Redskins vs. Browns: Analyzing the Snap Counts (Offense)

Last year during the regular season, after each game, we would analyze how many snap counts every player on the team had. We will do the same thing this preseason, splitting the series up into offensive and defensive breakdowns, starting with last night's game between the Cleveland Browns and the Washington Redskins.

Because this is the preseason, you have to kind of understand the context of many of these snap count percentages. For example, it doesn't mean much that Josh Lenz saw more snaps than any other wide receiver, because the first-stringers only saw a series or two before exiting the game.

Quarterback

All I really care about this preseason is seeing what Josh McCown and Johnny Manziel can do, and both of them delivered. It wasn't an awe-inspiring performance by either player, as there weren't any downfield throws. The decision-making was solid and on par with what I saw in training camp so far. Connor Shaw should have the leg up on Thaddeus Lewis still, but neither player offers enough to warrant keeping them on the 53-man roster.

Running Back

This position was the biggest disappointment of the night. We couldn't get a good evaluation out of any of the running backs. I'm not too worried about Isaiah Crowell and Terrance West because of how small of a sample size this is, but after they left the game, there wasn't anybody to look forward to.

Wide Receiver

Forget about Brian Hartline possibly being on the bubble -- I'd now label him as a lock to make the team, and not just because of this game. He had three catches in just nine snaps as the chemistry between he and Josh McCown seemed to be already there. Vince Mayle had a high pass from Thaddeus Lewis bounce off his hands for an interception, although I'd probably pin that one 80% on Lewis for the high throw from close distance with too much velocity. Shane Wynn appeared to drop a nice third-down pass from Johnny Manziel.

Tight End

Did anyone know that Rob Housler even played? That's how it's been most of camp. Speaking of tight ends not making much noise in camp, we haven't seen a lot of Jim Dray either, and he saw very few snaps this week. E.J. Bibbs doubled in his role to fill in for Malcolm Johnson a little bit. I haven't checked out his blocking ability, but his receiving skills look as good as advertised.

Offensive Line

As I anticipated, Cameron Erving played most of the game, filling in for Joe Thomas at left tackle and then staying in when the second-teamers entered the game. After the starters left, the play of the line was disappointing, particularly Michael Bowie. It seems that Cleveland has a very good one through six, but after that, everybody is pretty questionable. That is a liability for the preseason evaluations of other players on offense, but it won't be a problem come regular season.

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We'll have coverage on the defensive and special teams snap counts later on.