Thursday marks Day 8 of Cleveland Browns training camp, and it comes with a milestone: The final day of system installs.
Starting with Friday’s practice on Aug. 7, the Browns will officially move on to consistent padded practices as they ramp up for real game action. Cleveland will open its preseason slate on Saturday, Aug. 15, against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field.
It’s hardly a secret that the Browns will be led by a host of young players this season. Of Cleveland’s 90-man training camp roster, 54 players are currently aged 25 or younger. The team also has 23 rookies in camp, including 10 draft picks.
The first full seven days of Browns training camp have included three fully-padded practices and plenty of national attention, with the ongoing quarterback battle between Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders taking center stage.
But for Cleveland’s top rookies, the honeymoon phase is officially over. Here’s where each one of them stands entering Phase II of camp.
Where every top Browns rookie stands after Todd Monken's install phase
Spencer Fano, LT
Expectations are obviously sky-high for the Browns’ No. 9 overall pick. But the franchise’s hopeful left tackle of the future is still getting up to speed, and Monken has made it clear the team won’t rush that process.
Fano saw substantial work with the first team at left tackle during OTAs and minicamp, but he’s been alternating with veteran Dawand Jones through the first week of camp.
Monken said he would be comfortable rolling with Jones as the Week 1 starter if he felt Fano, who played the bulk of his college snaps at right tackle, needed more time.
Fans should still expect Fano to be the Week 1 starter at left tackle, but Monken clearly likes Jones and he's still in the mix for meaningful snaps at tackle or guard this season.
“He’s in the best shape of his life,” Monken said of Jones. “He’s out there competing, talking smack, seems to be in a really good place, and we want to reward that. We also want to bring Spencer along at a pace we feel is the best way to build his confidence, and I think Hop’s (George Warhop) doing a great job with that.”
Verdict: Stock neutral
KC Concepcion, WR
Injuries will always be a concern with a 190-pound rookie receiver. Concepcion fell awkwardly at the end of Monday’s padded practice and was limited to only individual work on Tuesday due to soreness, per Monken.
The good news? Concepcion only seems to be popping more on the field as training camp ramps up. He made a strong adjustment on an underthrown deep ball from Sanders that ended with him making the catch and rolling into the end zone.
Concepcion has been the Browns’ best separator in practice and looks well worth the first-round investment so far.
Verdict: Stock up
Denzel Boston, WR
Boston has been making plays all over the place since rookie minicamp. That reportedly continued on Wednesday, with the team working extensively on red zone situations. Boston was tough to handle around the goal line and reportedly hauled in three touchdowns.
If there’s any Denzel Boston stock left to buy, you should consider buying some.
— Zac Jackson (@AkronJackson) August 5, 2026
The Browns took a calculated gamble by using back-to-back draft picks on wide receivers early in the 2026 draft. It seems to be paying off so far.
If not for tight end Harold Fannin Jr. and how special he’s been since joining the Browns, we would probably be having serious discussions right now about Boston being Cleveland’s best skill position player.
Verdict: Stock soaring
Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, S
McNeil-Warren had a quiet start to the Browns’ offseason program, but similar to Concepcion, he started to flash once practices shifted to full pads. He looks like he could help the Browns in pass coverage, as his elite closing speed and anticipation have been on full display.
His role remains a bit up in the air, though. McNeil-Warren is behind veterans Grant Delpit and Ronnie Hickman on the depth chart. Defensive coordinator Mike Rutenberg would have to explore using three safeties to get the rookie regular snaps this season.
Given the Browns’ depth issues at nickelback and inside linebacker, it’s very possible we see a lot of “big nickel” packages with McNeil-Warren utilized as an extra defensive back. But how much the Toledo product will be able to handle out of the gate is unclear, and it could stay that way until we get to preseason action.
Verdict: Stock neutral (but trending in the right direction)
Austin Barber, OT
It’s been a quiet start to camp for Barber, who hasn’t gotten much run with the first unit. He seems to be trending toward a backup role at right tackle.
