Sione Takitaki’s stock rose with the Cleveland Browns’ recent win over the Cincinnati Bengals
The Cleveland Browns saw many people step up on Monday night against the Cincinnati Bengals in an early “must-win” game. The Browns are fighting for their playoff lives and sit at just 3-5 going into the second half of the season. Luckily for them, they have a bye week right at the midway point, and the team should have a chance to rectify some of their standing issues.
The schedule isn’t going to get any easier for the Browns, who have had a variety of issues on defense and consistency issues on offense, but the bye week should at least give them a chance to get healthy and get correct.
Unfortunately for everyone involved, the Browns will be playing must-win games for the rest of the year. Every game is going to be done or die for the Brownies, but at least the win over the Bengals on Monday Night Football should give this team some confidence. Especially on defense.
Deion Jones’ involvement may help stabilize the defense to some degree, but the team still has lingering issues on the defensive front that now involve Jadeveon Clowney. We’ll have to see how stable the defense becomes in later weeks as he slowly integrates more and more into the defense.
On a quick note, Jones and Nick Chubb aren’t on this list for two reasons; we’re still getting a feeling of what and where Jones is at this point. So to judge him positively or negatively wouldn’t be fair at this point.
As for Chubb, he’s the best player on the team, and we say that every week. His stock can’t rise any further as he is the benchmark offensively for everyone else. The same goes for Myles Garrett on the defensive front. While he does have room to improve, unlike Chubb, Garrett is still the flag bearer for the unit.
Offense
Jacoby Brissett
Gotta love Jacoby Brissett so far. He’s the perfect example of what a backup should provide your team. He can make plays on occasion and play well enough to get you the win, even if he doesn’t take over the game. He’s developing a nice deep-passing game, which has always been his biggest hiccup in past stops.
Amari Cooper
I’d love it if Amari Cooper was constantly this good, but he does fade away sometimes in the offense. Cooper had a great day against the Bengals, however, posting just five receptions but compiling 131 yards receiving and one touchdown. Cooper is an upgrade over the rest of the receivers the Browns have had since 2018, but you’d still like another option next to him that can be a true number one, as I feel Cooper would have better games more often if he wasn’t the first target.
Michael Dunn
I’ve loved Micahel Dunn dating back to his AAF days, playing alongside fellow Browns alumni Trent Richardson. Dunn didn’t play a lot on the line but did line up all over the field. He played in so many positions on Monday that it was hard to keep up with. Of his 23 snaps on Monday, he played all of them in some position as a tight end. A Remarkable feat.
Jedrick Wills
I’ve said and will continue to say that Jedrick Wills’ career is destined to be a 10-year-long, solid starter role, and I believe that. Yet, after having a terrible year that made me and many others wonder if he’d even get a second contract, Wills stepped up against two of the best defensive ends in the league. His 84.3 PFF grade for the game is in part proof of his great outing.
Ethan Pocic
I have and will continue to say that Ethan Pocic is, at best, an average player. Yet, he had PFF graders slobbering over themselves on Monday. I saw no blown plays on his part, a first, and posted a 94.0 on PFF for the game, the highest on the team on both sides of the ball. If he has more games like this, he may change my opinion. Though, the Bengals are a special kind of suck, so don’t hold your breath on this version of Pocic showing up that often.
David Bell
I can’t think of one more disappointing rookie than David Bell so far. He’s not been a “bad” rookie, but considering how much hype and praise he got in the draft and the preseason, you’d expect more from him so far. On Monday, he didn’t deliver as a passer, but despite not being the most physical of guys, Bell posted a 72.3 grade for run-blocking. A really impressive grade for a receiver. If Bell is able to help facilitate the run as he’s done, then there will be value in him getting reps, even if he’s not catching passes.
Defense
Sione Takitaki
If you need more of a reason to fire Kevin Stefanski, can I offer up Sione Takitaki as Exhibit Z-1? Takitaki switched from an outside linebacker (SAM) to inside (MIKE) for the Bengals game and dominated the Cincinnati offense. Seriously, why would Stefanski look past him when Joe Woods was looking at guys? Takitaki obliterated the Bengals, racking up 13 tackles, a sack and a tackle for a loss while posting a PFF grade of 87.3. Takitaki has played well all year but rarely do his stats show that as well as they did in Week 8.
Martin Emerson
I mentioned that David Bell has been lackluster as a rookie but a rookie who has exceeded expectations is Martin Emerson. It seems like he’s usually on these lists. Emerson, the rookie cornerback out of Mississippi State wasn’t seen as a guy who’d get a lot of reps with three corners ahead of him, but thanks to injuries to Greedy Williams and Denzel Ward over the first eight weeks, Emerson has basically been a full-time player. He’s played fantastically and he’s gotten enough reps to make someone like Williams expendable.
Isaiah Thomas
We’ll talk about the failings of Jadeveon Clowney in the Stocks Down version of this article but Isaiah Thomas really did have a solid outing. Now, it’s the Bengals, so don’t start thinking the second coming of Bruce Smith is here, but Thomas did still play against an NFL team and did well in doing so. He had three tackles, one for a loss, and a sack, all while posting a PFF grade of 68.2 overall. His defense against the run grade, however, was not great.
AJ Green
AJ Green was the fourth corner against the Bengals and did well. Normally a performance of his caliber wouldn’t make the list but considering how bad Green has been all year, we had to add him. He was solid and reliable all game.
Greg Newsome
Last year’s first-round pick, Greg Newsome, has had a fine, albeit unimpressive second year in the league. His play against the Bengals was among the best play he’s put to tape all year. Hopefully, we get more of this Newsome.