The Browns invested in a veteran starter and spent a No. 1 overall pick on quarterbacks. Tyrod Taylor, Baker Mayfield and Drew Stanton, though, seem to understand that much of the 2018 offense will be about running backs. They weigh in on Carlos Hyde and Company.
BEREA Jarvis Landry swears he is the best receiver in the NFL. Josh Gordon one-ups Landry in boasting that the Browns have the league's very best receiving group.
Their quarterback, however, has not been one to set the skies on fire.
Tyrod Taylor ranked 23rd in the NFL in passing yards in 2015, the year he was traded from Baltimore to Buffalo and got his first run as a starter.
In 2016, Taylor ranked 25th in passing yards, one spot behind Trevor Siemian. He stayed at No. 25 last season, winding up one spot behind DeShone Kizer.
This doesn't mean Taylor can't have a career year as a passer paired with a receiving group that, at minimum, has intriguing talent.
On the other hand, Taylor's game-manager past, the makeup of Cleveland's offensive line, and a coaching impulse to play ball control in support of an improving defense point to the ground.
Running backs Carlos Hyde, Nick Chubb and Duke Johnson strike all of the Browns' quarterbacks as a group worth getting excited about.
Hyde has slipped into the shadows amid the drafting of Chubb at No. 35 overall and a contract extension that clarified the team's appreciation of Johnson.
As minicamp rolls on and the season nears, though, Hyde's prospects are coming to light.
"You can't see it in the spring, because we're not in pads, but you can turn on the film and see," Taylor said. "Carlos is a bruiser once the pads come on."
Official measurements are not disclosed after players are in the NFL, but the 2013 Combine was all the evidence needed that Hyde has a legit big-back body. He was logged at 5-foot-11 7/8, 230 pounds.
The Ohio State Buckeye broke through as a third-year pro in 2016, giving the 49ers 988 yards (4.6 average) in 13 games. In December that year, he lit up the Jets for 193 yards on 17 carries.
Hyde's best game in 2017 was 124 yards in win at Seattle. That was before the 49ers traded for a quarterback. Hyde started throughout Jimmy Garoppolo's five starts, all wins, scoring four touchdowns across the final four games.
He blossomed as a receiver in 2017, making 59 catches.
"I didn't know much about Carlos before I got here," Taylor said. "I played against him one time in Buffalo. To see him catching the ball out of the backfield and running routes was shocking to me. He's very good."
Quarterback Drew Stanton, signed by the Browns to mentor Baker Mayfield, saw Hyde play six times when his former team, Arizona, took on division-rival San Francisco.
"Carlos is a phenomenal back," Stanton said before a minicamp practice Wednesday. "He's very physical. I watched him pound the ball against a very good defense."
Stanton is entering his 11th pro season.
"When you've been around as long as I have," he said, "you have the luxury of picking up the phone and getting an honest opinion on things. Carlos' teammates spoke very highly of him."
Head coach Hue Jackson said Hyde has quickly become a team leader.
"Carlos has been a great surprise for me," Jackson said.
Mayfield is the No. 2 quarterback for now, but as a No. 1 overall pick, he could find himself on the field with Hyde, Chubb and Johnson on any given Sunday. The rookie said the skills that enabled Johnson to make 188 catches in his first three NFL seasons are plain to see in minicamp.
"Duke is a special player, like a hybrid," Mayfield said. "I'm looking forward to seeing 'los and Chubb put on the pads. They're so fundamentally sound, but you'll really appreciate them when the pads go on.
"I think we have a good three-headed backfield, and we can do some damage."
Taylor figures to be the No. 1 quarterback through the first part of the season, subject to an organizational review of his and the team's progress.
In 2017, when Taylor started 14 games for the Bills, his workhorse back was veteran LeSean McCoy (1,138 rushing yards, 4.0 average). The No. 2 back, Mike Tolbert, was used on a spot basis, producing 247 yards (3.7 average). Taylor ran quite a bit, gaining 427 yards on 84 carries (5.1 average).
Taylor passed for more than 225 yards just three times in 2017, topping out at 285. In his most lopsided victory, 34-14 over the Raiders, he threw for 165. McCoy ran for 151.
In Cleveland, unlike Buffalo, Taylor might wind up working with three backs whose roles are evenly divided.
Talented rookie backs typically get early chances, and in some cases (see Ezekiel Elliott in 2016) are centerpieces in quick turnarounds. The high Round 2 pick, Chubb, is viewed by general manager John Dorsey as long-term starter material, a Jamal Lewis type.
Hyde is young enough, at 27, to shoot for a career year behind a line full of run blockers. While left tackle is a question mark with Joe Thomas gone, Shon Coleman is a more powerful run blocker than Thomas was.
Dorsey's take on Hyde: "I've always liked what he does. I think he's built to play the Cleveland Browns' style of running back."
Often enough for 2018 Browns quarterbacks, that is likely to mean hand off and watch 'em play smash-mouth.
Reach Steve at 330-580-8347 or
steve.doerschuk@cantonrep.com
On Twitter: @sdoerschukREP