Life as a Browns fan has been bleak. The future might not be.Inside: Early insights from OTAs and a reader question on running quarterbacks. Matthew Stafford also got a mammoth, two-year extension. Let’s go.This article is from The Athletic’s NFL newsletter. Sign up here to receive it directly in your inbox. It’s free to subscribe. Browns trending … up?Cleveland’s football team got a new coach this offseason, former Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken, so they were one of several teams to get an early start to offseason practices.Organized team activities, or OTAs for short, are voluntary offseason practices that teams hold every spring. No contact, just drills, walkthroughs and 7-on-7s.It’s the time of year when every player is in the best shape of their lives. It’s when quarterbacks like Bryce Young are looking “really good” in their coach’s “evolved” scheme. It’s also our first look at rookies.(Reminder: The Browns had the league’s best draft class, per our Dane Brugler.)Our Zac Jackson was in the building for Cleveland’s OTAs, sharing what he saw in his Browns rookie report.That report begins with a highlight. Rookie receiver Denzel Boston, a second-round pick this April, beats cornerback Tyson Campbell for a 50-yard touchdown. (Boston stands nearly 6-foot-4, by the way.)“(Boston) makes that catch against one of the most talented guys in the league,” said Monken. “That’s what you want to see. You want to see your guys, especially some of your younger draft picks, make those plays.”Here it is:Boston joins first rounders KC Concepcion and Spencer Fano among the rookies who can immediately improve the offense. Here’s what Zac wrote about each:Receivers: Boston and Concepcion. “Concepcion is fast. The heavy motion usage we’ve seen during the early installs indicates that he’ll move around the formation and hunt favorable matchups. Boston’s big catch made a nice impression, but the coaching staff will look for consistency and growth.”Left tackle: Fano. “It’s only a matter of time before Fano, the No. 9 pick last month, is the starting left tackle … (a position) Fano hasn’t played since his freshman season at Utah in 2023. Presumably, his training-camp education will include plenty of reps against Myles Garrett.”More in Zac’s full story here. As for the quarterback situation, you might’ve caught something in Boston’s touchdown grab. Who the quarterback was. Scroll back up.Yup, that’s Cleveland’s $230 million-man, Deshaun Watson, now competing with fifth-round second-year Shedeur Sanders for the starting spot. Watson is still under contract for one season and, per Zac, “is getting every chance to win the starting job and is the leader right now.”