The Cleveland Browns capped off their solid preseason with a 19-17 win over the Los Angeles Rams.
Of course, this doesn’t count against the regular-season record, but it’s still nice to build some momentum ahead of the start of the season.
More importantly, these games gave the coaching staff a big opportunity to figure out who can be in the mix to step up and pick up the slack for players who are no longer there.
With that in mind, Dan Labbe of Cleveland.com pointed to Dom Jones as a player who’s made a strong case for making the final 53-man roster:
“It’s notable Dom Jones was one of the starting cornerbacks. Neither Denzel Ward nor Greg Newsome II played in this game, but the Browns are trying to figure out the outside corner spot behind them as well as the slot corner. Jones has had a good camp and has been pushing for a roster spot. This was a good sign for him,” Labbe wrote.
Martin Emerson Jr. was expected to have a big year, so losing him for the season with an Achilles injury was obviously a big blow to this team.
Greg Newsome II has been dealing with a shoulder injury, so that has paved the way for Jones to get an extended run at cornerback.
The 25-year-old rookie looked solid in the second preseason game, and he kept the momentum going against the Rams.
As things stand now, the Browns will most likely go with Denzel Ward and Greg Newsome II as the starters outside, with Cameron Mitchell and Myles Harden also potentially getting a bigger role.
And with Newsome entering the season as a potential trade candidate, keeping someone like Jones around makes even more sense.
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