The NFL Combine is just one week away, and the Super Bowl has already passed. We’ll address the pressing issues facing the Browns every week as they begin to prepare for 2024. Now let’s address four.
Patrick Mahomes is unreplicable, so this is difficult. I would advise any club not to think that replicating the Chiefs’ style of play is simple. Even without a defence that was as good as the Chiefs’ or Browns’ in the NFL, I believe there are still more similarities between the 49ers and Browns. To begin with, Kevin Stefanski and Kyle Shanahan employ remarkably comparable strategies.
One thing has me leaning Kansas City though and that’s the QB situation. Deshaun Watson is not Mahomes, but they’re both being paid like top QBs in the sport. The 49ers meanwhile are operating with their quarterback, Brock Purdy, on a rookie deal which is flexibility the Browns just do not have right now. For that reas
Conklin’s contract is an albatross. Trading him before June first would still leave the Browns with a cap hit of $21 million this season. Doing so after June 1 would allow them to split that up into $7 million and $14 million chunks over the next two years. Ultimately, I think the dead money makes Conklin a thought candidate to be traded right now so he’s probably here to stay.
That’s not necessarily a bad thing though, even with the emergence of Jones this past season. For starters, Cleveland was ravaged by injuries in 2023, particularly along the offensive line. It doesn’t hurt to have depth at any of those spots. Conklin and Wills will likely be your starters at the tackle spots come Week 1 with Jones as the top reserve. Perhaps the Browns can try to test Jones out as a swing tackle who can play either side of the O-line. If he takes to that well maybe he even becomes Wills replacement at left tackle if this ends up being his last season with the franchise.
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