A busy day in Berea has come to an end.
Two more, and it's summer break for the Browns before a late July return for training camp.
A theme today, though, centered on all of the work some players do when they're far removed from the Browns facility in Berea.
1. Shelton hits his goal
Danny Shelton envisioned being slimmer entering his second NFL season, but he didn't expect to hit his goal as soon as he did.
Consider it a pleasant surprise the former first-round pick is using as motivation as he continues to build himself into the kind of shape he wants to be when the season opens Sept. 11, in Philadelphia.
Shelton, Cleveland's second-year nose guard, ended his rookie year at 365 pounds. He's now at 335 after an offseason that included some mixed martial arts before the start of the offseason workout program. He called Director of High Performance Adam Beard and strength and conditioning coordinator Evan Marcus his "secret weapons."
"I really am just taking the opportunity with (defensive coordinator Ray) Horton and Coach (Hue) Jackson coming in, to show them a new player," Shelton said. "Obviously everybody has a fresh start with these new coaches, but I wanted to take advantage of that opportunity to start the change with myself. When I was able to change my weight, drop the weight, it was more me being accountable and sacrificing myself for the team."
2. Coleman connecting with QBs
Browns first-round wide receiver Corey Coleman built chemistry with third-round quarterback Cody Kessler in the buildup to the draft, and that's continued through their first two months together in Cleveland.
When they're not on the field together, Coleman and Kessler will connect after practice, whether it be on the phone or FaceTime to go over plays and prepare for the next day's session.
"We're both so eager to get here and hop into the fire," Coleman said. "He's a quarterback so I know he's been studying a lot, they have a lot of responsibilities. We went over some plays and I had questions for him, he had questions for me."
Coleman never shared the field with Robert Griffin III at Baylor, but the two have grown close in the time they've had together and it promises to blossom over the summer. Coleman said he planned to meet up with Griffin at some point during the Browns' six-week break before training camp.
"We get together in the morning a lot of the time and go over the script, what we're going to be running for that day's practice, at nighttime if I have any questions, he'll come to my room and we'll go over the script for tomorrow so he's always there if I need him, he's always available," Coleman said. "And I'm thankful to have him as a quarterback because he's on me, he expects a lot out of me and I expect a lot out of him. So we hold each other accountable.
"Wherever Robert is, I'm gonna be out there working out with him making sure that we come back and we're on point that we haven't lost a beat."
3. Desmond Bryant embracing 'elder statesman' role
This is a new feeling for Desmond Bryant, but the veteran defensive lineman is taking it in stride.
After some offseason turnover within the Browns defensive line room, Bryant is now the oldest member of a group that has a nice mix of rookies, players entering their prime and seasoned players such as himself.
At 30, Bryant is the oldest by three years among Cleveland's nine defensive linemen. He's coming off a productive season in which he led the team with six sacks and provided the unit with a steady, reliable presence amid a year full of injuries and adversity.
"I want to be a better leader," Bryant said. "This is the first time that I am an 'elder statesman' in the D-Line room. With that, I get a little more responsibility. On and off of the field, I just want to be more vocal with the guys. I want to let them know what I am thinking more, which is something I haven't done in the past."
4. Four days too long for many Browns
On Thursday, Jackson said he hoped the Browns would come back from their four-day weekend prepared to make the most of the team's three-day minicamp.
He got his wish and then some.
Jackson said 49 players returned to the facility on their own volition at some point during their four-day layoff before Tuesday's practice. In turn, Jackson liked the response from the team and said it was a significant improvement from their first practice of the final week of OTAs.
