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Eight thoughts on what Browns can accomplish during NFL draft and offseason program

May 14, 2021; Berea, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski (left) watches camp with general manager Andrew Berry during rookie minicamp at the Cleveland Browns Training Facility. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
By Zac Jackson
52m ago
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Eight assorted thoughts — one for each 2023 draft pick the Browns currently own — on the state of the Browns and what can be accomplished during and after next week’s NFL draft and during the team’s formal offseason conditioning program, which officially kicked off Monday morning…

1. It’s sort of like the first day of school. Except it’s optional, and there are no full days for several weeks, and no real grades are coming until at least September (and probably more like late October, at the earliest). Basically, the start of the offseason program means players and coaches can talk football and team social media accounts can post videos of players entering the facility and doing squats. It beats doing squat, I guess. For head coach Kevin Stefanski, Monday meant he could address his players in a group and really (legally, via terms of the collective bargaining agreement) dive into discussions about play calls, play designs and other football talk with quarterback Deshaun Watson. For the second consecutive April, getting Watson ready is the theme of everything the Browns do in the coming weeks. This time around, the uncertainty surrounding Watson’s playing status is gone but the Browns wish there was more certainty that he’s going to be the player they need him to be. Stefanski, general manager Andrew Berry and team owner Jimmy Haslam have all said they expect better from Watson at various points during the offseason. The Browns are fully committed to Watson, and they need Watson’s best this season to have a chance to keep up in a loaded AFC.

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2. If we consider this a turning of the page to the next step of the offseason, I think the Browns had a solid start to the player movement period. This was never going to be a franchise-altering offseason the way last year was with Watson, and this year the Browns had to balance some necessary moves with at least some salary-cap restrictions. As had long been the plan, they restructured Watson’s contract to create cap room for some defensive additions. Getting a proven, 325-pound defensive tackle like Dalvin Tomlinson was always a must. In the second week of free agency, Stefanski got the speed and explosion upgrades he wanted in receivers Elijah Moore and Marquise Goodwin. Moore’s addition came with the Browns moving down 32 spots in the draft, and the addition of safety Juan Thornhill came after the Browns spent less on the defensive front than they envisioned they might have to.

The Browns were already pretty committed, not just to Watson, but to a lot of their core pieces, which is why the addition of defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz is so important — and why Stefanski views the seven or so weeks of the offseason program as important. The Browns have a lot of fine-tuning to do, and they have to do a better job of building a cohesive team and an engaged, connected locker room than they’ve done in the previous two seasons. Knowing Watson is the full-time quarterback should help. Watson and Amari Cooper being in their second seasons here should help. The internal thought is that moving on from some players who in the past had gone public with their personal agendas should help, too. If this all seems like a lot for April, it is. But the Browns know that if they don’t clean up a lot of the communication errors and close-game failures that plagued them last September and October, it could be a long December. Again.

3. The draft for the Browns begins in the third round on April 28; they currently own two picks in rounds 3-5, one in the sixth round and one in the seventh. After the draft, they’ll hold a rookie minicamp from May 12-14, and soon thereafter the second phase of the offseason program that includes on-field work with position groups will begin. Starting in late May, the Browns will hold six organized team activity (OTA) practices ahead of a mandatory minicamp from June 6-8. That will conclude an offseason program that’s being cut a week short because of the Browns’ early start to training camp in July. At some point in early May, the NFL will release the 2023 season schedule. We know the Browns are in the first preseason game of the season, which is why camp starts early. In four weeks or so, we’ll know the order of the games that count.

4. Given the circumstances, draft season (and mock draft season) in Cleveland no longer comes with multiple parades and days off school for the children. But we’re still tracking potential targets and fits, and mock draft season can still be celebrated responsibly. In the new, full seven-round mock draft by Dane Brugler, The Athletic’s draft guru, the Browns start the draft at No. 74 by selecting Florida defensive tackle Gervon Dexter, who’s 6-foot-6, 310 lbs., and just 21 after playing three college seasons. He’s the kind of high-upside, still-developing prospect the Browns have selected in Berry’s three previous drafts. Though defensive line is probably the team’s most pressing area of need — both currently and in looking ahead 4-12 months — I’m more inclined to think they take an edge-rushing prospect or even a wide receiver at No. 74. Brugler is mostly guessing and I am too, and Dexter is certainly a fit if he’s available given what the Browns have on the roster and how they’ve drafted in the past.

