Day 1 of OTA's for Browns: First Team Offense/Defense

Day 1 of OTA's kicked off on Tuesday, and that meant that for the first time this offseason, the entire team, including veterans and rookies, were able to take part in team activities. OTA's are not required, so some players (such as veteran kicker Phil Dawson) did not show up.

Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal listed the first team offensive and first team defensive units on Tuesday. Take this with a grain of salt, though, especially when you see who is listed at the quarterback position:

First-Team Offense

QB: Colt McCoy
RB: Trent Richardson & Montario Hardesty (rotation)
FB: Owen Marecic
WR: Greg Little
WR: Mohamed Massaquoi
TE: Benjamin Watson
LT: Joe Thomas
LG: Jason Pinkston
C: Alex Mack
RG: Shawn Lauvao
RT: Oniel Cousins

First-Team Defense

LDE: Jabaal Sheard
DT: Ahtyba Rubin
DT: Scott Paxson
RDE: Frostee Rucker
WLB: Chris Gocong
MLB: Benjamin Jacobs
SLB: Scott Fujita
CB: Joe Haden
FS: Eric Hagg
SS: T.J. Ward
CB: Sheldon Brown

The ones that stand out include McCoy at quarterback, Cousins at right tackle, Paxson at defensive tackle, Jacobs at middle linebacker, and Hagg at free safety. Where are Brandon Weeden and Mitchell Schwartz? Clearly they are easing the youngsters into the starting lineup; in the mean time, the veterans got some time in. The fact that Trent Richardson got in the mix right away at running back probably shows how much of an impact that anticipate him having.

Jacobs filled in at inside linebacker while D'Qwell Jackson recovers from a stiff back (he practiced, but not in team drills). When it came to the wide receiver position, head coach Pat Shurmur said that Little and Massaquoi are the top two guys right now:

(On how many starting wide receiver spots are up for grabs)- "They are out there playing. I think Greg Little looked really good to me today. I think he has changed his body, he looks much leaner and he was running around well. Mo (Mohamed Massaquoi) did a nice job out there. I would say it's safe to say that they are our first two right now. As you know though, sometimes you play three receivers and sometimes you play four. There are other guys in there and we could go through the whole list if you like, but I think those other guys are competing and doing well as well."

The biggest surprise was seeing Hagg at safety, mainly because Usama Young was perfectly healthy -- he worked with the second-team defense. Shurmur commented on the position:

(On if Eric Hagg has a leg up on Usama Young because he was with the first team today)- "Again in terms of first and second team, I think they are in there getting there reps. Hagg did a nice job last year prior to being injured in camp. Then when he came back, we felt like he continued to develop. He’s had a nice offseason. We will have to go back and watch the tape, but I think he did a nice job today."

Let the speculation begin!