8/3/2017 - BEREA: The Browns removed the training wheels for Myles Garrett on Wednesday, and the rookie defensive end didn’t disappoint while his legendary mentor watched closely.Decked out in Browns gear, Hall of Famer Bruce Smith visited training camp and helped tutor the defensive linemen as Garrett received repetitions in team drills with the No. 1 base defense for the first time this summer.Garrett, the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft, also faced 10-time Pro Bowl left tackle Joe Thomas for the first time, squaring off with the future Hall of Famer a handful of times and zooming around him once to pressure quarterback Cody Kessler.“It was a great rush,” Smith, the NFL’s all-time leader in career sacks with 200, said after the sixth practice of camp.Garrett rushed to the outside against Thomas, turned the corner and got his hands on Kessler, even though defenders aren’t supposed to make contact with quarterbacks during practice. Kessler fell to the Collapse

8/3/2017 - Wednesday’s developmentsBrowns veteran defensive lineman Desmond Bryant is back on track toward starting after missing the entire 2016 season with a torn pectoral muscle.Bryant appeared at tackle with the first-team defense during the sixth practice of training camp. It was the first time this summer he worked with the top unit.“He is Des Bryant, no doubt,” coach Hue Jackson said when asked if the player appears to have returned to form. “He is just another guy that needed to get in shape, get back to the grind of playing and understanding our defense because it is different.”Bryant, 31, is the elder statesman on the D-line and takes his leadership role seriously. “When I first came back, I would say I was a little bit hesitant to go out and start throwing around, ‘OK, I’m the boss around here,’ ” Bryant said. “I felt like I had to go on the field and prove it. We’ve had a couple of days of practice now. I Collapse

8/2/2017 - BEREA: Not many NFL players can say they’re a backup to a future member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.Not many can say they line up across from the No. 1 overall draft pick every day in practice.But Rod Johnson can make both claims, and the rookie’s career hasn’t even really started.In his first training camp, Johnson is trying to learn the tricks of the trade at left tackle from 10-time Pro Bowl selection Joe Thomas and hold his own against rookie defensive end Myles Garrett, the top choice in this year’s draft.It’s a baptism by fire if there ever was one, though Johnson is looking at the bright side.“I sit back and see Cleveland is a good place for me,” Johnson said Wednesday before the sixth practice of training camp. “A Hall of Famer and then the first pick overall in the draft, there’s no choice but for me to get better here.”Johnson, a fourth-round choice from Florida State, wants to prove he should be the heir Collapse

8/2/2017 - Legendary defensive end Bruce Smith is visiting Browns training camp Wednesday to get a closer look at the player he's intent on mentoring, No. 1 overall pick Myles Garrett. Smith and Garrett struck up a relationship April 27 on draft day, when the Hall of Famer visited Garrett's home in Arlington, Texas, to watch college game film and offer advice. Below are links to stories about the bond Smith and Garrett are building. Browns rookie Myles Garrett determined to build relationship with Bruce Smith, aspires to join him in Hall of Fame What Bruce Smith sees in Browns rookie Myles Garrett and why the No. 1 pick from 1985 wants to mentor top selection from 2017 Browns rookie Myles Garrett has already received tips from new mentor Bruce Smith: "I’ve got to take his advice and run with it" Collapse

8/1/2017 - BEREA: Derrick Kindred has a clear path to starting at free safety for the Browns.Unless you ask Kindred.“It’s not a clear path,” he said Monday before the fifth practice of training camp. “I’ve still got to come out there and prove myself. I missed the last four games of the [2016] season. I made limited plays last year. I’ve got to make more plays this year.”It might be too early to declare a winner in the competition for the starting free safety job, but Kindred clearly has a huge advantage. He’s served as the first-team free safety since camp opened, and his main competition, Ed Reynolds, will miss “significant time” with an injured left knee suffered Saturday, coach Hue Jackson said. ESPN reported Reynolds has a sprained medial collateral ligament and will be out for about six weeks.The Browns could still experiment with veteran cornerback Jason McCourty at free safety, but they haven’t done it yet. Ibraheim Collapse

7/31/2017 - BEREA: Derrick Kindred has a clear path to starting at free safety for the Browns.Unless you ask Kindred.“It’s not a clear path,” he said Monday before the fifth practice of training camp. “I’ve still got to come out there and prove myself. I missed the last four games of the [2016] season. I made limited plays last year. I’ve got to make more plays this year.”It might be too early to declare a winner in the competition for the starting free safety job, but Kindred clearly has a huge advantage. He’s served as the first-team free safety since camp opened, and his main competition, Ed Reynolds, will miss “significant time” with an injured left knee suffered Saturday, coach Hue Jackson said. ESPN reported Reynolds has a sprained medial collateral ligament and will be out for about six weeks.The Browns could still experiment with veteran cornerback Jason McCourty at free safety, but they haven’t done it yet. Ibraheim Collapse

7/31/2017 - BEREA: Myles Garrett gets it.The No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft realizes how valuable legendary pass rusher Bruce Smith would be as a mentor, and the Browns rookie defensive end doesn’t want to waste an opportunity to learn from one of the greatest players in NFL history. Smith visited Garrett at his home in Arlington, Texas, to watch college game film and offer advice on draft day in late April. The meeting was set up through the NFL Players Association with input from Garrett’s mother, Audrey, who hails from the same part of Virginia as Smith.Garrett told the Beacon Journal he’s determined to build the relationship.“He’s willing to be a helping hand anytime I need it, so I know coming up soon, as soon as I get this couple days under my belt to see what the game is like, see what the pace is, I’ll just pick his brain and see what he can offer ’cause he’s one of the best,” Garrett said Sunday before the fourth Collapse

7/31/2017 - Sunday’s developmentsBrowns rookie quarterback DeShone Kizer received a ringing endorsement from veteran wide receiver Kenny Britt.“He’s growing each day, each day,” Britt said before the fourth practice of training camp. “From [organized team activities], I could tell he was a different person. I actually asked him yesterday, has the offense slowed down for him. He said, ‘Yes,’ and I could tell that he’s looking at certain things.“He’s seeing defense before the snap count, and once he lines up, he knows there’s certain things he has to do, and he’s going to be one of the great ones.”Britt didn’t backtrack when a reporter followed up with a question about the bold prediction.“Yeah, if [Kizer] keeps going, focuses on the track that he’s on, to tell you the truth, he could be one of the great ones,” Britt said. “He’s learning fast, and he’s got a strong Collapse

7/30/2017 - BEREA: Myles Garrett gets it.The No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft realizes how valuable legendary pass rusher Bruce Smith would be as a mentor, and the Browns rookie defensive end doesn’t want to waste an opportunity to learn from one of the greatest players in NFL history. Smith visited Garrett at his home in Arlington, Texas, to watch college game film and offer advice on draft day in late April. The meeting was set up through the NFL Players Association with input from Garrett’s mother, Audrey, who hails from the same part of Virginia as Smith.Garrett told the Beacon Journal he’s determined to build the relationship.“He’s willing to be a helping hand anytime I need it, so I know coming up soon, as soon as I get this couple days under my belt to see what the game is like, see what the pace is, I’ll just pick his brain and see what he can offer ’cause he’s one of the best,” Garrett said Sunday before the fourth Collapse