Browns to have bullmastiff mascot

The Cleveland Browns will be taking the Dawg Pound to a new level this season.

The team will have a live, barking, panting mascot when it takes the field this fall, a team executive told a Cleveland radio station on Sunday.

Kevin Griffin, the Browns' vice president of fan experience and marketing, told 92.3 The Fan in Cleveland that a bullmastiff named Swagger will lead players onto the field at FirstEnergy Stadium.

Asked to comment on the mascot plans, spokesman Rob McBurnett said more information would be released in the future.

"We are considering incorporating a bullmastiff into our gameday experience and will have more information at a later date," he said.

For years the team has had just costumed canines roaming the sideline, playing to the raucous fan section known as the Dawg Pound.

A few other NFL teams feature live mascots, including the Seattle Seahawks (Taima the hawk), the Denver Broncos (a white Arabian horse named Thunder II) and the Baltimore Ravens (ravens named Rise and Conquer).

ESPN.com Browns reporter Pat McManamon and The Associated Press contributed to this report.