Cleveland Browns fans are going to learn a hard lesson about the NFL over the next 12 to 16 months.
Namely that if you want to pay elite players like quarterback Baker Mayfield, running back Nick Chubb, defensive end Myles Garrett and cornerback Denzel Ward, you may need to say goodbye to some other talented players.
Right guard Wyatt Teller is a perfect example of that hard truth.
Teller enters the 2021 season on the final year of his rookie contract. He is also coming off a season where he established himself as one of the league’s best run blockers and a key member of the league’s best offensive line.
The NFL has a real salary cap, despite what the “salary cap is a myth” folks will have you believe, so while general manager Andrew Berry is likely open to keeping the offensive line intact after this season, that simply may not be possible.
It is a reality that is not lost on Teller, who shared his understanding of the business side of the league during a media appearance on Wednesday before practice (quotes via The Beacon Journal):
“We have such a good team, all the money can’t go around. It’s just impossible. I want to make the most that I can. We make this money for a short amount of time and 80% of the league is bankrupt after five years. So do it smart, get what you deserve, get what you earn and the rest can go down as history.
“The better I do, the better the guys around me do, the better the team does. The better the team does, we all get paid. It’s not a bad problem to have for AB, having to deal with all this money.”
If Teller can prove that last season was not a fluke, he could be in line for a contract that averages around $13 million (or more) a year, which would put him in the top five among the league’s right guards. That might be reasonable, but with the Browns already paying right tackle Jack Conklin, center J.C. Tretter and left guard Joel Bitonio, someone has to be on the outside looking in on the offensive line.
There is still an entire season to be played, of course, and the it benefits both Teller and the Browns for him to do everything he can to repeat his performance from 2020, which is something that offensive line coach Bill Callahan is working on, according to a team-provided transcript:
“Just working him a little bit quicker, trying to improve his change of direction and those nuances that come back from last year that we are trying to get better and improve upon. The big thing for Wyatt is just refining, working hard and striving to groove his technique. If we can groove it a little bit better than it was a year ago, we will be that much better collectively as a line. All of those aspects of line play come into it when we are trying to take each individual player and really focus on their development and their improvable areas. If we can keep rolling in that regard and keep making them adjust, work and try to find different ways and means of techniques and different aspects to take control of a defender, that has really been a true focus for him.”
An extension for Teller is a reality right up until the moment it is not, but there is a real possibility this might be his last season in Cleveland.
If all goes well, he will make that decision as hard as possible for Berry.
BEREA — The Browns have practiced 12 times in training camp. Safety Grant Delpit has taken nine repetitions in team drills, according to defensive backs coach/pass game coordinator Jeff Howard.
That’s not the ratio Delpit was looking for in his return from a ruptured Achilles tendon that cost him all of his rookie season a year ago.
Delpit was being eased back into action at the start of camp before a hamstring injury last week. He hasn’t practiced since Aug. 2 and won’t play Saturday in the preseason opener at Jacksonville.
“He is working hard to get back out there,” coach Kevin Stefanski said Wednesday. “You can’t rush that process. When he is ready, he will be out there.
“Reps are a premium. We all know that. We talk about it all the time. There is no substitute for those reps, so when he is ready he is going to get a bunch of them. It is what you do with those reps that matters.”
Delpit was expected to compete with Ronnie Harrison Jr. to be the starter alongside John Johnson III, but the lack of NFL experience has put him way behind. Delpit, the No. 44 pick out of LSU, only made it through the start of camp last year before being injured Aug. 24.
“Kind of focused on the day-to-day,” Howard said. “We will see what he is when he gets back. We talk about in our room that who we are as football players is what we put on tape. We are going to make assessments off of that, not any sort of projections.”
Delpit has had to deal with the latest setback just as he was about to realize his goal of returning to full strength.
“It’s frustrating, competitors want to compete, that’s what they do,” Howard said. “But I think he’s done a good job of staying in the present, staying with what he can control and trying to make the most of it. And that’s what’s been my message to him.”
Harrison has also been out with a hamstring injury, leaving the coaches without two-thirds of the three-safety package envisioned when Johnson signed in March.
“We want those guys to be there, and since they are not, we are trying to make the most of those situations,” Howard said. “They are involved with every meeting, and then during walkthroughs we are trying to get them as many reps as possible so that they can see as much as we can close to those game-like situations.
