Cleveland Browns Notes July 31, 2021

A New Look

Uniforms have been a large topic of conversation amongst Browns fans for the last number of years. The organization recently reneged on their prior jersey design which was met with relief from fans across the globe. In a pivot back to their original roots, the team went with a more classic look while improving on small elements from past uniform combinations. In honor of their 75th anniversary season, the Browns released commemorative throwback jerseys with a 75th anniversary patch on the front that the team will wear a few times during the 2021 season. These jerseys just went on sale for fans to purchase at the Browns team shop.

Cleveland’s 75 Anniversary jersey’s feature a classical look with numbers on the helmets. (Photo courtesy of Cleveland.com)

Mayfield and Beckham

With training camp kicking into high gear, players are made available to talk to the media following practice. When asked about the budding chemistry between himself and Odell Beckham, Baker Mayfield told Jake Trotter, “Year 1, we were definitely just trying to get used to each other last year,” Mayfield said. “Last year, didn’t have a full season by any means because of the injury. This year, I think we’ve had our backs up against the wall, the two of us together, I think we can relate a lot on those types of things. But having success is always sweeter when it’s not just handed to you. It’s not the easy road when you hit adversity and you have to battle through it.”

Mayfield and Beckham have struggled to find consistent continuity over the course of the last two seasons. Former head coach and play caller Freddie Kitchens was completely overmatched in year one, as he struggled to put Beckham in advantageous situations. Kevin Stefanski had to figure everything out on the fly with no offseason due to the pandemic. This forced the entire offense to acclimate to their play caller without much practice time. As soon as the Browns began to adapt offensively, Beckham injured his knee. As the star wideout looks to be in supreme shape as of now, Browns fans should be very excited about the possibility of a bounce back season from Beckham.

Defensive Signal Caller

There were some questions coming into camp regarding who would be the on field defensive signal caller. Those questions have been answered though as newly signed middle linebacker Anthony Walker has assumed that role for the Cleveland defense. Kevin Stefanski confirmed this in his media conference on Thursday when asked by a reporter. Walker is a terrific on field communicator, and should flourish in this role with Cleveland. The Browns saw a few different players in this role a season ago, with BJ Goodson earning most of the first team reps. Look for second year linebacker Jacob Phillips to back up Walker at the MIKE linebacker position.