BEREA ― Day 6 of Browns training camp was a war of attrition on Aug. 4.
The players had just come off the first fully-padded practice of camp. The impact of that was evident by the longest list of non-participants of camp.
The Browns had their second padded practice in a row, one which lasted roughly two hours after having gone a little more than 90 minutes the previous day. It was also under a bright sun and muggy, hot conditions.
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It wasn’t a surprise that there were plenty of moments where it felt like the Browns were just trying to get to the finish line. Not that they were going with half effort, it was more feeling like they were running in quicksand because of what the heat was taking out of them.
That won’t stop us from pointing out a handful of takeaways and observations from the practice. Let’s start with the place where the Browns seem to be dropping like flies.
Browns defensive tackle group thinning by the moment
It’s nearing crisis point for the Browns’ defensive tackle group. At the start of training camp, the only defensive tackle who wasn’t on the field was veteran Maliek Collins, who was placed on the active/physically unable to perform list as he continues to recover from a quad injury.
Collins continues to get closer, but not soon enough. He was one of four defensive tackles who did not practice, along with Mason Graham, Mike Hall Jr. and Kalia Davis, while Sam Kamara rode off the field on a cart early in practice.
That led the Browns to have to claim defensive tackle Coziah Izzard off waivers from the Arizona Cardinals after practice. During practice, they moved Adin Huntington inside to tackle from his end spot to line up next to Elijah Chatman with the first tackle pairing.
Graham’s dealing with a minor injury, while Davis has been sidelined since leaving the first camp practice. Hall took a shot from running back Quinshon Judkins Aug. 1, although he did ultimately finish that practice before missing both so far this week.
Shedeur Sanders solid with the No. 1 offensive group
It may not have been the most crisp day overall, but quarterback Shedeur Sanders put together a mostly positive day with the No. 1 offense. It was the third practice Sanders had run with the No. 1s, and it may have been his best yet.
Sanders was the victim of a couple of drops on nice throws, including a corner route to Gage Larvadain that he wasn’t able to pull in. It was a throw in which the second-year pro was able to loft it over the defender and into Larvadain’s hands.
Otherwise, Sanders seem to be comfortable running the offense, even though he still had to deal with pressure in his face as the offensive line ― Spencer Fano, Zion Johnson, Elgton Jenkins, KT Leveston and Tytus Howard from left to right ― had some trouble again keeping a depleted defensive line from getting through. Still, he showed a nice ability to step up in the pocket and, when necessary, take off running.
Deshaun Watson’s seemingly limited, or more reps for Dillon Gabriel?
The Browns continued the rotation of Sanders and Deshaun Watson on a daily basis, which meant Watson was working with the No. 2 offense. It was a fairly mundane day for Watson, which meant the good throws and bad throws were almost alternated.
The lasting feeling, though, was that Watson, in general, didn’t throw nearly as much as usual, even with the twos. Unofficially, he only had around a dozen throws on the day.
The question isn’t so much losing reps to Sanders right now as losing reps to Dillon Gabriel. Gabriel, who’s been No. 3 all offseason and training camp, has been solid for most of camp, solid enough that there’s been real questions about him moving into the competition.
Gabriel has appeared to get more opportunities as camp has progressed. He’s thrown with more accuracy and more apparent zip on the football, save for an interception by Christopher Edmonds in 7-on-7, which is why you can’t help but notice what’s going on with him.
Pre-snap penalties remain one of the biggest problems
Want to see coach Todd Monken lose his cool? Watch him as his team stacks pre-snap penalties over and over again.
Pre-snap penalties have been a continuing issue for the Browns through camp. It’s fluctuated daily, but it’s always been something they’ve dealt with on both sides of the football.
Monken, despite the visible frustration on the field when it happens, acknowledged it’s part of the install and learning process. It’s not a fun part, but it’s a part nonetheless.
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“No, as I tell the guys, we’re just going to continue to work it, offense and defense,” Monken said before There were times they jumped, we didn’t take advantage of it, we didn’t actually tap. We went to the cadence, so you’re going to work that in the mornings. You’re going to work on cadence, you’re going to work on all of those things until you get to games, and then you’re going to find out where you can be in terms of cadence, in terms of, can you carry it to games without constantly being first-and-15, or defensively, first-and-five.”
Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ. Sign up for Browns Insider newsletter at https://profile.beaconjournal.com/newsletters/browns-insider/
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: 4 takeaways from Day 6 of Browns training camp, including mounting injuries
Reporting by Chris Easterling, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
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By Chris Easterling, Akron Beacon Journal | USA TODAY Network
