JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- With his offense facing criticism after a Week 1 no-show and missing its top offensive tackles and a Pro Bowl pass-catcher, Cleveland Browns coach Kevin Stefanski went back to a trusted strategy.
On the first play from scrimmage, Cleveland lined up with two extra offensive linemen -- Zak Zinter and Nick Harris -- as tight ends. Harris, the team's backup center, motioned from right to left before the snap and helped open a lane for running back D'Onta Foreman's 8-yard carry. It would be a sign of things to come for the Browns' offense in an 18-13 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Playing without tackles Jedrick Wills Jr. and Jack Conklin, who remained sidelined by injuries suffered last season, as well as tight end David Njoku, who missed the game because of an ankle injury, the Browns leaned on jumbo packages featuring additional linemen.
Cleveland ran 16 plays with six or more offensive linemen, which accounted for 24.6% of its plays in Week 2, according to ESPN Research. The Browns, who scored on each of their three first-half drives before stumbling in the second half, averaged 4.25 yards per play with the personnel grouping.
In Week 1, Cleveland ran only two plays in the jumbo package for a total of 1 yard.
"We're light on tight ends right now, so that's kind of one answer, just getting the offensive line on the field in some tight end spots," Stefanski said. "But we want to be able to use all our guys. We feel strongly about a bunch of guys that we have. And yeah, the big thing for us is who's available week to week, because it changes. So we're going to be without [Njoku], got to pivot and go somewhere else."
Bringing in extra weight allowed the Browns to get the ground game going, as Cleveland totaled 125 rushing yards Sunday compared to 93 in Week 1. It gave quarterback Deshaun Watson extra protection in the passing game; he was sacked just twice after being brought down six times against the Dallas Cowboys. And the jumbo package also helped launch some of the biggest plays of the game.
On Watson's 1-yard touchdown run on the opening drive, the Browns originally lined up in a condensed formation with Zinter as a tight end and Harris in the backfield as a fullback. To compensate for the size, the Jaguars had only three defensive backs on the field. Cleveland quickly changed to an empty spread formation before Watson took a shotgun snap and used the open space to push his way into the end zone.
Later in the second quarter, the Browns faced fourth-and-2 from their 37-yard line. Backup Jameis Winston, who picked up a pair of first downs on quarterback sneaks with an extra lineman on the field, took a snap from under center from a wing-T formation featuring Harris and running back Jerome Ford in the backfield. Winston handed the ball to Ford, who used a block from Harris to pick up 36 yards. The drive ended in a field goal that gave the Browns a 13-3 halftime lead.
While much of the focus throughout the offseason was on the presence of new offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey and his input on the team's spread formation concepts, it was an old-school approach -- and one that Stefanski has often relied on -- that helped get the offense into a rhythm. The Browns have used six or more offensive linemen on 6.8% of their plays since Stefanski arrived as head coach in 2020, the fourth-highest rate in the league in that span.
"I think it just depends on what playcalls are getting called and what scheme we're going against," said Watson, who completed 22 of 34 passes for 186 yards. "So some schemes, get the tape and [against] that scheme, jumbo package might not work. It just really just depends on the week, and you just got to play the game."
The personnel change wasn't enough to rectify all of the Browns' problems on offense, particularly issues with third-down conversions (2-of-14) and penalties. The offense was flagged for eight accepted penalties, three of which ended a potential game-sealing drive and gave the ball back to the Jaguars. But it moved the offense in a positive direction on a day when the defense returned to its 2023 standard and strong special teams helped secure the victory.
Stefanski said Monday that one or both of Wills and Conklin could "potentially" play against the New York Giants in Week 3 (Sunday, 1 p.m., Fox). He also did not rule out Njoku, saying the team is waiting to see how his ankle feels in the coming days.
While Stefanski and Watson said the jumbo package could be more of a week-to-week development than a staple, the Browns' upcoming matchup against the Giants could make it an effective wrinkle again. New York has given up 326 rushing yards through two games, fifth most in the NFL.
"The game plan was the game plan," Ford said. "We're just gears in a major system. And Coach put us in places and put everybody in certain places to make the whole machine run. Week to week, we just follow our part of the machine."