Back to Berea
In the NFL, Organized Team Activities mark a 10 day span where teams can begin meeting, practicing and building chemistry. Covid-19 caused these work outs to be cancelled last year. In the 2021 many players are opting out of these activities and working out elsewhere.
For the Cleveland Browns, OTAs have still been a win for the team. Despite quite a few offensive stars not being in attendance, these activities give the new-look defense a chance to come together. Defense was the teams biggest weakness last year with their secondary ranked 26th in the league and dead last in safety coverage (PFF.com). One of the new standout acquisitions, Anthony Walker said “It was a no brainer” when deciding to attend this camp since it would give him a chance to learn the new system and terminology. Walker is also known as a great leader and many players on his former team the Indianapolis Colts, speak highly of his locker room presence. A player of this caliber at OTAs sets a strong precedent for the new defensive players.
The Browns of Austin, Texas
On Friday, June 11 Baker Mayfield posted an Instagram story from the back of his boat. The photo was captioned “Its just better… And we know it…” More than likely referencing the fact that rather than joining the team for OTAs he had been hosting his own “Camp Baker.” Baker has been hosting many of the offensive stars on the team in his hometown. This is one photo in a series from the past week in which the teammates are seen enjoying the lake.
The Cleveland Browns offense has been firing on all cylinders since last year. With the defense coming together in Berea it should be reassuring for fans to see the offensive players together. The southern Browns at Baker’s camp include Jarvis Landry, Donovan Peoples-Jones, David Njoku, Austin Hooper, Kareem Hunt and even Odell Beckham Jr. who is still currently rehabbing from his injury last season. These are undoubtedly some of the biggest difference makers on offense. The team chemistry built at this camp will be important to their success this year.
Looking on to Minicamp
Now that OTAs are wrapped up, the next step in the offseason is mandatory minicamps. The key word for this next stage is mandatory. The offense will need to be back in the building.
Recently minicamps have come under some scrutiny in the NFL. The San Francisco 49ers are cancelling their camp due to two major injuries during. In addition the Houston Texans are also cancelling. Head coach David Culley said, “We needed to make sure for at least four weeks during the offseason we had as many players here as possible.”
Minicamp for the Cleveland Browns appears to be still full systems go. This should prove to be valuable time for the team to grow now that everyone is back in Berea.
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