Rounding Up Cleveland Browns' Offseason Buzz, Post-Minicamps

For the next month, the Cleveland Browns don't have to meet for OTAs or minicamp practices. All the players have to do is stay out of trouble and stay in football shape, preparing themselves mentally and physically for the grind of late July's training camp.

But that doesn't mean football has completely come to a halt. Signings, contract extensions, roster cuts and roster evaluations will all be taking place over the course of the next month-plus, which means there is and will be plenty of news to report about the Browns.

Here is the latest buzz circling the Browns as minicamp has wrapped for the year. 

Browns Awarded WR Terrelle Pryor Via Waivers

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The Cincinnati Bengals cut former Oakland Raiders quarterback Terrelle Pryor last week after one month with the team. And now, the Browns have picked him up, announcing they were awarded him via waivers Monday. But Pryor won't be competing with quarterbacks Josh McCown, Johnny Manziel, Connor Shaw and Thaddeus Lewis—no, Pryor is a wide receiver.

Pryor's agent, Drew Rosenhaus, began informing teams last week that Pryor would be switching to receiver, Pro Football Talk reported. This comes just one year after Pryor, then with the Seattle Seahawks, was asked about possibly playing receiver in the future. He said, "I don't know how to catch. I don't know how to run the ball as a running back. I've been a quarterback my whole life."

Perhaps Pryor has been working on improving his ability to catch the football over the last year. And it doesn't hurt for the Browns—or any team—to take a flier on a player like Pryor this time of year. But the Browns receiving corps is a crowded one as it is, so it's going to take a lot for Pryor to stick around through training camp and into the fall. 

What Does Future Hold for Tashaun Gipson?

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Browns safety Tashaun Gipson ended his holdout, which extended through the voluntary period of the team's offseason workouts. He signed his second-round restricted free-agent tender, worth $2.356 million for 2015, and rejoined the Browns for their mandatory minicamp last week.

Gipson said to the Cleveland Plain Dealer's Mary Kay Cabot at minicamp, "I felt like I warranted [sitting out], but at the end of the day, I'm here and I hope that something can get worked out sooner rather than later."

Gipson noted that he is seeking a long-term contract extension from the Browns and eyeing the deal the New England Patriots gave safety Devin McCourty—five years, $47.5 million, a $15 million signing bonus and $28.5 million in guaranteed money—for himself.

Still, if it doesn't happen this offseason, Gipson doesn't appear to be too concerned, saying to Cabot, "I'm going to have a smile on my face. At the end of the day, my rookie contract was less than this tender. So on the bright side, I'm going to make more money than I've ever made."

Further, Cabot believes that "he's prepared to play out the tender and see what he can get on the open market unless the Browns make him a blockbuster offer." She also notes that the franchise or transition tag could be an option for the Browns to use on Gipson next year.

But for now, there appears to be nothing but Gipson's desire for a contract—and his desire to simply play football in Cleveland this year if he doesn't get it.

Browns Sign Cleveland Native WR Shane Wynn

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Pryor isn't the only wide receiver the Browns recently added to the roster. They also signed Shane Wynn on June 19, awarded to the team via waivers from the Atlanta Falcons.

Wynn is a 2015 undrafted rookie who played college football at Indiana. But most notably, he is a Cleveland native, having played his high school football at Glenville High—cornerback Donte Whitner's alma mater.

Wynn, who spoke with the Cleveland Plain Dealer's Mary Kay Cabot, said, "To fulfill a dream of playing in the NFL and for your hometown—that's crazy. I still can't believe it right now, but when I get back to Cleveland, it will probably sink in."

Wynn is excited about joining the Browns receiving corps, especially after watching film of the team in Atlanta, where former Browns offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan is currently employed. 

Wynn said, "We just watched the film on the Browns. I've seen Hawkins and Gabriel and those two are remarkable players. I'm really stuck on Hawkins right now to be honest. He's pretty fast." Like Hawkins and Gabriel, Wynn is a smaller player, just 5'6" and 167 pounds. And like Pryor, he's a long shot to make the 53-man roster.

Still, Wynn is ready to work with his hometown team, saying, "I have the ability to brighten up a room whenever anyone's down. I'll bring my work ethic to the Browns facility and a happy face and more speed."

A Confident Secondary

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The Browns secondary has been one of the team's best positional groups in recent years, rivaling the offensive line. And the players who make up that secondary are aware of it. Gipson is the latest Browns defender to talk up the play of the group. 

Speaking with ESPN.com's Pat McManamon last week, Gipson said, "I feel like besides [the Seattle Seahawks] I feel like our secondary is second to none. Including them actually." He added, "We got just as many Pro Bowlers. We had three Pro Bowler in the same game that they had."

Gipson was echoing the sentiments of fellow safety Whitner, who said in May:

"

You're going to look at the stats and I'd say we were No. 1 or No. 2 in every category in the [NFL] that really distinguishes whether you are a top secondary. ... I would have to say us [and] I would have to say Seattle, and then based on the players the New York Jets picked up, I'd say you have to put them up there. But they haven't collectively done anything together so I would say the Cleveland Browns and the Seattle Seahawks.

"

Last year, the Browns led the league in passes defensed with 97 and had the second-most interceptions, with 21. They also allowed the eighth-fewest passing yards, and quarterbacks throwing against them put up a league-worst passer rating of 74.1. Gipson and Whitner may be onto something.

Defensive coordinator Jim O'Neil is fine with the safeties bragging, saying to the Browns' official website after minicamp last week, "I'm glad they're confident. I'm glad they're making those statements. I'll say last year was last year. I'll say I think we have the potential to definitely be the best secondary in the NFL. We've got to prove it every year."

O'Neil added, "The best secondaries in my opinion are usually playing in January."

The Plan for the Next Month

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For the next month, Browns players are left to their own devices while the coaches evaluate everything they've done in offseason practices so far. 

Head coach Mike Pettine detailed what he wants the players to focus on between now and training camp when minicamp wrapped last week, saying, "What I don't want is guys to go away and have a lot of the stuff slip, whether it's their conditioning or whether it's their grasp on the playbook and now we've got to retrace some steps in training camp. We want to be able to just pick it right up." 

The next month will mean close evaluation of the roster for Pettine, the rest of the coaching staff and general manager Ray Farmer as they get ever closer to paring it down to 53 men.

O'Neil discussed the process with the Browns' website, saying:

"

The thing I love about Ray's and Pett's philosophy is we're going to keep the 53 best players. If we're one or two heavy on the D-line or we're one or two heavy at corner or one or two heavy on the offensive line. I think that's a great philosophy because if you try to match your roster to "We have to have this many guys at this position," you're cutting good football players, which I don't think you ever want to do.

"

Still, as O'Neil noted, "Are there going to be some tough decisions that probably have to be made, especially on our side of the ball? Absolutely. Absolutely. We're probably going to have to cut a couple good football players when it is all said and done at the end of training camp."

This difficult process is already underway in Berea as the players continue to prepare for camp.