BEREA — What will the second week of Browns’ OTAs bring? What will be seen with the second OTA open to the media?
Those are the questions May 27 as the Browns open up their fifth of 10 OTAs to the media. It’ll allow for yet more context on what was seen a week ago when they opened up their second OTA on May 20 to the same group of observers.
So, let’s try to explore some areas where a little more depth can be added to the conversation. Of course, there’s one specific area where the conversation is non-stop — the quarterback competition between Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders — but that’s not among the ones being looked at in this space.
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Instead, let’s look at some of the other questions that have either hung over the entire offseason or emerged during the first open OTA. That starts with a player who’s appearance on the field a week ago was a reminder of his potential.
What Quinshon Judkins’ return could mean for the Browns’ offense?
The eyes of everyone a week ago was on Watson and Sanders because the eyes are always on the quarterbacks. The player who caught everyone’s attention, however, was running back Quinshon Judkins.
The last time Judkins was seen on the field, it was when he was being carted off against the Buffalo Bills in late December with a dislocated ankle and fractured fibula. While the injury was certainly bad, the lack of any ligament damage certainly indicated a little quicker return for the 2025 second-round pick out of Ohio State.
Still, the way Judkins was running in last week’s OTA was a great sign about how much he could be able to do during training camp. That’s something he didn’t get a year ago due to the July domestic violence arrest in Florida — for which charges were ultimately dropped — that led to his contract negotiations being delayed and his signing not happening until the day before the season opener.
Even without a training camp, Judkins ran for 827 yards in 13-and-a-half games, which led all rookies at the time of his injury. That why the impressive way he was running early in OTAs could be a good sign for what a healthy, full second season of the powerful running back could provide.
Who goes where with Browns’ refurbished offensive line?
Right tackle Tytus Howard was not at the last open OTA, which meant that some shuffling had to be done to fill that spot. The first group for that one was, from left tackle to right tackle: Dawand Jones, Zion Johnson, Elgton Jenkins, Teven Jenkins and Tyre Phillips.
It’s not far-fetched to see the interior three being the starting three inside Sept. 13 at Jacksonville. Howard would almost certainly be at right tackle, but the expectation is that rookie first-round pick Spencer Fano will be at left tackle that day.
Fano, though, worked with the second unit at the last open OTA, along with the other two rookie draft pick: Center Parker Brailsford and right tackle Austin Barber. Coach Todd Monken said after that OTA that “the idea is to kind of ease them in as they’re learning, but the other guy’s got to play better. I mean, there was times with the ones – not good enough. So, you’d like to ease them, you’d love to ease them in, but eventually the easing has to end.”
So has any movement occurred over the two OTAs the Browns have held in between the two they’ve had open? That’s something that will be followed closely.
How do Denzel Boston, KC Concepcion look a month into Browns careers?
Wide receivers Denzel Boston and KC Concepcion have been under the microscope since they were selected over the first two rounds of April’s draft. Every route they’ve run, and every ball thrown their direction has been watched and recorded.
Both are subject to a couple of things beyond their control. The biggest of those is who’s throwing them the ball, as they’ve worked with not just Watson and Sanders, but also Dillon Gabriel and fellow rookie Taylen Green.
That’s par for the course for this time of year. That’s especially true for rookies, even those taken in the top 40 picks.
The good news is that both have shown the kind of flashes you want to see out of those two this early in the process, especially Boston. They’ll have five more opportunities in front of cameras before the offseason program ends June 11 to show how far they’ve come since the draft.
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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. Sign up for Browns Insider newsletter at https://profile.beaconjournal.com/newsletters/browns-insider/
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: What to watch in 2nd open Browns OTA? Quinshon Judkins, offensive line
Reporting by Chris Easterling, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
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