Sunday Dawg Chow: Browns news (6/26/22)

Cleveland Browns:

• Deshaun Watson’s NFL disciplinary hearing scheduled for Tuesday (ESPN) - Deshaun Watson’s hearing before the NFL and NFLPA’s jointly appointed disciplinary officer Sue L. Robinson is scheduled to begin Tuesday, league sources told ESPN.
• Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah looking to ‘connect body, mind and spirit’ (Beacon Journal) - Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah is spending this week trying to help bring football to parts of Africa, a part of the inaugural NFL Africa: The Touchdown program. There’s more to the week-long trip, which began on Tuesday in Ghana, for the second-year Browns linebacker than just giving to others. In a lot of ways, it’s part of a larger plan for Owusu-Koramoah to find something deeper within himself that can benefit him when he returns to the field for training camp.
• Why Deshaun Watson went from ‘I just want to clear my name’ to settling most of the sexual misconduct claims (cleveland.com) - Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson stood before a scrum of reporters on June 14 and said that he had no intentions of settling any of the 24 sexual misconduct lawsuits filed against him over the last year. One week later, an attorney representing two dozen of Watson’s accusers announced that Watson had agreed to settle all but four of the lawsuits. The reversal from Watson’s public vow to vindicate himself may have surprised fans. But attorneys who have defended high-profile clients against criminal and civil complaints told cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer that settlements in such cases are common and often times the most sensible route for defendants to take, even if they are being falsely accused.
• Kevin Stefanski not ranked among top NFL play callers (Browns Wire) - When the Cleveland Browns hired Kevin Stefanski as their head coach, he quickly brought within him the wide zone run scheme and mirrored pass game with him from Minnesota. Interesting, Stefanski was somewhat of a neophyte to the scheme having just implemented it with the Vikings. Despite some early success, Cleveland’s head coach gets no love from Pro Football Focus’ Eric Eager.

NFL:

• For Panthers’ Rashard Higgins, it’s about being a father and rolling out his red carpet (The Charlotte Observer) - On the Panthers’ last day of minicamp, receiver Rashard Higgins caught a red-zone pass from Sam Darnold, secured the ball and looked up. Thanks to a creative design from offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo — which sent two receivers from the left across the field and allowed Higgins to cross under them from the right — there were no defenders within five yards of the former Browns’ fan favorite. Higgins made a routine catch near the 10-yard line, glided into the end zone and capped the score with a celebratory pylon-aimed leap. All five Panthers linemen rushed toward the end zone for chest bumps and dap. Higgins’ all-inclusive, team-first mentality is already resonating with his new teammates. The only thing missing was his imaginary red carpet.
• Steelers’ Mike Tomlin embracing first season without Ben Roethlisberger: ‘It’s scary but exciting’ (NFL.com) - The slow march of time is relentless, and it has finally come for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ consistency at the quarterback position.
• Hugh McElhenny, elusive Hall of fame halfback, is dead at 93 (New York Times) - Known as the King, he was a thrilling figure on the field, twisting and turning as he frustrated defenders on his circuitous romps to the end zone.
• Bears sign top pick Kyler Gordon (chicagobears.com) - The Chicago Bears on Saturday signed top 2022 draft pick Kyler Gordon, a cornerback from Washington, to a four-year contract. Selected in the second round at No. 39 overall, Gordon appeared in 33 games over four seasons with the Huskies, recording 98 tackles, three tackles-for-loss, two interceptions, 14 pass breakups, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.