Kenny Pickett enjoyed his best day statistically on the last day of minicamp. (Cleveland Browns)
You must have an active subscription to read this story.
Click Here to subscribe Now!
Editor's note: Tony Grossi is an analyst on the Cleveland Browns for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.
Takeaways from Day 3 of Browns mandatory minicamp …
The final practice of spring season concluded with an abbreviated session in which Dillon Gabriel and Kenny Pickett continued to receive the brunt of quarterback reps.
Pickett (8 of 11) had his best statistical day and tossed the only touchdown in a 7-on-7 red zone period. Gabriel had one of his best accuracy days (10 of 13) and Shedeur Sanders (7 of 9) continued to do all he could do playing mostly against No. 3 and 4 defensive personnel.
The lack of reps given Sanders against the No. 1 defense stood up as the No. 1 mystery of the spring season.
Sanders went 5 for 5 in the 11-on-11 two-minute drill with the whole team watching. Pickett led off that period and went 3 of 4 before resorting to a scramble on his last rep. Gabriel followed with a 5 for 5 stint that included three completions to tight end Harold Fannin Jr., who finished off his rookie OTA/minicamp season with no drops, according to tight ends coach Christian Jones.
Gabriel’s day included a muffed snap under center. That’s the only one we’ve seen in five OTA and minicamp practices open to media.
Joe Flacco was load-managed again (2 of 7), and was spared the only interception of the day when Denzel Ward dropped another one. That was at least fourth Ward drop in total practices open to media.
Kevin Stefanski sent off the veterans on a 40-day summer break with instructions to take care of their bodies and refresh their minds for the long haul of training camp. He promised his team that it would be a tough camp.
The Browns will release their official training camp schedule soon. The first practice figures to be July 25, or so. We expect the coaches to reassess the quarterback situation and bring a new plan of reps and order in training camp. Stefanski says he hasn’t thought that far, but don’t believe it.
Rookies and other first-year players will have another week of meetings before their summer break begins.
Fannin’s streak
The Browns chart all catches and drops of receivers, but don’t divulge those statistics. Jones said it’s no exaggeration that Fannin has caught everything targeted to him.
Fannin led the nation last year in the pro-style spread offense at Bowling Green with 117 receptions for 1,555 yards. He had no trouble clutching the ball in OTAs and minicamp, no matter which QB was throwing to him.
“He’s got really strong hands,” Jones said, “and he tracks the ball well. You see it on tape. The guy catches everything and really adjusts to the ball well. I don’t think he’s had a drop. He might have a contested catch drop, but I don’t think he has one.”
Clip and save
The Browns’ receiver corps was almost at full strength for the first time – David Bell was the only one missing – as Cedric Tillman and Michael Woods suited up and practiced for the first time in minicamp.
How this position group evolves behind WR1 Jerry Jeudy will be one of the more compelling storylines of training camp.
After missing six OTA practices, new arrival Diontae Johnson – the favorite to win the important WR2 role -- practiced for the third day in a row. Receivers coach Chad O’Shea flatly admitted Johnson has a lot of work to do to catch up to the team’s offensive system.
“Anybody new to our system, which Diontae is, has a long way to go, whether it’s a rookie or a free agent acquisition or somebody we signed in the offseason,” O’Shea said. “I think with all of our new players there’s always a long way to go.
“Certainly he’s trying to get caught up to speed, learning our offense, learning how we do things and learning his teammates. Training camp he’ll be here and we look forward to working with him. The more he can be out there the more he has an opportunity to play.”
With Tillman and Woods missing so much time in the spring season – and in years prior – I present Jamari Thrash as a player to watch this summer.
The 2024 fifth-round pick from Louisville had a good rookie training camp a year ago but was a nonentity (three catches, seven targets) in the regular season. But No. 80 has looked good in the spring season and, unlike some of the other receivers ahead of him, he shows up for work every day.
“Jamari’s had a great offseason,” O’Shea said. “It started with what he did prior to coming back for us. He worked extremely hard in the areas we asked him to work in. I’ve been very pleased with not only his work ethic but most importantly his performance on the field has been outstanding. I know he’s a player we’re pleased with.
“When you go into Year 2 as a player things start slowing down for you. When you go that second lap around the track, there should be things so much better from an assignment standpoint and just an overall awareness. He’s done a great job there.
“We ask our receivers to do three things: Get open, catch the ball, and compete in the run game. Jamari has shown the ability to catch the ball. The one thing that jumps out at us is his ability to catch the ball in a contested area. And he’s available. We talked daily to our players about how important availability is and Jamari’s been out there.”