The sun had barely started to appear over the trees and homes of Berea, but the lines for fans to enter the practice fields behind the Browns headquarters had already begun to snake down Beech Street hours before the first practice of the season was set to begin.
Sunblock was applied, chants were yelled and excitement was evident when the gates finally opened for fans to witness the beginning of one of the most promising eras in recent Browns history.
As the opening horn blared, fans lucky enough to find a spot in the bleachers squeezed into the stands behind Field 3. Others packed the perimeter of the field and stood on their toes, desperate for a peek at some of the Browns stars who have brought a new level of excitement to Cleveland.
And in case any fans were wondering, yes, the players noticed.
"(There was) a lot more excitement," quarterback Baker Mayfield said. "There's more people that are excited to watch us play. It's good to have that energy, and it'll be vital for them to have that same energy later in camp when guys aren't as fresh and aren't running on adrenaline that much. It's great to see it."
Check out photos from the first day of Browns Camp by team photographer Matt Starkey
Wide receiver Jarvis Landry (80) during the first day of training camp on July 25, 2019.
Center Willie Wright (66) during the first day of training camp on July 25, 2019.
Cornerback Robert Jackson (34) during the first day of training camp on July 25, 2019.
Head Coach Freddie Kitchens during the first day of training camp on July 25, 2019.
Quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) during the first day of training camp on July 25, 2019.
Safety Sheldrick Redwine (33) during the first day of training camp on July 25, 2019.
Offensive guard Joel Bitonio (75) during the first day of training camp on July 25, 2019.
Wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. (13) during the first day of training camp on July 25, 2019.
Quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) during the first day of training camp on July 25, 2019.
Running Back D'Ernest Johnson (30) during the first day of training camp on July 25, 2019.
Wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. (13) during the first day of training camp on July 25, 2019.
Offensive tackle Ka'John Armstrong (69) during the first day of training camp on July 25, 2019.
Offensive guard Joel Bitonio (75) during the first day of training camp on July 25, 2019.
Quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) during the first day of training camp on July 25, 2019.
Wide receiver Jaelen Strong (10) during the first day of training camp on July 25, 2019.
Safety Damarious Randall (23) during the first day of training camp on July 25, 2019.
Defensive end Chad Thomas (92) during the first day of training camp on July 25, 2019.
Wide receiver Antonio Callaway (11), Wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. (13) and Wide receiver Jarvis Landry (80) during the first day of training camp on July 25, 2019.
Cornerback Lenzy Pipkins (41) during the first day of training camp on July 25, 2019.
Cornerback Donnie Lewis Jr. (37) during the first day of training camp on July 25, 2019.
Wide receiver Dorian Baker (19) and Cornerback Tavierre Thomas (20) during the first day of training camp on July 25, 2019.
Cornerback Greedy Williams (26) during the first day of training camp on July 25, 2019.
Wide Receiver Ishmael Hyman (16) during the first day of training camp on July 25, 2019.
Defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson (98) during the first day of training camp on July 25, 2019.
Defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson (98) and Wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. (13) during the first day of training camp on July 25, 2019.
Linebacker Sione Takitaki (44) during the first day of training camp on July 25, 2019.
Cornerback Juston Burris (31) during the first day of training camp on July 25, 2019.
Cornerback Robert Jackson (34) and Cornerback Juston Burris (31) during the first day of training camp on July 25, 2019.
Defensive end Myles Garrett (95) during the first day of training camp on July 25, 2019.
Cornerback Denzel Ward (21) during the first day of training camp on July 25, 2019.
Linebacker Mack Wilson (51) during the first day of training camp on July 25, 2019.
Wide receiver Jarvis Landry (80) and Jimmy Haslam during the first day of training camp on July 25, 2019.
Safety Damarious Randall (23) during the first day of training camp on July 25, 2019.
Head Coach Freddie Kitchens during the first day of training camp on July 25, 2019.
Defensive end Myles Garrett (95) during the first day of training camp on July 25, 2019.
Defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi (65) during the first day of training camp on July 25, 2019.
Linebacker Sione Takitaki (44) during the first day of training camp on July 25, 2019.
Defensive end Jarrell Owens (62) during the first day of training camp on July 25, 2019.
Cornerback Denzel Ward (21) and Wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. (13) during the first day of training camp on July 25, 2019.
Linebacker Willie Harvey (56) during the first day of training camp on July 25, 2019.
Linebacker Christian Kirksey (58) during the first day of training camp on July 25, 2019.
Defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson (98), Defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi (65) and Defensive end Olivier Vernon (54) during the first day of training camp on July 25, 2019.
Defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson (98) during the first day of training camp on July 25, 2019.
Denzel Ward and Steve Smith during the first day of training camp on July 25, 2019.
The loudest moments of practice came on a set of plays from Mayfield and Odell Beckham Jr. The veteran wide receiver made one of the smoothest catches of the day with a leaping sideline grab in front of the bleachers, sending the crowd into a frenzy.
With fans still buzzing from Beckham's catch, the three-time Pro Bowler made another slick grab on the next play in nearly the same spot, juggling and corralling a ball as his knees hit the grass a few inches away from the sideline.
But the smoothness of the play didn't matter. Fans clapped and cheered for each catch Beckham made, and they certainly approved of the one-handed grab from his best friend, Jarvis Landry, during individual drills at the beginning of practice, too.
"You can feel it," Beckham Jr. said. "You don't even have to hear. I'm a real empath, so I can feel the hunger and the want to win from these fans, and that's something we want to showcase and give to them."
That's what the fans wanted, and those who missed out will have plenty more opportunities to see it again. The Browns will host 14 more open practices until Week 1, and Freddie Kitchens wants to give fans as much training camp exposure as possible.
"We want as many (practices) as possible to be open because that's what our fans deserve," Kitchens said. "It's expensive to go to a football game. There's a lot of fans out there that can't afford to go to a game. So in saying that, they're still a part of this organization and what we're trying to do also. So any time we can give back to our fans, we'd like to do it."
All of the tickets for the Browns' remaining practices have been distributed, but a limited number of walk-ins will be accepted at each one.
The annual Orange & Brown Scrimmage will take place on August 3rd at FirstEnergy Stadium.Click for information and tickets.
