Browns rookies to play if good enough

BEREA: It might sound like a stretch, but Browns coach Eric Mangini said Thursday that he would not be opposed to starting rookie safeties T.J. Ward and Larry Assante together if the two go on to out-perform the team's veterans in training camp.

The Browns traded up in the second round to nab Ward, a 5-foot-10, 211-pound free safety out of Oregon, with the 38th overall pick of the NFL Draft.

Then with their first pick on the third day of the draft, the Browns further bolstered their defensive secondary when they chose Assante (6-foot, 211-pounds from Nebraska) with the 160th overall selection.

''I'm definitely open to that,'' Mangini said of the possibility of starting the two rookies. ''In New York we started two rookie offensive linemen that first year with the center and left tackle. [Corners] Eugene Wilson [second-round pick] and Asante Samuel [fourth-round pick]played a lot their rookie seasons in New England.

''It just depends on where the [rookies] are. [Although] there's a lot of veteran guys who are going to work to not let that happen, that's what you'd expect. But if they're the best guys, you may take some lumps early because they are rookies. But typically, those guys tend to move up and excel as they play and gain experience.''

Harrison at work

Browns running back Jerome Harrison didn't grant a formal interview after the practice on Thursday, but he did say in passing he was glad to be back on the field.

''I'm just happy to be back,'' he said a week after the Browns extended one-year contract tenders to their five unsigned restricted free agents — Harrison, safety Abram Elam, linebackers D'Qwell Jackson and Matt Roth and fullback Lawrence Vickers.

If the five players don't sign their tenders by June 15, the club has the option to substitute a 10 percent raise over their 2009 base salaries. In all but one of the cases, that difference is more than $1 million less than what's already on the table.

Harrison, the only one of the group who has attended the voluntary, offseason workouts, signed an injury waiver before rejoining the team.

In passing the media, Harrison offered: ''Contracts aren't a problem,'' Harrison said. ''I'm blessed.''

Warfield retires

The Browns cut official ties last week with hall of fame running back Jim Brown, and Thursday, they did the same with Paul Warfield, who retired from the front office. That makes two hall of famers gone in a week as Warfield had served as a Browns senior adviser to the general manager since 2004. Brown's role was as executive assistant.

Brownies

The Browns signed wide receiver James Robinson on Thursday and waived receiver Dion Morton. . . . The team will open the gates at Cleveland Browns Stadium on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for a Select-A-Seat event for the 2010 season.