Written by Thomas Moore

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It was a busy day in Berea for the Cleveland Browns.

First off, the team signed Josh Gordon to a four-year deal worth about $5.3 million, with $3.8 million in guaranteed money. The Browns selected Gordon in the second round of last week’s Supplemental Draft. It’s good that Gordon will be in camp on time as he needs plenty of practice time after not playing last season.

The only rookies not signed by the team are running back Trent Richardson and quarterback Brandon Weeden – kind of a big deal – but general manager Tom Heckert has said he’s confident the team will get the deals done in time for them to report with the rookies on July 24.

The Browns also did not agree on a multi-year deal with kicker Phil Dawson before the NFL-imposed deadline of 4 p.m., so the veteran kicker will play this upcoming season under the franchise tag of $3.81 million.

Finally, the team announced it will not take advantage of the NFL’s offer to decrease the amount of non-premium tickets they must sell to avoid a blackout to 85 percent.

“It’s a non-issue for us,” Neal Gulkis, the team’s vice president of media relations, told The Beacon Journal. “Our fan support has been tremendous, and we fully expect that all of our games will be sold out and televised locally.”

The Browns have not had a home game blacked out since returning in 1999, although they came close four times in 2009. According to a recent story in The Wall Street Journal, the Browns played to 89 percent capacity last season.

With a strong home schedule, some new faces on offense that actually have fans looking forward to the team having the ball, and the fact that local TV stations and/or sponsors are willing to buy any remaining tickets because the TV ratings are strong, there should be little chance of a blackout this season.

(Photo by Getty Images)