Everything You Need to Know From Day 1 of Browns and Vikings Joint Practice.
BEREA, Ohio – The Browns have had a tame offseason to this point, but with the arrest of 2nd round pick Mike Hall and the Vikings coming into town, it has been anything but easy for Head Coach Kevin Stefanski and the Browns today. Here is everything you need to know from day 1 of the Browns and Vikings joint practice.
Mike Hall Practices a Day After Being Arrested on Domestic Abuse Charges
The biggest storyline going into the day was whether we would see rookie DT Mike Hall on the practice field today after he made headlines yesterday.
The rookie was arrested and booked Tuesday morning and charged with domestic violence after an altercation in which police say that Mike Hall had threatened his fiancé with a gun. Hall was charged with a first-degree misdemeanor domestic violence and has a hearing on September 10th.
Despite the news, the Browns decided to practice Hall on Wednesday in their first joint practice session with the Vikings.
“I can't get into all the details, guys. I'll just tell you We're going to let the legal proceedings play out.” Coach Kevin Stefanski said when he was asked what went into the decision to practice Hall today. "I know you guys have questions about Mike Hall. Respectfully, I don't have much to add. I'm going to let legal proceedings play out. But I understand that you have to ask the question, but I really don't have much on that subject.”
Hall took snaps with the 2nd team during 11-on-11s, however, his workload was light with the majority of reps going to other DTs like Mo Hurst and Shelby Harris. Hall ended his day about halfway through practice after going down to the turf with an injury.
Hall walked back to the locker room under his power with trainers. The Browns have not yet made it known the nature of his injury.
When asked if Hall would practice if he is healthy Coach Kevin Stefanski doubled down “I think again, I'm not going to talk past today. I'll just tell you, we need to respect the process here.”
Whether Hall will practice on day 2 of joint practices will be something to monitor moving forward.
Offensive Line Struggles in 11-on-11s
Where the Browns have thrived in recent years could be their Achilles heel this season. The uncertainty at the tackle position could finally take a toll on this offense, and it showed against the Vikings today.
During the Browns 11-on-11 portions of practice, it seemed as if every snap was accompanied by yellow laundry on the field – and when they were not being bogged down by penalties, the pass protection was not up to par.
“We need to be way better offensively from an operations standpoint. That was not good.” Coach Stefanski said when asked about the on-slot of penalties from the offensive line. “Some of it was the cadence, some of it was the timing. They weren't false starts, some of them were the tackles were aligned too deep at times. So those are all things that are correctable, and we will correct them.”
Stefanski admitted that part of the miss-steps could be due to the carousel they have had at the tackle position. With no timetable for Tackle Jack Conklin and Tackle Jedric Wills, things could get worse before they get better for this Offensive Line.
MJ Emerson and Justin Jefferson Matchup Lives Up to The Hype
The Browns defense was as high-octane as you can get for a joint practice setting, and at the center of it, all was Martin Emerson and Justin Jefferson.
This was a heavy-weight fight that had body blow after body blow. Ultimately, the two were evenly matched throughout team drills with Jefferson gaining a slight edge after he burned Emerson on a deep ball towards the end of practice.
Emerson was as motivated as ever to go up against Justin Jefferson this week. “Of course, I got that on my mind,” Emerson said when asked if he was thinking about a potential matchup with Justin Jefferson. “He’s one of the best receivers in the game (I’m) excited to game reps against him.”
Jefferson was certainly the favorite target for the Vikings QBs. “They are looking at 18 every time” Safety Juan Thornhill shouted on the sidelines while they were facing the Vikings offense in 11-on-11s.
Jefferson caught 6 balls that I saw and had double-digit targets in joint drills against the Browns. Emerson will have his work cut out for him all week long.
Browns Defense Shines on Day 1
Stop me if you’ve heard this before, the Browns defense was dominant in all phases of their defense today.
Early on you could tell that the Browns defense had imitated the swagger they had from the 2023 season that made them the best defense in the NFL.
There was plenty of chirping coming from the Browns sidelines during 1-on-1s, 7-on-7s, and 11-on-11s portions of practice. Leading the charge were guys who were not practicing: Denzel Ward, Greg Newsome, Za’darius Smith, and Deannthony Bell.
While all phases had their day in the sun, it was the DBs that held the spotlight today, and not the usual suspects either. 2nd year CB Cameron Mitchell started the party in 1-on-1s with a perfectly read route that led to an interception. Followed by a pair of interceptions in 11-on-11s by CB Khaef Hailasse and Myles Harden – with Harden’s going for 6.
As expected, the defense set the tone to start the week and will likely continue to do so.
JOK Speaks For The First Time Since Getting Extended
The Browns have inked a contract extension with LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah after long-awaited negotiations finally ended as the two sides agreed on a three-year extension worth $39 Million that includes $25 million guaranteed.
“Been a while negotiating but man, it feels good. Feels like, I'm loved,” Owusu-Koramoah said when asked how it feels to get the deal done. “It feels good to be locked into a place and have the place also respect you and give you honor as well.”
Owusu-Koramoah put together a career year in 2023 racking up 101 total tackles (72 solo and 29 assisted), 3.5 Sacks, 1 Forced Fumble, and 2 Interceptions.
While the Browns have not been eager to sign linebackers to extensions in recent years, Owusu-Koramoah’s contribution to this Browns defense can not be overstated and was something they felt they needed to get done.
“I mean, there's a strong knowing, right?” Owusu-Koramoah said when asked if he was always confident he would get a deal done with the Browns. “But you never really know how the NFL operates. There's so many different things that can be thrown at you. You have to be appreciative when you know you could be drafted to a team and then the team extends you more years. So there's always a sense of honor there.”
One thing is for sure, the Browns believe they have a cornerstone linebacker for years to come.