Clevelandites big day just as expected

By STEVE KING

Pretty much everything went as planned on Monday as the offseason workouts started, and that’s a good thing – and, at least in one respect, a humorous thing – for the Browns.

Wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. made his first appearance in Cleveland — at the Indians’ home opener against the Chicago White Sox – and, to the shock of absolutely no one, received a king’s welcome along with new teammates Baker Mayfield and Jarvis Landry. It will be the first of many such moments for Beckham ni his new home. You can bank on that.

Beckham talked extensively about his trade to the Browns being a real blessing. I don’t think that’s just a lot of blabber to make himself look good, and to make the Browns and their fans feel good. I think what he said is accurate. He needed a change, and Cleveland is obviously a much, much different place than his former home, New York. He won’t be in that fishbowl that can tend to swallow up even the great ones. He can be himself there, and that will be more than good enough for the fans, who will love him for it.

But what is really the biggest news of the day is the trade of defensive lineman Emmanuel Ogbah to the Kansas City Chiefs to acquire safety Eric Murray. None of that was surprising. Getting Murray had been rumored for some time. Browns General Manager John Dorsey knows him from his time with the Chiefs. In addition, Ogbah no longer fit into the Browns’ plans. They were either going to deal him or release him. Fortunately for them, they were able to get something – something very valuable, in fact – in return as Dorsey continued to get rid of the players brought in by Sashi Brown, the former director of football operations, and bring in his own guys. There’s much more to come, too.   

Oh, and the funny part of the day? It was, one last time to the shock of absolutely no one, courtesy of Freddie Kitchens. The rookie head coach, who is still getting used to the local nomenclature after being here for only about 15 months, called residents of the city Clevelandites. If the Browns accomplish the things that many people are predicting for them, then those Clevelandites – er, Clevelanders — might try to canonize him.

Previously on Browns Daily Dose

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