4 early takeaways from Cleveland Browns 2023 training camp
• Andrew Berry is focused on the end game
• Deshaun Watson is the new face of the franchise
By Randy Gurzi
2. Wide receiver depth already being tested
At first glance, the Browns wide receiving corps is stacked. They have six players who feel like a lock to make the team but there are some who believe they could decide to stick with seven since there are so many options. Another reason to go so deep would be the issues they've had in recent years with injuries.
For the most part, they were healthy at receiver in 2022 but 2023 isn't starting out that way as they lost free agent addition Marquise Goodwin early in camp. Goodwin, who was signed to be a deep threat, had shortness of breath and felt discomfort in his legs. After being evaluated, it was determined he had blood clots in his lungs as well as his legs.
Goodwin's teammates are rallying around him, with Amari Cooper calling him an "inspiration," but it's still quite a loss. The Browns were expecting him to be the player to stretch the field and if they do have to enter the 2023 campaign without him, they might be forced to find a Plan B.
With Goodwin already sidelined, the Browns also lost Cooper on Sunday. The No. 1 wideout did have core surgery in the offseason but the coaching staff says he "tweaked" something and it's unrelated to his core muscle surgery.
#Browns Andrew Berry said Amari Cooper had a minor tweak at practice today. It's not related to the core muscle injury he's recovering from. He'll be "day to day."
— Camryn Justice (@camijustice) July 23, 2023
Cleveland added Cedric Tillman in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft and traded for Elijah Moore. They're joined by Donovan Peoples-Jones and second-year wideout David Bell. All have plenty of talent but that depth is already being tested.