“Walkthroughs, meetings, quizzes afterwards and spending extra time on that information so that really when their bodies are able that they can come out and play.”
Wyatt Teller braces for business side of NFL taking him away from Cleveland after season
INJURY REPORT
Cornerback Denzel Ward missed his fourth straight practice with what the Browns are calling soreness.
“Not trying to be mysterious,” Stefanski said. “He is working through some soreness, but he is doing a nice job. He is close.”
** Defensive ends Myles Garrett (hamstring) and Jadeveon Clowney (rest), receivers Anthony Schwartz (hamstring) and Alexander Hollins (hamstring), defensive tackle Malik McDowell (rib) and linebacker Montrel Meander (hamstring) joined Ward, Delpit and Harrison working on the side.
** Tight end David Njoku (shoulder), defensive tackle Marvin Wilson (heat) and guard Blake Hance (ankle) returned to practice after missing all or some of Tuesday’s session. Njoku was limited to individual drills.
** Middle linebacker Anthony Walker Jr. (knee) quickly returned to team drills. He missed a week of practice before being limited to individual drills Tuesday, then took his turn in 11-on-11s Wednesday.
** Defensive end Takkarist McKinley (personal), safety Sheldrick Redwine (ankle) and linebacker Tony Fields II (foot) remained out.
Training Camp Log, Day 12: Baker Mayfield won’t play in preseason opener vs. Jaguars
OUTSIDE-IN
Rookie James Hudson III, a fourth-round pick out of the University of Cincinnati, has spent all his practice time at tackle, working primarily as the second-team left tackle. The plan is to eventually get him snaps at guard.
“We are cross-training everybody right now — not to the extent that we want to at this point, but that will come in time,” line coach Bill Callahan said. “I feel confident that we want to train him as a tackle right now.
“A lot of our techniques are interchangeable so the play-side guard can do the play-side tackle or the tackle can do the guard and vice versa. Whether you are on the front side or the back side of the zone game, the footwork, the strikes and the landmarks are all the same, so when you do have to change a player, it should be relatively seamless. That is kind of the beauty of the wide zone system.”
Mailbag: How big a concern is continued missed practice time? Has Mack Wilson improved enough to make roster?
FIGHTING INEQUALITY
Garrett found another way to help the community, teaming with Columbus-based nonprofit SafetyNest.
The organization works to reduce financial inequality by eliminating uninsurance. Garrett’s partnership will include advocacy, ticket giveaways and coat drives in low-income communities, which are most affected by the problem.
EXTRA POINTS
Practice was moved inside the field house due to inclement weather, forcing nearly 90 players to share the 60-yard field. Stefanski made the best of it and was glad the session included a lot of red zone and goal line competition that didn’t require a lot of space.
“We will definitely get our work done,” he said.
** M.J. Stewart Jr., who played nickelback last year, is working some at safety.
** Cornerback Robert Jackson got time with the starters.
** Baker Mayfield zipped a touchdown to receiver Jarvis Landry over the middle.
** Johnson broke up a pass in the end zone for tight end Harrison Bryant.
CLEVELAND – Rookie Demetric Felton still couldn’t (wouldn’t?) answer the question.
Does he prefer running back or wide receiver? He received a workout in the latter in last week’s preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
This week he produced a few “dirty runs,” coach Kevin Stefanski said.
The sixth-round draft pick out of UCLA ran hard and dirty in his first extensive action of the preseason at the position. He rushed for 25 yards on eight carries against the New York Giants on Sunday in a 17-13 Browns win.
“I really have no preference,” he said when asked if he could now choose between the two positions. “I think I had an OK day, just looking forward to getting back to practice.”
As for the runs in particular, especially on the inside, he offered a realistic assessment.
“I feel like there’s room for improvement,” he said.
Stefanski, who confessed to not having the best vantage point, said: “He had some good dirty runs, he bounced a few. He made some plays in the pass game, so he did a nice job.”
Even with the hype surrounding his ability to play two skill positions, Felton also has the ability to return kicks and punts and received the chance Sunday. He returned three punts for 21 yards. For older Browns fans, comparisons to running back Greg Pruitt, who was used in all three roles during his time here in the ‘70s, may be apropos.
