry the Browns' offense even more so than expected.
Add us as a preferred source on Google