Cleveland Browns training camp preview: Start date, when rookies, veterans report, position battles to watch

The Cleveland Browns’ 2022 season was a tale of two halves. For the first 11 games of the season, the team was quarterbacked by Jacoby Brissett due to starting quarterback Deshaun Watson’s suspension. The team went 3-3 under Watson, who didn’t quite look like himself as he adjusted to playing after missing a year and a half. Now, he and the Browns will enter the season with a normal offseason.

Cleveland Browns training camp start date

Rookies reporting: 7/19
Veterans reporting: 7/21

First preseason game: 8/3 vs. Jets

Key position battles to watch

Wide Receiver

The Browns made one of the biggest splashes of the offseason when they traded a second-round draft pick to the Jets for mercurial wide receiver Elijah Moore, who likely be the team’s No. 2 wide receiver after Amari Cooper. After that, however, things get a little murky. Donovan Peoples-Jones has served as the team’s No. 3 wideout over parts of the last two seasons, but his tenure with the Browns has been underwhelming. The same can be said for fellow wideout Anthony Schwartz, who has yet to turn his talent into production. Two other names to watch are rookie Cedric Tillman and free agent acquisition Marquise Goodwin, both of whom have an outside shot at a starting role.

Linebacker

Last year, linebacker Sione Takitaki began to come into his own, as he tallied a career-high 71 tackles through 12 games. Then things changed in December when Takitaki tore his ACL in Watson’s debut in Houston, an injury that will likely impact his availability at the start of 2023. With Takitaki on the mend, the Browns will likely turn to backups Tony Field II and Matthew Adams to pick up more playing time, while undrafted rookie Mohamoud Diabate could work his way into the picture with a strong training camp.

Defensive Line

This battle will be for the team’s defensive line depth, as the top spots are already settled from Myles Garrett down to Jordan Elliot, who reworked his deal with the team to cut $1 million off the books. After Elliot, the Browns will likely only have two defensive line spots left, which means one of Perrion Winfrey, Maurice Hurst, Tommy Togiai and Trysten Hill will be on the outside looking in. Winfrey, HIll, and Togiai all saw time for the Browns last season, while Hurst has played five seasons in the NFL but missed all of last season due to a torn bicep.