Editor's note: Tony Grossi covers the Cleveland Browns for 850 ESPN Cleveland.

Takeaways from the first five days of training camp …

The Browns enter their second week of practices knowing these things:

* They’re off to a good start on the injury front. Notable players missing time have been running backs Kareem Hunt and Duke Johnson, receiver Damion Ratley, and linebacker Genard Avery. None is serious enough to imperil the preseason. Hunt, who entered camp with a groin muscle injury, could be the first of the four to return to the field.

* There has been no pointless drama. Johnson’s trade request at the June minicamp – and Baker Mayfield’s over-reaction to it – have been defused by common sense and Johnson’s switch of agents to Drew Rosenhaus. A trade of Johnson seems less likely now than on draft weekend.

* For those players that may have been believing the hype about the team, there has been enough ragged play to convince everybody that much work has to be done for them to fulfill pre-season playoff expectations.

* Freddie Kitchens’ promise to run a physical camp has been realized. And yet Kitchens, who is an affirmed old-school coach, has been conscientious about and agreeable to managing players susceptible to soft-tissue injuries with limited practice days.

Here now is one takeaway on every position group through five practices:

Quarterback

Garrett Gilbert appears to be taking advantage of the opportunity created by his eight games in the Alliance of American Football. He has shown a live arm and good accuracy downfield. Whether he can leapfrog Drew Stanton for the No. 2 job is uncertain, but Gilbert certainly looks more than a “camp arm.”

Running back

Nick Chubb is a gem of a feature back, too valuable to be relegated to second-class status in an all-out Air Raid offense. There are enough advocates in the organization to keep Chubb at the forefront of the offensive thinking – and not as an afterthought.

Wide receiver

Derrick Willies was a favorite project of former offensive coordinator Todd Haley last year and looked to be developing until fracturing his collarbone at practice in October. Willies looks much better in his second camp and might be the frontrunner among seven candidates for possibly the sixth receiver spot behind Odell Beckham Jr., Jarvis Landry, Rashard Higgins, Antonio Callaway and Ratley.

Tight end

After the potentially spectacular David Njoku, who still is inconsistent, this position group draws a collective yawn.

Offensive line

The battle for starting right guard has been an exercise in ineffectual sparring. Austin Corbett, Kyle Kalis and Eric Kush each had one practice in pads with the first team. None has separated. If nothing happens soon, they should just leave Corbett there so the line can coalesce. The longer this competiton languishes, the worse off the line will be.

Defensive line

Kitchens considers this unit the strength of the team. The starting front four could be awesome, but efforts to bolster the backup tackle spot (Gerald McCoy, Mike Daniels) have struck out.

Linebacker

Frankly, Christian Kirksey and Joe Schobert look like lame-duck starters. It’s just a matter of time before Sione Takitaki and Mack Wilson take over. It may be a year – or a month into the season. The conversion to a 4-2-5 base alignment appears to be in full swing.

Defensive secondary

Rookie cornerback Greedy Williams and third safety Jermaine Whitehead have picked up where they left off in minicamp. Both players look on the verge of filling significant roles – Williams as a starter or third cornerback, and Whitehead as Steve Wilks’ hybrid safety/cornerback/linebacker.

Specialists

With two young kickers struggling, there may be an adverse affect on the punting competition. Jamie Gillan, aka the Scottish Hammer, has a powerful left leg and a variety of hard-to-catch punts. But having two members of the place-kick team (holder and kicker) with such little experience poses a huge risk. If the Browns had a reliable veteran kicker, I think Gillan’s chances of sticking would be much greater. As it is, veteran punter and holder Britton Colquitt’s experience and dependability are too valuable to dismiss.