Day 7 of training camp is in the books. Here's what you need to know.
— Browns coach Hue Jackson said Myles Garrett, the rookie defensive end and No. 1 overall NFL Draft pick, had been flashing in practice all week. That came to a head in Wednesday's practice as Garrett took reps with the first-team defense for the first time since coming to Cleveland.
"It's time," Jackson said. "As I said the other day, you can only keep guys down so long. You just start watching every day, and when you see what he is doing, he is doing a good job."
Garrett, who totaled 31 sacks in three seasons at Texas A&M, is expected to have a significant role on the Browns defense this fall.
— Bruce Smith, the Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive end, attended practice and watched Garrett — whom he has tutored over the years — from the sideline. Jackson, who coached for the Redskins during Smith's final NFL years, said he wants the Browns to continue fostering that bond.
"I thought it was important for him to come out and spend time with us. He knows (defensive coordinator Gregg) Williams. He knows (defensive line coach) Clyde Simmons," he said.
"He knows some of our coaches. We all kind of go back. It was good to see him. He looks like he could still play … Anytime we can have former players who are Hall of Famers come back and talk to our players and be around them, I think that is a good thing."
— Jackson said the Browns could tweak their rotation at quarterback for Friday's Orange and Brown scrimmage, but he hasn't made a decision yet.
"Right now, I don't see any reason to change it. I want to really evaluate that," he said. "I'm going to stand back and just evaluate it all on Friday and not be as involved as I would be just so that I can make a good decision as we move forward for our football team."
Cody Kessler, Brock Osweiler, DeShone Kizer and Kevin Hogan are currently competing to be the team's starter. Kessler, who started eight games as a rookie last year, has taken reps with the first-team offense since offseason workouts.
— The Browns plan to use Jabrill Peppers in multiple ways this fall, but he'll have to earn the right to do so first. Peppers, who will play safety, kick returner and potentially some offense, shrugged off the fact he hasn't yet earned first-team reps. "I didn't really come in with expectations. You get what you put out. The thing I'm going to do is continue to work hard and continue to show them what I can do," he said. "The tape doesn't lie. If you put good things on tape, good things are going to happen to you. That is what my mindset is going to be."
— With the Orange and Brown scrimmage set for Friday evening, Jackson briefly laid out what to expect. "I want to see our team compete. There are certain guys that I want to see perform and do certain things. We will try to make that happen within the scrimmage," he said. "It may not. It may never go the way that you want it to. But we will go for a number of plays and really get a good feel for our football team." Then, on Saturday, the Browns will go through a "mock game" with no tackling. "It will be a good two days for our football team to get ready for next Thursday when we play."
