DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Mini Camp Updates/News

My questions now are on whether Mayfield and Ward hold out. Veterans are scheduled to report to training camp on the 19th and that is when any holdouts officially begin. Has anyone heard anything on contract progress ?

Because Cleveland is blessed with the trashiest "sports journalists" ever. Between MKC and Grossi, it's not tolerable. I actually do like the way Pluto writes things.

What did Mary Kay say? I thought she reported what McAdoo said? Are you guys saying that she not report the news because it is negative?

The Browns websight has had 2 articles in the last 3 months which mentioned Somebody, (Smith) as having a large role in the D-line rotatation this upcoming year.

pppssstttt Players report on the 25th.

It is still a week .. and other teams are reporting this week. Just want both of them signed and in camp on time.

Cleveland Browns 2018 Training Camp: Cornerback preview

https://www.cleveland.com/expo/sports/er...8-training.html

Browns cornerbacks

CLEVELAND, Ohio - While the Browns were giving their quarterback room an extreme offseason makeover, they decided to do some major rearranging in the cornerback room as well.

Last season's Week 1 starters - Jason McCourty and Jamar Taylor - are gone. That duo played the most snaps at cornerback for the Browns in 2017. GM John Dorsey went to work in free agency, signing E.J. Gaines and T.J. Carrie, then used two draft picks on cornerbacks, including fourth overall pick Denzel Ward.

The Browns will be without 2017 fourth-rounder Howard Wilson for the second straight season (knee), and Dorsey missed out on Western Michigan cornerback Sam Beal in the recent supplemental draft. But Browns cornerbacks will still have plenty of new players in key roles when training camp opens July 25.

"I think that John Dorsey and his group have done a very good job of increasing the competition. Competition makes us all better. There is a lot of newness (at cornerback)," defensive coordinator Gregg Williams said during minicamp. "I do think that the competition will be good once we are in camp. We are able to play more physical in camp and out of the shorts-type thing that is going on. It is a fun group."

Here's a look at the key cornerbacks heading into camp:



1. Denzel Ward

The Browns raised some eyebrows during the draft when they selected Ward fourth overall, passing on defensive end Bradley Chubb. Williams sprinkled some sarcasm on his reasoning, noting that "I would have loved to have Chubb, but at this point in time, I do not think that he covers the deep ball well enough as a press corner."

Ward, however, has excelled at corner. He had 15 pass breakups and two interceptions last season at Ohio State. And he established himself during Browns minicamp, leaving little doubt that he'll be a starter this season.

"He is one of the best press guys that I have seen in the last few years at this level," said Williams. "He still has a ways to go, but coming in, he has a base of knowledge that is pretty good."

2. E.J. Gaines

Gaines spent his first three years in the NFL with the Rams, playing for Williams and is now reunited after signing as a free agent this offseason. Pro Football Focus ranked him No. 13 among corners last season with the Buffalo, where he had 59 tackles, an interception and three forced fumbles.

Gaines missed 2015 with a Lisfranc foot injury and hasn't played in more than 11 games the last two seasons, although he's primarily been a starter.

3. T.J. Carrie

Carrie was another free agent signing in the secondary this offseason. He's entering his fifth year in the league and has been a starter (for the Raiders) in two of them.

Carrie started 15 games last season and had nine passes defended and 70 tackles. He has three career interceptions and is likely to battle Gaines for the starting spot opposite Ward.

"I think that our play is going to speak for that. I think that Coach Williams, he is unorthodox in a way that he is always switching the depth chart up. You come into work and you might not be where you are expected to be, but I think that he wants to see how you rise in those situations," Carrie said. "He wants to see which players can handle which situations, which players are able to go against the good receivers and the receivers that we have here - the shifty ones. It is, in a sense that he is so unorthodox that it keeps us all on our P's and Q's, and that we all come out here and try to dominate. I think that is the biggest thing. That is something that we are feeding off of."

4. Briean Boddy-Calhoun

Boddy-Calhoun remains one of Sashi Brown's best finds during his time with the franchise. Claimed off waivers from the Jaguars in 2016, Boddy-Calhoun has started 14 of his 27 games with the Browns, and last season was the team's third-best corner, according to PFF rankings.

The third-year pro has played in multiple roles at corner, and even saw time at safety during minicamp this offseason.

"We were just having a conversation about (versatility) actually just a little while ago as a staff," said defensive backs coach Jerod Kruse. "It is just the ability that you have with those guys like Boddy-Calhoun can be thrown into that mix, too, because of the things that he can do. It just gets you to be very versatile on a week-in and week-out basis and not necessarily tip your hand on, 'Hey, here is exactly how we are going to be each and every week.' I think teams have to prepare for that."

5. Simeon Thomas

Thomas was the Browns' final pick of the 2018 draft, a sixth-rounder out of Louisiana. He is one of a growing list of players with off-the-field issues that Dorsey has drafted. But the fact that he is a member of Dorsey's first draft class with the Browns gives him an advantage over others fighting for roster spots down the depth chart.

