Conventional wisdom projected Greedy Williams to be an instant starter at cornerback opposite Denzel Ward. Yet when the Cleveland Browns held the first practice of 2019 training camp on Thursday, head coach Freddie Kitchens defied that notion.
Terrance Mitchell took the majority of reps with the first-team defense, while Williams ran with the twos.
Mitchell started last season when he was healthy, and he’s starting again until someone beats him out. That could very well be Williams, the Browns’ top draft pick, but the rookie will have to earn it over Mitchell, who played well in his first season in Cleveland.
“There are a lot of positions that people might have penciled in (a starter), but we are competing for these jobs, you know?”, Kitchens said via Cleveland.com. “And that position is, I mean, Mitchell’s not going anywhere, he’s gonna be here, he’s gonna compete.”
Both Mitchell and Williams are at their best making plays on the ball in the air and creating takeaways. That included a close-but-no-cigar moment for Mitchell in Thursday’s camp as he efforted to cover Odell Beckham Jr.
Expect this battle between Mitchell and Williams to persist through the preseason.
