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BEREA ― Day 7 of training camp was a lucky day for the Cleveland Browns. At least, it was for one Browns player in particular.
The first six days were anything but great for quarterback Deshaun Watson. It wasn't that Shedeur Sanders, his competition for the starting job, was running away with the job, but he was clearly outplaying the veteran.
Which led to Day 7, a 90-minute practice in shells under a hot sun and muggy conditions. That's where Watson decided to post his best day of training camp.
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So that's where we're going to start as we dive into the big takeaways from Day 7.
It wasn't just the completions Watson had over the course of the practice. It was the time it took for him to deliver those passes that really stood out for the veteran.
Watson appeared hesitant in his decision making over the first six practices. On this day, however, the ball was out of his hand fast, and he made decisions to run much quicker than previously.
It shouldn't be a surprise that the results were much better overall, at least relatively to previous days. It also didn't hurt to that have that kind of performance when part of the practice was spent working in the short red zone — a fact that helped bolster Watson's touchdown numbers.
Although, in the interest of fairness, Sanders was also working from those spots and did produce the numbers. He also wasn't working with the No. 1s, although he had a fairly normal day overall even while with the No. 2 group.
There's few groups on the field that have been hit harder by the injury bug on the Browns than their linemen. Initially, it was mostly the defensive tackle group where the injuries had piled up over the first six days.
Day 7 saw the center position essentially limited to just Luke Wypler because both Elgton Jenkins and Parker Brailsford were sidelined for various reasons. Wypler worked with the No. 1s, while Kingsley Eguakun was the No. 2 on this day.
As for the defensive tackles, coach Todd Monken said before practice that he wasn't sure if surgery was going to be needed for Sam Kamara, who left the sixth practice the day before. However, he sounded like the other defensive tackles out ― Mason Graham, Mike Hall Jr., Kalia Davis and Maliek Collins, who's currently on active/physically unable to perform ― weren't necessarily long-term concerns.
"Only for practice," Monken said. "That’s the only thing, from a practice standpoint, you can’t stop. You don’t have an incubator; you don’t have a tank you can put them in. They have to stay on the 90, so where do you pull from? We’re not ready to get rid of them, but we have to have someone to practice. You can’t have the rest of the guys play, so you have to bring those guys in."
One of the players who had a solid week for the Browns on offense has been Mentor High School and Kent State University product Luke Floriea. Due to the practice format, he found himself working with all of the top three quarterbacks: Watson, Sanders and Dillon Gabriel.
A year ago, Floriea was a camp darling as a local product who was signed after a rookie minicamp tryout. That included a strong preseason opener at the Carolina Panthers, although that's also the game in which he suffered a hamstring injury that ultimately led to the Browns having to waive him a week later with an injury designation.
Floriea did return to the practice squad later in the year. Now, he's getting another crack at making the roster in a new-look wide receiver unit.
The injuries to the offensive line certainly aren't helping develop the cohesive bond needed for a group that will feature five new starters. Teven Jenkins has been out at right guard since July 31, giving KT Leveston virtually all of the No. 1 reps at that spot.
The center position seems to still be Elgton Jenkins' to lose, even as he missed this day, with Brailsford behind him. Zion Johnson's entrenched at left guard.
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The left tackle spot is where the Browns have been alternating between Dawand Jones and Spencer Fano on a daily basis. Fano remains the favorite just because of the fact the Browns took him No. 9 overall in April's draft, but Monken acknowledged Jones could start if Fano's not ready to go right away.
Jones has been mentioned as a potential option at right tackle if they moved Tytus Howard inside to right guard. However, Monken said they like the thought of Howard, Jones, Fano and third-round pick Austin Barber, who got some No. 1 run this week, as the four tackles they could keep.
Chris Easterling can be reached at [email protected]. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ. Sign up for Browns Insider newsletter at https://profile.beaconjournal.com/newsletters/browns-insider/
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: 4 takeaways from Day 7 of Browns training camp, including Deshaun Watson
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The first six days were anything but great for quarterback Deshaun Watson. It wasn't that Shedeur Sanders, his competition for the starting job, was running away with the job, but he was clearly outplaying the veteran.
