The Browns traded for running back Rebuen Droughns on March 30. John Bashian/Getty Images

Reuben Droughns recently gave the Cleveland Browns the best news they've received in about a month. He stopped talking about holding out. He came to mini-camp last week and stressed his love of football. He gave up the notion that he was a running back the Browns couldn't live without and realized how much he still has yet to prove in Cleveland. In short, Droughns started acting like himself again.

Success in the NFL can do strange things to players. In the case of Droughns, who gained a career-high 1,240 yards with the Denver Broncos last season, it warped his perspective for about eight weeks. Roughly two weeks after the Browns traded for him this spring, he walked out of the team's offseason conditioning program, vowing to not return until Cleveland offered him a contract better than the deal that pays him $950,000 in 2005 and $1.15 million in 2006. Droughns' actions created such a stir that Cleveland's Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown told a reporter that Droughns should re-think his strategy.

Droughns finally did that, saving him from any more embarrassment in one of the more ridiculous contract dramas of this offseason. As much as I like Droughns, I don't know how he or his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, thought they could pull off such a stunt. It's one thing for Rosenhaus to sell the idea -- his list of offseason hold-outs already included Terrell Owens, Javon Walker and Santana Moss, among others -- but it's something else for Droughns to believe it.

If Droughns was that good, he would've never wound up in Cleveland. The Broncos would've found a way to utilize him as their feature back instead of letting Tatum Bell and Quentin Griffin compete for the job this season. But the reality is that Broncos coach Mike Shanahan surely felt that Droughns' success had more to do with Denver's offense than Droughns. For those who don't remember, Droughns got his shot only after injuries sidelined Griffin and Bell.

The Browns aren't ready to declare Droughns the savior of their backfield, either. He will compete for a starting job with Lee Suggs, and Browns officials have even intimated that Suggs and Droughns might split carries this season. It wouldn't be bad idea. Such an approach worked for the two best rushing teams in the NFL last season (Atlanta and Pittsburgh). Browns fans also fondly recall how much the combination of Earnest Byner and Kevin Mack meant to their offense in 1985. That's also the last time a Browns runner gained at least 1,000 yards in a season.

The bottom line is that Droughns has yet to hear anybody treat him like a player who could benefit from a holdout. He's actually quite the opposite. He's the type of player who should still feel fortunate for his opportunities. He's made the most of them so far, which is why I was happy to see him land in Cleveland. Droughns has the kind of work ethic and desire that Browns fans should appreciate. In fact, you'd be hard pressed to find a better guy to root for.