The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Felton, JOK shine in preseason opener
RB/WR caught four passes in first half; LB makes seven tackles plus one assist
The good and bad from the Browns’ 23-13 victory in their preseason opener against the Jaguars in Jacksonville on Aug. 14.
The good:
• Rookie Demetric Felton has flashed in training camp and he carried that over into his first preseason game. He was targeted six times in the first half and caught four passes for 44 yards. One was a 25yard gain on a pass from third-team quarterback Kyle Lauletta on a touchdown drive late in the second quarter.
Felton is listed as a running back. He works at that position and at wide receiver in practice.
“I always say that I don’t really have a preference,” Felton said after the last practice before the Browns headed to Jacksonville. “My only preference is putting the ball in my hands and letting me make plays. I feel like I can be very successful at either position. I feel very comfortable at either one.”
Felton returned a punt for four yards in the second quarter.
He was not successful on a kick return to the 11-yard-line in the fourth quarter.
General Manager Andrew Berry has some sixth-round magic. He drafted wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones in the sixth round last year and Felton in the first round in 2021.
• Rookie Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah has a lot to live up to as a projected first-round pick the Browns took in the secondround with the 52nd overall pick. The linebacker from Notre Dame was all over the field against the Jaguars. He was in the right place at the right time in pass coverage and made seven tackles plus one assist. He sacked Gardner Minshew and had three tackles for loss. He came within a half step of blocking a punt.
“To be out there as much as I was was a blessing,” Owusu-Koramoah said in a post-game interview on WEWS-TV 5. “A lot of good things but a lot of bad things. When I say bad things — things I need to learn in details and fundamentals. Once I get that
down pat, I’ll be good.”
• Rookie safety Richard LeCounte III had an interception and broke up a pass. He is a fifthround draft pick from Georgia.
“I thought the guys did a nice job competing out there,” Coach Kevin Stefanski said. “I made a big point to the young guys especially — you have to take the practice field to the game field. I thought a lot of guys did that. It’s never perfect. There are things to clean up, but Demetric had a couple nice moments there.”
• Lauletta was 19 of 27 for 212 yards and two touchdown passes. He didn’t get flustered. Would the Browns keep three quarterbacks — Baker Mayfield, Case Keenum and Lauletta? Unlikely.
• Sheldon Day, a sixthyear player trying to make the roster as part of the defensive tackle rotation behind starters Andrew Billings and Malik Jackson, welcomed 2021 No. 1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence to the NFL with a sack on Jacksonville’s first offensive play.
• Defensive end Joe Jackson made a significant assist on two defensive plays in the first half. He had the first hit on Jaguars running back James
Robinson on a fourthand-1 play that resulted in Malcolm Smith making the stop and forcing the turnover on downs.
• Jackson helped set up Owusu-Koramoah’s first NFL sack by grabbing Minshew’s shoulder before JOK hit him.
• Chase McLaughlin kicked a 37-yard field goal when the Browns’ first offensive drive stalled. He kicked the extra point after a dazzling 27-yard touchdown catch by Davion Davis from Lauletta with 13 seconds left in the second quarter.
• Incumbent Cody Parkey kicked a 34-yard field goal on his first opportunity and then converted a 48-yard try that hit the left upright, so the kicking battle will continue at least one more week.
• When training camp began, Andy Janovich seemed a lock to be the fullback on the 53-man roster. He probably will end up winning the job, but Johnny Stanton IV is making a case to win it. He has worked hard in practice and was rewarded with playing time against the Jaguars. He blocked well, carried the ball six times for 12 bruising yards and caught two passes for 14 yards.
The bad:
• Linebacker Mack Wilson, having the best training camp in his three years with the Browns, was knocked out of the game early with a shoulder injury. He did not return.
• The Browns are deep at tight end, but Stephen Carlson, fourth on the depth chart behind Austin Hooper, Harrison Bryant and David Njoku, suffered a knee injury in the first half and did not return.
• Cornerback Greedy Williams, playing his first game since December 2019, gave up a first down pass to Marvin Jones on Jacksonville’s first possession. It was the only time he was tested.
• Joe Thomas, the former Browns left tackle, provided a fresh view as an analyst from an offensive lineman’s point of view. He even called a seven-yard touchdown pass from Lauletta to Ryan Switzer, but the telecast on WEWS-TV 5 missed the opportunity to show replays on many plays important to the flow of the game until the fourth quarter.