Which led to Day 7, a 90-minute practice in shells under a hot sun and muggy conditions. That's where Watson decided to post his best day of training camp.
Subscribe to Browns Insider newsletter
So that's where we're going to start as we dive into the big takeaways from Day 7.
Deshaun Watson decisive in decision making on Day 7 of Browns camp
It wasn't just the completions Watson had over the course of the practice. It was the time it took for him to deliver those passes that really stood out for the veteran.
Watson appeared hesitant in his decision making over the first six practices. On this day, however, the ball was out of his hand fast, and he made decisions to run much quicker than previously.
It shouldn't be a surprise that the results were much better overall, at least relatively to previous days. It also didn't hurt to that have that kind of performance when part of the practice was spent working in the short red zone — a fact that helped bolster Watson's touchdown numbers.
Although, in the interest of fairness, Sanders was also working from those spots and did produce the numbers. He also wasn't working with the No. 1s, although he had a fairly normal day overall even while with the No. 2 group.
Injury bug moves in on Browns' linemen
There's few groups on the field that have been hit harder by the injury bug on the Browns than their linemen. Initially, it was mostly the defensive tackle group where the injuries had piled up over the first six days.
Day 7 saw the center position essentially limited to just Luke Wypler because both Elgton Jenkins and Parker Brailsford were sidelined for various reasons. Wypler worked with the No. 1s, while Kingsley Eguakun was the No. 2 on this day.
As for the defensive tackles, coach Todd Monken said before practice that he wasn't sure if surgery was going to be needed for Sam Kamara, who left the sixth practice the day before. However, he sounded like the other defensive tackles out ― Mason Graham, Mike Hall Jr., Kalia Davis and Maliek Collins, who's currently on active/physically unable to perform ― weren't necessarily long-term concerns.
"Only for practice," Monken said. "That’s the only thing, from a practice standpoint, you can’t stop. You don’t have an incubator; you don’t have a tank you can put them in. They have to stay on the 90, so where do you pull from? We’re not ready to get rid of them, but we have to have someone to practice. You can’t have the rest of the guys play, so you have to bring those guys in."
Luke Floriea having a strong week at wide receiver
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One of the players who had a solid week for the Browns on offense has been Mentor High School and Kent State University product Luke Floriea. Due to the practice format, he found himself working with all of the top three quarterbacks: Watson, Sanders and Dillon Gabriel.
A year ago, Floriea was a camp darling as a local product who was signed after a rookie minicamp tryout. That included a strong preseason opener at the Carolina Panthers, although that's also the game in which he suffered a hamstring injury that ultimately led to the Browns having to waive him a week later with an injury designation.
Floriea did return to the practice squad later in the year. Now, he's getting another crack at making the roster in a new-look wide receiver unit.
Offensive line work could go deep into preseason
The injuries to the offensive line certainly aren't helping develop the cohesive bond needed for a group that will feature five new starters. Teven Jenkins has been out at right guard since July 31, giving KT Leveston virtually all of the No. 1 reps at that spot.
The center position seems to still be Elgton Jenkins' to lose, even as he missed this day, with Brailsford behind him. Zion Johnson's entrenched at left guard.
Buy Cleveland Browns tickets
The left tackle spot is where the Browns have been alternating between Dawand Jones and Spencer Fano on a daily basis. Fano remains the favorite just because of the fact the Browns took him No. 9 overall in April's draft, but Monken acknowledged Jones could start if Fano's not ready to go right away.
Jones has been mentioned as a potential option at right tackle if they moved Tytus Howard inside to right guard. However, Monken said they like the thought of Howard, Jones, Fano and third-round pick Austin Barber, who got some No. 1 run this week, as the four tackles they could keep.
Chris Easterling can be reached at [email protected]. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ. Sign up for Browns Insider newsletter at https://profile.beaconjournal.com/newsletters/browns-insider/
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: 4 takeaways from Day 7 of Browns training camp, including Deshaun Watson
Continue reading...
