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Takeaways From Day One Of Browns Mandatory Minicamp

Originally posted on Cleveland Browns on SI | Last updated Jun 11, 2024 7:16 PM ET

With voluntary workouts in the rear view mirror, the Browns opened up mandatory minicamp on Tuesday. It was the first day of a three days worth of practice before the team breaks for summer, only to converge on the Greenbrier Resort in late July for the start of training camp.

While most of the team's veterans who hadn't been around during the spring were on the field in some capacity for the start of minicamp, there was one noticeable absence. That's where I start with my observations from Day 1 of mandatory minicamp:

1) Where In The World Is Amari Cooper?

The scuttlebutt of the day in Berea centered around Cooper's mysterious absence for the start of minicamp. Perhaps the most interesting part about it is that he was just in town over the weekend at David Njoku's Celebrity Softball game.

Entering the final year of his current contract though, it became pretty obvious why he wasn't there. Kevin Stefanski called his absence "unexcused," which means he can be fined up to $16,953 for missing the first day. If he misses the next two those fines could grow to as much as $100,000. If Cooper truly wants a new contract before the start of the season this standoff could linger into training camp. We'll see if it gets that far, but for now its all eyes on Cooper while he remains away from the team.

2) Present And Accounted For

Besides Cooper most of the other veteran players were present and accounted for. Players who had been working away from the team throughout the spring such as: Myles Garrett, Dalvin Tomlinson, David Njoku, Juan Thornhill, Rodney McLeod and Shelby Harris were all in attendance on Tuesday.

Additional players like Jedrick Wills, Jack Conklin, Joel Bitonio and Grant Delpit, who are rehabbing from injuries and hadn't been seen much were all out on the field as observers at the very least. There were some initial questions about Jerry Jeudy who was missing as well, but the team shared that he was doing work inside, dealing with a minor injury. The only real absence was Cooper.

3) Consider It Progress

Aside from the Cooper situation, much of the offseason conversation revolves around Deshaun Watson's rehab from shoulder surgery. There was progress made on Tuesday, in the form of Watson handling first team reps and throwing the football in 7-on-7 drills. That was a phase of practice that Watson stayed out of during OTAs, aside from a few instances where he took snaps and pretended to throw the ball.

The next step will be doing the same thing in 11-on-11 drills, but it doesn't sound like that will come this week for Watson. He remains mum on the subject of when he'll be able to ramp things up even more, simply toeing the company line that he's listening to the doctors. The next big hurdle for him will likely come next month when training camp opens up.

More from Deshaun taking 7-on-7 reps in the red zone. Just missed David Njoku in the back of the end zone a little high. pic.twitter.com/9I1IDFtChO
— (@Spencito_) June 11, 2024

4) First Up At Returner

The Browns worked on the new kickoff for just the second time in front of the media and with more players in attendance we got our first glimpse at some of the initial returner combinations. They included a running back duo of Jerome Ford and Pierre Strong Jr. together. A wide receivercombo of Ahmarean Brown and Jamari Thrash. And a bit of both duo featuring Elijah Moore and D’Onta Foreman.

Perhaps when Jeudy returns to practice he could get some looks as well, among others. Stefanski shared that Garrett put his hand up when they asked for volunteers to return kicks. Asked if the star defensive end will actually get some reps back there, the Browns head coach left us with a cliffhanger. "Tune in," he said.

This article first appeared on Cleveland Browns on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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