Owusu-Koramoah steals the show in Browns preseason win

CLEVELAND — Second-round linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah stormed back from the COVID-19 reserve list and stole the show for the Browns Saturday night in their 23-13 victory over the Jaguars in the preseason opener.Activated off the list Aug. 3 after quarantining for 10 days and missing the first five days of training camp, Owusu-Koramoah shook off the rust and excelled in his NFL debut, leading the Browns with eight tackles — including three for a loss — sacking Gardner Minshew on his third play of the game, almost blocking a punt, and covering a receiver in the slot and making the tackle."I said this week that I was going to play a lot, and that's very much what I did. I'm glad that I got that experience,'' Owusu-Koramoah said in his postgame press conference. "I'm glad that I got those reps to be able to catch up some of what I lost in those 10 days.''Owusu-Koramoah, who was asymptomatic throughout his quarantine and continues to work hard, entered the game midway through the second quarter after starter Mack Wilson left the game for good with a shoulder injury. Veteran Malcolm Smith initially replaced Wilson, but then came Owusu-Koramoah, who promptly stopped Carlos Hyde for a 1-yard gain on his first play, and then blitzed up the middle two plays later to sack Minshew for a 5-yard loss on third down to force the three-and-out."It was a pretty good play,'' Owusu-Koramoah said. "The coaches drew it up. I give the praises to the d-linemen, I give the praises to the coaches for calling the play. It's a play that I executed on and it went well.''The prototypical hybrid linebacker with safety skills that the Browns sought for the weakside position, Owusu-Koramoah also dropped back in coverage and stopped receivers for no gain or short catches. His closing speed was exceptional, as noted by NextGen stats. Lined up 4.39 yards away from receiver Collin Johnson, he arrived in 1.3 seconds and drilled him for no gain at the Browns' 29 on third down, accelerating from 2.09 mph to 14.79 in 1.8 seconds. The 14.79 mph was the fastest speed of any player in the game.The Jaguars missed a 47-yard field goal after the stop to keep the score at 16-0 in the third quarter."I'm still trying [to play fast],'' Owusu-Koramoah said. "There were a lot of mistakes that I made out there that probably the media don't really see. There's a lot of details I need to clean up.''Despite the speed and athleticism, Owusu-Koramoah was hard on himself."I still was not doing as well as I wanted to,'' he said. "I just truly couldn't get that balance tonight, but it comes with experience.''His 2021 draft classmate Greg Newsome II was less critical."He's a stud,'' Newsome said. "I'm glad he's on our team for sure. He's really not even close to where he's going to be. I've seen it from the first day of rookie minicamp, the way he moves. He's a beast.''With Wilson possibly sidelined for a bit with the shoulder injury, Owusu-Koramoah made a strong case for playing time in the opener vs. Chiefs. His two practices this week against the Giants and the likes of running back Saquon Barkley and receiver Sterling Shepard will go a long way toward determining his readiness for duty against the Chiefs' Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce.But Owusu-Koramoah, who came on strong in his last four practices, displayed flashes of the game-changing linebacker the Browns felt they stole at No. 52 overall."That's what he's done in practice," Stefanski said. "He plays at a very high speed. He's twitchy and he defeats blocks."Owusu-Koramoah, who played 70 percent of the defensive snaps (47) and 68 percent of the special teams snaps (15), will likely make up for a rookie mistake or two here and there with his unique playmaking ability, and he's determined to keep racing up the learning curve."Just the detail, making sure my drops are 100 percent right, making sure my eyes are 100 percent right,'' he said. "It's really the mental things. Physically, I was still running fine. Physically I was still beating blocks, but it's just a mental thing, especially at the position that I'm playing.'' Newsome's debutNewsome got some great experience covering 10th-year receiver Marvin Jones, who caught three of four targets for 52 yards. One of those was a 35-yarder on Newsome on third and 10 from Trevor Lawrence, a pass that had game-low completion probability of just 29.6%, according to NextGen Stats."At the end of the day, I've got to keep my eye on my man and not let him finish the play,'' Newsome said.Overall, Newsome was happy with his performance."I had a pretty good first game,'' he said. "I thought I played fast. I made a few mistakes but we'll correct those.''He got his hands on one ball for an apparent pick, but it didn't go his way."I think I got that one out,'' he said. "It's all good though.''Newsome is in fierce battle with Greedy Williams for the No. 2 cornerback job, and appears to have a slight edge while Williams works his way back from nerve damage in his shoulder.Williams tested the shoulder from the jump, making the tackle on a 76-yard kickoff return in the first quarter that was nullified by a holding call, and then wrapping up Jones after a 10-yard sideline route that converted a third down. Williams forced Jones to bobble the ball, but he corralled it.Both cornerbacks, who started the game while the majority of other starters rested, played 27% of the defensive snaps. Felton's fine outingThe Browns' sixth-round running back/receiver played as a receiver in his preseason debut, and responded by hauling in 4-of-6 targets for 44 yards, including a leaping 25-yarder down the left side from Kyle Lauletta, who also drew a roughing call on the play.Felton, who's been working more at receiver this camp while third-round receiver Anthony Schwartz recovers from a hamstring injury, has shown the moment isn't too big for him, and is making a case for playing time. The Browns are hoping to get Schwartz back soon, possibly this week. Mack Wilson's injuryWilson has exceeded expectations this summer and worked his way to No. 1 on the depth chart at weakside linebacker. Browns defensive coordinator Joe Woods puts a premium on experience, and knows his overhauled defense must be on point Sept. 12 against the Chiefs.Wilson had the inside track to start in Kansas City, but it now hinges on the shoulder. If it's not serious, he could still get the nod, but Owusu-Koramoah will be hot on his heels. It would be an unfortunate blow for Wilson, who suffered a hyperextended knee in camp last August and contemplated quitting football when he wasn't himself during the season. Malcolm Smith was the first to replace him in Jacksonville, but Owusu-Koramoah will be hard to keep off the field if he continues to accelerate. Carlson's injury looked seriousCarlson left the stadium in a knee brace and on crutches, so his game-ending injury could be serious. Kevin Stefanski could have an update on the extent of the injury during his press conference on Sunday.