6. Others to watch

The Browns claimed Mike Jordan off waivers prior to the 2017 season, and he finished fourth on the team in snaps at cornerback. Playing in 15 games and starting one, Jordan had three passes defended and 13 tackles. He was also a key member of special teams.

Terrance Mitchell, a member of Dorsey's Chiefs the last two seasons, signed as free agent this offseason. He started 11 games over two seasons for the Chiefs, including nine in 2017, when he had four interceptions, 18 passes defended and 47 tackles.

Well, we've heard year in and year out how much she loves every QB that comes to town. How she has some kind of crush on every QB that starts for the Browns. lol Now she's suddenly some kind of hater because she reported what McAdoo said. You couldn't make this stuff up if you tried! lmao

I'm not really down on Mayfield but I like seeing both sides of any coin. The good and the bad. Everyone doesn't see players the same and there's certainly nothing wrong with varying opinions.

Browns 2018 training camp preview: Analyzing the RBs

https://www.clevelandbrowns.com/news/browns-2018-training-camp-preview-analyzing-the-rbs

With the quarterbacks analyzed Monday, we’re moving a step or two backward to the Browns running backs as we continue our position-by-position analysis of the roster heading into 2018 training camp.

THE RUNNING BACKS

Carlos Hyde

Nick Chubb

Duke Johnson Jr.

Matthew Dayes

Dontrell Hilliard

What we know: The Browns brought in two new faces to take the lion’s share of carries in 2018. Hyde, who spent his first four seasons with the 49ers, came to Cleveland shortly after Isaiah Crowell, the team’s most active ball-carrier since 2014, signed with the Jets. Chubb, an old-school, “violent” runner from Georgia, landed with the
Browns early in the second round of the NFL Draft. The returning constant is Johnson, who signed a contract extension during OTAs. The presence of Hyde and Chubb should allow Johnson to thrive as a change-of-pace option who has amassed more receptions (188) and receiving yards (1,741) than any running back since 2015. It’s a triple-threat the Browns hope to utilize early, often and all the way to the finish one year after the team tied for third-best in the NFL in yards per carry (4.5) but ranked 18th in total rushing yards.

Biggest question: How will the Browns distribute the carries between Chubb and Hyde? New running backs coach Freddie Kitchens indicated he’ll ride the hot hand throughout the season. What was clear in June was he hadn’t seen enough to determine who would even take the first carry of the first preseason game. “If they are having success, why would you change? It may be somebody new from week to week,” Kitchens said. “As far as duties with carries and stuff like that, we are nowhere close right now. Things can change. We were talking about it this morning, things can change in a heartbeat. In one play, everything can change. That is the approach we have to take. Go with what you see.” Splitting the carries would be nothing new for Chubb, who shared duties at Georgia with Sony Michel, who was drafted a few picks earlier than him by the Patriots. Hyde, who battled injuries but is coming off his best season yet in the NFL, was the bell cow in San Francisco.

X-Factor: Everyone knows what kind of pass-catching threat the Browns have in Johnson, but there’s optimism in Berea about what Hyde and Chubb can do through the air. Hyde caught just 50 passes in his first three seasons in San Francisco but amassed 57 in 2017. Chubb was sparsely used in Georgia’s passing game, but Cleveland wasted little time getting him involved throughout OTAs and minicamp. Simply put, the Browns believe both downhill runners can make an impact beyond what they do on the ground. “I think they’ve got better hands than a lot of people feel like they have,” Kitchens said. “They didn’t have very many dropped balls in OTAs and minicamp. You evaluate what you see on tape. What I see on tape is they’re consistently catching the football. Now, we’ve got to get them to the point where they get open more. That comes with repetition and them actually doing it.”

Stat tracker: Chubb finished with more than 100 yards in more than half of his 47 games at Georgia. He cleared 200 on three occasions.

Says it all: “Those guys know we’ve got great competition in that room. It starts on an individual basis from within. You’ve got to compete with yourself and we’ve got guys that do that very well. Then compete inside our room and compete offensively and compete as a team. That’s how it’s organized. We don’t have anybody in the room that’s going to back away from competition at all. That’s a good scenario to have.” -- Kitchens

How many were kept at last year’s 53-man cutdown? 3

I didn't want to make a new thread but Darrelle Revis officially retired.

Hate him for his clear money chasing antics, but he was clearly one of the best corners I've seen play. Shoot out to his playing career, especially early on.

When I was in 10th grade my high school BB team played against his in the playoffs ... what a freaking stud and what a career

Dream scenario: Hyde & Chubb both turn into great receivers out of the backfield and allow us to have both on the field on all three downs giving us two options on every play that can block, run between the tackles, or catch it out of the backfield.... along with Njoku, Gordon, and Landry on the field as additional threats at every turn.

It'd be nice if Hyde or Chubb become good catching ... it will help to mask some transparency w/Duke

Hyde's targets were through the roof last year (88) compared to previous years (next highest - 33), is it reasonable to assume he's solid catching the ball? I don't really know...

Won a Super Bowl, made the most $ possible, multiple Pro Bowls.

I'd say he did it right. Wouldn't you like that career? I know, we want them to be more than men, but they're still people and have to do what's best for themselves and family.

