Browns training camp: Observations from ‘Browns Live’ on the 1st day of padded practice
The pads came on for the first time at Cleveland Browns training camp in Berea on Monday. With the pads came another day of rain, with a steady downpour for a good portion of the afternoon practice session.
In part due to the suboptimal field conditions from the rain, WR Jarvis Landry and S Karl Joseph both worked with trainers instead of participating in drills. Landry and Joseph are both coming back from offseason surgeries and the team described their status as precautionary absences, nothing more.
Here’s some things I noted from watching the stream of the “Browns Live” as well as following along with in-person reporters on social media channels:
Nick Chubb leaves early
The biggest development was a pearl-clenching moment midway through practice when Pro Bowl RB Nick Chubb left the field with trainers after being tackled awkwardly up high by LB Mack Wilson.
Preliminary reports from Nathan Zegura and Josh Cribbs on the “Browns Live” stream were that Chubb “looked good” walking off; neither seemed overly concerned.
Shortly after practice, the Browns revealed that Chubb was being evaluated for a concussion.
Donovan Olumba steps up
Denzel Ward also took it easy with the slick track. Interestingly, unheralded Donovan Olumba took over Ward’s first-team reps on the outside opposite Greedy Williams. Near the end of the practice, Olumba made a nice pass deflection in tight coverage.
No. 33 is visibly bigger than any other Browns CB at a listed 6-2 and 205, the latter of which seems to be shorting him a bit. Olumba spent 2019 in Dallas, almost entirely on the Cowboys’ practice squad. The hirsute corner from Portland State is off to a solid start with his new team. He’s in the mix to be the No. 3 outside CB, a role that is wide open.
Kareem Hunt’s day to shine
The No. 2 running back got more work than normal with the starters after Chubb’s departure. He had one run with a sweet cutback and a tough stiff-arm that shed away LB Sione Takitaki. It was a reminder of Hunt’s ability as a runner after the first couple of practice sessions featured him more as a receiver out of the backfield.
Hunt noted after practice that he likes running behind a fullback but has yet to choose which one he prefers, Andy Janovich or Johnny Stanton.
Rookie watch
First-round offensive tackle Jedrick Wills looked fine in what we could see from the Browns new starting left tackle.
Second-round safety Grant Delpit took over all first-team reps at strong safety with Joseph out.
Fifth-round center Nick Harris continues to get the first-team reps with JC Tretter out for at least another week. Harris has performed well enough that he earned a Zoom session of his own with the media. He noted he feels like he’s the “ideal size” to play center in coach Kevin Stefanski’s scheme. Harris is 6-1 and 293 pounds by his own admission. The days of the 325-pound center in Cleveland are over.
Sixth-round WR Donovan Peoples-Jones bobbled a punt return attempt and then had to watch as his primary competition, tiny veteran Jojo Natson, expertly fielded the exact same punt from “The Scottish Hammer”, Jamie Gillan. Peoples-Jones has worked with the second-team offense at outside WR and did get some first-team looks with Landry and Damion Ratley out on Monday.
New pants
The Browns will play in much-hyped new uniforms in 2020. We got our first real look at the new pants on Monday, as the players had been in shorts in the prior sessions.
