A 34-10 loss to the Chicago Bears will not have anyone planning a parade down Euclid Avenue, but preseason openers are rarely about the scoreboard.
August football is about evaluating players under live fire, and the action at Soldier Field provided clear takeaways on who grabbed their opportunity and who left work on the table before hosting Buffalo next week.
StudsKC Concepcion, WR
It did not take long for the first-round pick to showcase why Cleveland targeted his playmaking ability. Concepcion touched the ball five times, generating 72 total yards and the team’s lone touchdown of the day. He showed off his dynamic traits on special teams with a 31-yard punt return that could have gone for more had he not lost his footing on the grass. When he lined up with the second team offense, two end-around calls got him into space, one of which he turned into six points.
KC Concepcion: 72 All Purpose YDS, 1 TD, 3 REC in his NFL debut
27 REC YDS • 14 RUSH YDS • 31 PR YDS pic.twitter.com/t6Gzf41clH
Michael Coats Jr., CB
Undrafted free agents face an uphill battle, but Coats came into camp with a real chance to climb a thin depth chart and push Myles Harden for slot corner snaps.
His afternoon was a rollercoaster, including a short completion allowed across the field and a near catch on the boundary that fell incomplete, but he made the defensive plays of the day. Coats generated the only Browns turnover with an interception and added another pass breakup.
Michael Coats Jr. reads it like a book for the INT
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Andrew Berry has a long track record of hitting on undrafted defensive talent, and Coats is positioning himself as the next name on that list.
Winston Reid, LB
Reid has been a reliable Swiss Army Knife throughout his time in Cleveland, filling in at linebacker, contributing on special teams, and even taking snaps on offense.
Against Chicago, he looked like a player who took another leap, finishing with five tackles and three passes defended. He figures to lock down a key rotational role behind Carson Schwesinger and Quincy Williams to open the year, and continued play like this will set him up for a solid payday when his contract expires after the season.
DudsShedeur Sanders, QB
As far as the quarterback competition goes, the door closed a bit today.
Sanders opened his stint against Chicago's second team with two chain-moving throws, but followed that up with a late and inaccurate pass that hit a defensive back right in the numbers for an interception.
Beanie Bishop Jr. gets the INT
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Beyond the turnover, tempo remains an issue.
Sanders averaged nearly two full seconds longer to release the ball than Deshaun Watson, an operational delay that plagued him last year. He has a chance to rebound against Buffalo next week, but this outing left plenty to be desired.
Austin Barber, OT
The developmental tackle looked like a player who still needs development at the pro level. Barber gave up a key pressure on Deshaun Watson that directly caused a strip sack, underscoring the work he has ahead of him.
His afternoon was cut short by an apparent ankle injury, though he managed to walk off under his own power. Missing out on critical preseason reps is the last thing a young tackle needs right now.
Dillon Gabriel, QB
If Sanders needs a silver lining, it is that Gabriel did nothing to push him. The third-round pick from a year ago continues to look like an undersized passer without clear NFL traits.
He flashes rare glimpses of accuracy downfield, but Chicago was a complete blackout. Gabriel averaged a brutal 2.9 yards per pass attempt, a mark that would be unacceptable for a running back, and added an interception to seal a rough day at the office.
A performance like this makes the original draft investment hard to wrap your head around.
This article originally appeared on Browns Wire: Studs and Duds from the Browns preseason blowout loss to the Bears
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