Four Cleveland Browns whose surprisingly saw their stocks go up vs Pittsburgh.
Plenty of Cleveland Browns saw their stocks nosedive during the Week 6 stinker vs the Steelers, but there was, surprisingly, some glimmers of hope in a game that basically over by the middle of the first quarter.
In the aftermath of this debacle, Browns fans have spent the day after coming to terms with where there team truly is after six weeks of football.
Fortunately, Cleveland’s good enough to contend for a playoff spot, but probably won’t do much damage in the postseason when confronted with playing upper echelon teams in the conference.
For Browns fans, watching their team in the playoff will be a welcomed sight, but an early exit will get old fast. The goal is to win the franchise’s first ever Super Bowl title, and Week 6 reinforced the point that these Browns still have a long way to go until the Vince Lombardi trophy takes up residence in Berea.
So, while there was plenty of bad, at least these four players saw their socks shoot upward in what was mostly a forgettable contest.
1. B.J. Goodson
The Browns linebacking corps is so miserable that one someone stands out, you’d better believe they’re going to find their stock on the rise.
This week, it was B.J. Goodson, who led the defense with a grade of 85.7, according to Pro Football Focus.
Of note, Goodson cleaned up the sack initiated by Sheldrick Redwine, in addition to making six tackles.
Unfortunately, not all the linebackers were on, as Mack Wilson graded out with an ugly mark of 37.3 The second-year linebacker was playing in just his third game since suffering a knee injury in Training Camp.
He started and played 31 snaps. He was particularly bad against the run, earning a mark of 33.3. Yikes.
2. Rashard Higgins
Yeah, he only had one catch, but it went for a touchdown! And when that’s the only score of the game, well, you’ve got to give it to him.
Week 6 actually marked the second straight week Higgins hauled in a Mayfield touchdown pass, and the score was probably the only play of the day in which Mayfield looked like a starting caliber quarterback.
On the play, Mayfield keep the defense leaning inside with his eyes. Higgins went toward the sideline and caught the easiest touchdown pass of his career.
That was exciting as it got for the Browns’ passing game, although it will be interesting to see which direction the Browns go when Khadarel Hodge is eligible to return to from injury. There’s a brief Hodge gets the nod over Higgins because he’s regarded as a better blocker.
Higgins threw a big block against the Colts that sprang a big gain from D’Ernest Johnson. As for the Steelers, if the offensive line can’t block, it doesn’t matter how well your No 3 receiver blocks.
3. Olivier Vernon
Another linebacker makes the list, as Sione Takitaki
The Browns were pushed around the trenches on both offense and defense, but credit where credit is due.
Olivier Vernon generally garners eye rolls when his name is brought up around the fan base, but the truth is that when he plays, he’s generally good.
He wasn’t exactly all pro, but the veteran did tally three of the Browns six total quarterback pressures, according to Pro Football Focus.
For the game, he registered a mark of 73.3, which was the highest grade on the defensive line. Vernon also batted down one of Ben Roethlisberger’s passes.
On the other edge, Garrett had relatively quiet game. He had just one pressure, which resulted in a sack. It was sort of an anticlimactic performance for the defense end, who was playing against the team in which he made national news for swinging his helmet at Steelers backup Myles Garrett.
4. Austin Hooper
Five catches for 56 yards basically made Austin Hooper Ozzie Newsome for the day.
OK, so he won’t be going on any highlight reels for this one, but he caught all five of his targets. Maybe I’m too cynical having seen Brown after Brown drop passes over the years, so that when someone makes all his catches, I make more of it than I should.
As for Hooper, he, along with Harrison Bryant have played well enough that David Njoku’s become an afterthought in the offense. It was reported earlier today that Njoku was still seeking a trade.
Great…David…would anyone give up anything of value for you at this point?
Teams may be inclined to throw a later-round pick the Browns way, but that wouldn’t do this team much good. Cleveland needs help, particularly in the secondary.
Perhaps a depth safety would make for a more favorable trade.