CLEVELAND, OHIO (TheOBR.com) - Good morning, Cleveland Browns fans!
One can't help but love this time of year. The rookies are in mini-camp, running around in shirts and shorts, and optimism blooms once more in Brownsland. Every draft pick looks fresh, and either has an unlimited ceiling or "could just surprise", and scribes have plenty to write about.
There are plenty of examples of both types of stories scattered over the massive volume of articles poured out online yesterday, as 2,403 Cleveland Browns sites try to elbow each other out for mindshare, perhaps not with good content, but maybe just via the sheer volume of it. Between the legit credentialed sites and the growing number of content aggregators out there throwing together four-paragraph articles onto pages slathered with advertisements and clickbait headlines, there's plenty of both good and bad stuff for Browns fans to wallow in if they choose. We'll try to stick to the good stuff.
BTW, if you want a completely different look at what our Pete Smith observed from the sidelines, please check out the daily Rumor Central thread from camp to get unique insights.
There's no denying, however, the optimism that surrounds the Browns rookie mini-camp following a draft class almost universally heralded as among the league's best.
If you're looking for a name to latch onto from this draft class, Emmanuel McNeil-Warren should be high on your list, as Fred Greetham noted yesterday. The Browns' second-round safety is making a great first impression on OC Todd Monken, who called the sky "the limit" for the rookie. EMW is already looking ready to make a rapid impact. While that kind of early buzz is common this time of year, one generally could hear an undercurrent of "this guy ain't all that" or such if there were lingering doubts. We're hearing none of that with McNeil-Warren. He was a bargain for where the Browns picked him.
On the offensive line, fifth-round center Parker Brailsford is drawing real attention, with scribes now echoing our initial view that he has a legitimate shot to start this season. That's quite a step for a Day 3 pick to step in at the most cerebral position on the line. With the Browns' injury history at center, they clearly need a reliable option there, and Brailsford may be the answer sooner than anyone expected. But the real practices have yet to start; he hasn't faced Mason Graham, and Elgton Jenkins is a possible option if Brailsford needs more time.
The wide receiver room is generating buzz, of course, as well. KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston are both flashing early potential. The Athletic highlighted Concepcion specifically in their minicamp observations alongside the Fano brothers' story. Todd Monken also said he was "awfully pleased" with what he saw from the rookie wide receivers as a group. Meanwhile, seventh-round QB Carsen Ryan says he "felt overlooked" before the Browns grabbed him — that chip-on-the-shoulder mentality is never a bad thing to have because the road gets steeper for seventh-round picks from here.
Jalen Reagor
Jalen Reagor tries again (Photo: USA TODAY Sports)
Also of note: a former first-round WR, Jalen Reagor, got a tryout this weekend, so stay tuned on that front. He's not got an easy job to make the Browns' newly fortified wide receiver room, with Jerry Jeudy, KC Conception, Denzel Boston, Cedric Tillman and Isaiah Bond all "near locks" to make the final roster. That logically leaves just one spot for competition. Reagor's best chance may lie with special teams: he's got a 98-yard kick return TD and a 73-yard punt return TD on his resume, which is real juice in that phase.
Off the field, Jimmy Haslam is reportedly taking on a bigger role with the Milwaukee Bucks. Busy man. Mike Florio's take that this will help the Cleveland Browns borders somewhere between insult, snark, and an element of truthfulness in that the best-run NFL teams tend to have owners in a supportive check-writing mode and not actively involved.
The Browns also signed cornerback Michael Coats and waived TE Sal Cannella as the roster-building continues post-minicamp. Across the league, 166 of 257 NFL draft picks have now signed two weeks after the draft — the Browns have been ahead of the curve on that front.
And finally, a UFL referee was interviewed live on the sideline during a Fox broadcast this weekend. In-game ref mics are always a wild ride. Can we try that in the NFL someday? Actually, never mind. We're not ready for that. Leave the referees alone so they can do their job.
Have a good one! GO BROWNS!
Newswire Bloviation Archive
OBR GOODIES
OBR VIDEO
- Two-Minute Check-In: Rookie Camp, Day 2
OBR ARTICLES
- Browns Rookie QB Taylen Green Says "I Really don't Think there's Anybody Like Me"
- Cleveland Browns News and Rumors 05/09/26: Rolling out Schedules and Rookies
- Browns Todd Monken 'Awfully Pleased' with what He Saw from Rookie Wide Receivers, EMW Stands Out; OL Drafted 3
FROM THE FORUMS
ASK THE INSIDERS (VIP)
- JOK Question
- Sorry, another quarterback question
- When will the Browns Formally Announce All Inked UDFA signings?
- Christian Jones, WR coach
- Camp try out findings/signing?
- 2-day camp
RUMOR CENTRAL (VIP)
- 5/9 Rookie Minicamp Notes
THE LIFT
Positive news from the world of sports and beyond...
Over 500 billion disposable coffee cups are trashed everywhere. This 'seaweed cup' hopes to change that
I'm all over clever humans trying to come up with ways to lower our impact on the environment. I think about this in terms of paper towels. My household goes through a lot of that stuff. Maybe a clumsy nerd Dad in the household has a lot to do with that. We hope we're not disturbing the ecosystem too much, and minimizing environmental impact should be a concern for all families. We try our best between running madly from one task to the next.
On this subject, at least I embrace the dandelions in my yard rather than pouring chemicals all over them, which might make me a bit of a pariah in a neighborhood of carefully manicured lawns. But, you know, screw it, I'm a rebel.
Have I gotten off target? Perhaps. Anyhow, seaweed cups are a thing, and probably good for the environment.
WRAPPING UP
When not admiring the prettiness of little yellow flowers, Barry McBride is the Publisher and Founder of the OBR and bloviates this nonsense every morning. You can follow him on Twitter @barrymcbride or write him at barry@theobr.com if you are so compelled.
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