PHILADELPHIA — There is no preseason game that can be more for the football die-hards than the second preseason game.
Why is that? It’s because that’s typically the one where the teams have likely conducted joint practices earlier in the week, which is where the starters and top reserves all were able to get their work in for the week.
That was the case for the Browns and Philadelphia Eagles, who had joint practices Aug. 13-14. That left the Aug. 16 matinee, a RESULT, a stage for many of the players trying to climb the depth chart or just climb onto the initial 53-man roster.
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The fact there were no regulars, or none of the big names, in the game doesn’t diminish the fact things can be learned from what happened. There’s still some takeaways that can come from the four quarters of football that took place in Philadelphia, such as the ones that follows.
Dillon Gabriel acquitted himself well in 1st start
The lack of a hot take here is in line with a week ago when Shedeur Sanders made his own NFL debut against Carolina. Dillon Gabriel was fine in his first start, just like Sanders was in his, going 13-of-18 for 138 yards with an interception.
That’s not trying to sound like damning with faint praise. Gabriel did plenty of good things over his two quarters of play, including an impressive opening drive and a two-minute field goal drive to end his day.
Gabriel showed he could throw to all three levels: short, medium and deep, the latter on a nicely-place corner route to Cedric Tillman. He showed good timing often, and gave his receivers a chance to run after the catch.
Now, about those turnovers, which leads to the second takeaway.
Dillon Gabriel’s turnovers can’t become ‘a thing’
It’s time to talk about the elephant in the room, the two turnovers that Gabriel was responsible for in the first half. One was an interception that was thrown right into a window that made it easy for safety Andrew Mukuba to pick it off and return it for a touchdown.
The other was a botched handoff between Gabriel and running back Pierre Strong Jr. While there appeared to be some miscommunication between the two on the play, that still falls on the quarterback to make sure it’s correct.
Both plays are ones that are correctable. Both plays, coming on the heels of a season where the Browns were among the worst in the league at giving the football away, speak to a habit that coach Kevin Stefanski does not want to see any of his quarterbacks showing signs of early.
Again, every quarterback will make mistakes and have turnovers, and that wasn’t in Gabriel’s nature during his college career. It just can’t be something that becomes repetitive.
Gage Larvadain makes plays, makes it a tough decision
It was another game where undrafted rookie wide recei ver Gage Larvadain was active in the offense. Not just in the passing game, either.
Yet again, Larvadain made a big play in the run game. This time, it was a 16-yard run on an end-around on the opening drive that set up the Browns’ only touchdown, Ahmani Marshall’s 4-yard run.
“Yeah, I think with anything, you grow with experience,” Larvadain said afterwards, “and I think the first game gave me a little insight of what it’s like. I just go out there and try to be consistent and just do my job.”
Larvadain also averaged 7.2 yards on five punt returns.
Browns have a major depth problem at cornerback
The Browns have one of the best cornerbacks in the league in Denzel Ward. Greg Newsome II, when he’s healthy, is certainly capable of more than holding his own.
The two joint practices and the game in Philadelphia exposed a lot of concerns. With Martin Emerson Jr. out for the season and Newsome nursing a shoulder injury, Cameron Mitchell and Myles Harden have been pushed up the rotation, and that’s where the drop-off has become noticeable.
Mitchell, in particular, was beaten on a couple of occasions in the game when he lined up outside. He was especially hurt on multiple slant routes, including one by Ainias Smith for a touchdown.
Dustin Hopkins needed that 46-yard field goal
No, seriously, it was good to see Dustin Hopkins put through the one field goal try he had. Every kick he takes is under intense scrutiny after the way he finished the second half of last season.
Hopkins made a chip-shot field goal in Carolina. However, the old demons couldn’t help but come back up when he later missed a point-after try.
The failed PAT on the touchdown against the Eagles wasn’t Hopkins’ fault, as it was a bad snap. Still, never hurts to shake off the bad juju quickly when you’re in the position that Hopkins is entering the season.
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: Five takeaways from Browns’ 2nd preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles
Reporting by Chris Easterling, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
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