“I definitely am trying to do my best when I’m out there,” he said of returning kicks, “and I’m looking to fill that role definitely, so each time I get an opportunity, I try to make the best of it.”
John Johnson sees the possibilities Safety John Johnson III didn't play Sunday against the Giants, but he appreciated the benefit of getting in work with them in their joint practice sessions earlier in the week, he said during an in-game interview on WEWS (Channel 5) intimated it might be the only action many of the starters get.
“That is the closest thing you are going to get in preseason. We can’t tackle to the ground so that was the one aspect that was missing,” Johnson said. “Just seeing another jersey color, seeing different body types and different route running and different concepts, it was great. I like those joint practices because you get to compete against somebody that isn’t your own.”
He also had a message for fans that will show up in person at FirstEnergy Stadium this season.
“We are going to make this place rocking, and we are going to have a lot of fun with it,” he said.
A word from the co-owner Browns owner Dee Haslam continues to praise the culture created by coach Kevin Stefanski, Chief Strategy Officer Paul DePodesta and General Manager Andrew Berry.
“Those men are the epitome of that, and we strive for that throughout the organization. I could not be prouder of the efforts that they are doing and what they continue to do. It is a very smart group,” she said during an interview with WEWS (Channel 5) on their pre-game show. “They are good guys, and we have a lot of smart players. They do a great job working together, and anything you do, you must work together. We are really excited that they are able to do that and make it work throughout the organization.”
She also took the opportunity to talk up the team’s community based initiatives, including the Browns Stay in the Game, which works in the area to prevent excessive school absenteeism and the team’s volunteerism efforts.
Alex Van Pelt impressed The first team offense – or the at least the one that started the game given a number of starters were held out of the game – gave offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt a reason to smile.
“I thought that first group that started out played well,” he said during an in-game interview. “They put the ball in the end zone on the first drive. We drove down and had an interception [by quarterback Case Keenum] in the red zone – we have to eliminate those – but those guys were playing well early.”
He had goals for the second half.
“Second half, we really want to see clean football and clean operation,” he said. “We want to make sure we are staying onside, no balls on the ground and just clean operation in the second half.”
He received it on the team’s second possession of the second half when the Browns drove four plays and 56 yards in 2:13 to score and take a 14-7 lead with 9:52 in the half.
JoJo Natson’s day Prior to going down with an injury in the third game of last season, the Browns were working on incorporating wide receiver-kick returner JoJo Natson into the offense more.
The injury to his ACL came just when that appeared to be happening. A look at what Natson and his speed can do came in the first quarter against the New York Giants Sunday on the Browns opening drive. On a first–and-10 from their own 48, Natson took a handoff on an end round to the right side of the Browns offensive line and raced 12 yards for another first down, continuing a drive that ended with a 7-yard touchdown pass from Keenum, who started the game, to wide receiver KhaDarel Hodge.
CLEVELAND — Coach Kevin Stefanski spent last week stressing to his players that fighting the Giants during the joint practices wouldn’t be tolerated.
Nickelback Troy Hill paid the price for disobeying.
Hill played in the slot for the first three defensive possessions Sunday in a 17-13 preseason win over the Giants at FirstEnergy Stadium. Hill sat out the opener against the Jaguars as the starters and key veterans rested, and Stefanski played basically the same lineup against the Giants,.
As players mingled after a heated practice Friday in the second of the joint sessions, Hill and Giants receiver Sterling Shepard squared off and threw wild punches at each other. None connected before they were separated.
Stefanski was unaware of the dustup when he met with reporters Friday and said he’d review the tape.
He didn’t like what he saw.
“All of those things, I will keep between Troy and myself and keep that internal,” Stefanski said Sunday when asked if the playing time was punishment. The non-answer served as confirmation.
Left tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. said Stefanski repeated the no-fighting message “about five times” between Wednesday night and Thursday morning. Quarterback Baker Mayfield revealed Stefanski’s crime-and-punishment policy Friday in a joking response about not playing in the first two preseason games.
“Coach said if I start a fight at practice, I have to play,” Mayfield said. “So me and Saquon (Barkley, Giants running back) might swing today.”
Hill, who turns 30 next Sunday, signed in March as a free agent from the Rams.
