CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Browns' offseason workout program is over, but that didn't stop the rookie class from being active on Tuesday as they spent the afternoon at the Frederick Douglass Recreation Center in Cleveland.
Cleveland's 2026 rookie class came in full force, greeting groups of local kids outside the rec center before splitting up and spending some time on the playground, in the field playing football and on the baseball diamond for a game of kickball.
"We're just here with the kids, hanging out. I got to play a bunch of the games. I was out there in the baseball field playing kickball," said Browns first-round pick offensive lineman Spencer Fano. "We might have lost 1-0, but we'll be back next time. I just had a great time."
It was hard to tell who wanted to win more, the Browns rookies or the kids. Quarterback Taylen Green refused to quit on a kick that quickly became a home run, while tight end Carsen Ryan showed no mercy in getting the kids out whenever he could. Offensive lineman Austin Barber made sure the other team knew they were coming up on three outs, and Fano led taunting chants any chance he could.
For kids like Ronnie Chappelle, getting to play a game of kickball with Browns players was a very happy surprise.
"When the Browns guys came, I was shocked. I was mad shocked. I just found out they were going to play ball with us, and I was like, 'Dang, I gotta be catching balls out there,' and I caught two," Ronnie said. "We were doing great, and they were putting in work."
Once the game of kickball ended, Fano and a few other rookies made their way over to a truck brought in by the Cleveland Police Athletic League (PAL), a group that works with youth in the Greater Cleveland community through athletic programs and other events, to help hand out ice cream to the kids.
But you can't keep competition away from a group of professional football players, and once everyone made their way inside, the rookies took to the basketball courts to hoop with the kids.
Many of the kids flocked to rookie wide receiver KC Concepcion, who wasn't afraid to show off his skills on the hardwood, too. The 21-year-old isn't all that removed from his youth, so to be able to take the torch and now be a leader for the next generation of kids here in Cleveland was special.
"It means everything just being able to come out and experience kids in Cleveland and just give back," Concepcion said. "Whenever I was younger, I always looked up to people, but I never actually got to meet them. Just now, me being in that role to have kids look up to me, it means everything."
While the newest members of the Browns have spent the past several weeks hard at work in Berea preparing for the upcoming season through rookie minicamp, OTAs and mandatory minicamp, Tuesday's gathering at the rec center almost felt like just as much team-building as the time they've spent in the Browns facilities.
"Our entire rookie class is just a bunch of good dudes, just a bunch of really good dudes. So to be able to go around and spend time like this with a bunch of good dudes and make memories with all these awesome kids, it's a lot of fun," Fano said.
Of course, the Browns rookies wanted to make sure the kids had fun, but that competitive spirit they each carry also came with other motives for the day. Just ask Concepcion, who, when asked what he hoped the kids took away from the day, gave a straightforward answer with a big smile.
"That they can't beat me in basketball."
