Cleveland Browns wanting to see more from Barkevious Mingo
By Josh Sanchez
When the Cleveland Browns selected Barkevious Mingo in the top ten of the 2013 NFL Draft, they were hoping for an immediate impact and boost to the pass rush. Mingo was able to come out of the gates firing with three sacks in his first three games, but he has slowed down significantly over the past two months.
While Mingo has been struggling and the team looks to get more out of their top pick, Browns defensive coordinator Ray Horton is challenging the pass rushing specialist to do better and be more disruptive out on the field.
“I expect a lot from him, and I’m challenging him off the field — meaning extra stuff to study and do more for us,” Horton said, via the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
“I’m throwing a lot more at him this week also to be accountable. We put a lot on the young man, and he’s playing different positions for us. After Week 10 or 11, it’s an extended season for rookies. So it’s a big factor for us to gauge him how he’s doing in the workload and the home life and all that stuff [during] this last push of the season. But he’s doing everything we want.”
Even if Mingo is unable to get back in his groove in his rookie year, he has shown flashes of brilliance that should have the Browns excited.
It’s not rare for rookies to struggle as the season goes on, so we will just have to see how Mingo is able to stay focused on improving in the offseason and put everything together for his sophomore campaign.