{"id":143344,"date":"2023-08-04T10:30:29","date_gmt":"2023-08-04T14:30:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=143344"},"modified":"2023-08-04T06:54:10","modified_gmt":"2023-08-04T10:54:10","slug":"cleveland-browns-takeaways-hall-of-fame-game","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2023\/08\/04\/cleveland-browns-takeaways-hall-of-fame-game\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Browns Takeaways from the Hall of Fame Game"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>It was a lights-out performance for the Cleveland Browns in their 21-16 win over the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/jets\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">New York Jets<\/a> in the Hall of Fame Game last night.<\/p>\n<p>Get it? <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nfl.com\/news\/hall-of-fame-game-between-jets-browns-halted-due-to-lights-going-out\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Cause the lights went out in the third quarter?<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Okay, now that that&#8217;s out of the way&#8230;<\/p>\n<h2>5 Browns Takeaways from the Hall of Fame Game<\/h2>\n<h3>The Remade Defense Looks Promising<\/h3>\n<p>Few, if any, starters saw the field for either team in the Hall of Fame Game. 2021 second-overall draft choice Zach Wilson made the start for the Jets. Aside from one long pass, the Browns kept him and his subsequent replacements from engineering long-scoring drives. The one Jets touchdown came from a turnover, and two field goals came on drives under 20 yards. The defense played with increasing aggression and swagger as the game progressed, shutting out the Jets in the second half.<\/p>\n<h3>Rookie Quarterback Impressive in NFL Debut<\/h3>\n<p>Though Kellen Mond got the start at quarterback, it was fifth-round choice <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2023\/04\/18\/dorian-thompson-robinson-2023-nfl-draft-profile\/\" target=\"_self\">Dorian Thompson-Robinson<\/a> who looked most impressive in the Hall of Fame Game. Thompson-Robinson has had the inside track to win the third-string spot throughout the offseason, as his game is closer to Watson&#8217;s than fellow backup Kellen Mond. The Browns hope that Thompson-Robinson can be the long-term answer at second-string. The rookie lit up the field with a 124.1 passer rating in his first NFL appearance, completing 8 of his 11 passes for 82 yards and a score. He also added six rushes for 36 yards.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">.<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Browns?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@Browns<\/a> QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson out here throwing blocks \ud83d\ude24 <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DoriansTweets?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@DoriansTweets<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udcfa: <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ProFootballHOF?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@ProFootballHOF<\/a> Game on NBC<br \/>\ud83d\udcf1: Stream on NFL+ <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/bDdH0uvRfp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/t.co\/bDdH0uvRfp<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/jJvF2QPDNz\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/jJvF2QPDNz<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; NFL (@NFL) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NFL\/status\/1687284104537255936?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">August 4, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h3>OT Dawand Jones is&#8230; Huge<\/h3>\n<p>It&#8217;s far too early to say, but the 2023 Browns draft class might be full of sleepers. Thompson-Robinson was taken in the fifth round. One round earlier, the Browns snagged a massive prospect in offensive tackle <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2023\/02\/01\/2023-nfl-draft-dawand-jones-scouting-report\/\" target=\"_self\">Dawand Jones from Ohio State<\/a>. It&#8217;s one thing to read that a man is 6&#8242;-8&#8243; and weighs 374 pounds,\u00a0 and it&#8217;s another thing actually to see it on the field. Jones isn&#8217;t just large, but he can also move. He was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportingnews.com\/us\/nfl\/news\/dawand-jones-height-weight-browns-rookie-ohio-state\/z2w2rozeln4fyyjphfckzqoo\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">considered for a basketball scholarship at Kent State<\/a> before choosing football.<\/p>\n<p>Jones looked like a man among men in his limited action on Thursday, shutting down any pass rusher who dared to try and get past him in the Hall of Fame Game. It&#8217;ll be exciting to see him take on starters and, down the line, if he can become a starter himself. If he can, that will give the already great Browns offensive line many great options.<\/p>\n<h3>The Special Teams Didn&#8217;t Look So Special<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2023\/07\/14\/cleveland-browns-special-teams-warrant-special-consideration-in-2023\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">The Browns hired special teams boss Bubba Ventrone<\/a> to bring those units up to snuff. They have a long way to go if the Hall of Fame Game is any indication. On the game&#8217;s opening kickoff, the Browns returner dropped the ball. Later in that drive, kicker Cade York shanked his first field goal attempt of the season. The Browns gave up a field goal at the end of the first half after the Jets ran the ball back 45 yards. The Jets also sacked up a 22.5-yard punt return average to the Browns.<\/p>\n<h3>WR Anthony Schwartz Blew a Big Chance<\/h3>\n<p>When the Browns snagged wide receiver Anthony Schwartz in the third round of the 2021 draft, they thought they had solved their downfield passing needs. Two years later, he&#8217;s only grabbed 14 passes and is still looking for his second score. So Cleveland signed speedster Marquise Goodwin in free agency.<\/p>\n<p>Goodwin has been out of action for most of camp with blood clots, giving Schwartz a chance to shine. But Schwartz dropped the ball&#8230; literally. His lone catch in the game was for seven yards, and he promptly fumbled. That set up the Jets&#8217; second field goal. With 10 Browns players catching passes in the Hall of Fame Game and all the starters riding the pine, this does not bode well for Schwartz.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The Jets\u2019 defense forces an Anthony Schwartz fumble \ud83d\ude2c <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/kQUA3AOtth\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/kQUA3AOtth<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; SleeperNFL (@SleeperNFL) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SleeperNFL\/status\/1687265488168972288?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">August 4, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>The Cleveland Browns are back in action next Friday, August 11, when they host the Washington Commanders in Cleveland.<\/p>\n<p><em>Main Photo: Ken Blaze &#8211; USA Today Sports<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hall of Fame Game: Five takeaways and storylines for the Cleveland Browns from Thursday night&#8217;s Hall of Fame Game win over the New York Jets.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4699,"featured_media":143353,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8,6431],"tags":[8140,10272,7809,9611,9893],"class_list":["post-143344","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-browns","category-nfl-teams","tag-anthony-schwartz","tag-cade-york","tag-cleveland-browns-news","tag-dawand-jones","tag-dorian-thompson-robinson"],"modified_by":"David Latham, Managing Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/143344","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4699"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=143344"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/143344\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/143353"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=143344"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=143344"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=143344"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}