Browns at Dolphins Week 3 team preview

The Miami Dolphins start the 2016 season with back-to-back road games against 2015 Playoff teams. In Week 3, they finally come home and they play a team that actually had a worse record last year than Miami’s 6-10. Week 3 will feature the Cleveland Browns, who were 3-13 in 2015, heading to South Florida.

We are working our way through the Dolphins’ 2016 schedule, taking a closer look at each of the 13 teams Miami will face this year. We started with Week 1’s visit to the Seattle Seahawks, with some help from SB Nation’s Field Gulls blog, then moved to the Dolphins’ Week 2 and Week 17 opponent in the New England Patriots, with the assist from the guys at Pats Pulpit. Now, we turn to the Week 3 contest against the Browns, with Dawgs By Nature giving us the insight.

Notable free agent additions: QB Robert Griffin III, LB Demario Davis, LB Justin Tuggle

Notable free agent departures: C Alex Mack, OT Mitchell Schwartz WR Travis Benjamin, LB Karlos Dansby (released), S Donte Whitner (released), QB Johnny Manziel (released)

Trades: Traded down in the 2016 NFL Draft and acquired more picks in the 2017 NFL Draft

Draft picks expected to contribute as rookies:

WR Corey Coleman: The Browns desperately needed to upgrade the wide receiver position in the draft, especially after the departure of Travis Benjamin and Josh Gordon’s constant struggle to stay clean. Coleman brings a combination of athleticism and playmaking ability that Hue Jackson’s offense relies upon to succeed. Coleman will play a big part in the offense, especially in the downfield passing game.

DE Carl Nassib: The Browns’ pass rushing proved to be nonexistent in the Mike Pettine era. Jackson will partially be judged for how his staff shapes up a mediocre defense with few threats in the pass rush. Nassib is just one of several rookies (Emmanuel Ogbah, Joe Schobert, etc.) expected to bring pressure off the edge.

Biggest offseason addition:

QB Robert Griffin III: Quite a stir occurred when the Browns signed Griffin. Jackson told fans and the media to trust him on this one, though Clevelanders are still skeptical. Griffin will hold down the fort until Jackson can mold rookie QB Cody Kessler, or whatever young quarterback Jackson tries to develop into that elusive franchise quarterback. Griffin thrived in his rookie year then regressed big-time during his next few seasons. The question for him is whether or not he can regain his old form in an offense that will be crafted to his skillset.

Biggest storyline heading into training camp: The 14 new draft picks in training camp. Everyone wants to see how Hue Jackson will bring the biggest draft class in Browns history into the mix. It’s a given that the Browns will cut at least a few of the picks. The question is, ‘Which ones will the Browns cut?’ The only rookie assured a starting spot is Corey Coleman, though starting slots are open for rookies who seize the opportunity during camp.

Under-the-radar storyline heading into training camp: The relationship between Hue Jackson and the front office. Jackson made the call to sign Griffin and to draft Kessler, leading some to believe the relationship between Jackson and the front office might become strained if Griffin and Kessler don’t pan out. Training camp decisions could cause trouble if Jackson and EVP of Football Operations Sashi Brown don’t see eye to eye. If Jackson tries to stifle the analytics department, the new restructuring of the front office will be for naught.

Notable injuries heading into training camp:

CB Joe Haden (ankle), Gary Barnidge (sports hernia), Josh McCown (collarbone). All should be ready to go for training camp.