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Browns-Vikings joint practices day 1 takeaways: Left tackle issues, David Njoku's big camp
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- Browns-Vikings joint practices day 1 takeaways: Left tackle issues, David Njoku's big camp
BEREA — The Browns and Minnesota Vikings put one of their two joint practices behind them Wednesday . How much of a step forward either team took certainly will be left to perception.
For the purposes of this exercise, the focus is on what steps it appeared the Browns took by the time the 90-minute practice ended. That very much was a mixed bag, and almost depended exclusively on which field you were watching.
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If you were watching the Browns' offense during its time going against the Vikings ' defense, it would've been easy to walk away from the practice with some trepidation. If you were watching the Browns defense on the other field going against the Minnesota offense, then you might be ready to ask the 1985 Chicago Bears and 2000 Baltimore Ravens to move over and make room for someone else to join the conversation.
Again, it's all about perspective. Part of that perspective was also summed up well by head coach Kevin Stefanski in an answer that was more about the potential availability of an injured player for the regular-season opener against the Dallas Cowboys .
"I'm really — what's today's date, anybody know?," Stefanski said. "I'm Aug. 14th focused."
Well, then let's focus on Aug. 14 — Wednesday, for those without a calendar — with a few takeaways and observations from the first of the Browns' two joint practices against the Vikings.
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Cleveland Browns have a legitimate — they hope temporary — left tackle problem
The left tackle the Browns hope will be starting Sept. 8 against those Cowboys — the player Stefanski was answering the question about previously — is Jedrick Wills Jr. Wills, however, continues to not be in uniform as he works his way back from a November knee injury.
That has mostly left James Hudson III to play the position throughout training camp. It has not gone well at times, and Wednesday was one of the starkest examples.
The Vikings had no fewer than seven plays on 24 drop-backs with quarterback Deshaun Watson on the field for the Browns where they would've reasonably recorded sacks. A large percentage, but not all, came from the left side of the Cleveland line.
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By the end of the second 11-on-11 period, there were other options being worked at the spot. One was Germain Ifedi — who's played in 102 career NFL games with 83 starts, although most are at right tackle — while the other was Hakeem Adeniji , who started for the Cincinnati Bengals in both their 2021 Super Bowl and 2022 AFC Championship Game runs.
Neither, however, have gotten nearly the first-team snaps at left tackle during camp that Hudson has received. That may have to change soon — very soon — for the Browns' offense to have a chance to simply get quality work accomplished.
Tight end David Njoku may be sitting on a very big year, especially in catches
Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku runs with the ball during practice at the team's training facility, Aug. 4, 2024.
There's one thing that has become obvious about the Browns' passing game through 13 training camp days. That's the impact tight end David Njoku may have within the scheme.
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Njoku had a career year last year in targets (123), catches (81) and receiving yards (882). He's setting himself up to take that to another level this season, almost by default.
The best the Browns' passing game looked Wednesday against the Vikings was when Njoku was getting his hands on the football. The reason why he was getting his hands on the ball so much was because he seemed to be the one Watson was most comfortable throwing it to while under duress from the Minnesota defense.
To their credit, it worked regularly. Maybe, it's even the thing that solidifies the duo's connection, which helped open up the entire pass game.
If you're in a "points per reception" fantasy league, not that anyone cares about your fantasy team, you may want to keep Njoku's name in the back of your mind.
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Cornerback Myles Harden , a rookie to keep an eye on going forward
Browns linebacker Devin Bush (30) and cornerback Myles Harden (26) tackle Packers tight end Joel Wilson on Aug. 10 in Cleveland.
Want a sleeper to lay a little money on to make the Browns' initial 53-man roster? Cornerback Myles Harden might just be the one for you.
Harden, the seventh-round pick out of FCS Division I University of South Dakota, has taken advantage of the opportunities he's received because of the variety of cornerback injuries this training camp. That continued on Wednesday, with both Denzel Ward and Greg Newsome II sidelined.
The defensive play of the day, potentially, was turned in by Harden when he intercepted Vikings' quarterback Nick Mullens and returned it for a touchdown. That was one play after he made a nice play to knock the ball away from another Minnesota receiver.
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Then, just for good measure, Harden capped his day with one more break-up. The trifecta of plays earned him plenty of pats on the back and high-fives from his teammates.
It may just help earn him a spot on the roster as well.
Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Browns-Vikings joint practice: Day 1 takeaways include left tackle
