Player Spotlight: JoJo Natson
Josh Thornton
Free agency has been a flurry of moves for the Browns. Some big names chose to make Cleveland their new home. Of the 9 free agents gobbled up by the Browns so far a few may have left you asking “who the hell is that?” JoJo did that for me. I have never even heard his name uttered before. So, naturally, I began digging up what I could find on him. Other than his actual name being Bruce, here is what you need to know about the new Browns return man/wide receiver.
1. Yeah, he is pretty fast!
Although he did not participate in the scouting combine the year he was drafted, he posted some pretty fast 40-yard dash times at his pro day. The Akron product had an “official” time of 4.46 seconds but was additionally clocked at 4.38 seconds. To put that into perspective, Travis Benjamin had a 40 yard dash time of 4.36 seconds. Travis is one of the fastest Browns in recent memory. Having a guy with speed like JoJo is defiantly an advantage that can be exploited.
2. He is a true return specialist.
Josh Cribbs is a name that will live in Brown’s fan’s memories for a long time to come. He was dynamic, in every sense of the word. Now, while JoJo is not Josh, he can bring some of the same dynamic play that josh did. Specifically, his ability in the return game. During his senior season at Akron, JoJo tallied 261 yards on 16 punt returns with 2 touchdowns. He was ranked 2nd nationally in punt returns and punt return touchdowns. Size is a bit of a concern with JoJo coming in at 5’7” and 152 lbs but has escaped any major injuries during his career. The punt return game is where he should shine for the Browns.
3. Don’t expect much time logged at receiver for Natson.
Can he step in a play the position if needed? Sure. Unfortunately for Natson, the Browns receiving corps boasts 2 of the best wide receivers in the game. Couple that with an offensive scheme that will only feature 2 actual wide receivers most of the time, and Natson’s opportunities almost diminish to zero. Almost. He will see some snaps at the position. With his speed you can bet on a package of plays specially formulated to exploit this. No, we probably will not see him in the wildcat formation. His comparison to Cribbs falls a bit short here. Cribbs had the size and background (former QB) to make that work. Lack of the wildcat will not hurt my feelings, I never liked it much anyway.
Is signing JoJo the move that pushes the Browns over the top? No, not all by itself. I do believe that it is small, calculated moves like this that will ultimately define the team. Specialists are a great thing to have, especially when you have playmakers on both sides of the ball already. Now, we take a special teams unit and bolster an aspect there.
The pieces are coming together, even if some of them are…small.
