The Cleveland Browns’ first training camp practice in Berea produced a moment that said plenty about where this team is headed - and it didn’t happen during a single rep.
Grant Delpit spent the first 20 minutes of the session dressed but not taking part in individual drills, with reporters noting that he was standing off to the side wearing a towel instead of a helmet. It was a hold-in tied to contract business, as Delpit’s camp and general manager Andrew Berry worked through the final details of a new deal.
That deal is now done: a three-year, $48 million contract.
The best part came when ESPN’s Daniel Oyefusi posted video of Delpit jogging back to get his helmet and being met by a swarm of teammates. Berry had just delivered the news, and Delpit was back on the field.
Browns GM Andrew Berry came out moments ago to give Delpit the good news. He’s practicing now. Short hold-in over. https://t.co/0wcMWdWUD1 pic.twitter.com/FBpKu9k9o9
- Daniel Oyefusi (@DanielOyefusi) July 29, 2026
For a Browns team that has taken its share of lumps in recent seasons, the scene fit the broader tone around this camp: cleaner, calmer, more connected. There was skepticism when Berry and owner Jimmy Haslam hired a 60-year-old, first-time NFL head coach over former defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz and other candidates in January, but the early signs suggest the group is moving in the same direction.
That matters even more with one of the youngest 90-man rosters in football. The Browns are trying to build something with a mix of youth and the right veterans, and Berry’s moves before camp have reinforced that plan. He locked up both Delpit and cornerback Denzel Ward with new contracts, sending a clear message to the locker room that the team will take care of its own, especially the players it drafted and developed.
Delpit may have been the more movable piece compared with Ward this offseason, simply because of Cleveland’s depth chart. The Browns are thin behind Ward and fellow boundary corner Tyson Campbell, and that weakness looks even sharper after recent free agent addition Damarri Mathis reportedly left Wednesday’s practice with an injury.
At safety, though, Cleveland has more breathing room. Ronnie Hickman is still there, and 2026 second-round pick Emmanuel McNeil-Warren gives the room another young option. The Browns should be looking for ways to get McNeil-Warren on the field this season, but Delpit’s role is secure for now.
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Fridays work did produce some brighter notes, with defensive lineman Mason Graham drawing attention for a strong showing, but the overall tone of the practice was uneven. Several players were absent or limited, including guard Teven Jenkins, and the quarterbacks had their share of rough moments in a session that kept the focus on how quickly this offense can clean up the details while the competition remains open. [Read more 🡒]
Browns May Be Slow-Playing Spencer Fano At The Worst Time
Spencer Fanos first Browns camp has brought the kind of tug-of-war that usually says as much about roster building as it does about a single player. Cleveland has been rotating the rookie left tackle between the first and second units, alternating him with Dawand Jones as the staff tries to sort out where he fits and how quickly he can handle the jump into the mix with the starters.
Todd Monken has made it clear that rookies, even highly regarded ones, have to win their jobs rather than inherit them, and that approach puts Fano in a delicate spot at exactly the wrong time. There are already questions from some scouts about whether his frame and the move from right tackle to left tackle will complicate the transition, but the Browns still need a real look at him against the starting offensive line before they can know what they have. [Read more 🡒]