Browns 17, Giants 13: KhaDarel Hodge catches TD, Greg Newsome II moves closer to starting spot
BUM LEG
Incumbent kicker Cody Parkey was already in a fight to keep his job, then injured a quadriceps against the Giants and didn’t finish the game. He had made his only kick, an extra point.
Chase McLaughlin, who’s been pressing Parkey throughout training camp, made an extra point and a 49-yard field goal into the Dawg Pound.
Stefanski said he didn’t know when the injury occurred or its severity.
INJURY REPORT
Cornerback Greedy Williams left during the second series with a strained groin. The Browns announced him as questionable to return, but he stayed on the sideline the rest of the afternoon.
** Backup center Nick Harris didn’t play after suffering a knee injury Friday, but Stefanski called him “day-to-day.”
Guard Blake Hance started in his place, as the first-team line got the day off.
** Linebacker Montrel Meander was carted off the field with an Achilles injury. He was cut during camp then re-signed Friday after injuries at the position.
** Linebackers Jacob Phillips (biceps), Sione Takitaki (hamstring) and rookie Tony Fields II (foot), defensive end Porter Gustin (knee), safeties Grant Delpit (hamstring) and Sheldrick Redwine (ankle), cornerback M.J. Stewart Jr. (hamstring), receivers rookie Anthony Schwartz (hamstring), Ja’Marcus Bradley (neck) and Alexander Hollins (hamstring) and guard Michael Dunn (back) didn’t dress.
TIME AT TIGHT END
Johnny Stanton IV is the No. 2 fullback behind Andy Janovich but has been getting time at tight end. He could serve as a hybrid fullback/fourth tight end after a season-ending injury to No. 4 tight end Stephen Carlson.
“Certainly the more you can do it helps your value,” Stefanski said.
Stefanski noted Stanton was needed at tight end with Austin Hooper, David Njoku and Harrison Bryant not playing. Connor Davis and Jordan Franks were the only other tight ends.
“I am willing to do whatever it takes to make this team,” Stanton said. “For them to be able to get me the ball on a couple of plays I have at tight end gets me excited.”
Stanton caught two passes for 33 yards.
INTO THE BACKFIELD
Rookie Demetric Felton got a turn at running back after playing receiver vs. the Jaguars. He rushed eight times for 25 yards, a 3.1 average, and caught a pass for 12 yards. He was open deep on a go route after splitting out wide, but quarterback Case Keenum overthrew him.
“He had some good dirty runs,” Stefanski said. “He bounced a few and made some plays in the passing game, so he did a nice job.”
Felton also returned three punts for 21 yards with a long of 10 after he broke a couple of tackles.
“I had an OK day,” he said. “Just looking forward to getting back at practice and working hard.”
EXTRA POINTS
Defensive tackle Malik McDowell made a push for a roster spot with five tackles, a sack and another quarterback hit. He’s never played in the NFL after being drafted in the second round in 2017 but getting sidetracked by injuries and off-the-field trouble.
“That is the first time playing ball for him in a long time,” Stefanski said. “He did a nice job.”
** The roster must be cut from 85 to 80 by 4 p.m. Tuesday. Cuts to 53 are due Aug. 31 by 4 p.m.
** Browns held a moment of silence for legendary tackle Dick Schafrath, who died last Sunday.
IU think that they have a ton of guys they want to evaluate in real game situations, so that's why they are playing so few starters. Even 1 extra series can be an opportunity to evaluate different guys.
They have a ton of difficult decisions to make, and they want to get all of the real game data they can get.
Micah 6:8; He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
John 14:19 Jesus said: Because I live, you also will live.
** The roster must be cut from 85 to 80 by 4 p.m. Tuesday. Cuts to 53 are due Aug. 31 by 4 p.m.
There are going to be some good players let go in order to get down to 53. We might cut 2 or 3 WR's that could sign and be on someone else's 53 man roster. Back up TE's looked decent today too.
The more things change the more they stay the same.
So now it is an embarrassment to play a damn starter or 2nd stringer in a pre season game?
Red flags!
I'm actually kinda with you on this one. Hue got blasted for basically doing the same thing to Calloway.
There is no level of sucking we haven't seen; in fact, I'm pretty sure we hold the patents on a few levels of sucking NOBODY had seen until the past few years.
