Odds and ends

The Browns Wednesday signed former Ohio State quarterback turned National Football League wide receiver Braxton Miller.

Why?

Are they not satisfied with the wide receivers room?

Or the quarterbacks room?

How in the world can Miller help the Browns this season? Or is he just training camp fodder for the next couple of weeks? Leaning heavily toward the latter.

He has already failed with two NFL teams following a solid, not spectacular, career with the Buckeyes, switching to wide receiver in his senior season to make way for J. T. Barrett.

He lasted two seasons in Houston after being selected by the Texans in the third round of the 2016 college draft, then was cut just prior to the start of the 2018 season.

He spent all of that season on the Philadelphia Eagles’ practice squad. The Eagles waived him a few days ago. He is now on the verge of becoming an NFL nomad.

Can’t imagine there’s a spot on this well-stacked Cleveland roster for Miller, whose greatest asset is his versatility. There seems to be nowhere he can be considered a fit.

There is no way he can beat out any of the wide receivers at the bottom of the depth chart currently battling for a spot on the final 53. There’s too much quality there.

(This just in: Wide receiver D. J. Montgomery, who has flourished in the first two exhibition games, was placed on injured reserve Wednesday with a hamstring problem.)

Even so, there is still too much quality depth (plus the return of suspended wideout Antonio Callaway in week five) at the position, minimizing Miller’s chances of latching on. Also time is not on his side with the season opener just 18 days away..

And there is absolutely no way, if the Browns were even considering it, that Miller has the chops to return to quarterbacking.

Unless he is the next coming of Terrelle Pryor, another ex-Buckeye quarterback who made the switch to wide receiver and whose rise and fall with the Browns covered only one decent season in 2016, Miller’s signing is merely good PR.

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Hard to believe coach Freddie Kitchens did not know his rookie punter Jamie Gillan also kicked field goals.

When it was brought to his attention by the media that Gillan was hitting on 60-yard field goals, he professed ignorance. “I can’t confirm either way,” said the man whose job is to know everything about his team. “I can’t . . . Hopefully they have it on video.”

Considering the Browns are in the midst of a placekicker dilemma, that seems rather odd. Greg Joseph and rookie Austin Seibert are having a race to the bottom it seems in an effort to see who emerges -- just barely -- as the club’s kicker this season.

Both have been inconsistent throughout training camp and the first two exhibition games. Neither has stepped up and said, “I’m your man. You have nothing to be worried about. Trust me.”

Gillan, who owns the strongest leg among the trio, kicked and punted in college. The only problem there is his field-goal accuracy at that level hovered around 60%.

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As for the Baker Mayfield-Odell Beckham Jr. problems stemming from controversial remarks each made recently in separate national magazine articles, all the fuss being made will soon die down and be forgotten.

No sense commenting on them. It’ll do no good because both high-profile young men will probably continue to express their opinions regardless of what anyone else thinks. That could change as they get older and mature.

Right now, those comments are relatively harmless and should have no bearing on how each plays this season.

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The Browns, who have become the media's darling, are on the cover of Sports Illustrated’s NFL Preview issue. “The Browns Are Back,” screams the headline with art of Beckham and Jarvis Landry. And a “Bold Prediction! Cleveland’s first division title in 30 years.”

Cue the SI cover jinx, an old trope that no longer applies, right? But this is Cleveland, where the SI cover jinx lives.

In 1987, an “Indians Uprising” turned into a 101-loss season; in 2009, the “Big Two” of LeBron James and Shaquille O’Neal lost in the second round of he playoffs; and in 2014, injuries to Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving left the Cavaliers practically helpless as they bowed to the Golden State Warriors in six games in the championship round.

One of these years, if you still believe in this curse, it will be beaten. This will be its sternest test.