Hue Jackson saw enough fight, passion and improvement from his players over the past four practices to reward them with a little time off.
It was roughly six hours, and the 11 p.m. curfew was still in place, but every minute counts during the grind that is training camp.
"There was one other time we met after we got done with meetings I let them go a little early, but this is the first time I have given them this little break," Jackson said. "They have a little longer break now. I think they deserve it. They have earned it. They have worked hard. They have done everything I have asked, so I give them a treat every now and then.
"They need to get away from us for a little while."
After back-to-back physical practices, the Browns wore shells and shorts Tuesday. That helped ease up on the contact a bit, but as Jackson noted, "sometimes when we are not in total pads it is like we are in pads."
"It was very competitive, like normal," Jackson said. "Got a lot of good work done. Guys keep working. I am proud of them."
-- Browns rookie defensive lineman Caleb Brantley, who was sidelined for more than a week early in camp with a broken finger, missed Tuesday's practice because of an injured shoulder.
Jackson said it wasn't believed to be serious.
"We just wanted to make sure we take a good look at it and put him down," Jackson said. "It was very physical yesterday, but I think he will be fine."
-- DeShone Kizer and Brock Osweiler took turns working with the first-team offense during Tuesday's practice as Jackson continues to mull his decision at the position heading into Monday's game against the Giants. In a change from previous practices, Kizer directly followed Osweiler on occasion rather than falling third in line.
Asked if that was a direct reflection in his upcoming decision, Jackson said, "I will tell you tomorrow."
"We are still just heading into our second preseason game," Jackson said. "There are still going to be two more after that to continue to evaluate if we need to, but I think it is important that for this game – I will say it again, just for this game – we are going to head into it hopefully in a way I feel very comfortable with. It could change or things could not change, and we will just kind of go from there."
-- Kickers Cody Parkey and Zane Gonzalez traded field goal attempts during the final period. It's unclear what kind of separation has emerged in the competition, and special teams coordinator Chris Tabor didn't show his hand Tuesday.
"Both guys have been really good. That is what we are building here. This culture is being built on competition at every position," Tabor said. "I say that whether it is at the quarterback position, left tackle, or defensive end, kicker, it makes no difference. If there is competition, you are going to get better and you are going to get more game ready a little bit quicker. Those things are taking place right now."
