The Cleveland Browns are just over a month away from training camp. The rookies report first on July 18th, and the veterans return a few days later. There are multiple storylines that we will all be tracking, including which of the four quarterbacks will come out on top and start Week 1. Let’s discuss that and several other hot summer topics as we tackle another 1st and Goal Report.
1st and Goal: Shedeur Sanders speeds around town
The fast-becoming star figure of the Browns has been the rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders. He’s been a pretty popular player already amongst the youth in the area as he’s participated in several special events, kids’ football camps, and more. He’s winning over the adults, too, as he’s handled the spotlight well, including answering tough questions from the sports media folks.
Unfortunately, he made the news a week ago for speeding around town not just once but twice, and because of that, some in the media and fans as well have soured already on the young 23-year-old rising star.
While speeding is never a good thing when driving, and I’m not downplaying the severity of driving excessively fast, they were speeding tickets.
Sanders has since paid the fines and has promised in public to be better. For those of you still out there that think these speeding tickets are firable offenses and he should be cut by the team, I think you should take a moment and remember what you were like when you were in your early 20s and making decisions.
2nd and Goal: Diontae Johnson doesn’t like the cold
One of the new players that the Browns signed as a free agent is wide receiver Diontae Johnson. The once Pittsburgh Steeler wideout who had a previous 1,000-yard season made some news this week when he was sharing a cold-weather story on a local podcast. He said that when he was playing on the Baltimore Ravens team last season in a Week 13 game against the Philadelphisas Eagles he refused to go into the game because it was too cold and he’d been sitting around all game and didn’t think it would be in his best interest to go out their and risk an injury or have game film of him looking bad.
This story certainly caught Cleveland fans off guard this week, as the team typically plays its late-season games in cold weather. It was a balmy 41 degrees in the game that Johnson boycotted last season. 41 degrees is considered warm in Cleveland. Hopefully, Johnson adjusts he’s mindset and prepares to help his new team win games, or it’ll be an early exit from Cleveland.
3rd and Goal: The state of Ohio gives Browns more money for the new domed stadium
This week the the state of Ohio legislature agreed to give the Browns $600 million toward their new domed stadium planned to be built in Brookpark, a suburb of Cleveland, by 2029. The state also designated an additional $400 million toward stadium projects across the state and another $700 million for unclear funding. So potentially, that’s a pool of $1.7 billion toward the new Cleveland domed stadium. The funds are being pushed over from a slush fund of almost $5 billion, that are of unclaimed state funds that have built up over the decades.
Cuyahoga County, where Cleveland sits, has used this state slush fund in the past. Some officials in Cuyahoga County and the city of Cleveland have been expressing their displeasure with the Browns moving out to Brookpark (still in Cuyahoga County) and are protesting the use of these state funds. However, they’ve used these funds in the past for other projects, so it’s a bit of a surprise that some are so resistant to the use of the funds now to help the Browns.
4th and Goal: Ogbo Okoronkwo released
The defensive end of the Browns, who signed a three-year $19 million free agent deal two seasons ago, was released by the team this week. It wasn’t a complete shock because the team is stacked at the defensive end position, which includes the return of a healthy Alex Wright and a rising defensive star in Isaiah McGuire. Cleveland also signed Joe Tryon-Shoyinka this offseason, who most recently played DE for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Best wishes to Ogbo, who was a charismatic and likable teammate.
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