The Cleveland Browns won an ugly won over the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 3 of the 2018 NFL preseason, but these three players stood out.
Things got pretty ugly for both the Cleveland Browns and Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday night as they took part in the first dress rehearsal game of Week 3 in the 2018 NFL preseason. There were only five points scored combined between the two teams, Cleveland coming up with all of them to win 5-0. Both offenses struggled to find any kind of rhythm and it was largely a defensive showcase for these two teams.
For the Browns, that’s somewhat troubling given the attention paid to the offense this offseason through the draft and free agency. At the same time, however, if their defense is able to thrive against a team like the Eagles — even without Carson Wentz — there is hope that the offense can come around and help them become an overall solid football team.
Given the defensive struggle we witnessed on Thursday night, there truly wasn’t much to speak of offensively for either team. However, these three Browns most certainly made their mark in Preseason Week 3.
3. Jamie Collins
As noted by Joel Cade when looking at the players to watch for the Browns in this game, this was an important one for Jamie Collins. He was given a big contract extension by the previous front office regime, but has been up-and-down throughout his time in Cleveland, despite his immense physical gifts and potential. With this team being on the rise, that meant he has something to prove in terms of how valuable he can be as a critical, highly paid component on the defense.
While Collins may have only accrued one tackle on the night, he made most of his bones as he dropped into coverage on the majority of his limited snaps where he was on the field. Not only did he defend one pass by knocking it down in coverage, but he also added to the defensive onslaught put on by Cleveland by picking off Nick Foles in this game.
The Browns have certainly started to round out their defense as a whole in recent years. Specifically, guys like Myles Garrett and Emmanuel Ogbah are expected to be big-time pass-rushers while Chris Kirksey will continue to thrive against the run. However, they need Collins to be a force in coverage at linebacker, as he has the tools to succeed in that regard. If Thursday night was a sign of what’s to come in the 2018 season, he’s ready to give this defense just that.