Abe Elam isn’t the only unsigned Cleveland Brown to skip mandatory minicamp this weekend.
Fullback Lawrence Vickers, linebacker Matt Roth, and linebacker D’Qwell Jackson are all absent, according to the Cleveland Plain-Dealer. Vickers’ absence is a surprise because he was at a voluntary practice this week, and said he would attend. Vickers, Roth, and Elam are all represented by Drew Rosenhaus.
Fullback Peyton Hillis was absent for mysterious reasons. He has an illness that prevented him from practicing the last two weeks. (That doesn’t sound good.) It’s unclear what type of illness has kept him out of action so long.
Kicker Phil Dawson, who has skipped most of the offseason in hopes of a
new contract, did show up. So did restricted free agent running back
Jerome Harrison.
The Browns can’t be happy about all the absences, but they can’t do much about them since the players are unsigned. The organization ultimately made a tactical mistake by not holding the mandatory minicamp after the June 15 deadline for RFAs to sign their deals.
UPDATE: Vickers showed up with 30 minutes left of the first practice. Maybe he took the Mangini rookie bus there.