BEREA, Ohio — How would Odell Beckham Jr. acclimate himself to Cleveland after knowing only one NFL team, the New York Giants? Could quarterback Baker Mayfield emerge as a true leader for the team and not just the offense? What would the revamped defensive line look like?
Those were the many questions asked and answered throughout three weeks of a physical training camp under first-year head coach Freddie Kitchens, who had the players in pads for all but a handful of practices to ready them for the rigors of the regular season.
Kitchens even took the show on the road for two days of practice with the Indianapolis Colts at Grand Park in Westfield, Indiana to break up the monotony of working against only teammates in the weeks leading up to the preseason.
And while the Browns answered some questions, there are three key ones needing to be solved over the final two preseason games.
Who will be the starting right guard?
After trading Kevin Zeitler to the Giants in exchange for Pro Bowl defensive end Olivier Vernon, the Browns had a spot to fill at right guard, and the coaching staff held a daily competition for the only open spot along the offensive line.
Veteran blocker Eric Kush has held down the position through most of the practices, while Austin Corbett has rotated in at center and Kyle Kalis is working his way through the NFL Concussion Protocol after being injured in the preseason opener.
“Everything we have done is to try to prepare them for that situation and try to put pressure on them in the midst of practice,” Kitchens said.
“Can someone go from on the team to off the team in five practices and two games? Of course. Can someone go from off the team to on the team? Of course. Can somebody go from a backup to a starter? Yes.”
Is there time to develop chemistry?
Although Beckham Jr. participated in individual drills throughout training camp, he was limited in 11-on-11 competition while working through a hip issue.
While Beckham Jr. has plenty of talent, he has a short amount of time to build up on-field chemistry with Mayfield and the other skill players before the regular season gets underway against the Tennessee Titans at FirstEnergy Stadium on Sunday, September 8.
“We still have a couple of weeks left to iron out some little details and stuff, but just because he is not out there during team drills does not mean we are not getting work done,” Kitchens said.
“Of course, if you are in a perfect world, you would have 90 guys stay healthy all throughout camp. Every time someone goes down, to someone, it is adversity. It may just be to the backup, so that adversity may be to those younger receivers that are getting these reps, and then, the reps start piling up on them, which again, then you are in the exposure or exposed business to see what you can do.”
Who will kick for Browns?
The Browns brought in one of the NCAA’s most prolific kickers, Austin Seibert, with a fifth-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft to compete with second-year incumbent Greg Joseph, but the results of the position battle have been mixed, at best.
After some inconsistencies throughout the first two weeks of training camp, Seibert and Joseph did well in the joint practices with the Colts, but in the preseason game at Lucas Oil Stadium, both missed from 50 yards out.
Watch: Odell Beckham Jr. makes slick one-handed catch on final day of Cleveland Browns training camp
Also, during a training camp practice after returning from Indianapolis, Seibert and Joseph each missed two of their six kicks, including three of four from 50 yards or more.
On the final play of training camp, Joseph missed from 49 yards out.
“I want the ball to go through and not outside those yellow poles,” Kitchens said.
“We have two guys right here that can kick the ball a long way. We need them to get their act right. We are not looking to replace them right now. We are looking to get these guys better and continuing to get better. The process of evaluation and the process of judging them has not concluded yet. When it concludes, then we will make that decision.”