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The Browns hosted 36-year-old defensive tackle Al Woods on a free-agent visit in early April, and Woods remains unsigned. Woods, who’s listed at 330 pounds, would only be a part-time player. But if the Browns sign him — or draft Dexter, or both — it would mark a change in philosophy after the Browns had previously looked for smaller defensive tackles. When it comes to the draft, I’m most intrigued by how the Browns handle the linebacker and running back positions. But it’s clear that the building of last year’s defensive tackle group was a failure — and that the remake of the group isn’t done.


Dexter was the only Power 5 defensive tackle with at least 35 total tackles and an interception last season. (Joe Robbins / Getty Images)
5. The Browns are bringing back utility offensive lineman Michael Dunn on a one-year contract and also have new deals for two previously tendered exclusive rights free agents, cornerback Thomas Graham and defensive tackle Ben Stille. Dunn has been with the Browns for all three seasons of the Berry/Stefanski era and has opened the last two seasons as the top backup interior lineman. Dunn has had back issues that landed him on injured reserve the last two seasons, but when he’s healthy the Browns feel comfortable using Dunn at center or either guard spot. The team previously signed veteran backup guard Wes Martin in free agency and is counting on the return of backup center Nick Harris from a torn ACL, so Dunn’s return further solidifies the interior depth. The Browns have been consistent with their investments in the offensive line under Berry, and that’s paid off with the addition of Ethan Pocic in the second wave of free agency last year and initially finding Dunn after Dunn had played in the XFL. Dunn started at left guard in the Browns’ Jan. 2021 playoff win in Pittsburgh, and he opened last season as the top backup to Pocic.

6. The start of the offseason program is generally a time that teams bring back veteran players like Dunn and make final decisions with players who have received various restricted or exclusive-rights free agent designations. The Browns didn’t have many of those lingering this year and had previously done a new deal for A.J. Green, who probably opens camp as their No. 4 cornerback and has been a standout special teams player. The Browns claimed Graham last year and still think he could end up sticking around, too. I still expect the Browns to make at least one more veteran addition before July (and likely much sooner). They could revisit their previous interest in Woods after the draft, and the crowded-but-unsettled wide receiver room could still have both additions and deletions in the coming weeks. During or just after the draft, it would not be a surprise to see the Browns give players like Anthony Schwartz or Jakeem Grant a chance to re-start their careers elsewhere.

7. With the possible exception of a quick-study defensive tackle, this is not a team that appears to have any intention of counting on rookies. There are still snaps to be won in the defensive front seven — and potentially at wide receiver and running back — but the initial depth chart is pretty much set, and the Browns’ busy March of signing veteran free agents and trading away pick No. 42 says that most of the significant roster moves have been made. The Browns still need to draft better than they have in recent years to add depth to multiple spots, and if they draft well in the third and fourth rounds they can still find players who could help as rookies. But a lot of this points to the Browns not having room for eight draft picks and probably being best served in this draft by using picks to trade up or even to target veteran depth on defense as teams go younger with their early-round draft picks. If there’s a wide receiver or an edge rusher the Browns really want to draft at some point in the third round, they should just be aggressive and go get that player.

8. In each of Berry’s previous three drafts, he’s made a trade that’s involved adding a draft pick for the following year. Berry made trades during the second and third rounds of the 2020 draft and during the second and fourth rounds of the 2021 and 2022 drafts — plus last year’s trade of Troy Hill to the Rams for a 2023 fifth-rounder. Berry has said that though discussions are almost always happening at this time of year, most of those trades weren’t really constructed until just a few minutes before they were finalized. We can trust that the Browns will have a plan and will have a list of prospects they truly covet, but with so many picks before the Browns can even think about narrowing their actual list of options, there are a lot of ways things can actually play out. Two trades from last year’s draft could provide potential parameters for this year: Denver traded pick No. 75 to Houston for pick No. 80 and pick No. 162 in the fifth round, and Denver later traded No. 96 to Indianapolis for No. 179 in the fifth round and a 2023 third-rounder. If the cost to move up a few slots is a fifth-rounder, the Browns have two (Nos. 140 and 142) they can move. If the Browns want to move down in the third round (or move one to next year) and continue their trend of loading up on fifth-round picks for some reason, we’ll be here to cover it.

Bernie Kosar opens up about brain trauma, his fears, his coma, his recovery – Terry Pluto
Updated: May. 15, 2023, 6:01 a.m.|Published: May. 15, 2023, 5:33 a.m.
BERNIE KOSAR TODAY
Dealing with CTE with a healthy diet helped Bernie Kosar lose more than 100 pounds. Photo By Jim McCarthy / Special to Cleveland.com

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By Terry Pluto, cleveland.com
CLEVELAND, Ohio – You’re Bernie Kosar, and you want to tell the truth.

