The Browns tight ends room is currently made up of Pro Bowl veteran Gary Barnidge and a handful of younger players looking to earn a roster spot. It' a dynamic that hasn't been lost on tight ends coach Greg Seamon.

"What we have at my position really is Gary and the kids," said Seamon, who met with reporters Thursday.

"There are five or six of them and none of them have really played. Some haven't played at all. We are giving everybody an opportunity to play different positions within the tight end group through camp here. It'll play itself out as we go through the preseason. There are jobs available."

But don't conflate youth with lack of potential.

The competition to be Cleveland's No. 2 tight end remains an ongoing one. And for a position that could serve a big role in the Browns offense under first-year coach Hue Jackson, there are no shortage of candidates.

"I think every tight end is going to have an opportunity to do everything. It's not going to be 'this guy does this, this guy does that,'" Barnidge said. "Everybody is going to be moved around, and I think everybody on offense will be that way. It just makes it tough for the defense."

From Connor Hamlett (who has had a strong first week of camp), fourth-round draft pick Seth DeValve (who was placed on the PUP list before camp), Randall Telfer, E.J. Bibbs, J.P. Holtz and David Reeves, Seamon said he likes what he sees out the group.

"I'm lucky in this regard, they're all bright kids, they're all hard workers and they all certainly have unique skills to themselves," Seamon said.

Hamlett, in particular, has made a name for himself lately. In Friday night's live scrimmage, the 6-foot-7 first-year player from Oregon State took first-team reps and scored two touchdowns in practice the day before.

"(He's) a long, tall, spidery guy with excellent hands. He's very smart," Seamon said. "We'll see how it plays out. Right now, those jobs are available."

Of course, there's still plenty of work to be done and evaluations to be made between now and the team's season opener at Philadelphia on Sept. 11. And Barnidge has set an example for the younger tight ends to follow as training camp enters its eighth day on Monday.

"He helps all of us out. You think you might know something, but he'll add the little detail that you need to know, the adjustment you need to make on the run," Hamlett said last week. "I'm not going to ever say I've got it because he has all the experience and he's willing to help all of us out."

Seamon added, "I'm lucky to have a guy like Gary in the room as a veteran because he's a great resource for those guys on his own experience because he wasn't a star right away. He worked up through the system and then became a Pro Bowl talent."

In the meantime, the Browns are keeping their many options open. "The kids," as Seamon said, are doing just fine.

"What we're attempting to do in practice is give everybody enough repetitions at all the various spots so that when we get to the games, they can go in and show what they can do," he said. "So far so good."