Cleveland

Browns

Cleveland’s Mary Kay Cabot reports that Jeudy “felt something in his hamstring today,” so he sat out. Coach Todd Monken made clear that he does not give veterans rest days right now, so if a player sits, it’s because they are being cautious with an injury. Today was the Browns’ final mandatory minicamp practice. They will now go on break until training camp begins in July. Early in May, Cabot reported that the team is hoping Jeudy reclaims his WR1 role this season. Browns rookie WRs KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston have been taking full rotations with both the No. 1 and No. 2 offensive groups. Yesterday, ESPN’s Daniel Oyefusi reported Boston “has been one of the Browns’ standouts this summer.” Get well soon, Jeudy. The youngsters look promising.

Monken noted that this is easy to say now, because the team is not practicing in pads. That said, Monken opined that “it feels like he’s making quicker decisions” and that the ball is coming out of his hands faster, which he has to continue doing on game days. Monken adds that Sanders possesses playmaking ability, but he needs to “eliminate lost-yards plays.” It sounds like Sanders’ to-do list is fairly straightforward. The battle between him and QB Deshaun Watson continues.

Boston (6'4/210) was viewed as a classic, downfield X-receiver pre-draft, possessing the “ability to make tough catches downfield.” Boston successfully high-pointed a pass from QB Deshaun Watson today, producing what Oyefusi referred to as the top highlight at Wednesday’s practice. Boston has also “been a reliable pass catcher on short and intermediate routes” thus far. If he can keep it up, he has a chance to earn a starting role early in his career.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport adds that Concepcion’s fully guaranteed rookie contract is worth roughly $20 million. Earlier today, we got word that Concepcion and fellow rookie WR Denzel Boston are already taking full rotations with both the No. 1 and No. 2 offensive groups, which is good news. Browns WR Jerry Jeudy currently occupies the No. 1 spot, but that could change if one of the two rookies pens a strong case this summer.

Shedeur Sanders took the initial reps with the first team, giving him a hair-width advantage, but Deshaun Watson will get to work with the ones tomorrow and both players will split reps on Thursday. Even when this job is initially won, it sure doesn’t seem like the winner will have much of a leash, making both players risky fantasy football picks both now and in best ball.

Unless Bond can make a real move on Jerry Jeudy, we imagine he’ll probably split reps with Denzel Boston and KC Concepcion early in the season, leaving him as more of a deep-league stash. Still, after he went undrafted last year due to a sexual assault accusation, it appears the Browns think pretty highly of him and he’ll likely finish training camp as someone with an easy roster spot.

In other words, they’re “going to play a lot” per Jackson. It’s generally a good sign when rookies are already working with the 1s ahead of camp, even if they haven’t literally won the No. 1 role yet. Both players carry some breakout potential, though it’s hard to recommend either as more than a bench redraft league prayer in shallow leagues to open the season given Cleveland’s quarterback situation.

Graham’s boot, on his right foot, obviously prevented him from practicing. There’s still plenty of time ahead of training camp, so there’s not a real reason for concern for his season yet barring more dire details emerging. Still, it’s not great news for a player that dealt with knee and rib issues last year.

Bitonio played in 178 regular season games for Cleveland over his 12 seasons, rarely missing games and making seven consecutive Pro Bowl games starting in 2017. He played at a high level even in his final years as a standout in an otherwise awful Browns offensive line. Last year Pro Football Focus graded Bitonio as the league’s eighth best pass-blocking guard, as he allowed just two sacks and one QB hit over 17 regular season games. The Browns will struggle to fill the void left by Bitonio in 2026.

Wolfe continues to beat the drum for Sanders, despite recent reports indicating QB Deshaun Watson was pulling ahead in the competition. Wolfe also believes that Sanders’ play is forcing head coach Todd Monken to postpone making a decision to name a starting quarterback. The battle may continue into training camp. Sanders has reportedly improved his downfield passing and processing, and has an “aura” about him that some in the building find compelling. Wolfe closes the segment by wondering aloud whether one of these quarterbacks can convince the front office to forego drafting a quarterback next year. We’ll believe it when we see it, but for now, it sounds like Sanders has pulled even with Watson.