Dawgs By Nature
It’s time! Cleveland Browns training camp. The rookies have reported, and next Tuesday, July 28, the veteran players will report.
No more excursions to the local Chinese buffet. No more homemade key lime pie from the local bakery or grocery store. No more telling the team nutritionist that they were sure that crab legs and fried wings from Popeye’s were on their dietary plan.
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The running is about to begin. Eventually, the pads will go on, and the hitting will become the norm. Right now, it is 90 players in camp. Before Week 1, that number will become 53 players with 16 on the practice squad, plus one more guy as an international prospect.
These weeks in camp will determine who will start, who will become the backups, and who will be sent along their way.
Quite a few positional battles every single day. Here are three that most folks aren’t talking about.
The biggest headline during this year’s training camp is Deshaun Watson against Shedeur Sanders for who will be the starting quarterback in 2026. But the QB3 slot will eventually be ironed out as well.
Some say that Gabriel should somehow slide in between Watson and Sanders and be a candidate for the starting job, but most likely, he will receive very few first-team reps. The coaching staff has full attention on both Watson and Sanders for the Week 1 starter, with the loser listed as the backup.
Gabriel (5’-11”, 205 pounds) started six games for the Browns in his rookie season and went 1-5-0. He tossed 185 passes with 110 completions for 937 yards and a 59.5% completion ratio. He was able to connect on 45 first-down conversions with seven TD passes and only two interceptions. As a runner, Gabriel had 14 attempts for 86 yards, converted four first-down conversions, and did not score.
His competitor in camp will be rookie Taylen Green from Arkansas. Right off, Green’s 6’6” height is a huge asset for an NFL quarterback, but he is a lean 227 pounds. He runs like a gazelle and simply glides. Very shifty runner, plenty of juke moves, and can move the team down the field with his legs.
In his senior year alone, Green had 777 rushing yards. That number is the envy of plenty of college running backs. For his college career, he had 459 carries. Marinate on that for a second. Almost 500 times rushing the ball – for a quarterback. He finished his college career with 2,405 rushing yards and scored 35 rushing touchdowns. An amazing athlete carrying the ball who was clocked at 4.36 and had a vertical jump of 43.5 inches.
So, why was Green drafted in Round 6? Now for the gloomy news. He is a below-average passer. Rated 67% on his short passes. Average release speed because of an elongated throwing motion. His intermediate accuracy is horrible, especially when rushed. Green...
