Saturday Dawg Chow: Browns news (5/4/24)

Dawgs By Nature:

• Executives talk about the Browns’ free agency & draft class, and Cleveland selecting role players (Chris Pokorny) - Every year, Mike Sando of The Athletic gathers quotes from anonymous executives on how teams did in free agency and the NFL Draft. He just finished his piece on the NFL Draft, but I had forgotten that his free agency piece published in early April. Here is what was said about the Cleveland Browns.
• Browns UDFA: Get to know TE Treyton Welch (Barry Shuck) - The Cleveland Browns signed tight end Treyton Welch as an undrafted free agent. Get to know the man who might be the team’s third tight end this season.
• Browns GM Andrew Berry provides Nick Chubb health update (Barry Shuck) - Good news for Cleveland Browns fans. Nick Chubb is at the point of his rehab where he is now getting much better.
• Browns GM: ‘We have high expectations’ for Deshaun Watson (Thomas Moore) - Andrew Berry expects quarterback Deshaun Watson and the offense to be ready to roll this fall.

Cleveland Browns:

• How the bizarre story of Browns top draft picks Mike Hall Jr. and Zak Zinter began, and how they want it to end (cleveland.com) - When former Ohio State defensive tackle Mike Hall Jr. was sent careening into Michigan right guard Zak Zinter’s leg in the Wolverines’ 30-24 victory at The Big House in November, the players had no idea that a lifetime connection would be forged over two broken bones, and that their story had only just begun.
• Browns pick Jamari Thrash ‘not messing around’ with NFL chance, Louisville WR coach says (Beacon Journal) - Garrick McGee hadn’t met Jamari Thrash before the University of Louisville wide receivers coach recruited him out of the transfer portal from Georgia State after the 2022 season. However, it didn’t take long for McGee to notice something that set the then-22-year-old wide receiver apart.
• Browns analysis: How do this year’s draft picks fit in? (Browns Zone) - The draft picks won’t practice in a Cleveland Browns uniform until May 10. They won’t join the veterans on the field until organized team activities May 21. Their first preseason action won’t come until August. Don’t worry. It’s never too early to project how they fit on the team.

NFL:

• Why Commanders selected Jayden Daniels No. 2 in NFL draft (ESPN) - With the Chicago Bears on the clock holding the first pick in the 2024 NFL draft, Washington Commanders general manager Adam Peters gathered scouts, coaches, executives and other Commanders personnel in the team’s makeshift war room to make the announcement many had long anticipated.
• Odell Beckham Jr.’s signing should give Dolphins a dangerous trio of receivers (Miami Herald) - The NFL was already on high alert because of the offensive weaponry the No. 1-ranked Miami Dolphins offense had last season, so just imagine what’s possible now that Odell Beckham Jr. has agreed to terms. Beckham, a three-time Pro Bowl selection who has started 97 NFL games, plans to sign a one-year deal with the Dolphins that will pay him a base salary of $3 million, but features $5.25 million in incentives, according to a league source.
• Jets HC Robert Saleh doesn’t expect Aaron Rodgers (Achilles) to have restrictions in OTAs (NFL.com) - Aaron Rodgers is still on track for takeoff in 2024. The 40-year-old quarterback is expected to fully participate in organized team activities with no restrictions later this month, coach Robert Saleh said Friday.
• Michael Irvin out at NFL Network as ‘NFL Total Access’ shuts down (The Athletic) - Michael Irvin is out at NFL Network, while one of the network’s original signature shows — “NFL Total Access” — is done after more than two decades on the air, sources briefed on the moves told The Athletic on Friday. This is all part of the continuing layoffs and cutbacks at NFL Network, which have been ongoing for months.