The Cleveland Browns are mixing things up in their receiver room and in the return game ahead of their Week 2 matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Browns have waived receiver/return man Jaelon Darden, who was signed to the active roster last week. Darden served as the primary kick and punt returner against the Dallas Cowboys. He returned four kicks and five punts.
Darden averaged 14.4 on his punt returns and sparked the Browns early with a 28-yard run back. However, the Browns decided to go in a different direction this week.
Browns special teams coordinator Bubba Ventrone commended Darden for his efforts this week.
“We had some production on the punt return unit. I thought he did a good job of getting the ball downhill, made some yards, set up our offense in the first quarter with the explosive return to our sidelines,” Ventrone said. “So that was a positive in the game. I thought that he did a solid job overall.”
Browns Swap Darden With James Proche
It’s unknown who the Browns will turn to as a returner with Darden not in the mix but James Proche II is a good bet. Proche was signed to the active roster after Darden was let go.
Proche spent last season with Cleveland, primarily as a punt returner. He played on 39% of the snaps on special teams in 10 games last season.
Cleveland signed former first-round pick Kadarius Toney this week but he’s unlikely to be an option so soon after signing. However, the Browns are excited about his potential as a playmaker.
“He’s definitely a playmaker, and we’re going to keep seeing what he can do,” Ventrone said. “He’s had some punt return experience in his career and he’s good with the ball in his hand. So, we’ll keep working with him and he’s obviously an option on the practice squad right now.”
Deshaun Watson, Browns Passing Game Looking to Get on Track
The Browns offense had a miserable showing against the Cowboys and Deshaun Watson looked particularly rough.
Cleveland’s $230 million quarterback faced constant pressure from Micah Parsons and the Cowboys defense, finishing with 169 yards, one touchdown and a pair of interceptions. The majority of Watson’s production came with the game out of reach.
“I think just overall, looking at his performance this past week, there were a lot of good things and then there were obviously some things we can improve on and correct,” Browns offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey said. “I think at the quarterback position and every position, you got to have a growth mindset in what you do and continue to grow because whether you’re Yea 1 or Year 15 in the league, there are constantly things you can improve on. Whether it’s mentally, physically, anything like that and I think Deshaun does a good job in taking that mindset and applying it.”
Watson will be without tight end David Njoku, one of his top targets. Njoku is dealing with an ankle injury.
The Browns are a 3-point road underdog against the Jaguars.
J.R. DeGroote covers the Cleveland Browns and Los Angeles Lakers for Heavy.com. He graduated from Arizona State and has decades of experience in digital media with previous stops at SBNation and Bleacher Report. He has won multiple state, regional and national honors for sports reporting and photography. More about J.R. DeGroote
