Football is back in Northeast Ohio, as the Browns will host the Cowboys at Huntington Bank Field on Sunday for the season opener. Perhaps there is no better team to kick off the 2024 season against than Dallas, whose parallels to the Browns run deep.
Both teams finished the season in the Wild Card round of the 2023 NFL playoffs and feature Defensive Player of the Year hopefuls in Browns DE Myles Garrett and Cowboys LB Micah Parsons.
Both teams understand the benefit of having WR Amari Cooper on their rosters, as the Browns receiver spent four seasons in Dallas before Cleveland acquired the five-time Pro Bowler via trade. Cooper, in addition to a strong rushing attack, will present challenges for the Cowboys defense.
And finally, both teams feature new coordinators that will make their debut Sunday afternoon. Browns offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey looks to add his flair to the Cleveland offense while defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer is in his first year with the Cowboys.
Here’s a look at what the Cowboys are saying about their matchup against the Browns going into the first week of the NFL season.
Sunday's dress code is set 🟤⚪ pic.twitter.com/BbzCU4ndFX
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) September 6, 2024
The Browns defense presents matchup nightmares on every level
When opposing offensive coordinators sit down to make their game plan against the Browns, among their top concerns is likely Garrett, the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
Parsons, who has been a finalist for the award in each of his first three seasons as a pro, called Garrett one of his “favorite rushers,” complimenting the three-time All-Pro’s wide skillset.
“He has such a great acceleration, his power, strength and length – which makes him exceptional – is ridiculous,” Parsons said on Wednesday.
The Cowboys 2024 first-round pick, LT Tyler Guyton, will be matched up against Garrett throughout the game. Going against the former DPOY is a challenging test for a rookie, but Guyton said he is looking forward to the challenge.
“You get to gauge yourself as a player,” Guyton said. “I’ve played against Micah, (Raiders DE) Maxx Crosby and now I get to block Myles Garrett. So, I feel like I’m just gauging myself and seeing what I can do and what I can’t do.”
Beyond Garrett, the Browns feature one of the deepest defenses in the league in terms of talent at each position. Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, who faced the Cowboys numerous times during his time in Philadelphia, puts his players in position to play to their strengths – a factor Dallas QB Dak Prescott said is a challenge when facing a team like Cleveland.
“They got an elite player on every level, whether it be Myles Garrett, obviously, up front, (LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah), and then obviously (Denzel) Ward in the back end and (Grant) Delpit – a lot of guys,” Prescott said. “So, when you’ve got an elite guy on every level, that’s obviously the strength. Having played Schwartz earlier in my career, understanding what he wants to do and watching their tape last year, they’re very physical. They’re fast. They know how to play to their strengths and they’re a great matchup for us.”
The Cowboys will start two rookies on their offensive line this week in Guyton and C Cooper Beebe. With a defensive line full of top-tier pass rushers and a play caller who is known for disguising pressures, the Cowboys rookies will face a significant challenge in Huntington Bank Field on Sunday.
“It’s an excellent defense, it’s coordinated very well, I think Jim does an excellent job,” Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy said. “So, looking forward to the competition Sunday. But yes, we have young players, this is going to be their first for a lot of things. It’s going to be their first NFL game. It’s going to be their first NFL road game. So, all that applies and we’re just going to make sure that we’re ready to go and I have confidence that we will be.”
A battle between new coordinators
One of the biggest questions going into Sunday’s game revolves around what the Browns offensive identity will be under Dorsey’s influence. Stefanski will continue to call the offense but has been working closely with Dorsey to revise the Browns offensive scheme.
At his best, Watson has been among the best quarterbacks in the NFL, notching three consecutive Pro Bowl seasons between 2018-2020. Dorsey said Thursday that he wants the six-year veteran to “be himself” when he takes the field after recovering from shoulder surgery throughout the offseason.
The struggle for the Cowboys will be determining what Watson “being himself” looks like, as there is virtually no tape available on the Browns new offense.
“That’s been a little bit of a challenge, trying to fit their offense last year to how they’re going to play,” McCarthy said.
Zimmer served as the head coach of the Vikings from 2014-21, overlapping with Stefanski during his long tenure with the Vikings, first as an assistant coach and then as the offensive coordinator. McCarthy said he has utilized Zimmer in practice to prepare to counter the Browns defense.
“[The Browns defense is] going to have wrinkles for us, and that’s why, frankly, we’ve spent more time this year than probably the other years with competitive drills where Mike [Zimmer] calls it against myself, and that’s how you prepare for unscouted looks,” McCarthy said.
Come hang out with us on Dawg Pound Drive on Sunday! With special activations, food trucks, and other exciting ways to tailgate, along with the support of our partners @budlight, it's the perfect way to kickoff your gameday before we take on the Cowboys. pic.twitter.com/MMtOAzweK7
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) September 6, 2024
Facing the Browns offensive weapons
One thing McCarthy noted earlier this week was the Browns’ ability to sustain long drives, as the Browns led the league in time of possession last year.
A key to chewing clock is having a strong run game. Despite losing star RB Nick Chubb to a knee injury early last season, the Browns rushing attack was effective under RB Jerome Ford.
Chubb began the season on the reserve/physically unable to perform list, meaning he will miss the first four weeks of the season. However, the Cowboys aren’t underestimating what Ford, who finished 2023 with 1,132 total yards and nine total touchdowns, brings to the Cleveland offense.
“Even without Nick, they’ve got Ford, who is a really good back,” Parsons said. “I mean really anyone who steps in there really does a great job. When Chubb went down, [Ford] didn’t miss a step.”
Another benefit to establishing the run is that it opens up a team’s ability to air out the ball and create big plays through the passing game. Cooper, as the Cowboys are well familiar with, is one of the top receivers in the league against man coverage.
“I think just the biggest thing is his route-running ability is top notch,” McCarthy said of Cooper. “His ability for releases and tracking the ball, so that’s definitely things that we’ve discussed long before last week when we put the plan in.”
Complementing Cooper’s skillset with WRs Jerry Jeudy and Elijah Moore – who both ranked in the top ten in open-target rate last season – could make the Browns passing attack lethal on Sunday.
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