Sunday Dawg Chow: Browns news (10/22/23)

Dawgs By Nature:

• NFL trade deadline: Revisiting DeAndre Hopkins for Browns (Jared Mueller) - One of the most discussed possibilities during the NFL offseason was the possibility of WR DeAndre Hopkins having a reunion with QB Deshaun Watson. The Cleveland Browns had a level of interest in Hopkins but never at the contract level that other teams were willing to give him. With the NFL trade deadline around the corner, Hopkins could be back on the market as the Titans need to rebuild.
• Browns vs. Colts: 3 things to watch on Sunday (Curtiss Brown) - The Cleveland Browns will begin a mini two-game road trip as the first game starts in the Hoosier state. Cleveland will take on their second AFC South opponent, this time it’s the Indianapolis Colts. Here are three things to watch for during the game.
• Colts fumble uniform matchup with Browns (Thomas Moore) - Cleveland will be wearing one of the NFL’s classic uniforms while Indianapolis is going in a different direction.
• Browns sign RB to active roster, elevate two for Sunday’s Colts game (Jared Mueller) - As the Cleveland Browns prepare for the Indianapolis Colts game Sunday, the team had a roster spot available due to OL Michael Dunn being placed on injured reserve. While the Browns had seven players in town for workouts on Friday, they are signing RB Deon Jackson off of their practice squad for that spot.
• Maurice Hurst is Cleveland’s unsung hero on defense (Matt Wilson) - NFL free agency brought in a player who seems to have returned to the player he was before his biceps injury.
• Browns worked out seven players on Friday (Jared Mueller) - Week 7 of the NFL season is a chance for the Cleveland Browns to build on their huge upset in Week 6. NFL free agency never ends, however, and rumors will likely start to swirl as we get closer to the NFL trade deadline. Browns GM Andrew Berry consistently has players in for workouts as he thinks ahead about his team’s roster beyond this week.

Cleveland Browns:

• Browns defense is dominating and letting everyone know it (cleveland.com) - This season was supposed to be about Deshaun Watson and a new high-powered offense setting the tone. Watson, however, dealt with rust and then, after finally breaking out against the Titans, a shoulder injury. He is trending toward returning on Sunday against the Colts, but the Browns defense has filled the void and the Browns’ identity is clear: this defense is going to make your life miserable.
• Martin Emerson Jr. feels Browns tight coverage uses defenders ‘to best of our ability’ (Beacon Journal) - A day after the Cleveland Browns handed San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan’s team its first loss of the season, he was asked what it was that allowed that to happen. Specifically, how could one of the best offenses in the league be held in check, even by one of the league’s best defenses? The secret to the Browns’ success wasn’t a surprise to Shanahan.
• A ‘Same old story’ for the Browns? Why do I worry that can happen? (Terry Pluto) - Scribbles in my notebook as the Browns face the Colts. This is a “Same Old Browns” test game. If they’re the “Same Old Browns,” they’ll lose to the Colts and backup QB Gardner Minshew. The Colts are at home. They are 3-3. They’re OK, not great.
• The football gods have spoken: This is the year the Browns and Lions meet in the Super Bowl (Browns Zone) - While you were asleep, the planets have aligned, the football gods have convened, and Vince Lombardi has posthumously given it his rubber stamp of approval. That’s right. This is the year. Ladies and gentlemen, your Super Bowl LVIII matchup: The Detroit Lions vs. the Cleveland Browns.

NFL:

• The story behind Justin Tucker’s record-breaking field goal (ESPN) - Justin Tucker, the most accurate kicker in NFL history, knew he wasn’t going to make this one. With the Baltimore Ravens trailing 17-16 at Detroit’s Ford Field on Sept. 26, 2021, Tucker was lining up for an NFL-record 66-yard field goal attempt when a thought popped into his head. “Dude, there’s no way you’re going to get this there unless you just find a little bit of extra momentum into the ball,” Tucker thought to himself.
• Yes, the Lions ARE Super Bowl contenders; plus, the keys to Cleveland’s defense and Miami’s run game (NFL.com) - Everybody loves a Cinderella story. That’s why football fans from coast to coast are gravitating toward the Detroit Lions. This is a feel-good story with an undeniable rags-to-riches quality that people can rally around.
• How QB Tyson Bagent rose from zero-star recruit to Division II record-breaker to Chicago Bears rookie starter (Chicago Tribune) - Tyson Bagent prides himself on his preparation. It is, he says, a big part of what has propelled him from being a zero-star high school recruit in West Virginia to the verge of his first NFL start Sunday at Soldier Field.
• Dave Canales says payoff is coming with Bucs offense, preaches patience (Tampa Bay Times) - The offensive coordinator hasn’t fared better than Byron Leftwich, but says it’s all leading the Bucs to a chance to win the NFC South.