5 surprises from Week 1 of Cleveland Browns training camp

The Cleveland Browns finished a week of training camp, and there were several surprises to recap from the practice sessions

With several practices — including two open to the public — now completed for the Cleveland Browns, we have plenty to talk about. While there’s been a lot of talk about the off-field issues surrounding Deshaun Watson, the players have been doing all they can to block out the noise and prepare for the 2022 season.

So with five practices behind us, let’s look at five of the biggest surprises so far from training camp.

5 surprises from Week 1 of Cleveland Browns training camp

5. Jack Conklin return came early

Last season, there were several issues on offense for the Browns. While much of the problem was placed on the injured shoulder of Baker Mayfield, there was also blame being assigned to their wide receiver corps.

Each of those issues has been addressed by general manager Andrew Berry as he traded for Watson and Amari Cooper this offseason. Cleveland also added David Bell in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft.

But with as much attention as those positions have received, there was one glaring issue that wasn’t as widely discussed — the poor play of the offensive line.

Perhaps this wasn’t easily noticed since guards Wyatt Teller and Joel Bitonio were playing lights out, but while they were taking off, Jedrick Wills and Jack Conkling spent much of the season injured. Wills played through ankle pain for the majority of the season while Conklin suffered a torn patellar tendon and appeared in just seven games.

There was some good news on this front on Monday though as Conklin was back on the field and participating in practice. His return will be huge for a line trying to get back to the high level of play we saw in 2020.