Saturday, August 9, 2014

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The Cleveland Browns will get their first chance to see if they did enough in the offseason to improve this year when they take on the Detroit Lions in their opening preseason game.

The obvious battle that will take place over the next month for the Cleveland Browns is for the quarterback position. Brian Hoyer is thought to be the clear No. 1 right now, but rookie Johnny Manziel could steal the job from him if he blows him away during the preseason.

Other than Manziel, another Browns rookie to watch during the preseason is fourth-round pick Pierre Desir. If the young cornerback does over the next four weeks, he could have a chance to beat out Justin Gilbert and Buster Skrine for the team's second CB position.

The Detroit Lions haven't gotten the best production from their offensive line the last couple of years, so an important position battle to watch is between LaAdrian Waddle and Corey Hilliard for the right tackle job. Both players started some games for the Browns last year, but the team will be hoping that one  them will pull away as the clear-cut starter during the preseason.

The Lions surprised some people when they took tight end Eric Ebron with the 10th overall pick in the draft, but his athleticism and pass-catching abilities have impressed a lot of people since then. He's probably going to line up all over the field for the Lions, so he could be one of the more entertaining rookies to watch this preseason.

Author's Pick: Take 

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