Browns rookie minicamp: Saturday morning summary

The Browns worked on the short passing game and only one play stood out, but it was a throw rarely seen in Berea.

Quarterback Brandon Weeden rolled to his left, left his feet and hit tight end Joseph Halahuni for a 15- to 20-yard gain on an out pattern.

“Nice throw, Weeds,” yelled Nolan Cromwell, the new senior assistant-offense.

“He’s got decent feet and he’s naturally accurate. It’s just a matter of him getting used to how we do things and I think that accuracy will show,” Browns coach Pat Shurmur said of the play.

Undrafted free agent slot receiver Josh Cooper, Weeden’s teammate at Oklahoma State, said he’d seen such athleticism from Weeden before.

“We did that a few times. He’s looking really good doing that, rolling to his left, anyway,” Cooper said.

Asked about Weeden’s touch and accuracy, Cooper said, “ He can either fire it in there or put some touch on it. He’s that kind of quarterback. He knows what to do with the ball.”

Way to move

It’s hard to tell much from position work, but James-Michael Johnson, a fourth-round pick from Nevada, looked much more smooth and quick in lateral footwork drills than Emmanuel Acho, a sixth-rounder from Texas.

Getting better already

Used to playing in the shotgun in a spread offense, Weeden dropped one snap from center in team drills, appearing to pull out too fast, but Shurmur thought that problem was much improved from Friday.

“Everything was a little bit smoother, from the play call in the huddle, getting lined up and the quarterback-center exchange,” Shurmur said.

Not close

Weeden’s longest throw of the morning, a bomb to first-year player Rod Windsor, was way overthrown. Windsor was double covered by Tashaun Gipson and David Sims.

About that tat

Johnson has a tattoo on his upper right arm that says “King James” with a large crown below it. He said he’s prepared to get some grief from fans in Northeast Ohio about the most recent King James.

Voices carry

The most vocal of the coaches was Cromwell, who could be heard above everyone else. The former Rams safety obviously hasn’t lost his passion for the game.

Quote of the day

Shurmur when asked what he would say about running back Trent Richardson’s physique: “Wow.”

“He’s a very powerful man, powerfully built,” Shurmur said. “Don’t let the 5-9 ½ fool you. He’s almost 230 pounds. That’s a lot of muscle packed into that body.”