The Cleveland Browns will hit the practice field in Berea with minicamp this week and the final voluntary OTA practices a few days later. Unlike the past few weeks, attendance is mandatory for this week, and players are subject to discipline or fines for not attending.
The media will be granted access to practice on Tuesday, which will provide us with our only opportunity to gather analysis from those in attendance. We will also see clips on the other days put out by the team without any context given.
The following are the three biggest questions that we should be seeking answers for through the glimpses that will be delivered:
Does Diontae Johnson look capable of having a big role in the wide receiver room this season?
It has been a surprise that Johnson was one of the few veterans who chose not to take part in voluntary sessions over the last few weeks. For a player whose career may be on life support after bouncing around three teams last year, one would think he’d be putting in as much effort to impress the staff as possible.
The Browns could sure use a motivated version of the veteran wideout who could regain some of his production. Injuries seem to be hampering the wideout group similarly to what happened with the offensive tackles last year.
Last week, Cedric Tillman and Michael Woods were limited and working with trainers on the side, and David Bell is still working his way back from hip surgery. Jamari Thrash seemed to be getting lots of balls thrown his way last week, and he has an opportunity to win the third wide receiver role on the depth chart unless Johnson finds a way to stake his claim.
What does the combination and pecking order look like on the offensive line?
We have noted some interesting things from the first few weeks of OTAs, but it’s hard to read too much into those without everyone there. Starters Joel Bitonio and Jack Conklin should be in attendance this week, and new offensive line coach Mike Bloomgren will get his first look at the group in its entirety.
Rumor has it that Bloomgren wants to evaluate the group based on what he sees rather than relying on the word of others and tape from last season. Zak Zinter and Dawand Jones have looked transformed since last season, and Teven Jenkins is a talented veteran to have in the fold.
Does Kenny Pickett show signs of life in the QB competition?
By most accounts, the two quarterbacks who have impressed the most on days the media have been in attendance are Joe Flacco and Shedeur Sanders. Most still assume that Pickett has the best chance of winning the job based on his combination of athleticism and youth.
Flacco is confident, and Sanders has shown his ability to put the ball exactly where he wants it, only to help fuel the fire for a fan base desperate for a savior. These next three practices are going to be important for all of them, as the coaching staff will want to see who is making progress.
Pickett has an opportunity to remind everyone why he should be the favorite when the team returns from break for training camp in late July. If the other quarterbacks continue to look sharp and make strides, you have to wonder if the Browns could gauge the interest of any other teams for a potential trade. Having one less mouth to feed valuable reps to could help the progress of the two rookies.
What questions are you hoping to have answered this week? Are there more starting jobs open for competition than most assume? Let us know in the comments below.