3 Cleveland Browns to watch in final preseason game against the Chiefs

On Saturday the Cleveland Browns will be playing the Kansas City Chiefs in the final tune before the regular season begins.

While there are many players to watch closely there are three players that we should all be paying attention to a bit more.

No. 1: Austin Watkins, WR

Austin Watkins went out and caught seven passes for 139 yards and scored a touchdown a week ago in the preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Any way you slice it, that's a great night on the football field. He's certainly played well enough over the first three games to earn a spot on the 53-man roster that will be announced in the coming days.

While the momentum that he has built over the past three weeks is legitimate, there are some questions as to how he has managed to not make an NFL roster in the past with any staying power.

He's 25 years old and only had a brief stint with the San Francisco 49ers on the practice squad a few seasons ago. Since then, he's been in the Canadian Football League for like a week and over the last year in the USFL.

He'll have another opportunity this weekend to really shine when the team plays the Chiefs. The fact that he's done so well so far will make watching how he does this week well worth the time.

No. 2: Dawand Jones, Tackle

The rookie tackle from Ohio State has certainly been visible during this training camp and during these previous preseason games. Dawand Jones stands at 6-8 and weighs 375 pounds. He's hard to miss.

Jones has been impressive so far and hasn't allowed many opponents to get close to the Browns quarterbacks.

Cleveland has a pretty solid veteran group on the offensive line and doesn't need Jones to be a star right now, but they may have found a gem. Veterans like Jack Conklin, who is 29 years old won't be with the team forever, and having a player like Jones waiting in the wings is insurance going forward.

Player(s) No. 3: The starters

Earlier this week, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski indicated that most of the team's starters would be playing in this preseason finale anywhere from 20 to 25 plays. We might not see running back Nick Chubb or defensive end Myles Garrett but we should expect to see most of the other starters.

We've only had the chance to watch the starters for a very brief time against the Washington Commanders. In that game, the starters had a good first drive but turned the ball over on downs. Hopefully, we'll see them more in this next game and they end up scoring touchdowns.

We've been guessing how the Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson will do this season. He was rusty a year ago coming back from his suspension. Now, with a full training camp to prepare for the 2023 campaign, many are hopeful that the former All-Pro quarterback will have a stellar season.

On the defensive side of the ball, the talk of all training camp has been about the improvement of the defense led by new coordinator Jim Schwartz. Players have been raving about the freedoms they have now in this new system. They are flying around the field and making plays and we should be excited to see what they look like in this final tune-up before the season opener.

The Browns are opening the season against the Cincinnati Bengals. Despite being the home team, Cleveland is still considered the underdogs. However, before we can get to that game, we have a lot of players to watch in this matchup against the Super Bowl Champs. While it's only a preseason game it is still worth the watch.