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Good morning, Cleveland Browns fans!
As mentioned in the comments on yesterday's OBR Daily Newswire, the OBR has adopted a new tag line this off-season: "Stuff Your Helmet with Better Stuff". I take this line with great seriousness. If I weren't such an old person with an aversion to tattoos, I'd have it tattooed on my arm. Come to think of it, that's a good suggestion for everyone who isn't as tattoo-unfriendly as your Newswire author. Perhaps include a QR code that directs friends and acquaintances to the OBR, allowing them to navigate directly to the site from your arm or forehead. That's a good idea. For you, I mean.
Part of the immense responsibility that comes with printing that phrase on every Newswire-related photo is that I genuinely do have to weed out the bad stuff from the good stuff as I produce this Newswire.
Perhaps that's why you haven't seen any speculative articles tying the Browns to ex-Bills and ex-Jaguars WR Gabe Davis here. They're out there, of course, having leapt to the conclusion that the Browns are devoid of vertical threats and that free agent Davis would solve that.
The Jaguars released Davis after a bad 2024 campaign, which was shortened by a torn meniscus in his left knee that caused him to miss the last six games of the season. The injury has hung like a cloud over Davis' attempts to find a new team despite free agent visits to the Steelers, Giants, 49ers, and Saints.
One team he hasn't visited is Cleveland, which is one reason the speculative Davis-to-Browns reports haven't appeared on the Newswire. It's just drawing a line from a free agent to a team with an obvious receiver need beyond Jerry Jeudy, with no inside information that there's genuine interest.
Despite the apparent lack of interest in Davis, the Browns have added to their wide receiver depth chart with Diontae Johnson, who also struggled in 2024, although it wasn't injury-related. Johnson didn't get off to a roaring start rebuilding his image in Cleveland, skipping the team's voluntary OTAs, but it still looked on as a "sleeper" for the #2 WR role that Davis would also occupy.
So far, I like the Browns' strategy here. Forgotten in the rush to suggest that the team bring in a batch of free agents rejected by other teams is a group of young receivers like Cedric Tillman (profiled by Fred Greetham here), Jamari Thrash, Michael Woods, and David Bell. They need reps so the team knows better what they have, and without a bunch of reclamation projects (beyond Johnson), the team can better see if cheaper options exist besides hobbled free agents.
Jamari Thrash
Jamari Thrash practicing this off-season (Photo: Getty)
One player I really liked last preseason was Jamari Thrash, the wide receiver from Georgia State and Louisville, who had 63 catches for the Cardinals. While Thrash's speed isn't mind-blowing and he doesn't represent a vertical threat like Davis, he's intelligent and hard-working, and a terrific route runner. I liked the way he was able to adjust to throws during the preseason in 2024 and was unhappy that he didn't get many opportunities during the Browns' dismal 3-14 campaign. The second year is critical for Thrash, but WR Coach Chad O'Shea has a lot of positive things to say about his effort to get ready for 2025.
So, please put me down as saying that Jamari Thrash is one of the players I'm most interested to see perform during preseason games this year, and I'm looking for him to threaten to snag a slot receiver role in his second year. However, there's no need to tattoo that on any of your body parts.
NICK CHUBB SAYS GOODBYE: Via a heartfelt post on Instagram, Nick Chubb said goodbye to Cleveland and the Browns yesterday.
His concluding paragraph represents why Cleveland loved the quiet and determined running back so much: This isn’t goodbye to what we built; it’s a thank you. For the trust, the passion, and the moments that made me feel like I belonged here from day one. Cleveland, you’ll always have a piece of my heart. Until we meet again.
Regardless of what happens in Houston or any of his future destinations, Chubb will always have a home in Cleveland. Ideally, he retires as a Cleveland Brown and gets the recognition at that point which he deserves.
THE DAILY QUARTBACK UPDATE
Because I ignored the baitreggators in my feed list this morning, coverage of the four-quarterback battle at the center of the Browns universe was more balanced than just a bunch of stories on Shedeur Sanders. While no grand conclusions were reached while the Browns were throwing the ball around without pads or hitting, neither did any one quarterback particularly falter. We're left with all of them in the heat of the battle.
Not everyone is convinced, though:
STOP BRINGING UP DESHAUN WATSON: I'm totally down with just not talking about Deshaun Watson this pre-season after three years of Watson overload. But, nooooo.... Yahoo has to talk about his shadow hanging over mini-camp and Bleacher Report has to remind us that he has a horrifying contract. Thanks folks! Always welcome to discuss a quarterback who won't play in 2025, so we can relive three years of no draft picks and poor quarterback play. These are the perfect links for Friday the 13th. Ugh.
BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE!
Have a good one! GO BROWNS!
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