Duke added in the slot. Wow!

This would be a defensive nightmare if Njoku holds up his end of the log. Especially in red zone. Like Mack Byner and hands.

Wow.

Does anyone actually take anything Colon Cowherd says seriously?

Browns reportedly have workout scheduled with former Steelers receiver Eli Rogers

Published: July 21, 2018 - 4:05 PM | Updated: July 21, 2018 - 4:20 PM

https://dawgpounddaily.com/2018/07/21/cleveland-browns-team-unhappy-wide-receivers/

Even though they added Jarvis Landry and Antonio Callaway to a group that already had Josh Gordon and Corey Coleman, the Cleveland Browns are reportedly kicking the tires on wide receiver Eli Rogers

Last year there were issues at wide receiver for the Cleveland Browns. No one can argue that point as you had to get through four players in their pass-catching leaderboard to find a receiver.

Running back Duke Johnson led the team with 74 receptions. Behind him was the tight end duo of Seth DeValve and David Njoku — with 33 and 32 apiece. No. 4 was another running back, Isaiah Crowell and finally, wideouts Ricardo Louis and Rashard Higgins come in with just 27 catches.

That’s really nothing to get excited about and explains why the team spent a draft pick and so much money to lock up Jarvis Landry from the Miami Dolphins in the offseason.

They also took a gamble on rookie Antonio Callaway out of Florida, who has immense talent but a lot of baggage. Speaking of baggage, Josh Gordon is back as well after missing nearly three full years.

Even with all that, the Browns may not be sold on their receivers. Recently, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk said the team is bringing in Eli Rogers for a workout.

“Per a league source, Rogers will work out for the Browns and Raiders this week. PFT has confirmed that Rogers also will work out for the Chiefs.” — Florio, Pro Football Talk

Florio points out that Rogers joining the Browns would reunite him with former offensive coordinator Todd Haley. The two were together in Pittsburgh with the Steelers where Rogers had 66 receptions for 743 yards and four touchdowns in two seasons. Rogers did tear his ACL in the playoffs, but apparently is healthy and now getting looks from many teams.

As for the Browns, his workout is likely an indication that the team isn’t sold on some of their players, most likely Corey Coleman. It seems to be all but certain that the current front office isn’t high on the kid drafted in the first round of the 2016 draft by the previous regime.

Rogers would also indicate that they don’t believe guys like Higgins or Louis give them the depth they need. Rogers could come in and bring a solid player who knows the system and can be relied upon by the current play caller, which is something that can be very valuable.

Look at almost anybody that can help us. We need to throw much better. This might help the OC a great deal on game day and in game prep. It takes some of these guys to beat their old team perhaps. I hope it is a solid pickup.

What’s up with those special teams yo?

I wouldn't mind giving Rogers a try ... we may be looking for a backup slot type WR and he'd fit the mold.

Josh Gordon
Jarvis Landry
Corey Coleman
Antonio Callaway
Eli Rogers
Jeff Janis

PS - Damion Ratley

Cut - Ricardo Louis, Rashard Higgins, etc

Colin does, and from what I can tell, that's enough for him.

He has his own TV show, so obviously more people care about what he says than they do guys like us.

I had a colon Cowherd bypass operation done a while back.

No regrets. Just lame IMO.

I can't believe that this guy is unsigned. I'm shocked that he is available. He's a decent receiver. He can run routes and catch the ball. I'd much prefer him over either Louis or Higgins, and probably over Coleman and Calloway.

Haley should be familiar with him so if he's better than some of our others, bring him in! Take all the help we can get while improving our roster.

I used to like Cowherd more, but it seems like he's trying to be too trollish now. Like he's the new Skip Bayless ... picking fights/obsession about certain things

WoW! That whole article on an Eli Rogers visit and Not A Word! On Jeff Janis.
Think about it?
Actually, "I" still like Higgans, Louis, and defintetly Coleman much more than what Eli could offer,

but that means nothing.

ONLY because none of us have a show.

ESPN and too many "authorities" and expert analysts. It is all about yelling. L>order screaming about artificial controversies means you know more, care more, yell more loudly, so you must be right. pass (and I do). Don't like his body of work.

j/c:

From Josh Gordon's Twitter:


https://twitter.com/JOSH_GORDONXII/status/1021394768755150849

Statement from John Dorsey:


https://www.clevelandbrowns.com/news/sta...medium=referral

Umm ...... I hope that means he's OK. I mean, to not by in town for the start of camp is a huge concern to me. If he was in some sort of pre-determined program, you would think that it would have taken place before camp.

The recent interest in Eli Rogers might start t make a little more sense, though.

I hope I'm wrong.

uh oh

For anyone suspicious of Josh Gordon's announcement that he won't be at the start of #Browns camp, he's "absolutely not suspended," source said. Continuing to work on his issues, as Gordon said in his tweets.

https://twitter.com/TomPelissero/status/1021400203042189313

Kind of what I was thinking. I "liked" the post because of the information, not because I liked the news.

Well there it is, the annual Josh Gordon won't be at camp news...followed shortly by suspension.. Time to move on and cut bait.