In last week's preseason opener, the Browns offensive starters only played eight snaps, good for seven points on the board. But Friday night against the Bills, expect Tyrod Taylor, Jarvis Landry and the rest of the first-team offense on the field for a little bit more action.
"I know that they are going to start," Browns coach Hue Jackson said after Wednesday's practice. "Obviously, I want to see them play longer than they played last week – a quarter or whatever that is, maybe a little longer. It all depends on how it is going. I definitely want them out there longer than eight plays. If the results are touchdowns, we will keep going. We just need to play a little bit more."
After the starters exit, No. 1 overall pick Baker Mayfield will make his FirstEnergy Stadium debut with the second-team offense. Mayfield looked good in his first preseason action last week, firing two touchdown passes in two quarters of work. Jackson said he isn't sure what Mayfield's playing time will consist of Friday, though.
"I want him to play again and get some good exposure to another defense," Jackson said. "At the same time, I also want to see Drew (Stanton) play. Baker will definitely go second, and then we will kind of go from there."
Stanton has experience — and a winning record — as a starting quarterback, but he's never played in a game for Jackson. Friday will be his first. As for if Taylor were to ever not be able to play, Jackson said it would be a "heck of a decision" for who would replace him because Stanton has NFL experience.
— Offensive coordinator Todd Haley voiced his support for Antonio Callaway, and he liked what Callaway did on the field in the first preseason game. Callaway caught a 54-yard touchdown and played nearly every snap.
"Anytime that you are a young receiver coming into this league, having coached this position for a long time, it is a tough, tough transition," Haley said. "We are pushing all of those young guys every day as hard as we can, trying to get a couple of them to come out of the pack."
— Haley added that Landry and Taylor will both be imperative to changing the culture of the Browns organization. Landry wants to win games, and Haley knows that Landry will go to extreme lengths to win.
— At first glance of the Browns linebacking room, four players stick out. Jamie Collins, Christian Kirksey, Mychal Kendricks and Joe Schobert make a formidable core of linebackers who can fly around the field and make plays. But Kirksey says the unit has more to show.
"It is more than just the four of us," Kirksey said. "That whole linebacker group, our guys go out there and play. You have seen James Burgess and what he did last year when Jamie Collins went down. We have a lot of guys that can get in there and play. I feel like you can switch up the rotation with who is on the field and who is not. I am excited about this group."
Justin Currie, a converted safety, and rookie Genard Avery have made a number of plays throughout camp with the second-team defense.
— Behind the linebackers, Damarious Randall is entering his first season roaming the back end for the Browns. He will play free safety for the first time since he was in college, but his three-year stint at cornerback in Green Bay will help him adjust once the regular season begins.
"I can understand whenever certain corners are in stressful situations," Randall said. "I can understand when a certain team is looking for certain matchups from certain guys, that corner press-man. I can kind of just understand that perspective. It really might not show much in practice because we do not game-plan and we are not focused on certain plays and players. It is a lot of X's and O's and kind of just get things done and just learn the playbook right now."
Randall's experience in all aspects of the secondary should help Jabrill Peppers transition to a new position and get rookie Denzel Ward acclimated to the NFL.
