Browns Make Surprising Decision on Colin Kaepernick Workout

The Cleveland Browns will be represented when Colin Kaepernick takes the field on Saturday for his workout in Atlanta.

Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal reported that Browns owner Dee Haslam said the team will have someone in attendance, which she believed would be an area scout.

The Browns previously had not made a public statement on Kaepernick or the workout.

The Browns will have company. Arizona, Atlanta, Denver, Detroit, Miami, New England, Tampa Bay, Washington and the New York Giants and Jets have reportedly already committed to the workout.

And the Browns also have another link to the workout. Former Cleveland skipper Hue Jackson — who had a 3-36 record during his time with the Browns — will lead he drills during the workout, according to Ian Rapoport.

ESPN’s Josina Anderson previously reported that the Browns would not attend, although she left plenty of wiggle room.

“I’m told the Browns are currently not planning to attend Colin Kaepernick’s workout Saturday, per source,” Anderson wrote on Twitter. “But we’ll see if there is any change of heart between now and then, especially given they play Thursday and anything can always happen.

It was reported on Wednesday that the NFL will not provide Kaepernick’s camp with a list of executives and coaches who will attend the quarterback’s workout. The workout was announced on Tuesday via a memo to all 32 NFL teams.

The session will include on-the-field work and an interview. The question is which teams will be interested in the former San Francisco 49ers QB, who hasn’t played in an NFL game since the Jan. 1, 2017.

“I’m just getting word from my representatives that the NFL league office reached out to them about a workout in Atlanta on Saturday,” Kaepernick tweeted on Tuesday night. “I’ve been in shape and ready for this for 3 years, can’t wait to see the head coaches and GMs on Saturday.”

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Eric Reid Believes Colin Kaepernick Workout a ‘Stunt’ by NFL

There are some who are not completely convinced that the workout is nothing more than a PR stunt by the NFL. Eric Reid, Kaepernick’s former teammate with the 49ers, is one of those people. Reid was the first player to join him in his pregame knee during the national anthem to protest social injustice.

“I’ll believe it when I see it,” Reid told reporters. “At this point, it feels like a PR stunt.”

Holding it on a Saturday is what Reid considered strange.

“What decision-makers are going to be able to attend a workout?” he said. “The other strange thing, I saw there was a report other teams were interested in Colin but they reached out to the league about it. That’s strange.”

Odell Beckham Jr. Has Shown Support for Kaepernick

One link the Browns do have to Kaepernick is his relationship with star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. The duo worked out in the offseason, which Kaepernick documented on his social media.

The pass-and-catch session reportedly took place in July and OBJ rolled up to the workout sporting Kaepernick’s No. 7 jersey as a show of support.

Kaepernick recorded 58 starts during his six-year stint with the 49ers, collecting 12,271 yards, 72 touchdowns and 30 interceptions in his career. His last snap under center came in a 25-23 loss to Seattle on Jan. 1, 2017.

He opted out of his contract with the 49ers following the season, but was not signed as a free agent.

At the start of the 2016 season, Kaepernick began the protests against police violence and systemic racism by first sitting and then kneeling during the national anthem.

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