Browns' Tashaun Gipson arrives at minicamp with hamstring injury after missing OTAs
Cleveland Browns safety Tashaun Gipson's arrival at minicamp was marred by an asterisk Tuesday.
Gipson attended the mandatory event with a pulled hamstring after sitting out of organized team activities while embroiled in a contract dispute. The Pro Bowl safety signed his second-round tender, which will pay him $2.356 million for the 2015 season, on June 12.
"I'm definitely happy to be back," Gipson said to Kevin Jones of the Browns' official website. "These are the guys I battle with, built friendships and relationships with. I'm happy to see the coaches and my guys Joe (Haden), Donte (Whitner). All the guys in the locker room."
However, Browns head coach Mike Pettine was nonplussed that Gipson arrived at minicamp unable to play due to the hamstring ailment.
"He showed up here with an injury so we obviously held him out,'' Pettine said to Mary Kay Cabot of the Northeast Ohio Media Group. "It's disappointing when a guy's not here to show up with something. We were going to be very careful anyway just like we are with Danny (Shelton). You just don't have an assessment when a guy is not here and with your trainers and with your strength and conditioning. Like I said, we were going to go at a very slow pace but it's unfortunate that he showed up here with an injury.''
Gipson recorded 52 tackles and six interceptions in 11 games before a torn MCL ended his outstanding 2014 campaign.
"The knee is 100 percent,'' Gipson said. "I feel like I did before the injury, and the hamstring, it's just something that's a little tight, something that you don't want to further be problematic and then, hey, you have to rehab it, and it's something that's lingering on into training camp. We want to fix the problem now, get rid of it, and then be ready to train and get ready for training camp and be full-go.''
Pettine said he'd be giving Jordan Poyer first-team repetitions, but it appears unlikely that he'll get the majority of touches for long, due to Gipson's superior talent.
With Gipson back in the fray, the Browns' defense will likely continue to improve after allowing the ninth-fewest points per game in 2014.