{"id":855027,"date":"2026-04-05T12:34:15","date_gmt":"2026-04-05T12:34:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/855027\/"},"modified":"2026-04-05T12:34:15","modified_gmt":"2026-04-05T12:34:15","slug":"cleveland-browns-news-and-rumors-04-05-26-heads-down-in-berea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/855027\/","title":{"rendered":"Cleveland Browns News and Rumors 04\/05\/26: Heads Down in Berea"},"content":{"rendered":"

CLEVELAND, Ohio (TheOBR.com<\/a>) – Good morning, Cleveland Browns fans!<\/p>\n

Yesterday, I wrote about how the news cycle was currently \u201cinert\u201d<\/a>. I stand by that. There\u2019s precious little to report on as the Browns and the rest of the NFL prepare for the 2026 NFL Draft. Their heads are down, and any information you get out of any NFL team at this point is likely to be disinformation as much as it is a leak. <\/p>\n

Fortunately for the OBR, we continue to bounce along in situations like these because so many of you have chosen to support us by subscribing, and the OBR forums ensure that there\u2019s still a constant buzz and hum of activity on the site regardless of the lack of news. That\u2019s not true for every Browns site, many of which don\u2019t have a source of income aside from advertising that accompanies articles. So, they need to keep writing, even if there\u2019s nothing to write about. This means they either need to create news themselves out of things like inactivity (e.g., there are stories about how Dillon Gabriel hasn\u2019t been in Berea) or rely on the tried-and-true reporting of \u201canalysis\u201d from radio and TV programs where the hosts are desperate to fill airtime. Or simple speculation<\/a>. <\/p>\n

All of this is well and good. But what is out there on the news side of things this morning is a tad underwhelming. There\u2019s precious little for me to bloviate about. It\u2019s the bloviation equivalent of wandering around a parking lot looking for your car. <\/p>\n

Todd Monken isn\u2019t even helping by being somewhat tepid about Deshaun Watson<\/a>. So, the team will \u201cevaluate\u201d him. Stop the presses. <\/p>\n

The Browns are somehow at the center of one of the biggest storylines in the league heading into the draft, because it\u2019s a complete mystery as to how the Browns will use the #6 pick. No one knows anything – aside from Andrew Berry\u2019s statement that the Browns \u201cmay not\u201d be picking at six – so there\u2019s active speculation out there<\/a> that the team could decide to trade down, or even trade up. The team is desperate at WR and offensive tackle, so there is plenty of speculation around those positions, even though there\u2019s not a perfect fit who lands naturally at the #6 spot in terms of value. Same at spot #24, which has the Browns taking just about any position based on how bored the mock draft writer happens to be. <\/p>\n

In this environment, you get weird things like people claiming to have the inside scoop that the Browns are in on QB Ty Simpson or OT Kaydn Proctor, neither of whom makes sense to me as a good use of the Browns\u2019 #6 pick. Betting odds have emerged suggesting the Arizona Cardinals or New York Jets could snag Ty Simpson late in the first round<\/a>, which is good because it means that the Browns aren\u2019t likely to use a first-round pick on a player who looks like a second-rounder to me.<\/p>\n

With all this, you might expect that the OBR team is taking it easy, but that\u2019s not really the case. I\u2019m working as hard as ever, building out something that I can\u2019t discuss yet. We\u2019re getting ready for the NFL Draft weekend, where we\u2019ll be running live coverage throughout the weekend once more and continuing our four-night-a-week video schedule. Meanwhile, hopefully the Cavs and Guardians are interesting enough to keep you entertained with Cleveland Sports while the Browns work on trying to maximize what they can get out of the draft in a couple of weekends. <\/p>\n

Have a good one! GO BROWNS!<\/p>\n

Newswire Bloviation Archive<\/a><\/p>\n

OBR GOODIES<\/p>\n

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OBR ARTICLES<\/p>\n

– Cleveland Browns News and Rumors 04\/04\/26: JOK Speeds On During an Otherwise Inert Saturday<\/a><\/p>\n

FROM THE FORUMS<\/p>\n

ASK THE INSIDERS (VI<\/a>P)<\/p>\n

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THE WATERCOOLER<\/a><\/p>\n

– <\/a>Cleveland Browns News and Rumors 04\/04\/26: JOK Speeds On During an Otherwise Inert Saturday<\/a><\/p>\n

THE LIFT<\/p>\n

Positive news from the world of sports and beyond…<\/p>\n

Defender at 45: How an icon of space gaming is in danger of being lost to history<\/a><\/p>\n

I remember playing \u201cDefender\u201d in arcades when I was in college, and there were arcades everywhere. I remember at least three along High Street in Columbus during those years. Many a quarter was sucked out of my pocket back then, as I pounded away on the \u201cfire\u201d button in pursuit of digital glory. Defender was one of the biggest quarter-gobblers in my case, because it was so damn hard. It was slightly later that I discovered Robotron, which was even more impactful to my brain chemicals because it was fast and frantic. That remains my favorite arcade game of all time. <\/p>\n

WRAPPING UP<\/p>\n

When not blowing up evil aliens, Barry McBride is the Publisher and Founder of the OBR and bloviates this nonsense every morning. You can follow him on Twitter @barrymcbride<\/a> or write him at barry@theobr.com<\/a> if you are so compelled.<\/p>\n

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