Kenny Pickett returned on a limited basis after missing three practices with a hamstring injury. (Cleveland Browns)
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns and NFL analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.
When Kenny Pickett was idled for three practices with a mild hamstring injury, the Browns gave rookie Dillon Gabriel additional reps with the No. 1 offense. The opportunity seemed to be there for Gabriel to make ground on Pickett and challenge for the No. 2 quarterback job behind assumed No. 1 Joe Flacco.
But on the day Pickett returned to the field on a limited basis, Gabriel showed he’s not quite ready for a promotion.
Gabriel received the most reps once again, repping first on the first team period, and suffered, numerically, the worst day of camp of any of the four quarterbacks.
On a sloppy day overall for the offense, Gabriel was indecisive with reads, skittish in the pocket and high and wide with passes. He was 3 of 14 on the day in 11-on-11 and 7-on-7 periods. He was credited with the only interception of the practice when an errant pass deflected off safety Nik Needham and was picked on a shoe-top grab by cornerback LaMareon James.
James appeared to trap the ball on the ground, but the officials on hand let the play stand as James sauntered to the end zone. Replay review might have reversed the call as simply an incompletion. But the fact is there was no receiver in sight. Offensive coordinator Tommy Rees had a discussion with Gabriel right after the play.
Gabriel’s numbers were skewed by drops by Jerry Jeudy in the end zone and David Njoku at the goal line in a 7-on-7 red zone drill. (Njoku hasn’t practiced great all camp.) Regardless, it was obvious from the beginning this was not going to be a good day for Gabriel.
Pickett’s hamstring injury cost him only three practices. He threw in the one-on-one period with receivers and stayed out of all other periods. The Browns want him available for the one joint practice in Carolina next week, and it appears they will get their wish. The Browns have practices on Saturday and Monday before departing for Charlotte, NC, for a Wednesday practice with the Panthers in advance of their preseason game on Friday.
“I need to see how he looks today,” coach Kevin Stefanski said prior to practice. “We’re not going to get too far past today.”
While it looked as if Gabriel was challenging Pickett for the No. 2 job, the Browns are still maintaining that Pickett is competing for the starting job, even though Flacco has been superior from the beginning.
“For sure,” Stefanski said of Pickett’s place in the competition. “[We’re] obviously disappointed that he’s not full go, but he’s very, very much involved in everything that we’re doing.”
Flacco cemented, if not widened, his lead to begin the season on September 7 as the starting quarterback.
Flacco was 9 of 13 and reached the end zone for the first and second time on connections with tight end Blake Whiteheart in a 4-for-4 stretch in a 7-on-7 red zone period, and then with a strong flick of the wrist to Jamari Thrash in an 11-on-11 red zone period. Myles Garrett might have had a sack, but the play continued.
Jim Schwartz’s defensive line dominated the proceedings again – a consistent occurrence through eight practices. Garrett and Mason Graham lived in the backfield and Alex Wright, getting No. 1 reps at left end, had a real good day.
Flacco was spared an interception when cornerback Greg Newsome failed to come down with a deep ball against the wind intended for Jeudy. Newsome was slow getting up after injuring his shoulder on his fall to the ground. He needed trainer’s attention, but returned to the field for other periods.
Shedeur Sanders worked exclusively with the third team and was 7 of 10. He was credited with a touchdown when he completed a short pass to back Ahmani Marshall underneath in a 7-on-7 red zone period and defenders allowed Marshall to cross the goal line.
More live tackling ahead
Although Stefanski didn’t tip off media, Wednesday’s live tackling period was not a surprise to the players. They loved it and will get more, according to the coach.
“I think every year, you’re looking at what your football team needs, where you are from a bunch of different perspectives and I feel like that was the thing that we wanted to do,” Stefanski said. “It’s also in a safe, controlled environment. So, we’ve done it here before. It’s something that we’ll look at over the next couple days potentially doing again.”
Done it before?
Some veteran players and all media thought it was the first live tackling period in Stefanski’s six training camps with the Browns. But after his podium stint, Stefanski said he had a few live tackling periods in his first camp in 2020, when COVID-19 canceled all preseason games and limited media access.
“There were no games, so all we could do was practice that year,” Stefanski said.
To play or not to play?
In Carolina, Panthers coach Dave Canales said he intended to play his starters in the first preseason game against the Browns on Friday.
I asked Stefanski if that decision forces his hand to do the same.
“No,” he said. “Dave is going to do what he thinks is best for his team. I’ll do the same for ours.”
Stefanski historically has not played his regulars much, if at all, the entire preseason schedule. He has not tipped his hand about his plans this summer.
:I have a pretty good feel for what we’re going to do, but I want to, number one, talk to the team about it and then also want to see how it goes over the next few days as well,” he said.
The coaches will collaborate a practice script for Wednesday’s joint session.
Brownie bits
There was a brief field-goal kicking period prior to the start of the full practice. Backup kicker Andre Szmyt converted 3 of 3 field goals. But Dustin Hopkins did not attempt a kick. Very strange that Hopkins has not attempted a field goal in full team mode yet …
Safety Grant Delpit did not participate again in any team drills. “He’s limited. He’s coming along … he’ll be fine,” Stefanski said, declining to elaborate on the nature of the injury …
An update on rookie tight end Harold Fannin Jr. from tight ends coach Christian Jones: “I think you’re watching somebody that’s willing to do multiple things and is able to do multiple things, and I think that’s really going to help us down the season.”
More from Jones on Fannin: “[He’s] somebody who can be in the backfield, run routes out of the backfield, block out of the backfield, line up at number one, run a route, reverses, a corner.”
Dawand Jones, who left practice early on Wednesday after overheating, was back at left tackle. Right tackle Jack Conklin was held out of team drills. Cornelius Lucas and Jackson Barton rotated in his place.