BEREA — Close … but no fights.
Exactly what Browns coach Todd Monken wanted.
The Browns and Bills did plenty of talking, lowered some shoulders and went face mask to face mask a few times, but no punches were thrown and no brawls erupted.
“God, was that a lot of fun? Holy s***,” Monken said Thursday after the joint practice. “It’s fun to compete against someone else. Their guys, our guys, I’ve got a lot of respect for the Bills. It got a little edgy, but not over the top. And that’s exactly what you’re looking for.
“Guys want to compete. They’ve got a lot of pride in the way they perform. Commend the Bills and our guys for taking it to the line but not going over the line.”
Browns undrafted rookie running back Davon Booth, who ran hard all day, went face-to-face with Bills safety Wande Owens after a late thud at the end of a play. Later, after a red zone drill, dozens of players from both teams came together and traded insults, with Cleveland running back Dylan Sampson and receiver Jerry Jeudy in the middle of the conversation.
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Monken and new Bills coach Joe Brady threatened their players with punishment — ejection from practice, playing Saturday in the preseason game rather than getting the day off — but acknowledged fights in this setting often happen anyway.
Browns safety Grant Delpit even joked about it before practice.
“Just hope to get some good sparring in. Maybe a few jabs, few hooks,” he said. “I’m just playing. Just good competition. Of course, we’ve been going against the same people for a long time now, so it’s good to get some friendly competition and work on what we need to work on and see where we’re at.”
Monken calls the plays, so he stayed with the offense throughout the practice. The Browns defense was on the other field.
Browns and Bills come together and disperse without a fight. Looked close after guys went face to face. pic.twitter.com/zqBZdl26Ft
— Scott Petrak ct (@ScottPetrak) August 20, 2026
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“I was just hoping if it erupted, it would’ve been on my field,” he said of a fight. “I didn’t want to have to run all the way over there and all the way back.
“They talked, our guys talked, went right up to the line, and that’s what it should look like. If anybody wants to know what a joint practice should look like, that’s what it ought to look like. We were competing. We were on the ground at times, every now and then. Guys were talking and competing, but there was restraint.”
