Cleveland Browns Minicamp - Day 1 Recap

The Cleveland Browns began Day 1 of their mandatory minicamp session on Tuesday. Minicamp will be the team's final offseason activity until training camp in late-July. Our Day 1 minicamp report is below, derived from noteworthy news and nuggets from local media reports.

CLEVELAND BROWNS - DAY 1 MINICAMP RECAP (6/7/16)

• Danny Shelton Sheds 30 Pounds: Two months ago at voluntary veteran minicamp, one of the bigger stories involved Shelton and his effort to lose weight this offseason. At the time, he said his goal was to lose 40 pounds, but that he'd only been able to lose 15 pounds. During an interview today, Shelton revealed that he ended the 2015 season at 365 pounds and is now down to 335 pounds. Just look at the lean, mean, catching machine go:

Head coach Hue Jackson was asked what Shelton's weight loss means:

“That is important. One that (director of high performance) Adam Beard and his staff have done a tremendous job. We have hired a nutritionist as well, but, I give a lot of that credit to Danny. I think Danny was motivated himself to be a better football player. He knew in order to do that that he needed to shed some weight. Our guys have done everything we have asked them to do. I have never been happier with a group than with this group. We understand that all this that we are doing right now only gives us a chance when we get back. It guarantees nothing. It signifies nothing. You have got to give ourselves an opportunity to have success, whether it is Danny Shelton or any of our football players doing the things we have asked them to do and that is where it all starts.”

• Robert Griffin III's Day: It's only minicamp, but that's not stopping Jackson from putting his quarterbacks, including Griffin, through fast-paced practices:

"I think it is the environment you create for the quarterback. The term you're talking about is ‘processing.’ If a guy can process things fast enough because the game happens so fast, there are a lot of things a quarterback has to do in milliseconds. It’s the environment that you create. That’s why we play fast and kind of in a frenzy because the game is kind of played that way. Hopefully, by the time you get to the game, it slows down for you so you're able to make very sound and correct decisions. Our guys have done a good job. They’re growing in that area. I don’t think it is a processing problem with any of our guys. I just think I ask a lot of our quarterback. We will continue to ask a lot of our quarterback. They have to exceed and match that expectation each and every day.”

Griffin and rookie Cody Kessler will both work with Tom House, the former MLB pitcher and quarterback guru, over the next few weeks leading up to training camp. As far as Griffin's ups-and-downs of the day, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal covered that:

• Not Tipping His Hand: When Aditi Kinkhabwala asked rookie WR Corey Coleman what he'll be doing over the break, he'd be working with QB Robert Griffin III.

Kinkhabwala noted that the Browns' PR director was nearby and wisely coached Coleman to answer the question without giving anything away! Speaking of Coleman, he said that he's in much better shape since rookie minicamp (even though that initial comment by Jackson at the time was more in general for everybody, which is the norm for rookies entering the NFL).

• Right Tackle Reps: According to Scott Petrak of the Chronicle-Telegram, Alvin Bailey "continues to get reps with the first-team offense at right tackle."
• Playmaking Ability: The Browns will be counting on RB Duke Johnson to be a big weapon on offense this year. With TE Gary Barnidge out until training camp after having sports hernia surgery, the benefactor over the next few days should be rookie TE Seth DeValve, who is already showing off his athleticism.

• MMA Praise: We've already heard about some subtle praise for Joe Kim, the team's MMA expert, and now we have the praise coming directly from veteran DE Desmond Bryant, via Steve Doerschuk of the Canton Repository:

• QB-WR Drills: Courtesy of Mary Kay Cabot of the Plain Dealer:

• Brownies: A couple of RGIII's throwaways sailed over the fences in Berea, with one hitting a garage, although those might have been a bit intentional. ... Despite being "off" the past four days, 49 players still showed up to Berea to get work done. ... Rookie WR Jordan Payton is still absent as he is finishing up college at UCLA. ... CB Justin Gilbert seemed to favor his right shoulder during practice but continued practicing. ... The Browns are going to be a lot more physical at training camp with padded practices, which we'll cover in a separate post Wednesday morning. ... Lastly, let's end with a video on the team huddle, along with a view of what looks to be new signage surrounding the gates this year:

The Browns will be back on the practice field Wednesday for Day 2 of minicamp.