Here’s What Happened at Day 1 Of Browns Joint Practices With Vikings

The Vikings and Browns squared off for their first day of joint practices on Wednesday with plenty of fanfare to take in

The Cleveland Browns host the Minnesota Vikings in joint practices from their team facility in Berea, Ohio / Spencer German

Wednesday marked Day 13 of Cleveland Browns training camp, but more importantly Day 1 of the team's joint practices with the Minnesota Vikings.

These two days are treated as mini-preseason games with opportunities for coaches to work on very specific situations they might face in a game. There was certainly a lot to take in during the first round of head-to-hear competition between the two foes.

Here's everything you may have missed from Wednesday's session.

Mike Hall In Attendance

After his arrest on Tuesday following a domestic disturbance involving his fiancee Monday night, Mike Hall Jr. was present and participating in joint practices on Wednesday. It was certainly a curious move given what he's accused of but the Browns are playing the due process card for now. As Kevin Stefanski said nine time throughout his post practice press conference, the team is "letting the legal proceedings play out." Hall did leave practice with about 30 minutes to go with an undisclosed injury. He was laying on the ground for several minutes before making his way off the field with the trainers and without his helmet.

The Watson to Njoku Connection Is Strong

For all the questions entering camp about whether or not Deshaun Watson will utilize the incredible weapon he has at tight end, they've been linking up quite a bit throughout the offseason and during training camp. There were a handful of instances where the duo connected on passes during 11-on-11 work with the Vikings defense. Their best play came on a rep where Njoku ran a corner route underneath wideout Jerry Jeudy and caught the ball going to the sidelines for a solid chunk play. They were very much on the same page on day one of joint practices, particularly when things started breaking down, Watson was often looking Njoku's way.

Uh Oh-Line

The offensive line had a rough day on Wednesday, from the starting group on down. The first two plays during 11-on-11s ended with what would have been Watson getting sacked. There were at least 10 instances where Watson or veteran backup Jameis Winston were sacked by the Vikings defense. Linebacker Ivan Pace in particular caused a lot of problems for Cleveland's QBs and running backs.

For what it's worth defenses are generally ahead of offenses this time of year so you expect some struggles. That said, Wednesday felt like more than the ramping up of training camp. Right tackle Dawand Jones was getting bull rushed straight back into the pocket on several occasions. James Hudson didn't fair much better on the left side. Even Wyatt Teller had a few rough plays during 11-on-11 work. Even more concerning is Stefanski chalking the problems up to "miscommunications." They'll have to clean that up before Sept. 8.

Defenses Rule The Day

Along those lines, both teams defenses stole the show on day one. While the Vikings were busy making life difficult for Watson and company, the Browns defense was having a day of it's own. Myles Garrett was constantly generating pressure and accumulating sacks. Fellow Myles, rookie Myles Harden really flashed on a number of plays, including snaring a pick-six at one point. There were also some really good one-on-one matchups between Browns CB Martin Emerson Jr. and Vikings star wideout Justin Jefferson – although Jefferson did get the best of Cleveland's defense on one play for a big touchdowns pass. The Browns defense was the most animated group throughout the session, which speaks to just how good of a day they were having.

Player Of The Day

There are a few worthy candidates, particularly on the defensive side of the ball but I think today's honor goes to Harden. The rookie caught a lot of people's attention during 11-on-11 work. During one sequence he broke up a pass from Vikings QB Nick Mullins then followed it up immediately with a pick-six. He got the entire Browns sideline fired up with the play as they ran after him on his way to the end zone.

Aug 5, 2024; Cleveland Browns advisor Mike Vrabel works with cornerback Myles Harden (26) during practice at the Browns training facility in Berea, Ohio. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports / Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Play Of The Day

During his second go-around in 11-on-11s, Watson hooked up with Njoku on a really nice play design. The call saw Jeudy run a deep route down the numbers to clear out the safety on the back end, which opened up Njoku to slip underneath him on a corner route. Watson hit Njoku with a nice ball as he darted toward the sideline and picked up a huge chunk of yard on the play. It was one of his two best passes and plays of the day.

Lineup Notes

- The first two lineman up at left tackle were Jones on the right side and Hudson III on the left and both really struggled to protect Watson

- Germain Ifedi took some reps at left tackle was part of the first team offense as well

- The starting kick return team includes: Harden, Devin Bush, Winston Reid, Tony Brown II, Christopher Edmonds, Mohamoud Diabate, Justin Hardee Sr. on the front line, Giovanni Ricci and Jordan Akins on the next level and James Proche and Pierre Strong as the first guys up at returner

- Despite being listed as the fifth tight end on the "unofficial depth chart" Giovanni Ricci continues to take a ton of reps with the first and second team especially when they go 12 personnel

Injury Report

Did not practice: David Bell (quad), Jaelon Darden, Michael Dunn, Tony Fields II (ankle), Ronnie Hickman (back), Jordan Hicks, Isaiah McGuire (illness), Za'Darius Smith (knee), Denzel Ward (concussion protocol), Nathaniel Watson (quad).

PUP List: Nick Chubb (knee), D'Anthony Bell (shin), Dalvin Tomlinson (knee), Jack Conklin (knee), Jedrick Wills (knee)

NFI List: Greg Newsome (Hamstring), Nyheim Hines (knee)

What's it like going from one side of the #Browns, #Steelers rivalry to the other? Linebacker Devin Bush talked about his journey from Pittsburgh to Cleveland, a place he's actually more familiar with than people may realize: https://t.co/QSF7Zcitam

— 𝚂𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚛 𝙶𝚎𝚛𝚖𝚊𝚗 (@Spencito_) August 14, 2024

Quote of the Day

"I believed, but you never really know how the NFL operates. So many different things can be thrown at you so you have to be appreciative when you can be drafted to a team and the team extends you more years. There's always a sense of honor there."

- Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah after signing a three-year extension with the Browns

What's Next?

The Browns and Vikings go at it all over again on Thursday for Day 2 of joint practices around 2 p.m. Then the two inter-conference foes will square off for Week 2 of the Preseason on Saturday.