Wright bringing swagger, glow

07.27.2008

It would be neither fair nor wholly accurate to say Eric Wright has a bounce in his step at his second professional training camp.

He's making those well-manicured Browns' practice fields look like they've been laid over spring-loaded trampolines.

The more experienced and more highly-regarded of the Browns' second-year cornerback duo -- Wright was picked three rounds before Brandon McDonald in the 2007 draft and started 13 games last year -- has come back to camp, well, glowing.

He's gliding on and off the field, placing himself at the front of lines during drills and throwing himself into as much action as he can get. It didn't take him long to move into the starting lineup during last year's camp, and the guy who just turned 23 on the second day of camp is carrying himself like he's been doing this for years.

"I'm just more comfortable, more relaxed," Wright said Sunday. "At this point, my swagger is through the roof. I realize I have the opportunity and have the potential to be a great player.

"I try to focus every day on little things and continue to get better. I just want to be a playmaker."

The thought that the cornerback spot might be the Browns' weakness this season might be out there, but it hasn't crossed Wright's mind. He said he hasn't thought about much other than working and succeeding, and he and McDonald shared both those thoughts and workout days during the spring.

Wright said he and McDonald are "best friends" who are equally excited for what's ahead.

"We stay on each other," Wright said. "We know how to communicate and get the best out of each other. We work together and we work hard. We challenge each other."

Wright may be just hitting his stride. He's already played in nearly as many games in the NFL (14) as he did in college (22), and he was clearly a better player as last season wore on than he was during camp. He made 70 tackles to go along with 1 interception, 1 sack and 11 pass breakups last season.

That trial by fire -- along with the continued on-the-job training he's getting each day from battling Braylon Edwards -- should pay dividends as Wright continues to progress.

Not that there was ever a doubt.

"My confidence is the same," Wright said. "I'm always 100 percent confident in my ability. But my swagger is outrageous right now.

"It's my second year. I know what to expect from a camp standpoint. I'm a lot fresher. I know the things I have to do to take care of my body. A lot of it is just a mindset; come out here and work."

The work he, McDonald and the Browns other corners are doing is designed to get them ready for what's ahead. Terrell Owens and the Cowboys await in the Sept. 7 season opener. Hines Ward, T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Chad Johnson and Plaxico Burress, among others, will test the Browns' young corners in subsequent weeks.

"It's definitely going to be a challenge," Wright said. "That's what camp is for, to just try to get a lot better than you were before. I feel like that's what I've done."

ON THE MEND - Several players sat out of Sunday's practice with "bumps and bruises," Browns coach Romeo Crennel said.

Among them: Steve Heiden (knee), Corey Williams (shoulder), Seth McKinney (ankle), Lawrence Vickers (hamstring), Kevin Kasper (hamstring) and Marvin Philip (back).

"All of those guys...they might miss a day or two and then they'll be back out here and they'll be working," Crennel said. "There are no surgeries involved in this. They're rehabbing and working with the trainers and then we're going to get them back."

Jason Wright returned to practice Sunday after missing the last two days but like teammate and fellow hamstring-recoveree Donte' Stallworth, Wright still wasn't participating in team drills.