North Notes: Landry, Garrett, Bears, Lions

Both of the Browns‘ starting wide receivers may need offseason surgeries. While Odell Beckham Jr. has been battling a sports hernia injury that is not yet certain to require a corrective procedure, Jarvis Landry‘s hip problem might need to be operated on next year, Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer notes. Landry has dealt with a hip injury all season, though the malady’s severity is uncertain. Landry has not missed a game this season, but going into his third Browns campaign, it appears likely he will miss some of the team’s offseason program. With Freddie Kitchens a possible one-and-done candidate, an offseason absence could loom larger considering a new playbook may be en route.

Here is more out of Cleveland and the latest from other North-division locales:

  • Although Myles Garrett is suspended indefinitely, he is now allowed back at the Browns’ facility, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal reports. The NFL initially barred Garrett from team headquarters but has since permitted the Pro Bowl defensive end to return to the team’s Berea, Ohio, complex. However, Garrett remains ineligible to attend Browns meetings or practices. But he’s allowed to work individually with Browns training and medical personnel in the building, per Ulrich.
  • Mitchell Trubisky‘s uneven play, especially when compared to draft classmates Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson, has been the primary Bears talking point this season. But the third-year quarterback has fared better as of late, and Joel Corry of CBS Sports expects the team to pick up his fifth-year option by May (Twitter link). That 2021 option price is expected to come in at approximately $25MM. Fifth-year options are guaranteed for injury only.
  • The Bears opted not to retain former safety starter Adrian Amos, adding Ha Ha Clinton-Dix on a buy-low deal instead. Chicago likely will make a strong effort to keep Eddie Jackson, and Corry expects the third-year safety to command a top-market contract (Twitter link). The safety market reignited in 2019, and Kevin Byard‘s $14.1MM-per-year deal current represents the position’s top figure. A 2017 fifth-round pick who is now a two-time Pro Bowler, Jackson becomes extension-eligible at the end of the regular season.
  • Darius Slay was mentioned in trade talks before this year’s deadline. Were the Lions to attempt to unload their top cornerback in the offseason, the Detroit News’ Justin Rogers expects a second-round pick to be around the level of compensation for which the team could aim. However, with perhaps both Bob Quinn and Matt Patricia on the hot seat in 2020, it would probably behoove them to retain their top cover man rather than deal him for a Day 2 pick. Slay, however, skipped the Lions’ 2019 offseason program while lobbying for a new contract. His current deal expires after next season.
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