CLEVELAND -- Football season is (almost) here.
The Cleveland Browns are set to begin preparations for the 2018 regular season, as they get training camp underway at their Berea training facility on Thursday, July 26 with the first of 15 open practices over the next three weeks.
Here is what fans need to know ahead of the start of training camp.
BROWNS TRAINING CAMP SCHEDULE
Thursday, July 26, 2:35-5:30 p.m.
Friday, July 27, 3-5:55 p.m.
Saturday, July 28, 2:35-5:30 p.m.
Sunday, July 29, 3-5:55 p.m.
Monday, July 30, 2:35-5:30 p.m.
Tuesday, July 31, No Practice
Wednesday, August 1, 3-5:55 p.m.
Thursday, August 2, 3-5:55 p.m.
Friday, August 3, 4-5:30 p.m.
Saturday, August 4, 4-5:30 p.m.
Sunday, August 5, No Practice
Monday August 6, 3-5:55 p.m.
Tuesday, August 7, 3-5:55 p.m.
Wednesday, August 8, No Practice
Thursday, August 9, Preseason Game No. 1 at New York Giants, 7 p.m.
Friday, August 10, No Practice
Saturday, August 11, No Practice
Sunday, August 12, 3-5:55 p.m.
Monday, August 13, 3-5:55 p.m.
Tuesday, August 14, 3-5:55 p.m.
Wednesday, August 15, 2:35-5:30 p.m.
Thursday August, 16, No Practice
Friday, August 17, Preseason Game No. 2 vs. Buffalo, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, August 18, No Practice
Sunday, August 19, Closed Practice
Monday, August 20, Closed Practice
Tuesday, August 21, Closed Practice
ATTENDING PRACTICE
One year after featuring a new layout with additional seats, the Browns have increased seating capacity to go along with the standing-room only sections at field level. The Browns have increased their seating capacity by 325 percent since 2016.
Browns fans wanting priority access can register for tickets online and through the Browns Mobile App. Fans will receive their tickets through the Browns Mobile App, and there is a walk-up option as space permits.
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NO SCRIMMAGE AT STADIUM
With the facility in use for summer concerts, namely the dual show from Beyoncé and Jay-Z, the Browns will not hold the annual Orange and Brown Scrimmage at FirstEnergy Stadium this season.
EARN YOUR STRIPES
During the early stages of the offseason program, the Browns instituted an “Earn Your Stripes” campaign where players started the workouts with a plain orange helmet and no stripe down the center.
With that program and the ensuing position battles after the additions of more than a dozen free agents and nine picks from the 2018 NFL Draft, Browns coach Hue Jackson is expecting a highly competitive training camp when the team takes the field this week.
“Absolutely, I would expect nothing less,” Jackson said after a recent OTA practice.
“We are going to have some really tough decisions as we go because there are a lot of good football players on this team. That is the way that it should be. I think we have improved every position group on this team. I think we will have some tough decisions, and I do not think you would want it any other way.”
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The “Earn Your Stripes” program is a way for the organization to hold players accountable after the struggles of the recent past.
With a 28-24 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on New Year’s Eve 2017, the Browns went winless in a 16-game season for the first time in franchise history, and their 17th consecutive loss overall dropped the organization to a league-worst 1-31 since the opening game of 2016.
“HARD KNOCKS” IN THE CLE
A 30-person NFL Films crew will be embedded with the Browns in Berea and have unlimited access to players’ and coaches’ meeting rooms, training rooms, the team hotel and practice fields, where they will gather more than 2,000 hours of footage for the mini-series.
“Hard Knocks” debuted in 2001, and has since won 16 Sports Emmy® Awards.
“I’ve been a part of ‘Hard Knocks,’ and when you experience it first hand, you come to appreciate the inside look it really gives fans,” Jackson said when the announcement was made in May. “We are excited about what we are building within our organization and feel good about the progress we have made this offseason.
“Being able to bring our fans in so they can get to know our players and our organization in a different way will be a huge positive for us. I want people to see how much our players and coaches care, how hard they work and how badly they want to win for Cleveland. This will be a great opportunity for our team.”
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