AURORA -- Kenny Britt wasn't golfing Monday. He had other plans that involved poking some fun at his new teammates.
"I'm definitely going to have my phone out," Britt said with a laugh Monday at the 18th annual Cleveland Browns Foundation Golf tournament.
The smile Britt sported Monday has been a common sight since he signed with the Browns in March. The nine-year veteran has embraced his new city, new team and new role as a mentor on one of the league's youngest rosters.
"It's good to be in a city where the fans love you and and you get to get closer to the fans," Britt said. "It's been exciting. I've never been in a locker room this close in my nine years of my career. The coaching staff is awesome, the people around the city and around the stadium and whole facility, everybody is looking forward to this year and that's what I'm excited about."
On the eve of OTAs, Britt has yet to do anything more than a month's worth of offseason workouts with his new teammates, but he's had a hard time tempering his excitement.
Coming off one of his most productive NFL seasons -- 68 receptions, 1,002 yards, five touchdowns -- Britt has embraced a mentorship role within Cleveland's young room of wide receivers. Barring any new, free agent additions, Britt is poised to be a part of a wide receiving corps that includes a number of first- and second-year players, including former first-rounder Corey Coleman and the team's three Day 3 picks from last year -- Ricardo Louis, Rashard Higgins and Jordan Payton.
"Those guys are talented and they're young and they're keeping me young," Britt said. "I always take from other receivers and young receivers because they can always teach you something. I might be the oldest in the room but I can learn from those young guys, too."
Britt said he's staying sharp with his new playbook thanks to his wide receivers coach, veteran assistant Al Saunders. He and the rest of Cleveland's receivers are quizzed in the classroom on a daily basis, something Britt said he's never experienced on that kind of level during his NFL career.
Those classroom sessions prefaced the workouts that brought Britt even closer to the teammates he's comfortable enough around to snap unflattering pictures of their day on the golf course.
"Each and every person is willing to sacrifice and get better each and every day," Britt said. "You might see guys tired because we've been working so hard but you see guys pulling them up and pushing them to get better. That's something I haven't been around my whole career, so I'm excited."
