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Inside The Huskies

Cleveland Thinks It Made Big Catch In Denzel Boston

The former UW pass-catcher has entertained the Browns with his full compelent of skills.
Dan Raley|
Denzel Boston has been a training camp standout for the Browns.
Denzel Boston has been a training camp standout for the Browns. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Boston, meet Cleveland.

In this arrangement, there are no city limits.

Former University of Washington wide receiver Denzel Boston has made a smooth transition to the Browns so far, every day coming up with something new to wow his NFL employers and the Ohio fan base.

In his new Ohio haunts, he has been the talk of training camp.

"I think that Denzel is doing phenomenal," Husky coach Jedd Fisch said on Tuesday. "I've seen that on Twitter. I've seen that on Instagram. I've heard that from his coach."

On Wednesday, he caught three touchdown passes in practice. Seemingly every day he gets at least one. According to daily accounts, he often looks ike the Browns' top receiver.

With his long 6-foot-4, 215-pound frame, deceptive speed and sure hands, Boston makes it extra hard for Cleveland defensive backs to cover him.

Boston has told the Cleveland media he's been motivated by falling out of the first round of the NFL Draft in April and having to wait until the 39th overall selection.

“That will forever be on my shoulder for the rest of my life,” he said following his fifth training-camp practice. “That’s going to forever be a driving factor of the reason I do what I do. It’s just one of those things that you don’t forget and it’s always just going to be there.”

The Browns, of course, were among the teams that passed on him in the opening round, choosing Texas A&M wide receiver KC Concepcion instead with the 24th overall pick.

Denzel Boston takes a photo with fans during Browns training camp.
Denzel Boston takes a photo with fans during Browns training camp. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Browns coach Todd Monken is not sure what all the inner angst is all about from his rookie pass-catcher. He thinks Boston should celebrate his stature.

"Holy cow, you’re the 39th-best player in the draft — that’s pretty damn good,” he said. “I don’t know what to tell you, but I don’t see it as [a slight]. I see it as there are a lot of really good football players out there, and you go with the 39th pick, that’s pretty special."

First-rounder or not, Boston has been the most noticeable receiver in Browns camp. He catches nearly everything that comes his way. He's made former Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, Deion's son, a much more efficient player. They've hooked up repeatedly on a comeback pass.

“I think it really comes from just knowing my job, knowing what I’m doing, having good communication with the quarterback,” Boston said. “When you’re able to do that, you kind of can just play fluid, play free and just go out there and have fun.”

Let him have it his way -- he's playing like a first-rounder.

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Dan Raley
DAN RALEY

Dan Raley has worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, as well as for MSN.com and Boeing, the latter as a global aerospace writer. His sportswriting career spans four decades and he's covered University of Washington football and basketball during much of that time. In a working capacity, he's been to the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the MLB playoffs, the Masters, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and countless Final Fours and bowl games.

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