You want people to know that you’re more than a former Browns quarterback who has had concussion and other health problems.


You want people to know what it’s like for you and many others who have suffered from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE).

It’s not for them to feel sorry for you.

It’s not about all the concussions you suffered in football. How many? Fifty? Seventy-five? One doctor said your brain scan looked like you must have had 100. On PET scans, your brain looked like a blue punching bag. The right frontal lobe was deemed “dead” by one doctor.


And the surgeries …how many? Twenty-five? Thirty? Perhaps forty. Shoulders. Knees. Fingers. The back. The elbow. It seems like it never ends.

It’s not just you. It’s so many who have played football at almost any level, and the physical price that has been paid.

COMING TO CLEVELAND
Bernie Kosar wears his new Browns jersey at the July 2, 1985, press conference.Cleveland Plain Dealer


WHAT WE SHOULD KNOW

You want fans to understand what it’s like to live with CTE, because so many people dealing with it don’t want to talk about it. It’s not just football players. Many people have had major head and brain injuries.

Many of them prefer to keep it in the dark.

Why?

You know why … embarrassment.

Even now, you are reluctant to talk about it. But you’re 59. You feel you’re in the fourth quarter of your life. You think God has one last game for you to play …

The game of truth.

Sometimes, people saw you and you were in bad shape. You were barely coherent. It seemed you hadn’t slept for a week.


That was almost true.

There were periods where you went 48 … 64 … and once 96 hours and couldn’t sleep. Your brain wouldn’t shut off. The pain, the pounding, the squeezing of the skull was ceaseless. The drugs you took to sleep didn’t help.

Not just you, but many of your “brothers,” as you call your CTE family, have endured the same thing. You feel like your life has been sabotaged by things going on inside your head.

The doctors tell you to sleep …that deep REM sleep is important to healing.

But you can’t.

Nor can you explain the frustration that you feel.

FLATTENED
Bernie Kosar is sacked and practically buried in 1989.Cleveland Plain Dealer


WHERE AM I?

You think about the times you were driving, especially on I-480. Driven that way hundreds of times …

But suddenly, nothing looked familiar. You think, “Where am I?”

Then your heart starts to race. There is a cold sweat.

Fear.

As a quarterback with the Browns – the last time the Browns were consistently good, back in the late 1980s – you were known for your brains. You could break down defenses. You could almost see things before they happened.

At Miami, you graduated in three years with a degree in finance. Sometimes during those nights when you couldn’t sleep, you would go through long math problems and algorithms in your head.


But suddenly, you can’t remember where you’re driving? You know you are in familiar territory, but you don’t recognize anything?

You wonder, “What’s happening to me?”

Now, you have learned to pull off the road. You take deep breaths. You pray. You remind yourself, “It’s a short-term memory problem … just wait … be calm … it will pass … you’ve had them before.”

It usually does.

TAKING A BEATING
Bernie Kosar was sacked 273 times in his NFL career.Cleveland Plain Dealer


THE SEIZURES, THE COMA

Between 2014-18, you had several seizures. One happened at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport, and you went into a coma. It lasted for 96 hours. All you remember is going down in the airport, waking up in a Chicago hospital.

There were other seizures. Most of them happened at airports and on flights. The noise, the change of air pressure and the anxiety. You had at least one other experience with a coma.

At this point in your life, you were fighting depression. You felt like a walking Goodyear Blimp, weighing more than 320 pounds.

Doctors prescribed so many pills ...

Pills for pain ...

Pills for high blood pressure ...


Pills for inflammation and other ailments ...

It seemed you were taking 20-30 a day.

Back in the 1990s, doctors were writing lots of prescriptions for pain pills such as Vicodin, Percocet and Adderall – all for players and others dealing with pain. Later, it was Oxycodone. At the time, no one fully understood the addictive nature and damaging impact these drugs would have on so many people – not just athletes.

Several years ago, you had trouble saying multisyllabic words. You couldn’t convey some basic ideas in a conversation. There were times when your speech was slurred, people thinking you were drunk.

You felt lost, stupid and yes … embarrassed.

That word … embarrassed ... it keeps coming up. Not just for you, but for others suffering from CTE.


When you played, no one came out of the game “for a ding in the head.” If you left a game for a “little” head injury, you were embarrassed. You should be tougher than that!

