Much to the chagrin of many who follow the Cleveland Browns, the team has insisted on playing Cam Erving at center despite his struggles—it’s paying off.
The Cleveland Browns have received a substantial amount of criticism for allowing Alex Mack and Mitchell Schwartz to walk in free agency. It’s been an incredibly bumpy ride, but the Browns have their center moving forward: Cam Erving.
The Browns allowed Mack to leave because he was 31 years old and didn’t fit their style of blocking. As nice as it would have been to have Mack play his entire career in Cleveland, they wanted to be a heavy gap scheme offense as opposed to zone, where Mack was most effective.
Despite reports to the contrary, Mack was open to staying in Cleveland. He came back with the offer from the Atlanta Falcons to see if the Browns would match and the team declined. Mack wanted to control his own destiny, but that didn’t necessarily mean he didn’t want that destiny to finish in Cleveland as has been portrayed.
Mack opted to sign with the Falcons, who run a zone scheme under former Browns offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan. Mack looks like his old, potential Hall-of-Famer self and the Falcons offense looks great. The Falcons are happy and the Browns are set to receive a compensatory pick, which may turn out to be sent to the New England Patriots in exchange for Jamie Collins.
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The Browns response at center was betting on Cam Erving, the team’s second first-round pick of the 2015 NFL Draft and 19th-overall selection. He was insurance for when Mack left. And although Hue Jackson didn’t pick him, he is also a more natural fit for what Jackson wants to do on offense.
Erving’s rookie season was a disaster, however. He was out of shape and clueless. The Browns didn’t do him many favors by having an offensive line coach get himself in trouble and have to be fired about 20 minutes into the season.
And despite the fact Erving had barely ever played offensive line in his life, the team decided to try to teach him every position on the line, moving him around constantly. It didn’t work and it proved to be a setback. Erving was recruited by Florida State to be a defensive tackle. He was moved to offensive tackle before playing half a season at center. The Browns drafted him largely on an impressive athletic profile, which happens to fit what this front office loves in players.
After what was largely a lost season, Erving showed some fight against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 16. Erving at least looked like wanted to be there and did a decent job, which provided some small amount of hope that he’d dedicate himself in the offseason.
He did. Erving completely changed his body and got back to being the stud athlete that got him drafted 19th-overall in the first place. He still had to actually learn how to play offensive line. That has largely been what the 2016 season has been for him: a trial by fire.
Nov 27, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns center Cameron Erving (74) before the game between the Cleveland Browns and the New York Giants at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Giants won 27-13. Mandatory Credit: Scott R. Galvin-USA TODAY Sports
Wildly inconsistent with some great plays and some of the most embarrassing plays anyone could have (I should know. I have gotten everyone of them tweeted at me by about a dozen people), he kept fighting, working. He tried to play through and come back early from a bruised lung that landed him in the hospital.
The Browns have stuck with him through it too, especially offensive line coach Hal Hunter Jr. Hunter has never wavered in his support for Erving despite the criticism and that faith is being rewarded. The Browns have stuck Erving out there for every rep he was healthy enough to take. He probably gutted through a few he shouldn’t have. The struggles and effort from both Erving and Hunter have produced results.
Erving’s pad level has gotten better, his understanding of the position has improved and that increase in mental confidence has led to more physical confidence. The biggest jump happened during the bye week. Erving was among a group of players that benefited from being able to step back, evaluate what they were doing and learn from their mistakes.
In the two games since the bye, Erving has played well. Against the Cincinnati Bengals, Erving was tasked with blocking players like Domata Peko and Geno Atkins. Against the Buffalo Bills, he squared off with the likes of Marcell Dareus and Kyle Williams. It’s not like he was beating up on scrubs. In fact, against the Bills, Erving was the highest graded player on the entire offense, according to Pro Football Focus (81.2).
Erving still has to keep improving. Two good games in a row does not make for a great center. He has to become a more natural bender so he gets consistent leverage and has better balance as well as ballast. This will eliminate those plays where Erving will just get blown into the backfield because he allows an opponent to get under him. These are areas he can really work to improve in the offseason, improving his ankle flexibility as well as the strength of his glutes and hamstrings.
Moving forward, Erving also has to take ownership of what it means to be the leader of the offensive line. Mastering the protection calls, diagnosing blitz reads and putting his group in the best position to succeed; these are the areas where Mack has always been impeccable and, in some regards, taken for granted.
What’s clear at this point is Cam Erving is the team’s center now and going forward. He has shown he can do the job and do it at a high level. This won’t stop critics and from continuing to say he’s awful, much as they did with Danny Shelton as a rookie and at the start of this year. Nevertheless, Erving has turned a corner and, if he finishes out well against the San Diego Chargers and Pittsburgh Steelers, he will have reason to be confident headed to the offseason.
As frustrating as the record is, Erving has made the most of this year. If he continues with this same approach, working as hard as he has this year, the sky is the limit for how good Erving can be. For now, the goal for Erving headed into the 2017 season is to lock down the middle and take the lead of the line. If he just plays consistently, the offensive line gets back to being a major strength for this team, but Erving has the potential to be a great center for a long time.
