CLEVELAND, Ohio. — Myles Garrett, Diontae Johnson and Greg Newsome II were among the 14 or so Browns players who weren’t on the field for the second voluntary organized team activities practice on Wednesday.
But coach Kevin Stefanski stressed that the club is not holding it against players who don’t attend, or who miss even some of the 10 practices.
“It’s really important to remember that this is a voluntary program and anybody who’s here, we’re excited about that,” he said after practice. “We’re not reporting who’s here on what day. So, there are guys that will be in and out of the program and that is totally their prerogative. But the guys that are here will just continue to work.”
As for Garrett, the 2023 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, it’s not unusual for him to skip the voluntary sessions, but it hasn’t stopped him from maintaining his status as one of the premier defensive ends in the NFL.
Garrett, who has a deep affinity for Japan, posted on his Instagram story on Tuesday that he’s in Tokyo, with a caption that read “trying to buy a place here asap.” He also appeared on the red carpet of the Crunchyroll Anime Awards there on Sunday with Olympic snowboarder Chloe Kim.
The absence from OTA No. 2 comes after Browns owner Jimmy Haslam urged his newly-minted $40 million-a-year man at the NFL Annual Meetings to become more of a leader this season.
“What we’ve challenged Myles on is, by his practice habits, by his actions, etc., to become a real leader of the team,” Haslam said. “And he has said he’d do that and we’re hopeful that he will be.”
Haslam noted that “Myles is by nature an introvert. He’s not an extroverted rah-rah guy,” but that the Browns expect even more from their All-Pro defensive end in the leadership space."
But OTAs, which by nature are more passing-camp oriented, are not Garrett’s thing, and missing them has never hurt him. When a player has earned NFL Defensive Player of the Year status, he’s also earned the right to skip some voluntary offseason workouts. In fact, former Browns center and NFLPA president J.C. Tretter has strongly urged all NFL players to skip the voluntary workouts in the name of health and safety.
Stefanski was asked specifically if he was upset that Garrett was absent.
“No, this is a voluntary program,” he said.
What about Johnson?
Johnson’s absence raised some eyebrows among observers Wednesday, especially considering this could be his last chance to save his career after three teams sent him packing last season.
But Johnson, signed as a free agent, has participated in at least some of the offseason program based on photos on the Browns’ website.
Stefanski downplayed his absence on Wednesday as a possible sign of turbulence.
“I wouldn’t really think of it that big picture,” he said. “I think for us it’s just getting him to understand our program, what we’re about, get him out here competing, but we’ll really take that one day at a time.”
Johnson’s old Steelers teammate, Kenny Pickett, is eager to play with him again.
“Yeah, being able to play with ‘Tay for a couple of years in Pittsburgh now we’re teammates again, I think that’s awesome,” he said. “His route running ability, his ability to separate. I think drop his weight in and out of routes, it’s special. So I’m excited to get back out there with them.”
Greg Newsome II and David Njoku not here
Newsome and Njoku, both heading into the final year of their contracts, were absent on Wednesday, but it’s not necessarily connected that in any way.
Newsome told cleveland.com at the Super Bowl that he would like to be on the field more and hoped to work that out with the Browns. Njoku told cleveland.com there that he wants to be here long-term and is expecting a bounce-back year after an injury-plagued 2024.
But Newsome, playing on his fifth-year option tender worth $13.377 million, has been here for some of the offseason program and has traditionally participated in OTAs.
As for Njoku, Browns GM Andrew Berry indicated at the NFL Annual Meetings in March that the Browns would like to extend him. He also checked in with Njoku and his agent at Miami when they were working out Cam Ward.
“We’ve known him since he’s been 20-years-old and we’ve been through a lot with David and we’ve been happy to see him grow and mature in the organization,” Berry said. “Look, we love all of our long-tenured Browns to be with the organization until they’re done. Sometimes that happens, sometimes that doesn’t, so I can’t necessarily make a commitment there either way. But I know David’s desire is to be with the Browns long term, and that’s ours as well. How and when and what that looks like, that’s maybe not the primary focus right now. David, we would consider one of our core players.”
Others included on the absent list Wednesday were Deshaun Watson (Achilles repair), Joel Bitonio, Jack Conklin, David Bell (hip surgery), Mike Hall Jr. (knee surgery), Shelby Harris, and Mailek Collins.
Dawand Jones looks great
Jones, coming off surgery in December to to repair a broken fibula, looked as fit and fluid as he has since he was drafted by the Browns in the fourth round out of Ohio State in 2023.
Jones moved well in team drills, and is already making a strong case to nail down the left tackle job. Free agent signee Cornelius Lucas started on the right side in place of Jack Conklin, and second-year guard Zak Zinter replaced Bitonio.
Mason Graham has a fine day
Graham had a strong showing Wednesday, including batting down a Dillon Gabriel pass in 11-on-11s. Gabriel didn’t have much of a problem with batted balls in college, and the Browns are hoping it’s the same here. But Graham, their No. 5 overall pick out of Michigan, showed why he’s elite.
“Really working extremely hard, is in the weight room, I see him out here getting extra work, doing great in the meeting rooms,” Stefanski said. “As you guys know, Phase Three, the offseason, is not really made for offensive lineman and defensive linemen. So, there’s a lot of work that happens in individual drills. So, Coach Jacques (Cesaire) has his hands on them and they’re doing just that. They’re working really hard.”
Bike Brigade
Safety Ronnie Hickman and defensive end Alex Wright rode the exercise bikes at the start of practice, but Wright, coming off a torn triceps, joined individual drills a little later without a helmet. It means he’s getting closer to practicing, which is a great sign for the defensive line rotation.
Football Insider newsletter free trial: Take a minute and sign up for a free trial of our Football Insider newsletter, featuring exclusive content from cleveland.com's Browns reporters.