The Cleveland Browns wrapped up their organized team activities and mandatory minicamp last week and went on their summer break before they reconvene for training camp. The training camp will be the last opportunity before the team finalizes their roster and depth chart for next season.
Even though the offseason workouts are mostly a chance to build chemistry and see how new faces fit with familiar ones, they are also an excellent opportunity for players to make their case for an increased role for next season. Every year, there are players who emerge as winners out of the offseason and show that they are ready for a breakout campaign. Let's take a look at who those might be in 2024.
Martin Emerson, CB
Every report out of the mandatory minicamp was raving about Martin Emerson Jr. The former third-round pick out of Mississippi State is poised for a breakout campaign as he reportedly looked like one of the most improved players during the offseason workouts.
Emerson is part of an impressive crop of cornerbacks alongside Denzel Ward and Greg Newsome II but should emerge as a bona fide star in 2024. During the mandatory minicamp, the defensive backs dominated the first-team offense. Even though it's important to note that Deshaun Watson is limited and Amari Cooper wasn't there, the Browns secondary completely shut down the passing game.
Breaking up a lot of passes and providing extremely tight coverage at all times, Emerson was reportedly one of the best players during the drills.
The 23-year-old is one of the most physical and intense defenders on the Browns roster and now that he is entering his third season, he will be even more polished and continue clogging passing lanes at a high level.
Cedric Tillman, WR
Another recent third-round pick poised for a breakout season is 24-year-old Cedric Tillman. The Tennessee product will be one of the biggest benefactors of new offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey's "air raid" offense.
It might be counterintuitive to suggest that Tillman would have a breakout season considering the addition of Jerry Jeudy into the mix. However, Dorsey likes to deploy a lot of schemes with four receivers. Having another threat like Jeudy will open up the field for other wideouts including Tillman.
Head coach Kevin Stefanski is excited about the progress Tillman showed in the offseason.
"Very excited about Ced. You know, guys come into the league in different stages of their maturation, whether it's as a person or as a player. I think Ced continues to get better physically, and I do think just the things that he does in our offense, he's one year more comfortable in everything we're doing. So, he's had a really nice offseason."
- Browns HC Kevin Stefanski
In his rookie season, Tillman showed flashes of what he could be in this league. He finished with 21 catches and 224 receiving yards. He will surely play a larger role next season and it sounds like the team trusts him more now. We can't wait to see what he is capable of.
Nathaniel Watson, LB
One of the positions the Cleveland Browns saw a lot of changes in the offseason is the linebacker rotation. Anthony Walker Jr. and Sione Takitaki left in free agency and were replaced by Jordan Hicks and Devin Bush.
Both Hicks and Bush are projected to start but Nathaniel Watson might have something to say about that after his impressive offseason workouts.
The Browns drafted the linebacker out of Mississippi State in the sixth round. Despite being a rookie, Watson has a ton of experience. He played 57 games in the SEC throughout his college career and will turn 24 before the season starts.
The reporting out of the minicamp also highlighted this aspect. He doesn't play or carry himself like a rookie. Linebackers coach Jason Tarver said he was ahead of the curve for a rookie at this stage.
This opens the door for him to be an immediate contributor. At 6'2 and 245 lbs, he is big and is ideally suited to play middle linebacker over Jordan Hicks. Whether it is in Week 1 or mid-season, it seems likely that Watson will have a large role in his rookie season.
Watson will immediately have a role on special teams and will have a chance to work himself up into defensive snaps. Considering the lack of depth at linebacker, he has as good of a chance as anybody to take on a big workload.
Juan Thornhill, Safety
When the Cleveland Browns signed Juan Thornhill to a three-year, $21 million deal in the 2023 offseason, they thought they were getting one of the best defenders in his position. The veteran safety was coming off a Super Bowl-winning season and his most productive campaign of his career.
Unfortunately for Cleveland, Thornhill appeared in only 11 games and wasn't as impactful as the Browns had hoped for. Now, both the Browns and the 28-year-old are hoping for a bounce-back season and the early impressions out of the offseason are largely positive.
Thornhill was healthy during the mandatory minicamp and the nagging calf injury he was dealing with last season is in the rearview mirror.
2nd year in the 216 gonna be special 🙏🏽
— The Chosen Juan👑🙇🏽♂️ (@Juan_Thornhill) May 20, 2024
The Browns demonstrated their faith in Thornhill by not making any additions to their safety room. They will slot him next to Grant Delpit once again and will rely on Rodney McLeod and D'Anthony Bell to provide depth behind them.
The fact that the position wasn't addressed in the draft or free agency is proof that Thornhill is ready to go back to his old self. He further showed that with his standout performance during the minicamp.
