As die-hard fans of the NFL, we can’t help ourselves. The initial free-agency surge and NFL Draft only take us so far. By late May, early June, the itch for real football to return is there, and it has to be scratched.
It leads to rampant overreactions about things that a few months from now won’t matter. For Cleveland Browns fans, we’re all right in the thick of that space right now.
The team’s attendance at voluntary OTAs might be interesting, but it’s definitely not important. Per Zac Jackson of The Athletic, only about half of the Browns’ projected starters have been fully participating. The whereabouts of Myles Garrett, and his awkward communication with the new coaching staff so far, has been a top topic of conversation, but he’s hardly the only established vet on the Browns’ roster who’s been biding his time until the mandatory portion of the offseason program (which arrives June 9).
Cornerback Denzel Ward, for example, is another well-paid, high-profile, immensely important Browns player who’s been away from Berea training on his own. He recently caught up with reporters at his annual youth football camp at his alma mater Nordonia High School, and his reason for skipping Monken’s voluntary workouts was vintage Denzel Ward.
“Yeah I haven’t been there yet,” Ward said. “I’ve just been training, working out. I’ve got a girlfriend, so I gotta take her on some dates. Nah, but I’ve just been working out, working on my craft and, you know, getting prepared for when I get back in there. That’s it. It’s up to people if they want to read into it. ... I’ve still been checking them out, though, so I’ve been in the iPad seeing what those new guys have been looking like. So I’ve got something for them when I get there.”
Denzel Ward just perfectly reminded Browns fans: This isn’t that serious
Old-school football fans will remember when OTAs were referred to more bluntly as “spring practices" — once consisting of grueling, full-squad, fully-padded practices with live contact, often twice a day.
Times have obviously changed. These modern spring workouts are voluntary and strictly prohibit contact. Several periods are glorified walkthroughs. The players wear helmets, but that’s about it. They don’t wear shoulder pads for these sessions and typically dress in shorts.
In other words, there are players who need to attend OTAs — quarterbacks, rookies, and any player fighting for a roster spot — and those who do not. Established defensive vets like Garrett and Ward, who make their living by hitting people, clearly fall into that latter category.
Is it the best look that some of the most important players on the roster haven’t yet mingled with the new coaching staff in person? Probably not. As Ward said, it’s up to the fans if they want to read into that any sort of way.
But in this modern era of the NFL, attendance at OTAs isn’t really a story unless a high-profile quarterback is missing (these are essentially glorified passing camps, so having the QBs on the field is crucial for the team to make any tangible progress).
Players with unexcused absences during the mandatory portion of the practice schedule? Now that’s fair game. In the meantime, none of this is all that serious.
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