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Browns vs. Cowboys Week 1 storylines to watch

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  • Browns vs. Cowboys Week 1 storylines to watch

    The Browns know who their Week 1 opponent is, and for the second consecutive season, it's a team coming off a playoff birth.Fox Sports on the opening Sunday of 2024, matching two teams coming off disappointing first-round playoff exits with plenty of questions about personnel and coaching. on the game, as it will be nationally televised at 4:25 p.m on Sept. 8.The , but drawing Dallas is a difficult test right off the bat for a team that in the league.Cleveland will look to return to the playoffs in back-to-back seasons for Alex Dickerson Jersey the first time since 1988-89. They outperformed expectations in 2023 amidst a flurry of injuries, most notably to quarterback Deshaun Watson who was shut down for the season with shoulder surgery. Joe Flacco was called off the couch to lead head coach Kevin Stefanski's system in an offense without three of its starting offensive linemen and as well as running back Nick Chubb. Flacco turned the magical run into a five-seed for the Browns and a date with the Texans.Here are the top storylines to watch in the Browns' Week 1 game against the Cowboys.Browns vs. Cowboys Week 1 storylines to watchDeshaun vs. Cowboys secondaryWhile they don't have Dan Quinn dialing up defensive plays anymore, Dallas's defense is still home to some of the best defenders in the league. Micah Parsons maintained his position as one of the top defenders in the NFL this past season and has caused headaches for opposing offensive coordinators as they attempt to stop his hybrid abilities.Even though this will be Watson's third season with Reyes Moronta Jersey the Browns, Cleveland hasn't gotten the primetime love that other teams with marquee quarterbacks have. But with an opening week game against the most popular team in the country with Tom Brady on his first-ever call, the number of eyeballs on Watson in yet another ma sive test for him will be staggering.There's plenty to like about Dallas's secondary, especially pick-6 specialist (if that's such a thing)Daron Bland. New Dallas defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer has been around the block and raised Stefanski in his system at Minnesota. It's been a couple years since the two coaches squared off, but there's plenty of familiarity to believe that Zimmer is going to know what to do with Watson.Browns offensive line vs. Dallas pa s rushersOutside of Watson's productivity, one of the biggest question marks for the Browns remains at left tackle. Jedrick Wills, someone also coming off a season-ending injury, was not performing well before he went down for the year. There's even talk of him moving to right tackle and swapping him with second-year Dawand Jones.Once again, if Dallas's secondary can take care of the Browns receivers, Zimmer will surely know what to do with Parsons andDeMarcus Lawrence in pa s-rush schemes. Honing in on whoever is having the worst game is going to force Watson out of the pocket more than he wants and test his confidence with getting physical le s than a year after major shoulder surgery.Deshaun vs. DakThis game pits two quarterbacks against each other who have a lot to prove this season. Watson hasn't come close to living up to the ma sive contract the Browns gave him shortly after trading three first-round picks for him. He's Alen Hanson Jersey played in just 12 games for Cleveland and just 28 overall in the past four seasons. He's shown flashes, like when he went 14-for-14 in the second half of the Baltimore comeback, that show the old Watson might still be inside him. But as of now, the Browns have been on the wrong end of one of the most lopsided trades in NFL history.Prescott on the other hand was a fourth-round pick with low expectations, but he took over for Tony Romo as a rookie in 2016. He did so well so quickly that fans and Dallas thought he might be the next Ru sell Wilson, a diamond in the rough that just needed more time to mature. But since his outstanding rookie season, he's gone to two Pro Bowls and hasn't won a playoff game, making him the subject of debate acro s the sporting world for whether or not he's an "elite quarterback."Brady himself said when told about his opening game that it's going to be exciting to see if Prescott truly has it in him. So whoever comes away from this highly anticipated matchup looking better is going to catapult their season in the right direction. The other quarterback is likely to continue to be subjected to questions of how great they really are.Myles Garrett vs. Tyler GuytonWelcome to the NFL, Tyler Guyton. Congratulations, your first matchup is likely to be with the reigning Defensive Player of the Year. Guyton, the No. 29 overall pick by Dallas in the 2024 NFL Draft, is a 6-foot-8, 322-pound offensive tackle from Oklahoma who looks the part and had a tremendous career with the Sooners. He was the starting right tackle last year, helping them go 10-3 before losing to Arizona in the Alamo Bowl.But even the Tyler Austin Jersey best rookie linemen have to take their lumps coming into the league, and Guyton's first test will come against one of the Buster Posey Jersey most tactical, strong and precise edge rushers in the league. Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz lined up Garrett everywhere acro s the line throughout the season, and paired with Za'Darius Smith, the Browns defensive line became one of the best in the league.Ken DorseyThe Browns shook up their offensive staff after this pst season in a move that surprised many members around the league. The offense worked well enough under Joe Flacco that it got the Browns to 11-6, but Stefanski and general manager Andrew Berry said sometimes there just need to be new voices in the room, and this was one of those times.Cleveland then brought in Ken Dorsey, who was fired by the Bills midway through the 2023 season. He was a quarterback with the Browns during his playing days and is credited with helping Cam Newton and, at least initially, Josh Allen. The Browns liked that he'd worked with so many mobile quarterbacks, and could be working on a complete overhaul of the offense to better suit Deshaun Watson's playing style.It's still unknown whether Dorsey or Stefanski will call plays, but however the offense looks like in week one against Dallas will be a direct reflection of Dorsey, whether it's true or not.
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