Teven Jenkins, Cleveland’s frontrunner to start at right guard, has missed multiple practices with an injury. Barber was expected to get some looks at guard, but veteran KT Leveston has been the biggest beneficiary of Jenkins’ absences. Leveston saw first-team reps at right guard in four consecutive practices early in camp.
Barber appears to be the fourth tackle behind Tytus Howard, Fano, and Jones. He may also be falling behind in the swing tackle battle.
Verdict: Stock neutral (but trending slightly in the wrong direction)
Parker Brailsford, C
Brailsford missed practice on Wednesday, Aug. 5, with an undisclosed injury, and that doesn’t bode well for his chances of contributing this year.
Veteran Elgton Jenkins has been locked in as Cleveland’s starting center, and he too missed Wednesday's practice. The offense reportedly had one of its better days with Luke Wypler working with the starters and Kingsley Eguakun with the second unit.
It’s too early to panic about Brailsford, as the team appears to be taking an extremely cautious approach with injuries. Sixteen players missed Wednesday’s latest practice alone.
Not practicing for the Browns today: Joe Royer (personal), Myles Bryant, Michael Burton, Damarri Mathis, Carson Schwesinger, Mike Hall Jr., Parker Brailsford, Izavion Miller, Elijah Chatman, Elgton Jenkins, Teven Jenkins, Jamari Thrash, Sam Kamara, Kalia Davis, Mason Graham,…
— Daniel Oyefusi (@DanielOyefusi) August 5, 2026
But any extended absence this summer could sink Brailsford’s spot on the depth chart.
Verdict: Stock down
Justin Jefferson, LB
Jefferson has had a quiet camp, which was expected for the fifth-round rookie. He’s in the mix at inside linebacker, but he’s poised to fill more of a core special teams role at this point.
Verdict: Stock neutral
Joe Royer, TE
Royer has missed the Browns’ first seven practices while away from the team tending to a personal situation. GM Andrew Berry couldn’t provide a timetable for Royer’s return, but it’s certainly not ideal to have your potential No. 2 tight end miss the entire install phase of camp.
Royer was a fixture on the field from rookie minicamp through OTAs. Time will tell how quickly he can get caught up to speed once he does report to Berea. But Royer’s roster spot may not be as secure as it seemed when the team concluded spring minicamp.
Verdict: Stock plummeting
Taylen Green, QB
In an ideal world, Green would be challenging for the No. 3 quarterback job, causing trade winds to swirl around Dillon Gabriel. But that hasn’t been the case for the sixth-round rookie.
Gabriel has a firm grasp on Cleveland’s QB3 job, to the point where Green is barely getting meaningful reps. It’s unlikely the Browns waive Green at the end of camp, as he was clearly a developmental prospect when they drafted him, but this is a situation that bears monitoring.
The Browns don’t want to carry four quarterbacks on the active roster, but with the way this QB competition has been trending, they may not have a choice.
Verdict: Stock slightly down
Carsen Ryan, TE
The Browns drafted two tight ends on Day 3, and with Royer missing extensive time, that now looks like a smart decision.
The issue for Ryan is that his best path to the roster may be as more of an H-back than a tight end, as his main source of competition appears to be 34-year-old fullback Michael Burton.
Burton has missed practice time as well this week, and he hasn’t played an NFL snap since the 2024 postseason. His roster spot is far from secure, but Ryan hasn’t yet separated himself from veterans like Jack Stoll and Blake Whiteheart to secure his own job.
Verdict: Stock neutral (but trending slightly in the wrong direction)
Logan Fano, DE
The Browns' latest attempt to add veteran help on the edge fell through this week when Jadeveon Clowney decided to sign with the Houston Texans.
Fano remains firmly in the mix, but the front office appears to be eyeing free agency and the waiver wire for a potential upgrade behind Jared Verse, Alex Wright, and Isaiah McGuire.
A 53-man roster spot still feels within reach, but Fano may need to make the most of his preseason game reps to fully lock that down. Fellow UDFAs Tyreak Sapp and Khordae Sydnor will also be vying for depth roles.
Verdict: Stock neutral
Add us as a preferred source on Google