Nick Chubb will remain in concussion protocol and won't practice Tuesday after leaving the field with a trainer during Monday's rainy practice.
"It was disappointing," coach Kevin Stefanski said. "We've got to be smart. We've got a lot of work to do, and we're going to continue to have our pads on. We have to make sure we get it done while taking care of each other."
Chubb, whose last play of the day saw him catch a screen pass during a team period, is coming off one of the best seasons by a running back in Browns franchise history. He rushed for 1,494 yards — second-most in the NFL, fourth-most in franchise history — and eight touchdowns.
Kareem Hunt likely will take the bulk of the first-team reps during Chubb's absence.
"Kareem looks great," Stefanski said. "He's really moving around and he has a good grasp on what this offense looks like. We're excited for what Kareem has going forward."
-For Drew Petzing, the difference of talent between first-team tight end reps and third-team tight end reps is fractional.
Petzing, hired as the Browns' tight ends coach in January, is in charge of coaching one of the most loaded rooms on the roster. The tight ends depth chart has four players — Austin Hooper, David Njoku, Stephen Carlson and Pharaoh Brown — who have taken significant snaps at the NFL level and Harrison Bryant, the Browns' 2020 fourth-round pick.
All of the players have the skills to stand out on any NFL team, and Petzing feels lucky to coach such a talented group in his first year in Cleveland.
"I think one of the things that's been really exciting and a lot of fun for me is that we have guys who belong on the field on Sunday," Petzing said. "They all have different strengths and things they do well. It's been a lot of fun, and even early on, we're starting to see that. I think that's only going to progress here as we start practicing."
-As offensive coordinator of the Minnesota Vikings, Stefanski deployed multiple-tight end sets a league-high 57 percent of offensive snaps last season, according to ESPN.
His offensive schemes this season with the Browns could certainly draw a similar percentage, but Stefanski doesn't know at this point how similar it could be.
"I can't specifically say what that will look like," Stefanski said. "The tight ends room, wide receivers room, running backs room — we want to use all of them. There will be some games that call for multiple and might have one person over the other, but that will be dictated by the game plan."
-Stefanski didn't use the rainy conditions Monday as an excuse for the dropped passes and balls on the ground.
He's continued to call the Browns "an outdoor football team," and he expects players to secure the ball no matter what. Monday was certainly good practice for the less-than-desirable passing and catching conditions that can happen on any Sunday, but Stefanski's philosophy won't change — a drop is a drop.
"Receivers, by definition, receive," Stefanski said. "We're going to throw plenty of balls to our running backs and tight ends. That's a standard we expect. That's a pre-practice and post-practice drill, and we had a lot of work on that during the practice itself."
