The Cleveland Browns are preparing for a make-or-break season in 2023.
And with all the news faces and guys looking to make their way up the rotation, the veterans have decided to skip OTAs, as per usual.
According to Scott Petrak, Myles Garrett, Za’Darius Smith, Dalvin Tomlinson, Joel Bitonio, Nick Chubb, David Njoku, and Rodney McLeod didn’t partake in Wednesday’s voluntary practice, which should be nothing to worry about.
#Browns not spotted at today’s voluntary OTAs practice: Myles Garrett, Za’Darius Smith, Dalvin Tomlinson, Joel Bitonio, Nick Chubb, David Njoku, Rodney McLeod.
— Scott Petrak ct (@ScottPetrak) May 31, 2023
They’re all expected to have prominent roles with the team this season, and it’s usual to see veterans and captains often skip voluntary workouts and choose to work out on their own instead.
Notably, team chemistry has been a point of emphasis since Deshaun Watson arrived in Ohio, with the QB taking the team on multiple trips and hosting several private workouts to develop some rapport with his teammates.
This will be a key season for a much-improved Browns team, at least on paper.
Their defense should be way better under Jim Schwartz, especially after all the moves they made and with Tomlinson and Smith now in town.
As for the offense, they added Cedric Tillman and Elijah Moore next to Amari Cooper, and having Watson play with a chip on his shoulder and looking to go back to his MVP-caliber level should make them a legit threat out of the pesky and physical AFC North.
Then again, we’ve already gotten our hopes up way too many times in the past, so we’ll have to wait and see how they perform when it actually matters.
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