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Need to Know: Browns kicker competition heating up

Day 13 of training camp is in the books.

Here's what you need to know.

— Browns coach Hue Jackson said he'll name a starting quarterback for the Giants game sometime next week, though he emphasized he's not in a rush to do so.

"We're in this training camp mode. We're not thinking about New York. We're trying to get better," he said. "There are some things from this last game we needed to clean up. We are working through those, and we will continue to do that. The quarterback thing, as I go through practice and keep watching tape, will sort itself out. It's not the thing that is heavy on my mind that way. Obviously, we need to make a decision when the time comes and we will, but right now today, I still think it's too early."

Brock Osweiler, who started Thursday's preseason opener against the Saints, Cody Kessler, DeShone Kizer and Kevin Hogan are all competing to be the team's starter this fall.

— Jackson said there's been movement in the competition at kicker between incumbent Cody Parkey and rookie Zane Gonzalez, the 2016 Lou Groza Award winner whom the Browns drafted in the seventh round. "I think it's kind of close. I'm not going to say which way it is, but at the same time, they're still working through it."

As the preseason continues, Jackson said the competition should "show itself pretty soon" and added special teams coordinator Chris Tabor is a "master at what he does."

"He takes them through his process, which I know all about, to see if a guy can handle certain pressures. It's not just out here," he said. "It's in the classroom. It's understanding where to put the ball, how to put the ball in certain places. There's a lot that goes into to it, more so than just kicking at the end of practice."

— With a re-commitment to the run game, the Browns are poised to improve after a 2016 season of highs and lows on the ground. "It's better because we have better players on our roster that are playing inside," Jackson said, referencing the additions of right guard Kevin Zeitler and center JC Tretter in free agency.

"We have some guys that are starting to really play. We just have to continue to grind, and eventually, we'll get a real unit together where they're playing. It's important as we start to get closer toward the regular season, some of these guys will not be on the side. We'll be done with the taking care of guys, making sure we are getting through practice so we can continue to build on our offensive football team."

The Browns finished 19th in rushing yards last season, averaging 107 yards per game.

The team practices Sunday.

—  After an awkward fall sidelined him for most of OTAs, second-year wide receiver Corey Coleman is feeling healthy and ready to step up this fall. 'I have some big goals for the season. I'm excited for this season, too," the former first-round NFL Draft pick said. "We've been working really hard. I am just ready for everybody to see the work we have been doing."

— Coleman has also liked what he's seen from the other wide receivers selected his same draft class. Ricardo Louis, a fourth-round pick last year, has emerged as a potential No. 3 option in Cleveland's wide receiving corps. Rashard Higgins, a fifth-rounder, has made a number of big plays on the practice field, including a lethal double-move Saturday. And Jordan Payton, also a fifth-round pick, was on the receiving end of DeShone Kizer's game-winning, 45-yard touchdown pass Thursday against the Saints.

"I'm proud of them. Those are like my sons. Those are my guys," Coleman said.  "I came in with them and I'm just really proud of them with the way they're getting better and taking this process in the classroom, when they're taking notes, working techniques and getting better. I'm excited for those guys."

— Since joining Cleveland's roster last year, Briean Boddy-Calhoun has grown close to fifth-year cornerback Jamar Taylor, leaning on the veteran for advice and tricks of the trade. It wasn't a surprise, then, when he praised Taylor, who received a three-year extension last winter for a breakout campaign in 2016. "If he was a craftsman, he would have a lot the tools in his tool box. I'm not a tool guy so I'm not going to try to name all the tools he has, but I'm just saying, the guy can play off, he can play inside and he can go back and play safety," he said.

"He can play middle linebacker if you ask him to because he's just that versatile. When you talk about off the field, he's the guy that does all the right things. He's in here until camp night. We already break at 10 o'clock with 11 o'clock curfew and he's still in here. Like, you're saying, 'Let's go home. We've been here since 6 o'clock.' When you look at a guy like that, his ceiling is extremely high."​

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