Fresh Brownies, dozen takes from OTAs. A veteran is laughing while Baker Mayfield is grunting on his way out of bounds. The newest Brown vows to be "part of an uprising." Imagining if Baker Mayfield will play as much as Tyrod Taylor in HIS rookie preseason games. More.
1, Fights in spring practice are like baloney sandwiches at Bender's. You may never see one.
The Browns May-June "OTAs" we have taken in have been intense in their way but have been lighthearted compared to training camp fare.
On one practice play Tuesday, Baker Mayfield didn't like his passing options and took off running through a gap to his right. He was more than 20 yards downfield, speeding toward a sideline, when pursuing defensive end Nate Orchard yelled, laughing, 'Go, Baker, go! Go Baker!'"
The team is having a little fun with its young celebrity.
Mayfield wasn't taking it easy. He was grunting with effort as he ran out of bounds.
2, Six-foot-4 tough guy Devon "Juice" Cajuste is a handy man to watch. He was a plus-sized wideout at Stanford who could be a blocking-receiving threat as a tight end or H-back, depending on how new coordinator Todd Haley sees the pieces fitting together.
Seth DeValve is a third-year Brown, a former fourth-round pick, but he wasn't drafted by the current regime. Cajuste has spent time with Green Bay's practice squad. The Browns are filled with Packer ties.
There will be some roster surprises around Labor Day.
3, Hue Jackson says not to read anything into the fact Mayfield, ostensibly the No. 3 quarterback, took some reps with the "twos" in Tuesday's practice.
"I want to keep tinkering with that a little bit," the head coach said three weeks into spring practice. "I made the decision this week with the staff to get him some reps at second. It is an opportunity to go out there a little sooner than he has. That is all.”
4, Don't be too hasty with your Antonio Callaway plans for your fantasy team. The intriguing fourth-round pick continues to sit out practice.
"It is still the groin," said Jackson, who offered no guess as to when the 21-year-old wideout might return.
5, At one point in team drills, the wideouts on the field with Mayfield were Hollywood Higgins, Damion Ratley and C.J. Board.
They are not well known outside Berea. They're not that well known inside Berea.
Tyrod Taylor spent the afternoon working with Josh Gordon, Corey Coleman and Jarvis Landry. Everybody knows their names.
Except, Taylor never threw to them before this spring.
"We have a starting quarterback," Jackson said. "Tyrod still has to get those reps. Those reps are really important."
6, Jackson won't disclose his early plans for playing Mayfield in preseason games.
The early guess is that he will be the second quarterback in after Taylor, with 34-year-old Drew Stanton seeing action late in games.
You might be surprised by how much Taylor played when he was a rookie Round 6 draft pick during Baltimore's 2011 preseason.
In the Ravens' preseason opener, against Philadelphia, Taylor came on after Joe Flacco milked a field goal out of two series.
Taylor's first play was a sack. His third play was an interception. His fifth play was a 16-yard scramble. He finished the game, playing three full quarters, going 19-of-28 for 179 yards, with two picks, five sacks and six runs for 59 yards in a 13-6 loss.
7, The 22-year-old Mayfield's take on working with the 28-year-old Taylor:
"Ty is a little bit quiet, but the things that he says mean a lot. He leads by example. What he says in the meeting room, like I said, it is not a lot, but when he goes through things, he knows exactly what he is doing."
The Browns acquired one veteran (Taylor) to play and the other veteran (Drew Stanton) to mentor Mayfield.
Stanton has seen plenty. He landed in the NFL the same year as Joe Thomas.
"I can sit back there and ask Drew questions, bounce things off of him, because Ty is in there playing a lot more," Mayfield said.
8, Mayfield addressed the press for the first time since rookie minicamp the first week of May.
He is busy trying to make second nature of taking snaps directly behind the center after years of operating in Oklahoma's shotgun.
"I'm still working at it," Mayfield said, "but it's way more comfortable than the last time I talked to you guys.”
9, It pained former linebacker John Dorsey (76 games with the Packers, mostly as a special-teamer) to cut linebacker Tank Carder (78 games with the Browns, mostly on special teams).
However, the Browns have had depth issues at linebacker in recent times, and Dorsey couldn't pass up a chance to sign a linebacker who mostly is, well, a linebacker.
Mychal Kendricks was the second busiest linebacker on the Eagles last year, logging 614 snaps (Nigel Bradham led with 922). Dorsey signed him as a free agent this week.
He fits Dorsey's "sleeping giant" theme.
"I want to be part of an uprising," he said.
10, Linebacker Christian Kirksey, who signed a big contract extension with the Browns last year, took the Kendricks signing in stride.
"Just knowing John Dorsey, he's going to add good players," Kirksey said.
11, Kendricks is one of the shortest linebackers in the league, having measured at 5-foot-11 1/8 at the 2012 combine. He also is one of the most athletic, recording pre-draft 40 times in the 4.4 range and posting a 40-inch vertical jump.
Kendricks is not short on confidence.
"As long as I'm on that field, I'm going to make something happen … I promise," he said.
12, Kendricks had no taste for delving into the question of whether he was disappointed that the Super Bowl champion Eagles' invitation to the White House was rescinded.
"I'm part of the Browns now, man," he said.
Kendricks had been seen as a potential replacement for injured Ryan Shazier in Pittsburgh. He started 74 regular-season games for the Eagles across six seasons. He started all three postseason games this year.
Reach Steve at 330-580-8347 or steve.doerschuk@cantonrep.com
On Twitter: @sdoerschukREP