Cleveland Browns ' training camp has been unique in comparison to the league's other 31 teams. They're still figuring out who will be the starting quarterback , and new head coach Todd Monken is going the extra mile to fix the offense.
So far, it's been a work in progress, and the defense looks to be far ahead of the offense. They still have a couple of weeks before their first preseason game, though, and the overall picture is encouraging.
The Browns were scheduled to hold their first padded practice on Monday, Aug. 3, so things could change soon. But after the first four days of installs, it's pretty clear that these Browns players are the biggest winners and losers from the first week of training camp.
Denzel Boston was the Browns' most impressive pass catcher during spring workouts, and he hasn't missed a beat since. He's making whoever is behind center look good, catching everything and showing an impressive ability to create separation.
KC Concepcion has also been solid and may have more versatility, but Boston is making it look easy.
Denzel Ward got a much-deserved contract extension to stay with the Browns through his prime years. He had already said he wanted to stay in town, and he's repaying the team for that confidence with some inspiring play in training camp.
Ward has been all over the defensive backfield, disrupting passes, creating turnovers, and looking ready to bounce back from a down year by his standards. He's become the team's most vocal and respected leader.
Talking about leaders, Jared Verse has been the Browns' tone-setter from the moment he arrived in Berea. This clearly means something to him, and he's taking it upon himself to raise the bar in Cleveland. He's fired up and competing hard in every single drill, keeping rookie left tackle Spencer Fano on his toes.
Verse is already turning heads with his contagious energy and relentless work ethic. His quickness and aggressiveness are major challenges for the offensive line on every rep.
Hey, don't shoot the messenger. Dillon Gabriel has been arguably the team's most accurate passer in training camp. He's slinging the ball fast and putting it in tight windows left and right. Of course, he's not going against the ones, so this should be taken with a grain of salt.
But while everyone's focused on the Browns' QB1 race, it looks like Gabriel is raising his stock. He's still a long shot to play this year, but who knows? He might be doing just enough to get himself a chance elsewhere.
The Browns re-signed Teven Jenkins , who wasn't even a lock to start because of Elgton Jenkins and Zion Johnson . So far, it looks like Jenkins has a legitimate chance to hold onto the starting right guard spot, unless rookie Parker Brailsford gets the nod to start at center.
When it comes to Zak Zinter, however, there has been mostly radio silence. The Browns are giving tackle KT Leveston most of the second-team reps at right guard. Judging offensive line play without pads is tough, but Zinter clearly remains far behind in the pecking order.
There's no way to sugarcoat it. Regardless of context, drills, instructions, or what have you, there's just no way to justify throwing six interceptions in four days. Of course, the defense is flying around, but Watson has been the team's most erratic signal-caller by a significant margin.
The mere fact that Watson is still in the race is concerning and hard to explain. He claims to be fully healthy, and Monken somewhat justified his struggles early on. But he's the veteran. He was supposed to be the sharpest of the Browns' QBs, and that just hasn't been the case early in camp.
This article was originally published on www.dawgpounddaily.com as 4 Winners (and 2 losers) from the first week of Cleveland Browns' training camp .