One trainer had a special concussion test. The players knew he’d hold up fingers and ask, “How many do you see?”

The answer would always be two fingers, even if you saw 20. No one fully understood the damage being done.

COME INTO THE LIGHT

You’re angry about the NFL’s concussion settlement and how it becomes so difficult for former players to receive the medical and financial help they need. In your own case, you went to three different doctors in three different cities to be examined.

Your sense and that of many of your friends is the doctors were looking for reasons not to grant the aid needed. The NFL has been sued for using a “lower baseline” for African American players when determining brain damage. In 2021, the league agreed to end “race-based testing” to determine the degree of brain damage.


After that scary coma in 2018, you went on a strict health-food diet. You tell people you kicked the painkillers. You talk about lots of juicing, fruits and vegetables. You live with Vitamix and IV-therapy with lots of supplements.

You are much healthier. Your weight is down to 210, which matches what you carried around when playing for the Browns.

But you also were hospitalized 15 months ago for a “brain bleed.” It’s another by-product of being sacked 273 times in your NFL career. That doesn’t count how many times you were knocked to the turf after throwing a pass. Quarterbacks were not protected by the officials with “roughing-the-passer” penalties in your era of the 1980s and 1990s as they are today.

THOSE WERE THE DAYS
Bernie Kosar and the fans who loved him back in the 1980s. Kosar had a 10-4 career record vs. Pittsburgh.Plain Dealer Historical Collection


WALK WITH BERNIE

You are talking about this now because you are involved with The Concussion Legacy Foundation headed by Chris Nowinski. On Saturday morning, you are heading “Team Bernie” for a 5K walk called The Race To End CTE.

You want your friends to come to St. Clair Avenue, Mall B at 7 a.m. to join you in the walk to raise awareness and funds. Your Browns teammate Bob Golic also will be there. Here is where to register for the marathon.

People ask if it was worth it, playing football and then all the suffering that followed. You also know you made some poor financial and other decisions that made life harder.

But you tell them, “I don’t regret it. I believe I was called to play for the Browns; it was what I was meant to do.”

You are grateful for the fans, for Cleveland and yes, even for a chance to battle for those who now suffer from CTE.


“It’s my last big game,” you say. “And it’s an important one.”

Salute to the great Jim Brown ! Sorry I have been in the hospital after back surgery.

Seven thoughts following Browns’ Hall of Fame Game win over Jets

CANTON, OHIO - AUGUST 03: Dorian Thompson-Robinson #17 of the Cleveland Browns celebrates a 16-yard touchdown run by Demetric Felton Jr. during the second half of the 2023 Pro Hall of Fame Game against the New York Jets at Tom Benson Hall Of Fame Stadium on August 3, 2023 in Canton, Ohio. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images)
By Zac Jackson
Aug 4, 2023
13

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CANTON, Ohio — With the Cleveland Browns moving past the Hall of Fame Game and on to the next phase of their preseason, here’s another dive into what we know about this team two weeks since it gathered for the start of full-squad training camp — and what we still don’t or won’t know until (at least) a little later in the summer.

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Here goes.

1. We know the Hall of Fame Game was something the Browns had to do as part of their weekend celebration of Joe Thomas. But a franchise that’s big on long-term planning and one that’s had to be fine playing the long game since acquiring Deshaun Watson was always more focused on its own work and starting something of a normal preseason on Aug. 11 versus Washington.

go-deeper
GO DEEPER

Joe Thomas' Hall of Fame moment was always a sure thing: 'That guy is a complete legend'

Coach Kevin Stefanski laid out the summer practice schedule with the extra preseason game in mind, obviously, but never let the extra game alter the day-to-day plan for the first-team offense. We’re now at the time of camp where the offense is going to start going from the installation stage to the refinement and game-prep stage. With last year’s disjointed mess of a camp in mind, Stefanski has long had a vision for how the offense would start to evolve and show improvement. Expect Cleveland’s next two practices, Sunday and Monday, to be important (and high tempo).

Stefanski always viewed the Hall of Fame Game as a bonus opportunity for the younger players and the coaching operation. The Browns’ starters got their usual reps in a full-pads practice two days before the Hall of Fame Game and had a conditioning workout the morning of the game.

From my view, the end of the Greenbrier trip and the one practice in Berea two days ahead of the game versus the New York Jets solidified that Watson needs to play next week. That’s not to say Watson has been bad, but the good moments for the pass offense in camp were more plentiful in the first few practice sessions than they’ve been in recent days. It feels like the plan all along has been to point Watson toward a couple of series in game-like conditions in the lone preseason home game, and that should remain the plan.

