Jerome Ford, Grant Delpit and more | 5 Browns critical to post-bye week success
BEREA — The goals all remain in front of the Browns as they come out of their bye week. The beauty of having one in Week 5 means it's still early enough to recover from whatever may have occurred before the break.
For the Browns, a lot has happened despite having only played four games. They've lost two huge offensive players to season-ending injuries in right tackle Jack Conklin in Week 1 and, even bigger, running back Nick Chubb in Week Week 2.
The defense has posted some eye-popping numbers. The offense essentially lost a game at the Pittsburgh Steelers because two of their turnovers were returned for touchdowns.
Oh, and there's the Deshaun Watson shoulder injury that has hung over everything since the middle of the week leading into the loss to the Baltimore Ravens right before the bye arrived. It'll be the biggest storyline coming out of the break and heading into Sunday's home game against the San Francisco 49ers.
After all of that, the Browns are 2-2. So, as was said at the start, plenty of time to achieve the goals they set for themselves.
To do that, however, the Browns are going to need some players to have huge finishes to the season. The five who follow don't include the likes of Watson, Myles Garrett or Denzel Ward, because everyone understands their importance to the team's success.
Let's take a look at the five players whose performances may hold the keys to the Browns' success.
Jedrick Wills Jr., left tackle
The Browns' other starting tackle, Dawand Jones, is a rookie who'll make his fourth career start on Sunday. However, it hasn't been Jones who has drawn the most criticism so far this season. Instead, it's been the former 2020 top-10 draft pick Wills. It was Wills who surrendered the strip sack by Pittsburgh's Alex Highsmith that led to T.J. Watt's go-ahead fumble return in the fourth quarter of that loss. Wills had his fifth-year option picked up in May, ostensibly because the Browns were betting a little more security would allow for some potential growth. That growth hasn't happened yet, but it needs to start very soon.
Jerome Ford, running back
The Browns believed in the second-year player all offseason and training camp, despite questions being raised outside the team facility about the lack of a proven running back behind Chubb. Outside of a 69-yard run against the Steelers and an impressive receiving touchdown against the Tennessee Titans, Ford has been limited in his productivity in the two full games since Chubb's injury. That, however, doesn't mean the University of Cincinnati product can't start. General manager Andrew Berry indicated in his bye-week news conference the team's running game was going to be heavily opponent-based in what it looks like schematically. Having had a week to fully process the time since Chubb's injury, it'll be interesting to see how Ford is utilized going forward.
Elijah Moore, wide receiver
Someone has to emerge as the No. 2 receiver behind Amari Cooper. Moore has been that individual, statistically. However, it's about more than just raw numbers. It's about actually making plays, the kind of big-time plays that was expected from the third-year pro when he was acquired in a March trade with the New York Jets. Moore is going to get his chances, because it's clear coach Kevin Stefanski and offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt are going to continue to do their part to get him going. If he does, it opens up the Browns offense significantly.
Grant Delpit, safety
Speaking of 2020 draft picks who have caught flak previously, Delpit is having by far the best start to a season since he arrived in Cleveland. It started from the very first game against the Cincinnati Bengals, and it really hasn't slowed down since then. The former LSU star has been active all over the Browns defense. In fact, Delpit has thrived in new defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz's scheme. If Delpit can sustain this start, he'll not only help the Browns defense overall, but it will help Delpit himself as he seeks a new deal after this season.
Ogbo Okoronkwo, defensive end
The free-agent signing from March has been as advertised so far. Okoronkwo and Za'Darius Smith have both been excellent lining up opposite of Garrett. Smith's acquisition in May in a trade with the Minnesota may have overshadowed Okoronkwo, but the former Houston Texan is more than making himself known on the field. His 2.5 sacks are second to Garrett's 5.5. More than that, he's been incredibly active on the field from down to down. Okoronkwo has been a big reason why the defense has been one of the league's most dominant for the better part of those first four games. If he can continue to do that, then the gaudy stats the Browns have posted defensively in the small sample size that was the first four games has a significant chance to be sustained.
Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on Twitter at @ceasterlingABJ
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Jerome Ford, Grant Delpit among 5 Browns critical to post-bye success
