Cleveland
Browns

Browns Team Report

Updated: May 25, 2012 04:20 EST

Everything points to Brandon Weeden being the starting quarterback when the Browns open the season against the Eagles, but Colt McCoy isn't quite ready to turn over the job.

On Monday night, general manager Tom Heckert said he fully expects Weeden to win the competition. McCoy, entering his third season in the NFL, has been promised the chance to keep the job.

"I can only go by what they tell me," McCoy said Tuesday (May 22) after a 90-minute session to open OTAs. "This is the card that has been dealt. I'm working as hard as I can. I thought today went great. One of my favorite quotes by the Navy SEALS is, 'The only easy day was yesterday.'

"As a quarterback you have to be able to thrive amid difficulties. I don't want to make this me vs. Seneca (Wallace) or me vs. Brandon. I want to make this about what is best for our team. I don't want there to be any distractions about 'Am I the quarterback or is Brandon the quarterback?' Hopefully the best person will play."

Weeden said essentially the same thing Tuesday, as he has since the night he was drafted on April 26.

Coach Pat Shurmur juggled the lineups in OTAs so at times Weeden was with the first group and at others McCoy was with the starters.

"I think they did some good things," Shurmur said. "I think they practiced fast and they made some good throws, although there were some errors in there. We'll go in there and correct them when we see the tape."

What a difference for McCoy. He was 2-6 as a starter in 2010, lost his last three starts, combined for one touchdown pass and six interceptions in losses to the Ravens and Steelers in the final two games and was still named the starter for 2011 even before Shurmur was hired as head coach.

The 2011 season ended with McCoy on the sideline for the last three games recovering from a concussion. One of the last things team president Mike Holmgren told him as players headed home for the offseason was to expect competition in 2012.

The rumbling grew louder in March when the Browns offered the Rams three first-round draft picks for the second pick. They would have used it on quarterback Robert Griffin III. When the Redskins outbid Cleveland for the Griffin pick the Browns used the 22nd pick on Weeden.

"You can imagine a little bit (what I was thinking), I guess," McCoy said. "But for me, I've read what was said. I heard what was said. I guess my attitude is I've always just wanted to let everyone say what they needed to say. I understand the idea, and if it's a fair competition, then that's all you can ask for.

"I mentioned it earlier. I don't want this to be a situation where it's me vs. him or him vs. me. Let's make it about the Cleveland Browns being a great football team next year. And if that's the case, I'm all in."

McCoy was 4-9 as a starter last season. He said he feels no after-effects from the concussion.

--Kicker Phil Dawson is not participating in the OTAs, which are voluntary. Dawson, in his 14th season, will be in Berea next month for the mandatory minicamp.

--Sheldon Brown is staying at cornerback. There was talk of him moving to safety, but that talk was generated by the media, not the Browns.

"Sheldon Brown is never going to play safety," general manager Tom Heckert said. "Unless some disaster happens, so you can put that to bed right now. He's not a safety, He's a corner. If disaster struck in a game and he had to play, maybe. He's not a safety."

--Running back Montario Hardesty and rookie receiver Josh Cooper collided in a loud crash after a play Tuesday morning (May 22) during OTAs. Both jumped up quickly and were fine.

Hardesty missed all of 2010 recovering from knee surgery and six games of 2011 with a calf injury.

--Second-year safety Eric Hagg is working with T.J. Ward on the first-team defense. That puts Hagg ahead of Usama Young, a free-agent signing in 2011.

"Hagg did a nice job last year prior to being injured (knee) in camp," coach Pat Shurmur said. "Then when he came back, we felt like he continued to develop. He's had a nice offseason."

QUOTE TO NOTE: "My reputation is a lot more valuable to me than three game checks and my track record speaks for itself." -- Linebacker Scott Fujita on appealing his three-game suspension for his alleged involvement in the Saints' bounty program while he played for New Orleans in 2009.

General Manager Tom Heckert had some encouraging news about injured defensive tackle Phil Taylor. Taylor was injured lifting weights earlier this month and underwent surgery last week to repair a torn left pectoral.

"One-hundred percent -- I don't think there's any question about that," Heckert said when asked about Taylor playing in 2012. "Once it's healed, it's healed. He should start lifting in four months.

"We think he'll probably be (back at the) end of October, early November -- six months at the most. That's being very, very cautious. He could back earlier than that. But he'll be back at some point."

Meanwhile, the Browns are searching their own roster for a fill-in to start alongside Ahtyba Rubin until Taylor returns. Rookies Billy Winn and John Hughes will battle Scott Paxson and Brian Sanford for playing time. Last year, Taylor, a 2011 first-round draft pick from Baylor, made 59 tackles.

MEDICAL WATCH: No updates.

FRANCHISE PLAYER: K Phil Dawson (tendered at $3.81 million); signed tender March 19.

TRANSITION PLAYER: None

UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS

--P Brad Maynard did an excellent job filling in after the Browns lost two punters with injuries, but he won't be back because Reggie Hodges has recovered from an Achilles injury that wiped out his season in training camp.

UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS (not tendered offers)

--LB Titus Brown (not tendered as ERFA) is a solid special teams player and capable backup, but he is coming off a knee injury. Re-signing him is not a high priority.

RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS: None.

EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS FREE AGENTS: None.

DRAFT CHOICES SIGNED

--T Mitchell Schwartz (2/37): $5.17M/4 yrs.

--DT John Hughes (3/87): $2.7M/4 yrs.

--WR Travis Benjamin (4/100): 4 yrs, terms unknown.

--LB James-Michael Johnson (4/120): 4 yrs, terms unknown.

--T Ryan Miller (5/160): 4 yrs, terms unknown.

--LB Emmanuel Acho (6/204): $2.178M/4 yrs.

--DT Billy Winn (6/205): 4 yrs, terms unknown.

--TE Brad Smelley (7/247): 4 yrs, terms unknown.

PLAYERS RE-SIGNED

--OT Oniel Cousins: UFA; 2 yrs, terms unknown.

--K Phil Dawson: Franchise FA; $3.81M/1 yr.

--OG John Greco: Potential UFA; terms unknown.

--LB D'Qwell Jackson: Potential UFA; $42.5M/5 yrs, $7M SB/$1.3M RB/$3.4M base guarantee '12/$3.6M base guarantee injury '13.

--WR Jordan Norwood: ERFA; terms unknown.

--CB Dimitri Patterson: UFA; $16M/3 yrs, $8M guaranteed.

--DL Brian Schaefering: ERFA; $615,000/1 yr.

--TE Alex Smith: Potential UFA; 1 yr, terms unknown.

PLAYERS ACQUIRED

--DE Juqua Parker: UFA Eagles; 1 yr, terms unknown.

--DE Frostee Rucker: UFA Bengals; $21M/5 yrs, $8M guaranteed.

PLAYERS LOST

--S Mike Adams: UFA Broncos; $4M/2 yrs.

--T/G Artis Hicks: UFA Dolphins; $2M/1 yr.

--RB Peyton Hillis: UFA Chiefs: $2.6M/1 yr.

--P Richmond McGee (released).

--DE Jayme Mitchell (released).

--OT Tony Pashos (released/failed physical).

--OG Eric Steinbach (released).

--LB Brian Smith (released).

--C/G Steve Vallos: UFA Eagles; 1 yr, terms unknown.