** The roster must be cut from 85 to 80 by 4 p.m. Tuesday. Cuts to 53 are due Aug. 31 by 4 p.m.
There are going to be some good players let go in order to get down to 53. We might cut 2 or 3 WR's that could sign and be on someone else's 53 man roster. Back up TE's looked decent today too.
I have been saying that for a while. We need to prepare for at least 1, possibly 2 "surprise" cuts. Maybe a trade.
This week would be the ideal time to make a trade, allowing the players and teams in question several weeks before the season starts. By now the teams have at least a pretty good idea who is going to be the top 45 or so players who are going to make the team. The others are the tough roster decisions.
If everybody had like minds, we would never learn.
** The roster must be cut from 85 to 80 by 4 p.m. Tuesday. Cuts to 53 are due Aug. 31 by 4 p.m.
There are going to be some good players let go in order to get down to 53. We might cut 2 or 3 WR's that could sign and be on someone else's 53 man roster. Back up TE's looked decent today too.
That cut to 53 is going to be brutal. There are probably going to be a couple surprises
We were watching Connor Davis-he was down on the field in front of us during warmups. Dude is 6'8" and 276 pound TE
A popular amendment to roster rules is back for another year. In a Tuesday memo, the NFL notified all teams that they are permitted to have unlimited players return from the injured reserve list for the 2021 season after missing three games, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported. Only players on the 53-man roster after Sept. 1 are eligible to be designated for return from IR or the non-football injury list, Pelissero added. These modifications were first put into effect before the 2020 season to offer more roster flexibility amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Previously, just two players per team were allowed to return to action after being placed on IR, and only after they'd missed eight games.
Micah 6:8; He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
John 14:19 Jesus said: Because I live, you also will live.
Achillies tendon is a big tendon. It does a lot of work. It is not easy to rupture.
Torque is required. This injury seems to be happening more often. On artificial turf you have these players who are buffed up to the max. The turf has traction like velcro. A foot is planted and another monster flying around slams into you. Something has to give.
As much as the NFL has changed rules to protect players. And modified equipment to provide the best protection.
Why have they not standardized the playing surface?
I am sure with all the science now in the game. There has to be a "best surface."
There are way to many injuries from the knee down?
"One study showed playing on synthetic turf in the NFL resulted in a 16% increase in lower body injuries compared to the same injuries on natural grass. These results were from the 2012-2016 seasons, during which all injuries in the lower extremities (foot, knee and ankle). The study concluded synthetic turf does have an impact on injuries to lower body parts in NFL players."
I'm not sure how you can improve much the newer synthetic turfs that most are using these days. If you walk on it, it's like a soft, short cut grass. An interesting side note, the guy down the street from me actually owns a company that installs the turf for HS and college fields. He actually did the Cincinatti Bengals field. What's really cool is that he got the old Bengal field and put it up behind his place of business and hosts youth football leagues. You can see it from Route 2 heading west into Oregon on the overpass.
And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul. - John Muir
This info is from when I was back in HS, so I would hope there's something better now. But they have improved turf in that they have softer 'blades' of grass and add these tiny rubber pellets across the playing surface. These pellets add some 'give' to the turf to help prevent these devastating injuries.
There is no level of sucking we haven't seen; in fact, I'm pretty sure we hold the patents on a few levels of sucking NOBODY had seen until the past few years.
They definitely feel nice. The only annoying part is that those pellets tend to stick to you. Way better than the alternative, though... I played lacrosse against St. Ignatius when they had a super old school turf field and that was BRUTAL.
There is no level of sucking we haven't seen; in fact, I'm pretty sure we hold the patents on a few levels of sucking NOBODY had seen until the past few years.
Which kicker was the better? I didn't get a chance to see much of the preseason games, Saturday's are busy around here for me so really don't know if this is a drop off in talent or not.
The Constitution shall never be construe to prevent the people of the United States who are peaceable citizens from keeping their own arms. – Samuel Adams
Parkey had the weaker leg, yet he made lot of kicks last year. Time will tell who our kicker is. Interaction between holder and kicker would seem McLaughlin has a leg up....Go Browns!!!
"You've never lived till you've almost died, life has a flavor the protected will never know" A vet or cop
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