It was quite a busy Tuesday for the Cleveland Browns.
The day began with a report that the Browns are planning to go all in on a $3.6 billion domed stadium in the Cleveland suburb of Brook Park.
That was followed by rumors continuing to build that the Browns were in the running as a potential trade partner with the San Francisco 49ers for wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk.
Finally, some rough weather forced the team to move practice indoors as they prepare for Saturday’s preseason opener against the Green Bay Packers, a game that will not see quarterback Deshaun Watson on the field.
Somewhere in the mix of all that, wide receivers coach Chad O’Shea was asked in an indirect way about the possibility of adding Aiyuk to the position group. To no one’s surprise, O’Shea said his focus remains on getting the players who are currently in Berea ready to go (quote via a team-provided transcript):
“Yeah, my focus right now truly is on the guys that are here on this team. And I’m going to say this, the group that we have right now has worked so hard, both in the offseason and then so far in training camp, of doing the things we’ve asked them to do. They’ve been able to really stay in the present and really work to improve every day. It’s a very enjoyable group that I’m working with at the Cleveland Browns.”
O’Shea also addressed the potentially awkward situation of wide receiver Amari Cooper hearing his name included in the Aiyuk trade speculation. While that could lead some players to retreat into a shell or take a me-first attitude, O’Shea highlighted the veteran receiver’s leadership qualities:
“What people sometimes don’t realize about Amari … is how strong of a leader he is for our team, specifically our younger players in the room. You take a rookie like Jamari Thrash, who has the opportunity to learn from Amari, and Amari is very willing to provide his insight, and not only, again, the way in which you do things on the field, but maybe more importantly, that for development of a rookie player is how to do things off the field, how to conduct business in the meeting rooms, how to build relationships with both your coaches, and the players and your teammates.”
The Browns are off on Wednesday and resume their preparations for the Packers on Thursday with a practice open to the fans at 2 p.m.