Cleveland Browns open OTAs on Tuesday
By Thomas Moore
Nov 16, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns head coach Mike Pettine during the fourth quarter against the Houston Texans at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Texans beat the Browns 23-7. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
The Cleveland Browns enter the next phase of the NFL’s nine-week off-season program when they open Organized Team Activities on Tuesday.
The team will hold 10 practice sessions during this phase but, per the Collective Bargaining Agreement, no live contact is permitted. Rather, the Browns will conduct 7-on-7, 9-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills as new offensive coordinator John DeFilippo continues to install his offense and defensive coordinator Jim O’Neil continues to build on his defense.
The OTAs will be held on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday of this week, June 1-2, June 4, June 8-9 and June 11-12.
Following the close of the final practice on June 12, the Browns will hold a mandatory minicamp from June 16-18 then disperse until the start of training camp in July.
As the OTAs are voluntary, safety Tashaun Gipson is not expected to be a participant as he works on a new contract with the Browns, and rookie nose tackle Danny Shelton will also be absent as he is finishing his academic work at the University of Washington.
Fellow draft picks Vince Mayle, Randall Telfer and Ifo Ekpre-Olomu will also not be participating as they are still recovering from injuries.
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The practices will give the coaches a chance to see where rookie Cameron Erving fits best on the offensive line — right guard or right tackle — and how veteran newcomers Josh McCown, Dwayne Bowe and Brian Hartline look on offense.
Oh, and it will also be the first on-field activity for quarterback Johnny Manziel since he completed his 10-week rehab stay.
It’s important to not read too much into what goes on over the next two weeks in Berea. While what the Browns will be doing is obviously important, with no contact and players not in full pads, it is hard to draw any definitive conclusions about the club based on what happens during the OTAs.
The best we can hope for is that the team gets its work in and that everyone comes out on the other end in good health.