Dawgs By Nature
Taking a look at a handful of things to watch out for this week, now that the pads are finally on
Today marks the first day in pads for the 2025 Cleveland Browns squad, and it’s going to be a very important week for the new guys on the team. Though there was light contact in week one of camp, now it’s time to see what the rookies and recently signed free agents can do in a string of practices that matter a lot more.
Here are a few things to look out for this week in Berea:
Both quarterbacks have been doing very well in camp so far, especially over the past couple of days. Gabriel and Sanders had a few nice throws in the face of pressure, but now it’s going to be a whole different animal.
Though it’s still going to be “two-hand touch” for the quarterbacks, it’s full-speed in the trenches, and now we’re going to be able to see how they handle true chaos in the pocket.
It hasn’t been talked about a lot, but Thrash is most likely going to see significant playing time this year at both “Z” and in the slot. He’s had quite a few highlight plays this summer against air and in 7-on-7s, but he hasn’t had much of an opportunity besides that.
He needs to prove that he can handle the physicality of playing in the slot and being able to beat press coverage at the line of scrimmage. Yes, as a receiver, it can be viewed as being “easier” because you have a two-way go, but a lot of times nickel corners are more physical at the release point to try and disrupt timing.
There’s not much to say about this one.
Graham has looked the part so far in non-padded practices, but now’s the time to shine and prove why he was a top 5 NFL Draft pick.
Zinter looked “okay” as a rookie, but he’s seemingly struggled so far in year two. He needs to be more technically sound as a pass protector and work on his fundamentals.
He tries to win solely with strength too often. NFL defensive linemen are too savvy for that, and he consistently gets beaten with second-effort moves by defensive tackles. Zinter is usually pretty good at the point of contact, but will get lazy throughout the rep, causing him to fall off the block. He needs to do a better job of sustaining blocks this week if he wants to lock down one of the backup guard spots.
Carson Schwesinger and Devin Bush likely have the top two spots locked down, but with Jordan Hicks retiring, someone else has to step up and be effective in base packages.
Baker has spent the...
