CLEVELAND, Ohio — In this week’s edition of Hey, Mary Kay! I answer questions about the most vulnerable position group, Joe Flacco, and more. Some of the questions came from our Football Insider Subscribers. To become one, click the blue banner at the top of the cleveland.com/Browns page. Thanks so much!
**Hey, Mary Kay:**
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If this is basically the final group that will become the roster, what position group is most vulnerable to a key player injury and which is the safest? I think wide receiver but maybe I’m missing something under the radar. _— Dan from Moreland Hills_
**Hey, Dan:** A couple of positions come to mind, and receiver is certainly one of them. If No. 1 receiver Jerry Jeudy had to miss any length of time, the Browns would struggle to replace him unless free agent pickup Diontae Johnson comes through and plays up to his Pro Bowl potential this season. It’s one of the reasons why I’d be on the lookout for at least one more really good receiver in a trade or one who might shake out in the roster cuts. Another spot is defensive end, where the Browns don’t have anyone who could fill the shoes of Myles Garrett if he’s out. They’d have to go with a rotation of four or five players to try to keep their sack production and pressure up. It helps that they signed Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, and that Alex Wright (triceps) is back.
**Hey, Mary Kay:**
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Is Joe Flacco going to be our opening day starter? I think so now that the Steelers signed Aaron Rodgers. _— Gwin C. Wilson, Mansfield, Ohio_
**Hey, Gwin:** I keep thinking that the Browns will end up starting a veteran because of the grueling early part of the schedule, and because they have such a veteran roster counting on winning games this season. I know the Browns see tremendous upside in Kenny Pickett, and believe he can win. But I think Flacco will make it difficult because of his head start in this scheme and with this personnel. He’s a natural in Kevin Stefanski’s offense, but Pickett is coming up the learning curve quickly. I think it will come down to who can light it up the best with the top pass-catchers such as Jerry Jeudy and David Njoku, while also protecting the ball and avoiding interceptions. The rookies can’t be ruled out, but there’s no rush to start them on opening day. They need time to adapt to the pro game, and the vets have so much more experience. Flacco, despite being 40, will keeps his chances alive if he plays clean ball in camp and clearly outperforms Pickett.
**Hey MK:**
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With more and more time passing without our Dark Knight (Nick Chubb) being signed elsewhere, is it becoming more likely that we may offer him a contract? He would be hands down the best possible role model for Quinshon Judkins and Dylan Sampson to emulate. Thank you guys so very much for being honest and accurate providers of information about our team. _— Rick LaPaglia, Clifton Springs, NY_
**Hey, Rick:** Thanks, Rick! It’s still jarring to look out at the running back corps and not see Chubb churning out yards. But I think the Browns are so committed to their rookies, Judkins and Sampson, that they’re willing to let Chubb, a free agent, find another job, even if he has to wait until a back gets injured to find the right opportunity. Jerome Ford has also been getting plenty of reps, and Chubb wouldn’t get much time as the fourth back. He would be a tremendous role model to the rookies, but his best bet is to be on the field playing. Hopefully he’ll find a great new home, and go deep into the playoffs. Maybe he’ll even get a well-deserved Super Bowl ring. That would be a win-win.
**Hey, Mary Kay:**
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If Shedeur Sanders exhibits the same skill set as he did in college, wouldn’t he be perfect for Kevin Stefanski’s offense? I would think that a quarterback with a high completion rate and a low percentage of turnovers would be a far better option than a quarterback that passes for 300 yards a game but turns the ball over at an alarming rate. _— Mike Parker, Chester, MD_
**Hey, Mike:** Sanders has a number of high-level traits that make him a good fit for Stefanski’s offense, including accuracy, touch, anticipation and above-average arm strength. He’s adept at play-faking, and has enough mobility to run the keepers, or bootlegs. But Sanders must eliminate his tendency to drift backwards under pressure and take sacks. He doesn’t have the explosive arm strength to offset his many negative plays, but he’s working hard on the issue, and can be successful at this level if he solves it. Certainly, a player who protects the ball is preferred to one who’s pick-prone, but sacks are also very deleterious to a drive. The more Sanders studies film and reps it in drills, the better he’ll be in this category.
**Hey, Mary Kay:**
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I always hear opinions about how a quarterback’s skillset fits with a scheme, but what about how a QB’s skillset fits with the rest of the team? In my opinion, Baker Mayfield’s timing strengths did not fit with Odell Beckham Jr.’s improv strengths, but did with Jarvis Landry’s timing. Then Deshaun Watson’s improv strengths never fit Amari Cooper’s route-running precision. Am I crazy or is that not an important consideration point? _— Ken, Durham, N.C._
**Ken:** You’re not crazy at all. A team typically tries to find receivers that fit the style of the quarterback and the scheme they’ll run largely based on the QB’s strengths. In the case of Watson, they sought twitchy receivers who could separate well and run the choice routes, which are based on the coverage. With Joe Flacco, outside receivers with excellent speed and tight ends with great run-after-catch will be most successful. With Kenny Pickett, he’ll throw a lot of underneath routes but will also take his shots downfield, probably more so here than he did in Pittsburgh. It’s definitely a big consideration, but also tough to be that precise amid a four-way quarterback competition.
**Hey, Mary Kay:**
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Has there been anything that has been surprising at OTA’s so far? _\-- Thanks, Chris, Cicero, Ill._
**Hey, Chris:** One of the most surprising things to me so far is that free agent receiver Diontae Johnson didn’t show up for the voluntary workouts. If he had a good reason, my opinion will change. But if he opted not to attend because they’re voluntary, I think it was a poor decision. Johnson has an excellent chance to resurrect his career here, but must prove to the Browns he’s all-in and will have a great attitude. With his speed and route-running, he’ll be an asset to the QB and an excellent complement to Jerry Jeudy. We’ll know a lot more next week during mandatory minicamp.
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