Brownie Bites: Kevin Stefanski ends play calling suspense on Day 1 at The Greenbrier, Amari Cooper never planned to hold out from camp

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, West Virginia (92.3 The Fan) – The Browns first practice in the mountains of West Virginia was largely uneventful.

Then came the post practice news dump from head coach Kevin Stefanski.

Here’s the top Brownie Bites from Day 1 at The Greenbrier.

Don’t fix what isn’t broke – Stefanski put to rest the mystery of who will call plays this season. “I'm going to call the plays this year, so I'm going to get that out of the way,” Stefanski said. “I know everybody's interested, and any decision I make for our football team, I take a lot of information in. I try to listen to a lot of people and make decisions and ultimately what I feel really, really confident in is our offensive staff. I feel really strongly about Coach Dorsey and the entire offensive staff, so we will continue to be an operation that works together.” Stefanski has called plays every year since being named head coach in 2020 where his 37 victories over that span ranks him fifth in franchise history and there was really no need to make a change even with new offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey on board. “Ken Dorsey is going to be a huge, huge help to me, not just on game day throughout the week,” Stefanski said. “He has a huge influence on what we do offensively already, the things that we're implementing, things that he's putting together, the way he works with our offensive staff. So those are things that I don't take it lightly.”

Under the knife – Stefanski announced that cornerback Greg Newsome II recently underwent surgery to repair a hamstring injury suffered while working out over the summer. Defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson is scheduled to undergo a knee scope Friday. The Browns are hopeful both players will be ready Week 1 against Dallas. Newsome was put on the active/NFI (Non-Football Injury) list and Tomlinson on active/PUP (Physically Unable to Perform) Wednesday.

Business of football – Receiver Amari Cooper was on the field catching passes from quarterback Deshaun Watson Thursday after his contract dispute was resolved on Tuesday in time for him to report for camp. “Holding out was never in the cards,” Cooper said. “I don't have any experience doing it, so I am kind of a routine kind of guy and I'm the type of guy I need those reps, you know what I mean? So I always knew I was going to be here at training camp for sure.” Cooper skipped the mandatory minicamp in June, and he was able to get the $20 million remaining on his deal this season guaranteed, which previously would not have been until Week 1, meaning a camp injury could’ve cost him the balance of the deal. Cooper also gets a chance to make another $5 million in incentives. “I wanted more guarantees in the contract, just I feel like I've earned it, but you can always get what you wish for all the time,” Cooper said, “but it's definitely noted if I have to go earn it, that's what I'll do.” Cooper expressed his happiness playing for the Browns and hoping to finish his career in Cleveland, but that would require an extension before he hits free agency in March.

Tackle shortage – With Jack Conklin and Jedrick Wills Jr. sidelined at the outset of camp, Dawand Jones was at right tackle and James Hudson handled the left tackle duties. “I wouldn't rule out anything at this point,” Stefanski said. “It's in camp and you can't look too far into day one. We will move guys around. So in football, as you know, you have to be ready to adjust, especially with that position and guys have to be able to play both sides. So we'll see how it goes.”

Careful with 4 – Watson will see an increased workload compared to the offseason program throughout training camp, including immediate participation in team drills when they begin, as he continues his rehab program. “We're very fortunate to have a great medical team around Deshaun, so we'll continue to make good decisions,” Stefanski said. “He looks great, feels great. So we'll just be smart about it.” The Browns have yet to decide if Watson will play in the preseason.

Gotcha – Defensive end Myles Garrett and receiver Jerry Jeudy started practice working on the side with injured players, but both eventually returned later in the session to take reps on the field.

Roll Call – RB Nyheim Hines (NFI-knee), CB Greg Newsome II (NFI-hamstring), S D’Anthony Bell (PUP-shin), RB Nick Chubb (PUP-knee), T Jack Conklin (PUP-knee), DT Dalvin Tomlinson (PUP-knee), T Jedrick Wills Jr. (PUP-knee), RB Jerome Ford (personal-excused), CB Cameron Mitchell (undisclosed), TE David Njoku (undisclosed) did not practice. Chubb, Mitchell, Bell and Njoku worked on the side.

Up next – Practice Friday morning at 11:00.