The Browns are a natural choice for Hard Knocks: Training Camp because of Shedeur Sanders. New rules allow them to decline an invitation, but they could also accept.
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.
Leftover takeaways from Browns draft …
1. Shedeur Sanders was ratings gold for the NFL draft. The drama surrounding the free-fall of the Colorado quarterback into the fifth round of the draft is the most likely reason why viewership of the second day of the draft (Rounds 2 and 3) was up more than 40% from 2024. Day 3 ratings were unavailable, but it’s possible the numbers for the most boring day of the draft were up even more as Sanders became a sympathetic figure until the Browns rescued him with the 144th overall pick in the fifth round. Which brings up the elephant in the room …
2. Will the NFL mandate the Browns to appear on Hard Knocks: Training Camp? Short answer: The Browns can volunteer to appear, but they can’t be forced. In April, NFL owners changed the eligibility rules for Hard Knocks: Training Camp because only four teams were eligible under the old rules. The new rules expanded the eligible teams to 20. But there are two exemptions: 1. Teams with first-year head coaches can decline. 2. Teams that were featured on Hard Knocks: Training Camp in the previous eight years (2017-24) can decline. The Browns were featured on Training Camp in 2018, Baker Mayfield’s rookie season. It may have been the best season ever of the Hard Knocks series. I am sure the Browns will be asked to appear because of the ratings appeal of Sanders. Will they accept the invitation? Why not? The Browns love the attention. It’s one of the reasons they drafted Sanders after previously selecting quarterback Dillon Gabriel in the third round for football reasons.
3. When the Browns traded for Kenny Pickett, they inherited the decision of whether or not to pick up the quarterback’s fifth-year option for 2026. The Browns have politely declined. It has nothing to do with the inclusion of Sanders in the QB mix. Picking up Pickett’s option would have meant a guaranteed salary of $22.117 million. That’s insane, of course. GM Andrew Berry championed Pickett and initiated the trade for him with the Eagles, but nobody knows if Pickett is anything more than an affordable competitor for the Browns starting job. Pickett will earn a guaranteed salary of $2.623 million in 2025, the fourth year of his original $14.067 million rookie deal when the Steelers made him the 20th pick of the 2022 draft. I do think that the selection of Sanders puts additional pressure on Pickett in the quarterback competition. Let’s face it, Joe Flacco has tremendous advantages in locker room support and familiarity with the Kevin Stefanski offense. Of the rookies, Sanders will be the fan favorite, but Dillon Gabriel’s third-round draft status protects him; Berry has never released or traded a drafted rookie in his first season. That leaves Pickett as the odd man out – unless the Browns keep all four QBs on the 53. In the expansion era, the Browns have never kept four QBs on the 53.
4. ESPN and NFL Media reported the Browns signed wide receiver Diontae Johnson to a one-year contract. The 2019 third-round pick of the Steelers is a talent, but, oh boy … he has been a migraine since his breakout season in 2021 (107 receptions, 1,161 yards, 8 touchdowns). Johnson had 86 receptions in 2022 and no touchdowns, which was some sort of futility record. In 2024, the Steelers traded Johnson to the Panthers for cornerback Donte Jackson. In October, the Panthers traded Johnson to the Ravens for a fifth-round pick. In December, the Ravens suspended Johnson one game for refusing to enter a game against the Eagles. The Ravens then waived Johnson. The Texans claimed him, then waived him. For some reason, the Ravens claimed Johnson and put him back on their roster, but he didn’t play in the postseason. So, in 2024, Johnson officially played for three teams. He had 33 receptions for 375 yards and 3 touchdowns. At his best, Johnson is WR2 ahead of Cedric Tillman. At his worst, Johnson won’t make it through training camp. Keep this in mind: The Browns will have fewer 11 formations – three wide receivers – in 2025 because of the return of Stefanski’s multiple tight end system. It’s possible third-round pick Harold Fannin Jr., the tight end from Bowling Green, will have more snap counts than the third Browns wide receiver.