Braylon Edwards makes most of his 1st day

BEREA (AP) — Browns wide receiver Braylon Edwards finished his first practice, slapped on a baseball cap for his interview session and then returned to the field in search of Cleveland coach Eric Mangini.

Edwards found Mangini, who was finishing up signing autographs for fans, and the two chatted briefly as they walked off together — in step.

The Browns can only hope they stay that way.

Edwards, the talented playmaker whose dropped passes were among the problems that doomed Cleveland last season, practiced Wednesday after missing the first four days of training camp with an undisclosed injury. Cleared by the Browns’ medical staff on Tuesday night, Edwards, who had been limited to mostly riding a stationary bike, rejoined his teammates and looked sharp during the two-hour workout.

“It’s one thing to watch on the side and another thing to actually go through and participate,” Edwards said. “It felt good.”

It didn’t take long for Edwards to stand out. During a 7-on-7 drill, the 6-foot-3 wideout soared high in the air to catch a touchdown pass from quarterback Derek Anderson, who lobbed the ball into the back corner hoping Edwards could haul it in. Perfectly timing his leap, Edwards went up and pulled the ball off cornerback Gerard Lawson’s helmet.

“I love football, so being able to go out there and do that reminds me of why I’m here, why I originally started playing football,” Edwards said.

The play was a reminder of Edwards’ remarkable skills as well as his untapped potential.

“If all else fails, throw it to Braylon,” Browns backup quarterback Brett Ratliff said. “He’ll make something happen.”

Edwards, who missed Cleveland’s minicamp last month with an injury, was chatty and in good spirits after practice. He addressed several issues, notably his relationship with Mangini, Cleveland’s first-year coach, and his contract.

Although the Browns had placed him on the “active non-football injury list,” Edwards didn’t appear to be injured while doing agility drills and running during the practices he missed. The mysterious circumstances surrounding his injury — Mangini gave no specifics — led to speculation that he was being punished for arriving one day late to camp.

But Edwards said Mangini was not penalizing him by keeping him out of pads.

“It was the complete opposite,” he said. “I respect Coach Mangini, because through this whole system he’s been by me, he’s supported me. He and I have talked. Anything that I want to talk about or I feel, I can easily go up those steps and the door’s open for me.”

A happy, healthy Edwards is a huge plus for the Browns, who went 4-12 last season and are not expected to be much better in 2009. But a bounce back season by Edwards, whose production dropped from 80 catches, nearly 1,300 yards and 16 touchdowns in 2007 to 55 receptions for 873 yards and three TDs last year, could get Cleveland headed back to respectability.