The Cleveland Browns started their training camp for the 2023 season this weekend down in Greenbrier, West Virginia. This is a little bit of a change for the team as they usually have their camp in Berea. The team is playing against the New York Jets in the first preseason game of the NFL on August 3rd over in Canton, Ohio for the traditional Hall of Fame Game.
Because of the early start, the team decided to spend the next 10 days at Greenbrier.
After Day 1 of camp, the team seems to be off to a good start. We’ll look at a few things that have been reported on the team and its players. We’ll also look at a few other highlights of the Browns preseason so far.
(Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images)
Marquise Goodwin
The new wide receiver for the Browns, who was signed as a free agent, was discovered to have blood clots in his legs and lungs after a recent medical check. At this point, it’s unknown if the wide receiver will practice or play this season. He is with the team in West Virginia, but the Browns coach Kevin Stefanski didn’t have any more news to share on Goodwin after the first day of practice. His teammates, like wide receiver Amari Cooper, though are supporting Goodwin as he recovers from this medical condition.
The Browns did sign another wide receiver Austin Watkins, who last played for the Birmingham Stallions of the USFL. He happens to be cousins with Sammy Watkins, a veteran NFL wide receiver who happens to be a free agent. Would Cleveland consider signing the other Watkins as well? Stay tuned!
Anthony Walker and Sione Takitaki
Both players were present and on the field on Day 1 of camp, which is big news considering both were recovering from serious injuries a season ago. Walker had suffered a torn quadricep last year and Takitaki had torn his ACL so having each out there was an excellent sign of their availability as we enter the regular season that starts in September.
Nick Chubb is the No. 1 NFL running back
This week the Madden 24 Game came out with their preliminary ratings of the players and Nick Chubb was ranked No. 1 among the running backs in the league. He was given a rating of 97 out of 100. Cristian McCaffrey, of the San Francisco 49ers, was rated as the No. 2 running back. Last year Chubb was listed as the No. 3 running back so this is a nice boost for the Browns star running back.
A numbers change
Both cornerback Greg Newsome and linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah changed their roster numbers this week. Owusu-Koromoah announced he was returning to the No. 6 jersey. He used to wear that number in college when he played at Notre Dame.
The Browns drafted the Fighting Irish linebacker three years ago when former Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield was leading the charge and he sported the No. 6 jersey.
Newsome decided to wear the No. 0 jersey, which will be a first for a Cleveland player. The NFL just started to allow teams to offer the 0 jersey and now Newsome will wear it. Newsome has been in the news recently as well because his former coach at Northwestern Pat Fitzgerald was fired for ignoring a serious hazing problem on his teams of the past.
Initially, Newsome came out in support of his coach but has since then deleted his social media posts as criticism of his coach escalated.
Now Newsome will wear the No. 0 uniform. It’s certainly distinctive and hopefully, it will help him play better. Newsome is entering his third season and doesn’t have an interception in his NFL career. For that matter, he only had one interception while playing at Northwestern for three years.
The alternate uniforms released
Probably the biggest story of the week was the Browns releasing news of their new alternate uniforms which go back to the team’s start in 1946. The team will wear an all-white uniform, including a white helmet like they started as a franchise way back in the day. The uniform will be worn by the team three times this season including the Week 2 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday Night Football. They’ll also wear the new outfit against the San Francisco 49ers and then the New York Jets.
Hopefully, the new gear will bring the team similar luck it did for the teams of the 1940s and 50s when the team won eight championships from 1946 to 1964. They wore the white helmets from 1946 to 1951 and won five titles during that stretch.
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