Position battles: Browns coach Pat Shurmur said he would like to keep six wide receivers on the 53-man roster, and undrafted rookie receiver Josh Cooper is fighting for a job. He made a case for himself Saturday by diving over the middle to grab a pass from rookie quarterback Brandon Weeden, his teammate at Oklahoma State. The play elicited loud cheers from the crowd.
Who stood out: Rookie wide receiver Josh Gordon. He beat cornerback Sheldon Brown’s coverage on a fade route along the sideline and hauled in a deep pass from Weeden in seven-on-seven action. Gordon later caught a long touchdown pass from Weeden on fourth down in a two-minute drill.
Highs and lows: In an 11-on-11 drill, quarterback Colt McCoy threw a perfect pass to rookie receiver Travis Benjamin on a deep route. Benjamin, though, dropped the ball even though he was wide open. Fans shouted words of encouragement to McCoy. … In a two-minute drill, linebacker Scott Fujita deflected a pass from Weeden, and defensive end Jabaal Sheard picked it off. … Weeden and the first-team offense got another chance and capitalized when Weeden and Gordon connected for a touchdown. … McCoy and the second-team offense set up Spencer Lanning’s successful 37-yard field goal with their drive during the two-minute drill. … In more 11-on-11 action, cornerback Buster Skrine zoomed off the edge of the line of scrimmage, trying to disrupt a pitch to running back Brandon Jackson, and offensive tackle Oniel Cousins crushed Skrine with a ferocious block. The players and fans went wild. … The same 11-on-11 session ended with rookie defensive tackle John Hughes pinning offensive lineman Dominic Alford on the ground before teammates broke up the minor scuffle.
Sidelined: Linebacker Chris Gocong (suffered a season-ending torn Achilles’ tendon during practice), kicker Jeff Wolfert (undisclosed), wide receiver Carlton Mitchell (leg), free safety Usama Young (undisclosed), fullback Eddie Williams (undisclosed), tight end Benjamin Watson (undisclosed), defensive lineman Brian Schaefering (undisclosed), defensive end Frostee Rucker (undisclosed) and defensive tackle Phil Taylor (pectoral muscle).
Today’s schedule: Players are off. The next practice is set for 2-4:30 p.m. Monday, and it’s open to the public.
— Nate Ulrich
