Shedeur Sanders received more reps and had a busy day, throwing the best pass of the day and suffering the only interception. (Cleveland Browns)
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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.
Takeaways from Browns second OTA practice open to media …
The big change in quarterback rotation was more reps to rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders, who received more time in 11-on-11 periods.
That may account for it being more of a defensive day than an offensive one.
Cornerback Denzel Ward made a few pass breakups and dropped two interceptions – victimizing Kenny Pickett and Gabriel -- and defensive backs Chigozie Anusieum and Nik Needham combined for a tip and interception of Sanders.
Coordinator Tommy Rees said he likes the way Gabriel and Sanders are proceeding in handling the operations of the pro quarterback job.
“You come from the college world where very few things are called into the huddle, where you have to command a huddle, operate an offense in the way you’re asked to at this level,” Rees said. “So, I think just from an operations standpoint, you continue to see those guys grow and become more comfortable. And what we’re after there is, there’s going to be a moment where they get to their comfort level and that’s [going to be] when they’re going to be able to maximize and feel confident out there. So they’re doing a great job with their work habits and continuing to push each other in the right direction.”
For the second week in a row, Gabriel joined Pickett and Joe Flacco in an 11-on-11 period while Sanders was on another field. Gabriel seemed to struggle with accuracy against a mixture of No. 1 and No. 2 defensive teams.
“I think for all the position groups, quarterbacks especially, we want to be as process-driven as possible, opposed to results,” Rees said. “As long as our process is in the right place, our decision-making is in the right place. We’ll continue to coach the fundamentals and get the physical to follow it, but we want to focus on ‘is he processing at the high level, is he making the right decisions, is he making the right reads?’ And as that happens, now you see growth and continue to push him fundamentally to make sure that we’re executing.”
A few observations …
The exclusive ESPN Cleveland Quarterback Tracker charts all passes in 11-on-11 and 7-on-7 periods. Some of these periods are ‘hybrid’ – with an extra defender sometimes on the field to give the quarterbacks more realistic defensive looks.
Joe Flacco was 4 of 7 with 0 TD.
Kenny Pickett was 9 of 15 with 2 TD.
Dillon Gabriel was 11 of 20 with 3 TD.
Shedeur Sanders was 9 of 14 with 3 TD, 1 INT.
* All the TDs were in 7-on-7 red zone periods except for one of Sanders’. He threw the best pass of the day in an 11-on-11 red zone period, a dart on the hands of receiver Kaden Davis running a skinny post. Davis might not have gotten both feet in before stepping over the end line. Regardless, good pass and good catch.
* Sanders’ first rep in that period resulted in a slip and fall (for a sack) when, from under center, he play-faked to a back and bootlegged to the left. It’s a staple of the Kevin Stefanski offense. No big deal, really. In the same period, Sanders’ last rep resulted in a scramble run when no receiver got open.
* On Sanders’ final rep in 7-on-7 red zone, cornerback Anthony Kendall made a good breakup poking the ball from receiver Cade McDonald at the goal line.
Missing you
Most of the no-shows from last week were absent again – Myles Garrett, David Njoku, Jack Conklin, Joel Bitonio and … Diontae Johnson. The newcomer receiver is trying to re-start his career after a 2024 season in which he was traded twice and waived twice. Of course, Phase 3 of the offseason program is “voluntary.” We’ll see if Johnson shows up for mandatory minicamp. Meantime, cornerback Greg Newsome, who missed last week’s open-media OTA, was in attendance.
Brownie bits …
Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz shrugged off Garrett’s absence, saying, “We know Myles works hard no matter where he is, no matter what time of season is.” But in another context, he applied some pressure on Garrett. “I really think Myles is going to have the best season of his career and has to, right?” Schwartz said. “I mean, and I’ve told him before … what’s that Spider Man quote? ‘With great power comes great responsibility,’ right? That’s with the big contract, with the notoriety that came along with that, you know, with the process that took to get him to that point. There’s always pressure in this league, but probably a little bit more so. And I think that brings out the best in players, and I know that’ll be the case with Myles.” …
An update from special teams coordinator Bubba Ventrone on Dustin Hopkins, who missed 12 kicks (9 field goals, 3 PATs) last season: “I think that he’s been consistent in his entire career. He really has. He had a great year in ’23. For whatever reason, did not have a great year this past year. And I think that he’s put it to bed and as long as the player is focused on the task at hand, and I think that he’s done that. His preparation, he’s in really good shape. He’s lean, he’s strong. Really don’t see any changes in his kicking mechanics, ball elevation, anything. So, I feel like he’s in a good spot.” …
Receivers Cedric Tillman, Michael Woods and David Bell did not practice. At the close of day, the Browns signed receiver Jaelen Gill, who spent five weeks on the Browns’ practice squad last year, and waived kicker Andre Szmyt.