4 things to watch during the Cleveland Browns 2023 OTAs
By Randy Gurzi
After months of roster moves, the Cleveland Browns are finally getting together in preparation of the 2023 season. And as was the case last season, the turnout so far has been fantastic for the OTAs which began on Tuesday.
With J.C. Tretter no longer there to encourage not practicing, Kevin Stefanski and his staff have been able to get a jump start on figuring out their game plans. Some consider these practices pointless but for a team looking to get off to a hot start, they can be invaluable.
With that being said, here are 4 key things to watch during 2023 Browns OTAs.
4. Will there be a Quarterback competition behind Deshaun Watson?
When the Browns selected Dorian Thompson-Robinson in the fifth round this season, it was met with a lot of excitement. As a rookie, he's not expected to see the field at all, with his ceiling most likely being QB3.
But the exciting dual-threat from UCLA is going to be a lot of fun to watch in the preseason and is expected to take the spot of Kellen Mond, who spent all of 2022 on the roster as the Browns third quarterback.
DORIAN THOMPSON-ROBINSON CAUSED THE TWO DEFENDERS TO COLLIDE 😲 pic.twitter.com/AHLc1c9kmw
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 1, 2022
Mond was even kept when they released Josh Dobbs, who has since returned as the No. 2 quarterback. Dobbs also has a fully guaranteed contract at $2 million. The fact that DTR was drafted this season as well as Dobbs contract make it seem like a foregone conclusion that Mond is on the way out — unless he can be retained to the practice squad.
Having said that, many forget that he was a third-round pick in 2021 and it's highly unlikely he doesn't get claimed should he be waived. And Kevin Stefanski surely likes his game, since he kept him all of last season, even allowing Dobbs to walk.
So for those who say the $2 million means Dobbs is a lock, they have to realize $2 million isn't the same to us as it is to Jimmy Haslam or Andrew Berry. They won't hesitate to keep the best players, so this week will be the first chance to see if there will be any drama behind Watson, or if the three positions are going to fall as predicted.