BEREA, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – Cornerback Greedy Williams started the afternoon as the starter opposite Denzel Ward, then had to leave practice with trainers.
The good news is that Williams should be fine.
The 2019 second-round pick indicated that he will be fine responding on Twitter.
Aside from his early departure, Williams had an eventful day.
Williams broke up a ball intended for receiver Rashard Higgins and got beat on a deep ball to rookie receiver Anthony Schwartz, who had little problem gaining separation on the play.
Williams will be competing primarily with first-round pick Greg Newsome II for the No. 2 starting corner opposite of Denzel Ward in the secondary.
Rip it – It’s far too early to read into anything at this point on either side of the ball, but quarterback Baker Mayfield came to work Wednesday.
Mayfield looked sharp all afternoon – albeit without pads and in 7-on-7, but he ripped completion after completion off during drills throughout the practice.
Good to go – Although head coach Kevin Stefanski indicated that they have a plan for Odell Beckham Jr. during camp and they’ll be mindful of his workload, Beckham looked to be as close to 100% as you could be Wednesday.
No. 13 ran routes crisply and with ease and got a healthy share of reps during passing drills. There weren’t any chemistry issues on Day 1 with Mayfield, that’s for sure.
Simply the best – Receiver Jarvis Landry said before practice that this is the most talented team he’s been on.
Landry also admitted that last season was his toughest year playing through broken ribs and coming off hip surgery but the work Landry put in this offseason, which he was unable to do a year ago because he was rehabbing, shows.
“It was really important to me this offseason to really hone in on the things that I’ve been kind of collecting about myself and learning about myself throughout the years of being a professional,” Landry said. “I think each year I’ve added a little bit more to my routine, to my offseason, and the weight thing, I think that also played a part into last year, coming from surgery. I don’t know if you guys know, but I just rehabbed that whole time so I did no strength and development. I did no speed training. I just played the season off of rehab. So now I’ve had an opportunity to do that this year and pay more attention and be more detailed with that and that’s helped me greatly.”
Catch of the day – Donovan Peoples-Jones had the highlight catch of the day when he jumped over rookie safety Richard LeCounte III to bring in a pass from third-string quarterback Kyle Lauletta.
Fields down – Rookie linebacker Tony Fields suffered a foot injury during workouts earlier this week and it sounds like he will miss time according to Stefanski.
Stefanski didn’t provide any specifics regarding the injury other than it was to the opposite foot that was previously injured.
With Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah on the reserve/COVID-19 list, opportunity knocks for Mack Wilson to make a strong early impression early in camp. Wilson got plenty of first team reps along with Sione Takitaki and Anthony Walker Wednesday.
You’re excused – Running back D’Ernest Johnson, who is fighting to make the roster, was excused from Wednesday’s practice for personal reasons according to Stefanski but should be back soon.
Johnson will compete with sixth-round pick Demetric Felton for the third running back job during camp and the preseason.
Welcome back – Chief of staff Callie Brownson is back with the team following her suspension in the wake of a DUI earlier this year.
Brownson is assigned to focus her on-field work with the running backs under position coach Stump Mitchell in addition to her other duties.
Legends adds – The Browns announced that they will induct linebacker D’Qwell Jackson and late quarterback Bill Nelsen into the Legends program. The pair will be honored Week 3 (Sept. 26), when the Browns host the Bears at FirstEnergy Stadium. They’ll be joined by 2020 Legends receivers Josh Cribbs and Webster Slaughter, who were unable to be honored last season.
Jackson, a second-round pick, starred as a top tackler and leader in the middle of Cleveland’s defense from 2006-2013. Nelson threw for 9,584 yards and 71 touchdowns in 54 games (50 starts) after joining the Browns via trade in 1968. Nelsen passed away in 2019 at the age of 78.
Notable quotable – “I know a lot of people have different opinions on that, with her being the best and saying it, admitting openly that she feels like she’s the best, and I agree. I don’t like that she did it, but I believe that it took a lot of courage to do that, by admitting that mentally she didn’t feel like she was there, and it was affecting her physical performance. It hurts to see that as a competitor, I wanted her to go through it, tough through it, but as a person, as a human being, you gotta be able to know when you reached your limit and you’ve got to be able to empathize with that.” — Defensive end Myles Garrett on Olympic gymnast Simone Biles withdrawing from the Olympics.
Up next – Practice Thursday at 2:25. First practice for fans is Friday afternoon at the same time; first day in pads will be next Tuesday.