3 standouts (and 2 duds) from Browns tie against Eagles

Leading up to their third preseason game, the Cleveland Browns spent the week practicing with the Philadelphia Eagles. Coaches and players alike praise these joint practices, saying it gives them more information than any preseason game can.

After what we saw on Thursday, it's easy to agree.

The Browns and Eagles played in a sloppy game that ended in an 18-18 tie. There were a lot of highs and lows on the night, which we can recap by highlighting these three standouts and two duds from Preseason Week 3.

Browns standout: Tommy Togiai, DT

Heading into the preseason, it felt as though Tommy Togiai had no shot of making the roster. Cleveland added Dalvin Tomlinson in free agency and also drafted Siaki Ika in the third round out of Baylor. They also seemed to believe in Jordan Elliott as they restructured his contract to add guarantees to his salary in 2023.

Fast forward to the end of their third preseason game and Togiai is in much better standing, even with the recent addition of Shelby Harris.

The Browns seem ready to give up on Elliott who hasn't played well at all in the preseason. And while Harris will start next to Tomlinson, Togiai has made a case for more snaps this year with a strong preseason. His positive play continued on Thursday, which included him delivering a huge sack at the end of the game.

Following a miss from Cade York, Philly was trying to score at the end of the game but their drive ended when Togiai sacked Tanner McKee for a seven-yard loss on third-and-10, forcing a punt. The offense didn't do anything with it, but the former Ohio State D-tackle did his part to give them a chance.

Browns dud: Cade York, K

At first, it felt as though Cade York finally turned a corner after struggling to start the year.

York had to come into this one feeling the pressure after missing the only two field goal attempts he had taken thus far in the preseason. Despite these struggles, head coach Kevin Stefanski continued to show faith in him, saying he just needed to work through the issues he was having.

On Thursday night, York started to make his coach look good when he drilled a kick from 43 yards in the second quarter. He not only had enough room for it to go through from 55-plus yards, but it was right down the center.

That seemed to help him find his confidence as he hit the next two kicks as well, making it from 37 yards out and then 43 in the fourth quarter.

But then, things fell apart at the end of the game.

With just under two minutes to go, York attempted to break the 18-18 tie with a 47-yard kick — but he was wide right. He originally was bailed out by the Eagles who were flagged for an illegal formation.

York then missed the next kick from 42 yards, going wide left this time.

Cleveland continues to insist he's a young kicker who just needs time but this surely won't be the last game impacted negatively by missed kicks if he doesn't get it figured out in a hurry.

Browns standout: Mohamoud Diabate, LB

Throughout the first two games of the preseason, Mohamoud Diabate had been slowly showing progression. The undrafted free agent out of Utah had three tackles against the New York Jets in the Hall of Fame Game and then added just one against the Washington Commanders.

Despite the stats not popping off the charts, he was still showing more awareness and comfort in the Cleveland defensive scheme. And on Thursday, he had his best outing yet.

Diabate started the game by putting the first points on the board. The Eagles had the ball on their own two-yard line following a fumble from John Kelly and on just the second defensive snap, Diabate broke through the Philadelphia offensive line and hit Kenneth Gainwell in the end zone, resulting in a safety.

On the second drive, the Browns defense struggled to wrap up the ball carrier and several plays resulted in extra yardage because of this. That stopped when Diabate hit Greg Ward on a one-yard catch, stopping him in his tracks. Just a couple of plays later, the Eagles had to settle for a 56-yard field goal, getting just three on a promising drive.

He wasn't done there either as he later forced a fumble when he punched the ball out of Trey Sermon's hands in the second quarter. Diabate also had a couple of quarterback hurries and went into the half with seven tackles.

With Jacob Phillips suffering an injury sending him to the IR, there's a spot open at linebacker and right now, it looks as though Diabate is doing all he can to seize that opportunity.

Browns dud: John Kelly, Jr., RB

Cleveland's offense came out playing very well, moving the ball 75 yards down to the Eagles' one-yard line on their opening drive. Rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson got the start and had several big plays, including a 14-yard pass and a 36-yarder to Cedric Tillman in order to set his team up to score.

Unfortunately, they were unable to put six on the board. John Kelly, Jr. was given the chance to punch it in but was hit in the backfield by Nakobe Dean and the ball came flying out. Philadelphia picked it up and took over, but were stopped for a safety.

Despite getting the two points thanks to their defense, the fumble was less than ideal for Kelly who is in the midst of a battle for the third running back spot.

Cleveland has Nick Chubb entrenched as the starter and Jerome Ford will be RB2 once he's healthy. That means Kelly and Demetric Felton are fighting for what should be the final spot. Felton might have already had the edge but Kelly is a powerful runner who could have set himself apart with a showing at the goal line.

Instead, he found himself being outplayed by Felton in a critical game for the two running backs.

Browns standout: Austin Watkins, Jr., WR

There wasn't much noise when the Browns signed Austin Watkins but the former USFL standout has been making more than enough since joining. Entering their third preseason game, Watkins has easily been the best wideout on the team. On Thursday, he made sure that remained the case.

Watkins put up his first triple-digit game, going over the century mark as he hauled in a 32-yard touchdown from Kellen Mond. As impressive as that catch and run was, it wasn't even his best play on the drive.

Just a couple of plays earlier, Watkins got the offense moving when he pulled in a one-handed catch for 23 yards.

Watkins finished the night with seven receptions for 139 yards and scored his second touchdown of the preseason.

At this point, it's going to be hard to keep Watkins off the 53-man roster. The Browns are deep at wideout with Amari Cooper, Donovan Peoples-Jones, Elijah Moore, Cedric Tillman, and David Bell who all feel like locks. They could also have Marquise Goodwin back, as he's out dealing with blood clots in his legs and lungs.

Even with the depth, it feels as though they have to keep Watkins. He's done too much to expect all 31 opposing teams to pass on him should he be exposed to waivers.

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