There’s no panic, nor should there be. Amari Cooper is clearly on a practice pitch count, and Cooper is going to be a big part of things when the games matter. Also, sometimes in the full-team drills the defense just wins. Stefanski has always had a detailed plan for adding things to this offense and evaluating its growth, and the two biggest days from a competitive standpoint were always going to be the two practice days in Philadelphia. Those are still 10 days away, so let’s see how much progress the Browns can make between this weekend and then.

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2. We don’t know for sure, but I’d expect most of the Browns — with players like Nick Chubb, Cooper, Myles Garrett and Joel Bitonio as the likely exceptions — to at least play a little next week. Then, we’ll get a better idea of who’s playing on the first special teams units and how Cleveland might view its top backups at certain spots.

What we’ve seen so far has mostly been pretty much one group at a time except at wide receiver and cornerback, and both of those groups have some experience behind the obvious starters. It’s hard to say how many actual camp battles are going to develop over the next few weeks, but any that do should start to really show themselves over the next week or so.

3. Back to the things I know: Kellen Mond started the Hall of Fame Game because he’s been with the Browns for 11 months, but Mond was always going to be a long shot to beat out fifth-round draft pick Dorian Thompson-Robinson for the third quarterback job.

The Browns were drawn to Thompson-Robinson in large part because of his maturity and football IQ, and all spring and summer Thompson-Robinson impressed with his attention to detail and the mock reps he takes behind each snap in practice. So Thompson-Robinson getting in the second half of a first preseason game and making things happen doesn’t mean the Browns definitely know what they have in him, but it also doesn’t come as a surprise. Thompson-Robinson helped the Browns erase a 13-0 deficit, and though the result means little in the big picture, winning always is the preferred option for the coaches and players putting in the extra long weeks.


I know there’s no panic about the Browns’ slow start in the Hall of Fame Game, either. It was strictly viewed internally as a chance to get some game reps for a bunch of young players — many of whom haven’t even gotten many full-speed, full-team reps in practice. These evaluations will carry forward, and we’ll see plenty of the backups and rookies again in the second half versus Washington and again in the Aug. 17 preseason game in Philadelphia. Even then, we’ll probably still have as many “don’t knows” as certainties.

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4. I don’t know what’s going on with the Browns’ second defensive tackle spot. Jordan Elliott has been a starting defensive tackle for all of camp, but he started in the Hall of Fame Game — on a night when no other player slated for a steady role even dressed.

That’s curious. Maybe it can be explained away by saying the Browns are installing a new defense and only had six available defensive tackles on a steamy night, but Elliott was still playing into the second quarter. Again, this was not a night for starters and even the top backups.

In fact, that’s pretty much how Stefanski explained it after the game.

“There are guys playing in this game who are gonna help us on Sept. 10 (when the season begins),” Stefanski said. “Each person got snaps (in Canton) based on what we felt they need to get ready for Sept. 10.”

Maurice Hurst II started alongside Elliott versus the Jets. Hurst, who’s only played in two games the last two seasons due to injury, has been working with the second defense in practice. It feels like Hurst is going to make the team but had to play at least a little here because of the numbers crunch and because he’s shaking some rust.

In practice, rookie Siaki Ika has generally been next to Hurst with the second group. Thursday night, Ika and Tommy Togiai were with the second group. The team probably hopes Ika passes Elliott at some point this season, but there’s zero indication that’s happened yet.

The Browns reportedly had free-agent defensive lineman Shelby Harris in for a visit early in the week. There was no rush signing him because this was always supposed to be a game for the unproven players further down the depth chart, and because Harris, 31, has been a free agent since March. It’s long felt the Browns and Harris might be a potential match, but we don’t currently know where things stand.

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Given that Browns defensive tackle Trysten Hill has missed the last two practices with a hand injury, any urgency to add another defensive tackle might be tied to his availability. If Hill can return to practice this weekend, Cleveland probably doesn’t need to make an immediate addition. Adding a player like Harris would be a decision that affects the 53-man roster and the eventual rotation. Hill isn’t guaranteed a roster spot, and even if he comes back to practice, the Browns could add a younger defensive tackle just for practice and preseason reps.

Harris has been durable. He’s only missed eight games over the last six seasons. Based on his resume, he’d be at least an upgrade to the rotation. Cleveland added Dalvin Tomlinson, Ika and Hurst because last year’s defensive tackle group was the league’s worst. The Browns should never have held out hope they’d get anything from Perrion Winfrey, so we’ll see if they’ll be active soon in trying to add to this remade group or if they’re willing to wait until late August.

