Latest news with #OrangeandBrownTalk
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Browns Reporter Reacts to Garrett Missing OTAs
Browns Reporter Reacts to Garrett Missing OTAs originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Cleveland Browns need edge rusher Myles Garrett to make good on his new four-year, $160 million contract. They need him to play like one of the best defensive players in the sport and elevate a young defense along the way. Advertisement But do they need him to be at organized team activities (OTAs)? Amongst the Cleveland faithful, that answer is still up in the air. Garrett wasn't in attendance for the team's recent bout of OTAs. Instead, he was in Japan, enjoying a well-deserved vacation. Browns reporter Mary Kay Cabot reacted to Garrett missing OTAs by revealing the simple truth about his attendance. "Myles has really, truthfully, whether we like it or not, a little bit of a different set of rules than everybody else," Cabot explained on the 'Orange and Brown Talk' podcast (h/t Zac Wassink). "And he has kind of earned that by being the best defensive player in the NFL, by earning NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2023, by being on the road to the Hall of Fame, and by getting himself ready every single year to go out there and dominate." Advertisement It goes without saying that Garrett doesn't need to be at OTAs to play well. Nothing in May is making a meaningful difference ahead of Year 9, especially for someone as accomplished as Garrett. As such, it isn't about his performance as much as it is about his leadership. In several circumstances, it would be reasonable to suggest that showing up for offseason workouts is necessary. It was a bad look when quarterback Aaron Rodgers missed practice with the New York Jets to vacation in Egypt. The team looking out of sorts for 17 games didn't help that image. Other times, it could signal contract discontent and foreshadow future issues. Fortunately for Cleveland, Garrett working in sync with his peers isn't as important on the defensive line as it is under center. With his recent raise, the negotiating table isn't a concern either. Those wanting Garrett to be a better leader may not have to wait long, either. With training camp marked on the calendar and plenty of opportunities throughout the season, Garrett stands to make an impact between Sundays before wreaking havoc on game day. Advertisement Browns fans may not love that most of his leadership will come away from the cameras, but it's worth giving Garrett the benefit of the doubt that there's more to his presence than missing a rather meaningless workout. Related: We Talkin' Bout Practice? Shedeur Stats Going Viral Related: Jeudy Gets Honest on Cleveland's Quarterback Situation This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on May 31, 2025, where it first appeared.
New York Post
3 days ago
- Sport
- New York Post
The brutal reality for Shedeur Sanders as Browns' QB competition begins
Shedeur Sanders is carving up players who will be on practice squads or out of the NFL come September. And that may be an apt description for his standing. Mary Kay Cabot noted after Sanders' stats in a recent organized team activities (OTA) went viral that the polarizing prospect is the team's fourth-string quarterback. Advertisement 3 Shedeur Sanders during a recent OTA. AP 'Shedeur Sanders … did not take one rep in 11-on-11s,' Cabot said earlier this week on the 'Orange and Brown Talk' podcast. 'He has to come in here as the fourth-string quarterback and work his way up that depth chart. So, he did not take a team rep. He did not have (rookie defensive tackle) Mason Graham in his face yesterday at all.' Advertisement Discussion of Sanders' positioning in the Browns' quarterback battle comes after the four contenders for the starting job in Sanders, Kenny Pickett, Joe Flacco and Dillon Gabriel participated in OTAs this week. Deshaun Watson is expected to miss the season after undergoing Achilles tendon surgeries. Cabot and Dan Labee offered key context on the podcast to the eye-popping practice stats from ESPN Cleveland that showed Sanders completed 7-of-9 passes with three touchdowns – better numbers than Pickett, Flacco and Gabriel had that same day. Except that all of Sanders' production came during 7-on-7 periods, presumably against the back end of the defensive roster. Advertisement Why is that distinction important? Spring practices are structured to favor offensive success because defensive linemen run by the quarterbacks and raise their hands for what would be a sack. Then, take it one step further and 7-on-7s — with no pass rush and endless quarterback comfort — are even more slanted toward completions. Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski indicated the snaps order isn't rigid. Advertisement 3 Sanders is running fourth in the race, per the report. AP 'We're mixing it up every single day,' Stefanski said. 'So that's why I tell you not to read much into it, even though you guys don't listen to me. But we're just trying to get guys exposure to different concepts, those types of things. So, it varies by walkthrough. It can vary by drill. It's not something that we're really — we're not leaning into or worried about the order at this moment.' As a point of snap comparison, the Giants gave Russell Wilson most of the first-team 11-on-11 reps during last week's OTA but also mixed in rookie Jaxson Dart for three plays with the starters. Jameis Winston ran the second-team offense, Dart was first up with the third-team offense and fourth-stringer Tommy DeVito – the former viral sensation – only took four snaps (none consecutively) with the third-team offense. Sanders is not to blame for the NFL world running with his practice stats. He can only do the most with the reps he is given. 3 The four potential starters in Cleveland. Advertisement But – because he is the celebrity son of a Hall of Famer who endured an unprecedented fall from much-hyped first-round prospect to fifth-round pick – his development is going to be a major story this season. Before he can dream of getting on the field in a real game, Sanders has to start to earn some of the 11-on-11 reps that Pickett, Flacco and fellow rookie and third-round pick Gabriel are taking in practice. His 7-on-7 numbers are a good first small step when framed correctly.
New York Post
4 days ago
- Sport
- New York Post
The crucial context behind Shedeur Sanders' eye-popping practice stats
The Browns quarterbacks' stats were tracked during Wednesday's OTAs session and a certain polarizing fifth-round draft selection had some eye-popping numbers. In a graphic posted to X by ESPN Cleveland, Shedeur Sanders looked to have had far and away the best session Wednesday — an efficient 7-of-9 with a team-leading three touchdowns. Advertisement But Sanders' numbers lacked crucial context: he did not participate in any 11-on-11 drills. While he still certainly had himself a nice day, Sanders only took 7-on-7 reps whereas the 11-on-11 drills were split between Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett and fellow 2025 draft pick Dillon Gabriel. On Thursday's episode of the 'Orange and Brown Talk' podcast, hosts Dan Labbe, Mary Kay Cabot and Ashley Bastock discussed the misrepresentation of the OTAs stats. Advertisement 3 Shedeur Sanders is looking to make his way up the Browns' depth chart as he's currently quarterback No. 4. AP 'Shedeur Sanders, as we so aptly told everybody yesterday, did not take one rep in 11-on-11s,' Cabot said. 'He has to come in here as the fourth-string quarterback and work his way up that depth chart. So, he did not take a team rep. He did not have Mason Graham in his face yesterday at all.' Sanders, and any other quarterback, will have a better performance without a defensive line putting any pressure on him in a 7-on-7 setting. Advertisement 3 Kenny Pickett (8) and Joe Flacco (15) are the Browns' top two quarterbacks on the depth chart at this stage in the offseason. AP 'There's just no real context to those numbers either in that graphic,' Bastock added. 'Basically what you're saying, one guy, Shedeur, was not in 11-on-11s at all. The other guy's numbers, I would assume, but I don't know for sure, include their 11-on-11 numbers.' The crew emphasized the importance of this context, as social media was a bit set ablaze upon seeing Sanders one-up the rest of the Cleveland quarterback room by such a wide margin. 'The thing took on a life of its own,' Labbe said. 'Everybody's picking up on this and everybody's talking about it and it's showing up on national TV shows and people were seeing major media outlets tweet it and put it on their socials and all of that.' Advertisement 3 Dillon Gabriel was selected in the third round of this year's draft — ahead of Shedeur Sanders who was taken in the fifth. AP While it's true that all drills aren't created equally, Sanders did go out and do what he needed to Wednesday — whether the stats are a bit misleading or not. 'This is the celebrity, this is the world of Shedeur Sanders,' Labbe said. 'He didn't do anything wrong. He just showed up and practiced. But the rest of the world has run with these OTA stats.'
