Can a 2-time Super Bowl champion receiver revive his career with the Browns?; The outlook for Mike Hall Jr.: Mary Kay Cabot

“Kadarius has worked hard within his role,” Browns receivers coach Chad O’Shea said Friday. “Obviously, coming into a new system, you need to learn the playbook. Not only learn the playbook, but learn how we run certain routes and how we do certain plays. It could be how we block in the run game. It could be a certain specific route that we teach maybe slightly different than other places he’s been.

“So, there’s always a work in progress and a transition with players to your organization, and that’s been the case with Kadarius. But he’s worked hard on a daily basis and I’ve seen improvement in him, so we’ll see what the future holds for him. But I can say he’s worked hard and tried to put himself in position to go out there and play.”

In Week 1 of last season, Toney dropped two crucial passes in a 21-20 loss to the Lions, including one that resulted in a pick 6. In Week 14, he was flagged for an offsides penalty that negated a lateral TD pass from Travis Kelce in a 20-17 loss to the Bills. He finished the season with 27 catches for 169 yards and a TD.

But Toney played a key role in the Chiefs victory over the Eagles in Super Bowl LVII the year before, setting a Super Bowl record with a 65-yard punt return, and catching a 5-yard TD pass in the fourth quarter of the 38-35 victory.

There haven’t been enough of those crowning achievements in Toney’s four-year career, but maybe the Browns can coax something out of him down the stretch.

Jamari Thrash could get a chance

The Browns would also like to see what fifth-round pick Jamari Thrash can do in the second half of the season. Thrash has been active for two games, but hasn’t touched the ball yet.

That could change as the Browns try to find out what some of their young players can do down the stretch.

“Really impressed with Jamari Thrash and how he’s worked,” O’Shea said. “He’s has had his notebook open from Day 1 and he’s put pen to paper and he listens to everything that’s said. He has worked extremely hard in the meeting room and on the field. I’m looking forward to his future, just because I think that as Cedric (Tillman) has done, he’s worked hard and when opportunity meets the work ethic that they’ve put forth, I think good things will happen.”

Well Ced

Second-year receiver Cedric Tillman has come alive the past three games, catching 21 of 32 targets for 255 yards and three touchdowns. It’s the kind of production the Browns envisioned when they drafted him in the third round last year out of Tennessee, and there will be more where that came from.

“I’m really impressed with Cedric and his performance on the field,” O’Shea said. “And it’s not by accident. I mean, this is something that has been in the works for a while just because of his work ethic and how he’s improved the things off the field. In the meeting room he’s just been outstanding. He’s really followed in some of the leaders that we have on our team of just how to go about his business on a daily basis. And on the field, he’s had opportunity, and I think he’s made the most of his opportunity.”

Offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey has seen the growth in Tillman (6-3, 215).

“His confidence is really kind of growing more and more with the opportunities he’s getting,” he said. “He’s playing extremely fast. He’s playing to his size, so he’s playing big at times out there and he’s playing fast. So, he’s utilizing his skill set in a manner that you would like to see for a guy his size and his athletic ability. And I think that’s the encouraging thing about it, we ask him to do a lot for us and he embraces that and he’s doing it at a high level.

“He’s had some negative plays early in the year and some things that I’m sure he would have wanted to do better, but he was able to continue to overcome that, continue to keep his confidence and grow as the season’s gone here and really become a key factor for us.”

One-two punch at running back

Look for more of a one-two punch at running back with Nick Chubb and Jerome Ford now that Ford has recovered from his hamstring injury. Ford is averaging 5.2 yards per carry, while Chubb, in his comeback from major knee reconstruction, is averaging 2.7 but getting stronger each week.

The Saints are 27th in run defense with an average of 141.0 yards per game, so it will be a good week in which to crank up the run.

Dorsey sees a strong homestretch for Chubb.

“Nick’s one of the best running backs in this league,” he said. “So, I think having him out there at a level that you’re starting to see from him is something that we definitely want. And the important thing, whether it’s quarterback or running back, I think sometimes it’s such a reliant position that we all have to do our job executing for those guys to be successful too.

“But the exciting thing about Nick is if you get him to the second level, he can make guys miss, he can run away from guys. And I think, from our aspect, it’s exciting to see him continue to feel more and more comfortable and like himself and that can only help us as we continue to go here.”

The outlook for Mike Hall Jr.

It’s been mostly a lost rookie season for defensive tackle Mike Hall Jr., and it could be over or close to it. The Browns’ second-round pick out of Ohio State, Hall was placed on injured reserve Saturday for at least four games with a sprained knee and won’t be eligible to play again until Dec. 15th against the Chiefs, with four games to go. If the knee doesn’t repond quickly enough to treatment, he could be lost for the season.

Suspended the first five games of the season by the NFL for his domestic incident, Hall has appeared only four games this season, but flashed some of the explosiveness that the Browns saw in him at Ohio. Chargers QB Justin Herbert felt it too when Hall knocked him down during the Browns’ 27-10 loss.

The Browns were hoping to use him some at end to help make up for the absence of Za’Darius Smith, traded to the Lions, but that will have to wait until later, or next season. The good news for the Browns is that Hall, who sprained the knee in a drill during Thursday’s practice, looks like he’ll live up to his second-round status when he’s on the field consistently.

In the meantime, the Browns signed defensive tackle Sam Kamara defensive end Elerson Smith off their practice squad for line depth vs. the Saints.

Derek Carr vs. the Browns

Can Carr still conjure up some revenge-factor against the Browns for passing on him in the 2014 draft in favor of Johnny Manziel?

The Browns selected Manziel in the first round, No. 22 overall, while Carr was taken No. 36 in round two by the Raiders.

Since then, Carr has gone 4-1 against the Browns with 9 TDs, 3 INTs and a 91.6 rating, while Manziel was a colossol bust.

This season, Carr, who missed three games with an oblique injury, is seventh in the NFL with a 102.9 passer rating after posting a 126.9 mark during last Sunday’s victory over the Falcons. He’s also fifth with a 116.5 rating on third down.

Za’Darius Smith is missed off the field too

Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz acknowledged that the Browns miss Za’Darius Smith for more than his ability to rush the passer.

“(What) we’ll miss a lot about Z is he was a productive player, but just he brought a lot of energy to us, good personality, good leader for us,” Schwartz said. “So, we don’t just have to step up on the field but also off the field to fill that void a little bit.”

Ogbo Okoronkwo, who plans on helping to fill the void on and off the field, agreed. Smith was the second-leading sacker on the team with 5.0, two shy of Garrett, and was one of the most popular players on the team.

“We’re really sad because Z’s a great player, very productive, but we’ve got good guys and we have Elerson (Smith) up, so we’re excited about just the opportunity to just go show can still be productive,” Okoronkwo said. “We’re still missing Z, still following Z, but yeah, we’re ready to go out there and play this Sunday.”

He didn’t blame Za’Darius Smith for looking so happy once he got to Detroit.

“I feel like if I was hearing rumors about me and something finally happened, I’d be relieved,” Okoronkwo said. “Just so you know what’s going on with your career.”

Okoronkwo and second-year pro Isaiah McGuire will step up into Smith’s spot.

“Isaiah, he’s a real special player,” Okoronkwo said. “He’s only scratched the surface of the player he’s going to be, and that will come with experience. He’s just a really big body. He moves extremely well. He’s very athletic and he just has knack for the ball. We’re relying on him heavily now that Z is gone, so we’re excited to see his growth.”