4 Clevelands Browns on thin ice entering Week 2 against Jaguars

The Cleveland Browns had an opener to forget in Week 1 as they lost 33-17 to the Dallas Cowboys. The good news for them is that they now face a team they should have more confidence against in the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Not only do the Jags lack the same explosion the defensive line Dallas has with Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence but Cleveland also scored a win against them late last season.

While those are positives, they're still going to need to see improvement from several players. That said, here's a look at four Browns who didn't do enough in Week 1.

4. James Hudson III, OT

Heading into the weekend, the Browns were hopeful Jack Conklin would start at left tackle. That wasn't the case as he was inactive against Dallas and that meant James Hudson III would start. With Micah Parsons on the opposite side of the field, this felt like a disaster in the making.

That's how things unfolded as Hudson was credited with six pressures and four quarterback hits. What's worse is that he hardly had to deal with Parsons, which should have helped him.

Cleveland is hopeful Jedrick Wills or Conklin will replace Hudson in Week 2 but if not, things could get bad in a hurry.

3. Jerome Ford, RB

It's hard to see what the coaching staff sees in Jerome Ford.

He's an explosive back who can break a big run on occasion but he's not a bell cow. Yet for some reason, they continue to use him far more than any other back whenever Nick Chubb is unavailable.

On Sunday, he had 44 yards on 12 attempts meaning he was under four yards per attempt. Ford struggles to keep the chains moving and lived off breakaway runs in 2023. He's likely to get the start again in Week 2 but Kevin Stefanski needs to seriously consider seeing what D'Onta Foreman can offer.

2. Elijah Moore, WR

When Cleveland added Elijah Moore in a trade with the New York Jets last season, it felt like a huge win. After watching one highlight-reel play after another in camp, however, his performance left a lot to be desired.

That doesn't mean he was bad but he never had any huge performances and finished with 640 yards and two touchdowns on 59 receptions. Now after one week, it doesn't seem as though much has changed as he had nine yards on three receptions. He was also charged with two drops.

Moore has sensational speed yet doesn't seem to stretch the field. Instead, he gets targeted far too close to the line of scrimmage and doesn't create much after the catch. If the Browns are going to improve on offense, that needs to change.

1. Deshaun Watson, QB

It's tough too be too hard on Moore, or any other receiver, after seeing what they had to work with. It's time to stop making excuses and admit Deshaun Watson has been abysmal since being traded to Cleveland.

Sure, he had a strong 30 minute stretch agiainst the Baltimore Ravens but that was the anomaly. The rest of the time he's been on the field, he looked the exact same way he did against Dallas. He felt pressure before it was there, held on the ball too long, was wildly inaccurate, and struggles to see the field.

Ken Dorsey was added to try and get Watson on track but sadly, that might be a losing effort. In order to get No. 4 to turn it around, they need him to work on his weaknesses. And when he speaks, it's clear he doesn't believe he has any of those, so good luck getting him to make the neccesary changes.

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