The transition from OTAs to mini-camp doesn't mean an increased level of intensity on the practice field.
The Browns have already been pushing it at a high level during a voluntary offseason workout program that has seen the vast majority of players in attendance from the start.
The on-field portion of camp won't differ much from the 10 OTA practice sessions. Live contact is still prohibited and the players won't be wearing pads.
Instead, the difference will be felt behind the walls of the Berea facility, as players will go through longer film review sessions and stay until "dinner time," Browns coach Mike Pettine said.
And once Thursday evening arrives, that's it. The players won't be required to be anywhere near the facility until late July, when training camp begins.
For this three-practice period, the rapid and thorough installation of first-year offensive coordinator John DeFilippo's system will be put on hold. The goal, Pettine said, will continue to focus on finding out what the offense's "core" will entail.
Getting to this point has, at times, been "overwhelming" for the group, Pettine said, but that was all part of the plan.
"I always talk about the sponge theory – just keep throwing stuff at them until it starts to run off," Pettine said. "We're seeing signs of that, and that's good. We've got a good sense that we have a pretty smart team, but we've got to take this next week and just take that time and try to dial it down a little bit, try to find out who we are."
At Thursday's OTA, quarterbacks Josh McCown and Johnny Manziel took the lion's share of repetitions before Connor Shaw picked up some work at the end of practice. Pettine dismissed any notion that a depth chart at that position -- or any for that matter -- is set in stone with roughly two months to go before the Browns' preseason opener against Washington.
"When we wrap up next week, we'll evaluate where we are, not just at that position but every position," Pettine said. "Then, it'll be on the coordinator to get with each position coach to kind of set the plan for training camp – 'Hey, this is a guy that's been with the No. 3's, but he's shown some glimpses. We'd like to see him against other competition, see if he can go against the No. 2's, maybe even against the No. 1's.' You'll see us in training camp, even with the quarterbacks, just mixing and matching lineups just to see guys playing with different supporting casts."
