BEREA — Tyson Campbell left Jacksonville in a hurry.
He can’t wait to go back for the opener.
“I really feel like God doesn’t — nothing really happens by coincidence with him, so it happens for a reason,” the veteran cornerback said Friday before training camp practice. “I’m excited to see what it’s gonna be.”
The Browns will start their season vs. the Jaguars on Sept. 13. Campbell was the No. 33 pick of the Jaguars in 2021 and started 59 games in four-plus seasons.
But the Jaguars traded him to the Browns at midseason last year in a rare trade of players at the same position. Greg Newsome was sent to Jacksonville, became a free agent and signed with the Giants. Campbell has become a fixture on a Cleveland defense expected to be among the league’s best again this season.
He believes he and five-time Pro Bowler Denzel Ward can form the league’s top corner tandem.
“The way we come to work each day, trying to get better, try to help each other get better each day, I think we could be the best duo in the league,” Campbell said. “But you gotta continue to put the work in and let the play do the talking.”
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General manager Andrew Berry recently called Campbell is the most underrated player on the team.
“That’s up to everybody else,” Campbell said. “I always consider myself the best and try to operate that way. I know everybody’s entitled to their own opinion and whatnot, but I just try to focus on my job and be the best corner I could be.”
Defensive backs coach/pass game specialist Brandon Lynch said Campbell doesn’t get distracted by things like ratings.
“The great thing about Tyson is he puts the focus on the work,” Lynch said. “We don’t outwardly think about how people may view him. The young guy just works. He’s a guy that as soon as we’re talking about the coverages, he’s talking about the second-level players, the third-level fits. He openly speaks to the young men on the field about things they can do better.”
Campbell, 26, was immediately thrown into the fire after the trade, starting against the Steelers only a few days after he arrived. The transition off the field wasn’t easy.
“It probably took that whole season, really, once I got to the offseason and was able to have a little bit more free time to see the city and get comfortable,” he said of settling in. “Being in a comfy home and being able to know different areas around me.”
Campbell made a nifty interception Thursday, undercutting a crossing route to pick a Deshaun Watson pass.
“Mainly everybody being on the same page and trusting the guy next to them that they’re going to execute their job,” Campbell said. “When you have 11 guys knowing the scheme, the game slows down for you and you’re able to execute effectively.”
ROSTER MOVES
The Browns claimed defensive tackle Patrick Jenkins off waivers from the Jets. Jenkins (6-foot-2, 293 pounds) was undrafted out of Tulane in 2025 and spent part of last year on Atlanta’s practice squad.
Mason Graham returned to practice after missing a couple of days, but defensive tackle remained severely short-handed. Mike Hall Jr., Kalia Davis, Sam Kamara and Elijah Chatman were still sidelined, and Maliek Collins is on the PUP list.
The injuries kept coach Todd Monken from practicing for 2½ hours in pads Thursday — the maximum allowed by the collective bargaining agreement.
“We didn’t have enough bodies. We’re short at D-tackle, so you can’t go that long,” he said.
** Tackle/guard Jack Conley was re-signed and cornerback Jeadyn Lukus was signed. Lukus (6-2, 205) is a rookie out of Clemson. He was undrafted, signed with the Titans and waived last Saturday.
** Receiver Jamari Thrash (injury designation) and linebacker Reid Carrico were waived. Guard Kendrick Green was placed on injured reserve. Thrash was a fifth-round pick in 2024.
CRUNCH TIME
For the first time in camp, Monken ended practice Thursday with four defensive linemen pass rushing against five offensive linemen. Quarterback Taylen Green was the only other player in the drill.
“It’s basically to win the game,” Monken said. “When you’re on the field, you’re going to have to shut down the opposing offense with pass rush with four (linemen). If you don’t get to the quarterback, against these quarterbacks in the NFL, they’re going to probably score. And if you’re trying to find a way to score to win the game, you’re going to have to be elite at pass protection.
“So that’s all it is. At the end of the game, after a two-hour practice, what do you got left?”
QUALITY REPS
Linebacker Easton Mascarenas-Arnold has spent a ton of time with the starting defense in the first two weeks of camp. He opened as the No. 3 linebacker, then when Carson Schwesinger was sidelined with a minor injury, Mascarenas-Arnold joined Quincy Williams in the nickel package. He’s filled in for Schwesinger, who remained out Friday, as the signal caller.
Mascarenas-Arnold was undrafted last season out of USC. He played 16 games with one start and had nine tackles.
“All he does is work, and we were just talking about it yesterday — his attention to detail,” Monken said. “He rarely makes the same mistake twice. Every day is the same for him in terms of his attitude, his energy, his body language.”
Browns writer for The Chronicle-Telegram and The Medina Gazette. Proud graduate of Northwestern University. Husband and stepdad. Avid golfer who needs to hit the range to get down to a single-digit handicap. Right about Johnny Manziel, wrong about Brandon Weeden. Contact Scott at 440-329-7253, or email and follow him on and Twitter.
