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Recapping what happened during the first set of Browns OTA sessions

By Chris Pokorny
Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

The final day of the first set of Cleveland Browns OTA sessions wrapped up on Thursday. The practices are voluntary and you're never going to get a ton of juicy information from these sessions, but let's recap what happened during the three-day span:

  • Of the three days, the media was only allowed to watch practice on Wednesday. That's where we also heard about what head coach Hue Jackson had to say at his press conference, and an update from CB Joe Haden on how his ankle injury is progressing.

  • Besides Haden, which players didn't take part in the OTA session on Wednesday? Players relegated to the sideline included WR Taylor Gabriel (left foot/lower leg in walking boot), TE Randall Telfer (hamstring), TE Seth DeValve (unknown), OL Erle Ladson (hamstring), OL Shon Coleman (knee), and S Don Jones (unknown). LT Joe Thomas appeared to have his standard veteran day off.

    Absent rookies included QB Cody Kessler, WR Corey Coleman, and WR Ricardo Louis, because they had to leave early to catch a flight for the NFLPA Rookie Premiere in Los Angeles. WR Jordan Payton was also absent as he finishes his degree at UCLA.

  • Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal says the highlight of practice came on an interception by rookie LB Joe Schobert that was taken back for a touchdown.
  • If anyone is looking for the euphoric feeling of seeing quarterbacks throw passes to wide receivers in shorts with no defense, here is your withdrawal medication, courtesy of Mary Kay Cabot of the Plain Dealer:
  • Cabot also had some high praise for the tempo of Jackson's practice session, although it's probably a bit of a stretch to make a proclamation like this after one OTA session.
  • Per Scott Petrak of the Chronicle-Telegram, WR Marlon Moore "ended the practice by making a reaching sideline catch from the grass after he had slipped." Moore's spot might seem in jeopardy given all the draft picks at wide receiver, but I think it's pretty secure because he's now the top special teams asset with the departure of DB Johnson Bademosi.

  • When meeting with the media, RB Isaiah Crowell admitted that he missed a lot of opportunities last year, but he and RB Duke Johnson are amped up knowing that no other competition was brought in and that Hue Jackson believes in the tandem:
  • QB Robert Griffin III also spoke to the media. One of the interesting responses he had came with respect to WR Corey Coleman and their affiliation to Baylor:

    (On the process of Coleman’s transition to the NFL, given he also transitioned from Baylor to the NFL and the limited route tree Baylor uses): "I appreciate the question. I think (Baylor Head) Coach (Art) Briles would be upset that you say it is a limited route tree, but I know what you mean. He caught a lot of go’s. He caught a lot of slants. He caught a lot of hitches. He has those routes down. The NFL asks you to be able to do more. It is not that you are going to run bench-cuts and post-corners and sluggo-seams and all of those consistently all of the time, but you have to show that you can do it. That is the beauty of the NFL. You get to step up to the next level and add to your game. Not just Corey but the rest of the receivers and every receiver that we have, they want to continue to add to the game. We have the coaches that are going to teach them to do it the right way. As we continue to learn the technique and how they want it run, then we can become coaches, as well."

The next set of OTA sessions will take place from May 24th to May 26th.

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