Tony Grossi
Tony Grossi covers the Cleveland Browns and NFL for 850 ESPN Cleveland and TheLandOnDemand.com. A 40-year veteran covering professional football in Cleveland, Tony is one of 50 members on the Pro Football Hall of Fame selection committee. A graduate of Ohio University (BSJ, 1979), Grossi has accomplished much in his career, including covering more than 35 Super Bowls and NFL drafts, five NCAA basketball Final Fours, Major League Baseball All-Star Games and World Series, and the 1984 Summer Olympic Games.
Deshaun Watson is emerging as the No. 1 storyline of the Browns’ season
It’s been 579 days since Deshaun Watson received a shotgun snap, dropped back two short steps and buckled to the ground without contact. Turning over on his knees, Watson pressed face-down on the ground with his hands wrapped on each side of his helmet, anguished by the numbing pain of a ruptured right Achilles tendon …
Deshaun Watson’s reps increasing at Browns OTAs
Although coach Todd Monken says “nothing’s really changed” in the quarterback competition between Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders, the numbers tell a different story. Watson is getting more practice reps than Sanders as the spring season proceeds. At least he did on Wednesday in the team’s second OTA practice, the first open to media. Now, …
Why a rookie center could be the key to the revamped Browns O-line
Takeaways from the start of Browns OTAs … I contend the key to the Browns’ revamped offensive line is the center. Which makes Parker Brailsford, the fifth-round pick from Alabama, a player of note as Todd Monken’s OTA practices begin blending veterans with rookies this week. The media get their first look at Monken’s full …
An FAQ on our ESPN Cleveland QB Tracker
We’re entering the homestretch of the Browns spring football season. Phase 3 of the offseason program kicks off Tuesday with the first of 10 OTA practices spread over the next three weeks. They are still considered voluntary for veteran players. Among the missing early on were Myles Garrett, Denzel Ward, Grant Delpit and Jerry Jeudy. …
My comprehensive game-by-game analysis of the Browns’ 2026 schedule
On paper, the Browns have the easiest 2026 schedule based on records of their opponents in 2025. All of that flies out the window after coaching changes, free agency additions and the NFL draft. I believe a true strength-of-schedule is determined not by which teams the Browns play, but when they play them. With that …
The Browns are guaranteed a hot start to the 2026 season
Todd Monken is hoping for a sweltering summer for his first Browns training camp. He’ll need all the humidity Northeast Ohio can offer in August to prepare his team for the steam box that awaits them in the first two weeks of the regular season. In one of the more unusual starts to a Brown …
#HeyTony: Which Browns veterans could be in trouble of making the 53?
Hey Tony: Based on your crystal ball, draft picks, performance and change in schemes, are there any “surprise” vets that need an amazing offseason to keep a chance of making the final 53? I know it’s early and injuries can’t be predicted. — Bryan, Deerfield, IL Hey Bryan: The Browns drafted two wide receivers, three …
As another Browns schedule is revealed, I list my favorite NFL cities and stadiums to visit
Browns fans travel as well as any NFL fan base. I know, because I see and meet them in airports every season. Every year, Browns fans anxiously await the NFL schedule release, not so much to know which team is opening the home season, or when the Steelers and Ravens come to town, but to …
How ‘bout a Browns schedule mock draft?
My third annual Browns schedule mock draft is the schedule I want to see. It is not an attempt to predict the real thing that will be released Thursday night. That’s impossible to predict. Every time the newest Browns’ schedule is released, the first things I look for are a.) the season opener opponent, b.) …
Browns defensive rookies did not go unnoticed at minicamp
Leftover takeaways from Browns rookie minicamp … The only two defensive players among the Browns’ draft class of 10 share at least one characteristic. Toledo safety Emmanual McNeil-Warren (second round) and Alabama linebacker Justin Jefferson (fifth round) might get on the field at different points of their rookie seasons. But both impressed the Browns with …
Browns 6th-round rookie QB Taylen Green: ‘I don’t think there’s anybody like me’
Takeaways from Browns rookie minicamp Day 1 … The new quarterback in town was hard to miss. Taylen Green, the sixth-round pick from Arkansas, is an imposing 6-6, weighs 230 pounds, clocked a 4.36 40 at the NFL Combine, did a 43 ½ in. vertical leap, spins the ball effortlessly with a flick of the …
First look at heralded Browns rookie class takes place at minicamp this weekend
The Browns rookies are here! The Browns rookies are here! The highly-touted Browns draft class of 2026 receives uniforms and locker-room assignments and take the field for the first time in a three-day minicamp starting Friday. Ordinarily, this annual orientation is not a particularly significant event on the NFL calendar unless a franchise quarterback is …
Would the Browns be interested if Brendan Sorsby opts for the NFL supplemental draft?
There’s always another quarterback hope to tempt, tantalize, torture and polarize Browns fans. Now you might add Brendan Sorsby to the list. Sorsby, 22, is the talented, physical (6-3 and 235 pounds) and controversial Texas Tech quarterback contemplating an end run to the NFL via the seldom-used supplemental draft. In the event that happens sometime …
Browns GM Andrew Berry passes Jimmy Haslam’s ‘crucial’ 120 days with flying colors
Can the Browns turn around an 8-26 team in one offseason? On January 5, owner Jimmy Haslam said to get back to him in 120 days. The day Haslam fired head coach Kevin Stefanski and retained GM Andrew Berry, he outlined the immediate tasks at hand. “Let me just say this – the next 120 …