The Browns had their first practice in full pads Monday morning on a rainy day at The Greenbrier.
Head coach Kevin Stefanski, who moved practice to earlier in the morning to try and beat the rain, credited the Browns staff for being able to improvise to take advantage of a slight break in the poor weather.
"I'm really pleased that we were able to adjust, you know, credit to our logistics team, security, equipment – you name it," Stefanski said Monday morning. "To get that operation going, changing the schedule, getting everything down there, I thought they did a great job."
Making changes on the fly is an essential part of competing in the NFL, even when it involves something as seemingly simple as moving the start of practice.
"We adjust. That's part of this game of football, that's part of sports – team sports in particular, you have to adjust," Stefanski said.
Although Monday's practice was a short one, it was the first time players have put pads on since the 2023 season's conclusion. Pads or no pads, Stefanski said he expects fierce competition from his players in each practice.
"I think one of our core things we believe in is competing in everything we do," Stefanski said, adding that he planned on returning to just helmets Tuesday before another fully padded practice Thursday. "So, in training camp, as you get going and the dog days kick in and it gets maybe more chippy and those type of things, that's natural in training camp. But, we hope to compete in every practice."
Injury updates
On Monday, the Browns announced that C Brian Allen would be placed on the reserved/injured list after suffering a calf injury on the third day of practice. The Browns signed G Zach Johnson in a corresponding transaction.
"Disappointed for him, obviously, with an injury, but we'll see how it shakes out," Stefanski said.
DT Mike Hall and T Dawand Jones did not practice Monday, but Stefanski said the two would be back to the practice field soon.
RB Jerome Ford returned to practice Monday after missing time due to personal reasons. Stefanski said the third-year running back would have an exciting update to share when he speaks with the media.
"He's got a little bundle of joy is the good news, but I'll let him share the details," Stefanski said.
