The Browns kicked off the preseason in dominating fashion with a 30-10 win over the Washington Redskins. Who performed well and who needs to improve? Let’s dive into which players stock is up and whose stock is down.
Stock Up
Rashard Higgins
Higgins has come a long way since being cut before the 2017 season. He put the exclamation point on a dominating opening drive with a 14-yard reception on a strike from Baker Mayfield in the end zone for the touchdown.
Higgins hauled in a total of five catches on six targets for 98 yards against Washington.
Not only has Higgins established strong chemistry with Mayfield, he linked up with Drew Stanton and Garrett Gilbert. A solid debut from Hollywood to open the 2019 season.
Garrett Gilbert
Touching on the topic of Gilbert, he had a respectable debut with the Browns. Gilbert certainly increased his stock if you look past the first two drives where he went 2-for-4 for seven yards.
On his third drive, Gilbert led the Browns down the field 44 yards for a field goal. He went 3-for-5 for 38 yards, Two of those completed passes went to Antonio Callaway for 13 and 19 yards.
Gilbert concluded the night 14-of-22 for 135 yards. He certainly has made the backup quarterback position at least a conversation.
Mack Wilson
Wilson has been an interception machine since being drafted by the Browns.
Tonight against the Redskins Wilson added two interceptions, including one for a touchdown. He also added three tackles in his NFL debut.
After being drafted in the fifth round, Wilson was considered one of the biggest steals in the draft. Now, he has the potential to be a potential star on the defensive side of the ball.
Devaroe Lawerence
With Sheldon Richardson being held out and Larry Ogunjobi playing limited snaps, the opportunities were there for the backup defensive lineman.
Lawerence made three tackles which included a sack and a tackle for loss. On a team that is seeking depth at the defensive line position, Lawerence made his case to be on the roster.
Chad Thomas
Following the 2018 season, Thomas quickly went from a third-round pick to an afterthought. Against Washington, he made Browns fans think about him once again.
Thomas recorded one tackle and had a solid showing in the snaps he played. The arrow is trending upwards for him to make the roster.
Stock Down
Dontrell Hillard
After Duke Johnson was traded to the Texans, Hillard was a name that eyes turned towards to step up and fill Johnson’s void. He did not help himself in that category tonight.
Hillard fumbled on the 1-yard line and registered a holding penalty that took the Browns out of field goal range before the half.
To add insult to injury, he averaged just 2.1 yards per carry and struggled in pass protection.
Pharaoh Brown
On a night that Brown had an opportunity to impress, he did not necessarily help his case to make the roster.
Brown only caught one of his three targets. He also whiffed on a block.
Austin Corbett
Being drafted high in the second round, Corbett has given many chances to take over multiple positions in the offensive line — the most recent being right guard.
His performance was not horrific by any means, but it certainly was not great. He did not even receive an opportunity at right guard, a position that he was penciled in to win.
Greg Joseph
Coming into the first preseason game, Joseph has slightly edged himself ahead of rookie Austin Seibert in the kicking game. But a missed extra point had Browns fans biting their tongues on what seemed all too familiar.
Ishmael Hyman
Hyman fumbled after a catch, which was lost to the Redskins. He did haul in four of his five catches but on a roster with the wide receiver position ultra-competitive, any hiccup could result in a job search.
