Cleveland Browns vs. Jacksonville Jaguars Preseason Recap

The Cleveland Browns began their preseason schedule in Jacksonville against the Jaguars on Saturday night. Despite resting the entirety of their starting offense and a majority of their starting defense, Cleveland played complementary football in a 23-13 victory over the Jaguars. The Browns were extremely efficient offensively while stifling the young Jaguars on defense for a majority of the game. Cleveland’s execution was optimal for the first preseason game of the season despite resting a majority of their starters.

Backups Shine

With Baker Mayfield getting the night off, backup quarterback Case Keenum received starting duties. The veteran was extremely effective versus many of the Jacksonville defensive starters, completing 12/17 passes for 115 yards. Keenum found training camp standout Donovan Peoples-Jones early and often, as the two connected on three passes for 26 yards before the wideouts night came to an end in order to get other player reps. Peoples-Jones looks to be carrying his training camp momentum into game action, which is a terrific sign for the Cleveland offense.

In addition to Peoples-Jones, rookie running back/wide receiver Demetric Felton deserves special recognition for this performance in Jacksonville. The Browns utilized Felton solely as a wideout on Saturday, and the former UCLA Bruin caught four passes for 44 yards; good enough for second on the team for the night.

Kyle Lauletta relieved Case Keenum late in the second quarter, and looked extremely confident at the quarterback position. The former fourth round draft selection out of Richmond has yet to complete a regular season pass in his NFL career, but has been well traveled in the preseason. Lauletta completed 70% of his passes on Saturday for 212 yards and a pair of touchdown passes. Without any other quarterbacks on Cleveland’s roster, it can assumed that if Lauletta continues to play well he will have an inside track at the third string QB role.

JOK Debuts

While the Cleveland offense showed great consistency on Saturday, the defense enjoyed successes of a whole different level. Second round draft selection Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah played the entire game after coming off of the Covid-19 list earlier in the week. The Notre Dame product showcased his speed and athleticism in many ways; leading the Browns defense with eight tackles, three of which resulted in a negative play for the Jaguars. Owusu-Koramoah also recorded one of the four Cleveland sacks on the night. Cleveland was forcing consistent pressure on Jacksonville quarterbacks all night long.

Jeremiah Owusu Koramoah records his lone sack of his NFL preseason debut on Saturday (Photo via Touchdown Wire)

Up next for the Browns is a preseason clash with the New York Giants. While it has yet to be announced, it should be expected that the Browns will rest a majority of their starters once again. Kickoff is scheduled for Sunday at 1:00 pm.