What we learned on Day 16 of Browns training camp before Bills arrive

BEREA ― The pinnacle of the preseason has finally arrived. Well, it'll have arrived in about 22 hours or so.

The Cleveland Browns' final practice before that pinnacle, the Aug. 20 joint practice with the Buffalo Bills, wrapped up in a crisp 90 minutes. The workout, conducted in helmet and shorts, wouldn't necessarily be called crisp in and of itself.

However, the fact the Browns got through it relatively unscathed after the way the previous day's practice was cut short because too much "Browns-vs.-Browns" chippyness constitutes a positive. The fact they ended practice with a field goal try to end a two-minute drill, regardless of the fact it was the No. 2s and not the No. 1 offense and was bolstered by a big gain on a defensive pass interference penalty, is another positive.

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Other than that, it was a generally uneventful practice for the Browns. That might be a good thing on the eve of the much-anticipated joint practice.

As for the day before, well, here's some takeaways from the day, including what coach Todd Monken said before practice.

The Browns' first offense was trying to move from its own 25 to get into field goal range with 1:20 remaining while down by two points. Their try ultimately was sabotaged by their own mistakes.

The last of those was a procedure penalty on the offense, which wasn't set when quarterback Shedeur Sanders tried to spike the ball. That flag, which came with less than 10 seconds left, ended the drive due to the 10-second runoff.

Deshaun Watson led the No. 2 offense to a field goal try. It came on a possession that was aided by a pass interference penalty that moved the ball inside the red zone.

Otherwise, it was a fairly mundane day for both quarterbacks. Watson threw two interceptions, while Sanders avoided those, but wasn't near as accurate as he has been on other days.

Monken stopped practice Aug. 18 because he believed things were just getting a tad chippy between his own offense and defense. So, what's going to happen when the Browns get to full-contact drills with the Bills during the time they're on the field together?

What Monken doesn't want is what happened with the Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints during their joint practice. Multiple fights broke out between them, making it a farce of sorts.

“I have no idea, because everybody says the exact same thing," Monken said. "To think that (Brian) Schottenheimer and Kellen Moore, or whoever was practicing together, that they didn’t tell their teams absolutely no fighting. I mean, they know each other. Absolutely, we’re going to say the exact same things, that it’s silly to do it, and threaten whatever it is, and you’re competitive. … We’re going to do everything within our power to not put ourselves at risk."

The Browns had their full complement of offensive linemen with the No. 1 group, something they were lacking the day before. That meant the return of center Elgton Jenkins and right tackle Tytus Howard, both of whom were out the previous day.

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Also back were guard Teven Jenkins and tackle KT Leveston. Both left practice the day before due to injuries.

Monken said before practice he was "hopeful' that first offensive line will be intact for the joint practice. He would like to see them for more than the 10 plays they were together for in the preseason opener in Chicago.

If the Browns can have them together for the joint practice, maybe some true cohesion can begin to develop. That's been difficult to do so far because of the injuries that have been happening.

Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ. Sign up for Browns Insider newsletter at https://profile.beaconjournal.com/newsletters/browns-insider/

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: What we learned on Day 16 of Browns training camp before Bills arrive