3 biggest questions we have about the Browns ahead of second preseason game
• Who is the second DT?
• It all comes down to this player
By Randy Gurzi
2. Who will play next to Dalvin Tomlinson?
It's true the Browns rested most of their starters but there was one out there — Jordan Elliott. The fourth-year pro is slated to start next to Dalvin Tomlinson but clearly, the coaching staff isn't completely sold.
If they were, Elliott would have been resting with the other starters. Instead, he was on the field for a significant amount of time but failed to impress despite playing against backups. Unfortunately for the Browns, he wasn't alone. As stated by Jacob Roach of USA Today's Browns Wire, Maurice Hurst also failed to impress — although he wasn't pushed around as much as Elliott.
"On Thursday we just saw more of the same from Elliott as he was pushed around in the run game and the inability to provide much pass rush. Just like with Hurst this shows the need to add something more proven behind Dalvin Tomlinson in the defensive tackle room."
Tomlinson was their primary free agent signing this offseason and he's expected to improve the team's run defense. However, he can't do it all alone and someone is going to have to step up.
Perhaps they'll lean heavily on rookie Siaki Ika but putting all their faith in a rookie third-round pick isn't ideal. If none of the current players on the roster can step up in their game against Washington, it might be time to bring in more free agents for tryout