COLUMBUS – Football season begins early Friday when the Cleveland Browns bring their annual Orange & Brown Scrimmage to Ohio Stadium.
Gates open at 4:30 p.m. NFL Network coverage: 6:00 p.m.
Earlier in the week, the team announced it was making 10,000 additional free tickets available to fans people on the waiting list.
The scrimmage will be a homecoming for a few Buckeyes, including former quarterback Terrelle Pryor, who is attempting to switch to wide receiver.
The former Oakland Raider believes it’s “very realistic” he can the change successfully and his confidence has grown in the early stages of his unique transition.
He has also impressed Cleveland’s coaches and teammates with his skills.
Pryor may not take the field Friday after sitting out Wednesday’s practice with a hamstring issue.
Injuries have sidelined five Cleveland backs in the first week of training camp, preventing the team from working on its rushing game and forcing the Browns to use two defensive players at fullback during practices.
Fans will see quarterback Johnny Manziel take a few snaps.
Manziel says he’s made major improvements on and off the field and is more dedicated to being a professional. Speaking Thursday for the first time in training camp, the 2012 Heisman Trophy winner said it’s “a night and day” difference from where he was as a high-profile, first-round draft pick last season. Manziel’s rough rookie year was followed by a 10-week stay in a rehab facility for an unspecified condition.
Manziel says he’s committed to his profession, and that “football is my life.”
Manziel is currently Cleveland’s No. 2 quarterback behind veteran Josh McCown. Manziel said it’s nice being on the field without being the center of attention as he was last summer.
Linebacker Barkevious Mingo will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his right knee, the latest medical issue for the former first-round pick.
Mingo did not practice Wednesday, and the Browns confirmed Thursday he’ll have the procedure. It’s not yet known how long Mingo will be sidelined, but similar operations typically require at least two weeks of rehab.
The sixth overall pick in the 2013 draft, Mingo has been dogged by injuries during his brief NFL career. Last season, he played with a torn labrum in his shoulder and had surgery in January. Mingo made 11 starts and played in 15 games despite playing with a shoulder harness.
As a rookie, Mingo bruised a lung in his second exhibition game. He wound up starting three games.