The Cleveland Browns return to the gridiron this Friday night to take on the Washington Commanders, which will give us yet another look at guys battling for roster spots.
This will be the second game of the preseason for the Browns, who were 21-16 victors over the New York Jets in the Hall of Fame Game last week.
This week we will see some of the starters take the field for a series or two, but they won't be included in this piece as they won't play much. There are countless guys who are fighting for a roster spot and games like this are what will separate some from the pack.
Here are the three Browns to watch in Preseason Week 1.
3. Cameron Mitchell: Cornerback
When it comes to the NFL Draft, one thing seems apparent from Andrew Berry's perspective; drafting a cornerback.
Outside his first season as general manager in Cleveland, Berry has drafted one in each of the last three drafts. The cornerback position is one of the ones in the NFL that needs reinforcements and depth, due to the constant injuries, which the Browns are no stranger to.
The six-foot corner out of Northwestern looked solid in his NFL debut against the Jets last week, totaling a solo tackle and a fourth-down pass breakup.
That's a good start with the hope to make the 53-man roster entering the Week 1 home opener against AFC North divisional foe, Cincinnati Bengals.
Mitchell, former college teammate of current Browns' corner Greg Newsome, played primarily in the slot, an area the team needs some help this season and beyond. If he can continue to make plays and really embrace the slot position, he could be a key player.
2. Demetric Felton: Running Back
Outside of Nick Chubb, the running back room has a ton of question marks, which isn't a good thing this far into camp. One player who can make the most of another opportunity to play in the preseason is third-year back Demetric Felton.
Felton was drafted in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL Draft and has been somewhat of a Swiss Army knife for the Browns. He has played running back, and wide receiver, and has been used to return punts and kickoffs.
Jerome Ford, who is entering his second professional season, left practice with a hamstring injury and is listed as week-to-week. This impacts Felton as he should see more chances to take the RB2 spot on the depth chart until Ford returns.
Felton looked good against the Jets last week, rushing seven times for 46 yards and a touchdown, while also catching two passes for nine yards. He should get more work this week against the Commanders and he could really take a huge step forward towards the RB2 spot.
Felton will be battling with John Kelly Jr. and Hassan Hall to see who will backup Chubb should Ford miss time extending into the start of the regular season.
1. Dorian Thompson-Robinson: Quarterback
Dorian Thompson-Robinson was electric for the Browns in his NFL debut, providing a spark to not only the team, but the stadium which lost power at one point.
The fifth-round pick out of UCLA completed 8-of-11 passes for 82 yards and a touchdown to Austin Watkins Jr. while also rushing for 36 yards on six carries.
DTR even sprung former Bruins teammate Felton open for a touchdown. The block sent Browns' Twitter (or X if you prefer) into a frenzy.
There was a lot of excitement when Berry drafted DTR in the fifth-round of this year's draft, as he has a college highlight tape that is mesmerizing. As he progresses in this league, he could prove to be a viable backup to Deshaun Watson, as the two play a similar style of football.
While there is no quarterback battle for the starting spot, there is one when it comes to who will be the backup and the third man on the roster on Sundays. DTR outplayed Kellen Mond, who got the start and struggled in his time on the field.
Casey Kinnamon of DPD asks whether or not DTR has leapfrogged Mond on the depth chart in one of his big storylines for Friday night's game. After just one preseason game, that appears to be the case, but there is still plenty of time for this battle to heat up.
Joshua Dobbs will seemingly be Watson's backup, but there is also time to for DTR or Mond to surpass him in that regard.
At the end of the day, Thompson-Robinson showed he could have a bright NFL future if he continues to put the work in and progress.