Josh Cribbs is coming along at receiver, but doesn't want to be considered just that.
Josh Cribbs says the Browns are planning many different ways to make him an impact player this fall -- only some of which have been seen at the public portions of off-season workouts.BEREA, Ohio -- Josh Cribbs has come a long way at receiver, but whatever you do, don't pigeonhole him as one.
"I'm comfortable at [receiver] but I don't want to say that's going to be my position, because I'd be doing myself and the team a disservice," he said. "That's not my only position and that's not the position you'll mostly see me at. It's going to be all across the field, and that's how I help my team."
Cribbs revealed that the Browns haven't been tipping their hand on how they'll use him during the one day a week the media are watching organized team activities.
"Right now, you won't see as much, but they know what I can do, and they know how they plan to use me," he said. "We work on it inside the building and on paper. But out here, guys are trying to make the team and guys are trying to get good looks, so they're going to hold off until early preseason."
Will he play more at running back?
"It's some of everything," he said.
What about safety, something Eric Mangini has pondered from time to time.
"You saw Mike Furrey do that a lot last year and my role is whatever it will be game by game," said Cribbs. "Where they need me to be, I'll be."
Mangini said he'll continue to use Cribbs in all of his different roles and then prioritize them.
"He's continuing to improve as a receiver, which I like," said Mangini. "He's got the Wildcat stuff and you just have got to say, how many plays a game do we want him to play?
"You want to make sure he's ready for the return game, so what's the best way to distribute that? If he comes off a return, you don't want to call the first play of the next series with him in it necessarily. There may be some times where you have to, but you're trying to balance that up with a guy that can do a lot of things in a lot of different areas."
Mangini said he won't necessarily take Cribbs off kick coverage, but might use him only later in a game if the Browns are protecting a big lead.
"We did that a little bit last year," said Mangini. "You want to make sure you get that guy down."
If it were up to Cribbs, he'd rarely come off the field.
"The older I get and the more talent we get on this team, the more [the number of plays] will die down," he said. "But for now, I want to do as much as I can to help us win."
He said he's still motivated by the folks who doubt him as a receiver, and thinks he's one of the reasons the Browns haven't signed an experienced veteran.
"It also has a lot to do with the younger guys stepping up," he said. "Brian Robiskie is having a great camp. Mohamed Massaquoi is having a great camp. Those are two guys that they really wanted to see step up and they've done it."
Where's Jerome? Running back Jerome Harrison, who participated in OTAs the past two weeks, was absent Monday. A source close to Harrison said he expects him to show up for mandatory minicamp Thursday through Saturday.
Harrison told The Plain Dealer last week that he was happy to be back and would continue playing. Harrison is one of five unsigned restricted free agents. Another, Lawrence Vickers, signed the injury waiver and showed up Monday. The others are D'Qwell Jackson, Matt Roth and Abe Elam.
Jackson has already said he won't participate in minicamp this week. The RFAs have until June 15 to sign their one-year tenders, or risk having their offers significantly reduced. But they won't be fined for missing minicamp if they're unsigned.
"I'm optimistic that most guys will be here," said Mangini. "Some guys are getting some additional learning that they may not have gotten if those restricted guys were here. Hopefully everybody will be here. We'll just have to see how it plays out."
Running back Peyton Hillis has also missed OTAs the past two weeks, but has been sick. The only player under contract who's boycotting the voluntary OTAs is kicker Phil Dawson. It's unknown whether or not he'll show up for minicamp. Last year, he did so after skipping OTAs.
Steinbach hosts military families: Browns offensive lineman Eric Steinbach has invited USO families with military members currently deployed overseas to an evening of fun and games at Dave & Buster's on Tuesday. The event is put on by Steinbach's Random Acts of Kindness (RAK) Foundation. About 40 guests are expected.