Three days of mandatory minicamp have come and gone in Berea. The Browns showed up en masse, and the national media took note of the first time the full 90-man Browns roster practiced together.
Here are some of the top takeaways from the last formal football activity before training camp kicks off at the end of July.
Odell Beckham Jr. is a rock star
The colorful wideout kept his word and was a full participant in the mandatory minicamp. Beckham did not disappoint in his first practices with his new teammates.
There were one-handed catches. There were filthy-good routes. There were all the signs of why Beckham has emerged as a star during his Giants career and why the Browns were so ecstatic to acquire him.
His 20-minute media Q&A after Wednesday’s practice suggested Beckham is happy being one of a few very big fish in a pond that hasn’t had many mediagenic players with the game to back it up in quite some time.
Just to keep his high profile up, Beckham showed up for Game 4 of the NBA Finals. His outfit was conspicuously Cleveland …
Duke Johnson’s time in Cleveland is tenuous at best
Johnson reported for duty instead of holding out, but the veteran running back reiterated his desire to be traded away. Based on the quotes from Baker Mayfield and Freddie Kitchens, the leadership on the offense appears ready for life without Johnson.
With Dontrell Hilliard earning praise from both coaches and media onlookers, as well as newcomer Kareem Hunt looking fit, there’s no real reason to keep Johnson around. Hunt will be suspended for the first eight games, but the combination of Nick Chubb and Hilliard can handle the workload. Finding a third RB who actually wants to be a contributing piece to a loaded offense shouldn’t be too hard. Former Alliance of American Football standout D’Ernest Johnson and undrafted rookie Trayone Gray deserve longer looks in training camp even if Duke Johnson is still around.
The cornerbacks have high-end potential
Denzel Ward and company don’t get a lot of national attention. Based on how they played in the spring, the Browns cornerbacks are fixing to change that.
Ward and Beckham held some epic (for no full contact) battles, and the second-year CB proved a worthy foil for the wideout. The team’s top draft pick, Greedy Williams, earned positive reviews. Williams had a pick-six in Wednesday’s practice.
With vets T.J. Carrie and Terrance Mitchell back for their second seasons in the secondary, there is depth. Carrie’s early exit from Thursday’s practice shows some lack of proven depth in the slot, but Eric Murray also earned praise from various media reports. Murray has played both cornerback and safety, but thus far he’s worked at corner in Cleveland.
The offensive tackle depth is shallow
This was reinforced when the team sent Desmond Harrison packing for arriving late. The former starting left tackle was not good in his rookie season, but he at least had a modicum of experience and familiarity with his teammates.
Now there is no seasoned depth at all to back up Greg Robinson or Chris Hubbard at the tackle spots. Neither of them will ever make fans forget Joe Thomas or even Doug Dieken. I have seen enough of Kendall Lamm from my days covering the Texans to know he’s not even Harrison. It sure seems like any notion of Austin Corbett returning to the tackle spot he played in college is gone, too.
The intensity is tangible
Minicamp is typically not the most intense of practices. There is no full contact and no full pads, along with an overtone of injury prevention.
That said, the Browns treated the three days with focus and tenacity. Kitchens proved that even though he’s got a folksy demeanor, he can yell and isn’t afraid to get after players when they need it.
From the Browns official website,
This team is stocked with competitors, and it’s showing in their pace of play. At field level in the cramped environment that comes with practices forced indoors, it was stunning to see how fast these guys were playing. Pass rushers were not just jogging through the motions and defensive backs were not giving much cushion at all. Receivers were matching their intensity in their route running, too.
Nobody ever said those things about a Hue Jackson practice. The top-end talent isn’t taking anything for granted. That right there is a coaching win for Kitchens — if such a conclusion can be drawn from the first month of his regime.
The battles for the specialist roles are legit
Austin Seibert vs. Greg Joseph at kicker. Britton Colquitt vs. Jamie Gillan at punter. A battle royal of sorts for the punt and kick return positions.
Minicamp did little to sort out those competitions, but it did reemphasize that the jobs will have to be earned on merit. Seibert and Joseph both made clutch kicks in pressure situations. Just because Seibert is a fifth-round pick and Mayfield’s former teammate at Oklahoma, don’t presume he will beat out Joseph, The incumbent has been sharp.
Gillan faces an uphill battle to unseat Colquitt, but the undrafted rookie showed off his leg strength in the sessions open to the media. The Scottish Hammer is also working hard on holding, something Colquitt does exceptionally well.
As for the return men, that’s a broader competition that will have to wait until hitting and live tackling are permitted.
