Joe Haden's waited a long time to return to the practice field. The last thing Cleveland's Pro Bowl cornerback wants to do is be back on the sidelines.
His coach couldn't agree more.
Haden, who underwent ankle surgery during the offseason, was removed from the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list Monday and participated in his first 2016 training camp practice. Haden was active in individual drills but remained on the sidelines whenever the Browns broke into team drills.
Sometime soon, Haden will be back at full capacity. There just isn't any reason to rush him back at this stage in the preseason.
"We have a plan in place and we're just going to take our time," Browns coach Hue Jackson said after Monday's practice. "It's just great to have him back out there in a uniform and bouncing around. I'm excited about him being out there. He's one of our better defensive players and one of the better players in the league. To get him back gives our whole defense a jolt. But we're going to take our time and make sure he's totally right."
Haden was asked if he had a goal for when he hoped to return to the field in a game capacity. He was adamant that his target date hasn't changed.
"September 11 is the only game I'm really worried about," Haden said, referencing the date of Cleveland's regular season opener at Philadelphia. "If they let me get in into any preseason, that would be sweet, but my main goal is just getting back by September 11."
Here's what else happened at the Browns' first practice since Saturday's Orange and Brown Scrimmage.
-- Austin Pasztor was the latest Browns offensive lineman to get a shot at the team's opening at right tackle.
Pasztor, whom the Browns acquired at the beginning of last season off waivers, started four games at left guard in 2015. He'd primarily been seen work at right guard since the start of training camp.
Alvin Bailey and rookies Shon Coleman and Spencer Drango have also received extended looks at right tackle.
"It's unsettled until I say it's settled," Jackson said. "I don't mean that in a bad way – I'm just saying we're going to keep finding combinations. I told you I'm going to keep moving people around until I find the five best guys to put out there. So it's no mark on anybody – I just want to see different combinations and see what's going to be the best thing for us as we move forward."
Drango had been working with the first-team offense at right tackle until Monday's switch.
"The coaches are always evaluating guys," Drango said. "I think the starting job is always up for grabs until that first regular season game. Other than that, I think you just have to keep working. Everyone out here is busting their butts trying to get on the 53."
-- Jackson said he expects wide receiver Josh Gordon (quadriceps) to return to practice "hopefully soon."
"I'm looking forward to getting him out here on the field with the rest of the guys," Jackson said. "Even when he's out here, I think you can see he's into practice. The guy carries a script with him everywhere he goes. He's making sure that he's staying in it the best he can. I think when he walks back out there, I think he has something to prove, too. It's good to have a guy with a chip on his shoulder."
-- Jackson doesn't expect rookie wide receiver Corey Coleman (hamstring) to miss much time.
Coleman did not participate in the Orange and Brown Scrimmage and was sidelined Monday. Coleman said he could have practiced Saturday but was sidelined for precautionary reasons.
"I'm going to do whatever the trainers want me to do, if that's me going or if that's me just sitting out just resting, so we're going to see," Coleman said.
-- Center Cameron Erving, fullback Malcolm Johnson and tight end Randall Telfer were back at practice Monday after missing different lengths of time last week with their respective injuries.