5. We know Jerome Ford is the clear No. 2 running back. That’s not a surprise, nor is it especially noteworthy given how some of the Browns’ decision-makers gushed about him last year. But Ford is only a second-year player, and ahead of the Hall of Fame Game, we didn’t know if he would play for a series or two.

That Ford didn’t dress says he’s safely in that No. 2 spot. The two players behind him, John Kelly Jr. and Demetric Felton Jr., both had impressive moments and scored touchdowns Thursday night. I’m still not sure the Browns have room for a third running back on their initial 53-man roster — or that their No. 3 running back is currently on this roster. But Kelly and Felton are fighting to stick, and we’ll see how it shakes out in a few weeks.


6. We don’t know a timetable for wide receiver/return specialist Jakeem Grant Sr., who’s trying to return from a torn Achilles tendon he suffered almost exactly a year ago.

Grant has been back in practice on a limited basis and has been in front of the return lines on the days he’s participating. But the Browns haven’t said anything about when he will begin practicing every day or taking part in full-speed drills.

It’s impossible to assume Grant will win a role and roster spot until we see him all the way back (or at least working like he is), which makes it hard to predict what’s going to happen with the Browns’ returners. Grant potentially being the sixth wide receiver would push someone else out of a job, too.

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Hassan Hall, the undrafted rookie running back from Georgia Tech, was the first kickoff returner against the Jets. Felton was first up as the punt returner. Jaelon Darden is injured and didn’t play Thursday, but Darden is having a strong camp and might make the team if Grant doesn’t. Darden is also a candidate for both return jobs.

Barring some other change in the wide receiver group, it’s impossible to see both Darden and Grant make the initial 53-man roster. The Browns gave Grant $3 million guaranteed in 2022 to revive their return game and contribute as a gadget player, so it will be interesting to see how this continues to play out.

7. We know that just staying healthy is at the top of any list of goals in early August. The Browns had wide receiver Daylen Baldwin (hamstring) and cornerback Thomas Graham Jr. (ankle) leave the Hall of Fame Game due to injury, but there was no immediate update on a prognosis for either.

Baldwin had a drop against the Jets, but he’s caught everything in camp. He’s a long shot to make the active roster but is a big target who has a real chance to again stay via the practice squad. Graham has a chance to win a roster spot as a backup slot cornerback and special-teamer. He’s had an active start to camp as well.

Rookie cornerback Cameron Mitchell followed up his big play in practice Tuesday with another to end a Jets drive. Mitchell is going to make the team, as draft picks generally do. The guys in charge like it a lot better when those players use camp and the preseason to steadily show improvement.

Adam Schefter follows

@NFLRookieWatxh
Cedric Tillman is reportedly thought to be the “best young receiver” to enter the NFL in the past 15 years by Randy Moss (HOF WR).

Moss also said it’s “not even close” and that every owner in the NFL should be “pissed” they passed on him.

Tillman led the Browns in receiving in their preseason opener with 2 receptions for 35 yards.

Tillman has reportedly continued to “stand out” throughout training camp as well.

The Browns may have landed a STUD

Browns acquire RB Pierre Strong Jr. from Patriots: Source

Browns acquire RB Pierre Strong Jr. from Patriots: Source
Getty Images

The Browns add running back Pierre Strong Jr. from the Patriots in exchange for OT Tyrone Wheatley Jr., according to a team source. The news was first reported by NFL Network.

Cleveland backup running back Jerome Ford has been battling a hamstring injury for much of training camp.

Browns find their RB3; trade OT Tyrone Wheatley Jr. to Patriots for Pierre Strong Jr.
Cory Kinnan
Sun, Aug 27, 2023, 11:28 AM EDT·1 min read


The Cleveland Browns have made a move to address their lack of depth at the running back position. With second-string back Jerome Ford missing most of training camp, and with none of their other running backs taking hold of the third-string gig, the team has traded a depth piece to the New England Patriots in exchange for second-year running back Pierre Strong Jr.

Strong was drafted a round before Ford in last year’s NFL draft, a fourth round pick of the Patriots. He played in 15 games a year ago but only saw 10 carries. With those ten carries, however, Strong Jr. averaged 10 yards per carry and scored a touchdown. He reeled in seven catches for 42 yards as well.

This spells bad news for both Demetric Felton and John Kelly Jr.

Story originally appeared on Browns Wire