CANTON, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – The Browns believe they hit the jackpot by drafting David Bell in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
Bell also feels he hit the jackpot thanks in part to the locker room layout in Berea that put him next to Deshaun Watson and allowed him some precious off-the-field time with his new QB.
“He’s actually my locker mate,” Bell said Wednesday following the Browns brief workout at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. “He’s coaching me up a lot, even on the off days. He’ll shoot me a text and say, ‘This is what I’m looking for on this.’ I’ll make sure to correct that next practice.
“It’s definitely a bond I’m trying to build, but I know it’s going to take a lot to continue to build that trust.”
Bell believes he is making the most of his time next to Watson.
“It's real valuable and real important, just to build that chemistry with your quarterback,” Bell said. “For him to be right there, it's definitely a good experience for a rookie like myself."
One of the most consistent pass catchers in the Big Ten, Bell is being counted on to develop into a prime target for Watson this fall and, in the years to come.
“That's definitely the goal as a receiver,” Bell said. “The quarterback trusts you to make those catches because they have a lot going on their plate. It's really an easy job for us because we have to get up and catch the ball and run the right routes. That's something that we all take pride in as a receiver, being able to catch the ball.”
The rookie out of Purdue has made quite the first impression by catching anything and everything thrown in his direction be it positional or team drills. Well, almost everything. Bell admits he dropped a pass early in OTAs when reporters weren’t around, but he’s been keeping the drops to a minimum.
“I'm real [hard] on myself,” Bell said. “So when that does happen, it's uncharacteristic of myself to do that. I take it to heart. I try to make sure that it doesn't happen again. Every time I drop a ball, it's always one minor thing that I didn't do, whether looking it in or my hands aren't in the right place. So when I drop a pass, I know why I dropped that pass.”
Dues paid – Joel Bitonio took OTAs off but didn’t miss much.
“I don't think so. I missed nine OTA practices, you know what I mean,” Bitonio said. “But besides that, mentally, I had the iPad. I was able to look at the film when I needed to. Got back out to practice yesterday.
It felt pretty good to be out there. I didn't feel like I was behind or anything like that. A couple new drills, things like that, but overall, no, I did not.”
OTAs are voluntary and head coach Kevin Stefanski has stressed that when asked about player participation.
The days of being “expected to be there” are over thanks to the efforts of the NFLPA.
As the longest tenured member of the team, if anyone deserved to skip them, it’s Bitonio.
“It wasn't a paid-the-dues thing,” Bitonio said. “It just was the best opportunity for me physically and mentally to be at home with the family.”
Familiar feeling – Linebacker Anthony Walker is starting to feel at home in his second year with the Browns, and a lot of that has to do with the atmosphere that now surrounds the team.
“I’ll be completely honest, when I was in Indy, I thought that we established that culture there, and when I came here, it was a little different,” Walker said. “I’m starting to feel what I felt in Indy when I was there. Just the brotherhood that we had, all the guys coming together, the team camaraderie.”
Walker explained what was different in 2021.
“Last year it was a little standoffish and a lot of guys, again, this is professional football, so I get it, but to be a great team you’ve got to have that camaraderie,” Walker said. “You’ve got to have that team mindset because when you go through the dark days, sometimes you may lose or the dog days of camp, the dog days of this grind and minicamp and everything like that, you need that team brotherhood, that team bond to keep bringing you together, and I’m glad that we’re building that.”
The COVID protocols limited the Browns ability to bond according to Walker.
“We had two locker rooms, I think I had five lockers to myself last year,” Walker said. “Now it’s everybody in one locker room, you see the guys every morning. Everybody’s here. As voluntary as it was, a lot of guys were here to get those workouts in in phase 1, phase 2 and everything like that. So just to have the whole team together I think will be the biggest difference.”
Booked solid – The Browns won’t be able to host the annual Orange and Brown scrimmage at FirstEnergy Stadium during training camp this year because the Machine Gun Kelly Tour comes to town on August 13 and the preseason opener is just eight days later.
In order to get his players exposure to their home, Stefanski is holding the final minicamp practice on the lakefront Thursday.
“It is get-away day so I am mindful of that,” Stefanski said.
“I think we do have some work that we would like to get done and we do have some meetings that we need to get done. I think we will get a good workload.”
July 2 Monster Jam comes to town. July 14 Def Leppard and Top Golf live has booked the stadium at the end of July.
Roll call – Receiver Anthony Schwartz did not make the trip because he was sick according to Stefanski. Receiver/returner Jakeem Grant, cornerback Greedy Williams and right tackle Jack Conklin did not participate in the light workout but made the trip.
Up next – The Browns will wrap up minicamp, and the offseason program, Thursday with practice at FirstEnergy Stadium.
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