Browns may have telegraphed their stance on Ty Simpson at Alabama’s Pro Day

Wednesday marked one of the biggest dates on the NFL’s pre-draft calendar, with both Alabama and Ohio State hosting Pro Days.

The Cleveland Browns’ attendance at those two major events left their fans completely baffled.

General manager Andrew Berry and head coach Todd Monken reportedly passed on attending both events. Berry did send a pair of his executive assistants, Glenn Cook and Catherine Hickman, to Ohio State, per college football analyst Ryan Fowler.

As for Alabama’s Pro Day, which featured quarterback Ty Simpson? That was a pass for the Browns, per Colin Gay of the Tuscaloosa News.

Browns fans, of course, reacted accordingly to that report. While this is a busy time of year for top NFL executives and new head coaches, you would expect the team to take advantage of a key touchpoint on a player like Simpson, who has been rumored to be on the Browns’ radar due to his father’s connection to Monken through Southern Miss, and Cleveland’s current instability at the most important position in sports.

Browns skipping Alabama’s Pro Day has fans completely baffled

Cleveland’s decision to skip Simpson’s workout could mean nothing. The Browns have had formal meetings with a number of this year’s top prospects, including Top 30 visits with both Simpson and Ohio State wide receiver Carnell Tate. Berry and Monken also attended the NFL Scouting Combine in February. It’s just as likely the Browns skipped Tuscaloosa to hide their potential interest in Simpson — or projected first-round left tackle Kadyn Proctor, for that matter — as it is that they’ve already gathered all the necessary data on those players for their draft board.

It’s still an awkward look, though. According to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, a host of general managers and head coaches made the trip to Columbus, where star prospects like Tate, Caleb Downs, Sonny Styles, and Arvell Reese took the field. The receivers even had quarterback Julian Sayin, a top projected prospect for the 2027 draft class, delivering passes to help them look good.

Circling back to Simpson, it’s also possible the Browns have gathered enough intel to know that he won’t be in their range around the 24th overall pick, which they hold via the Jacksonville Jaguars, or their early second-round selection, No. 39 overall. Simpson is scheduled to hold a private workout on Friday for the New York Jets, who hold pick Nos. 2 and 16 in the first round. There's also nothing stopping Cleveland from scheduling their own private workout with Simpson in the near future.

Most Browns fans are probably exhaling with these reports. Again, they could mean absolutely nothing, and everything remains on the table for the Browns with pick Nos. 6 and 24 on Day 1 of the draft. But passing on a closer look at Simpson at least feeds the narrative that their reported pre-draft interest has been overblown.

For fans hoping for more win-now selections early in this draft, like wide receivers and offensive linemen, Cleveland’s attendance report on Wednesday might have led to more smiles than frowns.