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- When Urban Meyer said pre-draft that Donovan Peoples-Jones should be a top-10 pick, he might not have been far off (cleveland.com) - Browns 2020 sixth-round pick Donovan Peoples-Jones wasted little time Saturday night making Jaguars coach Urban Meyer look good for his bold statement before that draft that DPJ “should be a top-10 pick.”
- Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah shines, Mack Wilson hurt in preseason opener (Beacon Journal) - The Browns didn’t escape TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville without an injury to a significant player, despite resting the majority of their starters Saturday night in a 23-13 preseason-opening win over the Jaguars. The No. 1 thing every NFL team wants to avoid is an injury to a key contributor, especially in a largely meaningless exhibition game.
- A lot to like in preseason opener, starting with Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (Browns Zone) - Here’s a fun exercise for Browns fans: Imagine what Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah will look like when he feels completely comfortable with the playbook.
- Case Keenum leads a smooth, clean Browns offense (clevelandbrowns.com) - Case Keenum took more in-game snaps Saturday than he did in all of 2020, and his performance served as a nice reminder of how good of hands the Browns are in with the veteran as their backup quarterback.
NFL:
- Trevor Lawrence’s Jaguars preseason debut hints at wild rookie roller-coaster ride (The Sporting News) - Trevor Lawrence may be the savior of the Jaguars’ franchise. After a wild and exciting preseason debut in Jacksonville, however, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft is headed more toward a typical up-and-down rookie quarterback season than an immediate all-star campaign.
- After a choppy start, rookie quarterback Justin Fields’ preseason debut only fuels the Chicago Bears’ excitement (Chicago Tribune) - The first big boost to Justin Fields mania didn’t arrive until the third quarter Saturday afternoon at Soldier Field.
- Taysom Hill, Jameis Winston turn in topsy-turvy nights in first game of QB competition (NFL.com) - The opening salvo in the battle between Taysom Hill and Jameis Winston for the right to be Drew Brees’ heir can best be summarized with the Spiderman meme. In the Saints’ 17-14 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, Hill and Winston each struggled at times and flashed in others. Hill got off to a hot start before withering. Winston looked shaky before catching fire. It was like watching a quarterbacking palindrome.
- For dissatisfied star NFL quarterbacks, there is no easy exit strategy (The Washington Post) - Four months ago, it seemed as though the NFL was approaching a watershed moment. Superstar quarterbacks, dissatisfied and unwilling to keep quiet, were threatening to exert their independence and force their teams to trade them. Player empowerment, the term that transient NBA players made popular, appeared close to becoming football’s burden, too. But it didn’t materialize.