Browns Cut Alvin Bailey, Tracy Howard
The Browns have cut offensive lineman Alvin Bailey and a pair of defensive backs, Tracy Howard and Trae Elston, according to Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com (Twitter link).
Bailey, the most notable of the three, spent just one season with the Browns, who signed the ex-Seahawk as a free agent last March. The 25-year-old ended up playing in 14 of the Browns’ games (five starts) and ranking as one of Pro Football Focus’ worst guards. Bailey’s two missed contests came on account of a December suspension stemming from a violation of the NFL’s substance abuse policy. That ban was the result of a September arrest on a DUI charge.
Howard, 22, caught on with the Browns last spring as an undrafted free agent from Miami. He appeared in all but one of their games and worked mostly on special teams, playing nearly 42 percent of snaps and returning seven kicks. Howard also saw a decent amount of action defensively (25.2 percent of snaps), and totaled 16 tackles.
Elston, undrafted out out of Ole Miss a year ago, didn’t suit up for any regular-season games as a rookie. He instead spent time on the practice squads of the Browns, Saints and Buccaneers.
Browns’ Alvin Bailey Handed Two-Game Ban
The NFL announced that Alvin Bailey has been suspended for two games. The offensive lineman violated the league’s substance abuse policy when he was arrested for a DUI in late September.
As a part of his plea deal, Bailey paid a small fine and had his license suspended for six months. His suspension begins immediately and takes him out of the Week 15 and 16 games against the Bills and Chargers. He’ll be eligible for the team’s season finale against the Steelers on Jan. 1.
The 25-year-old joined the Browns on a free agent deal after spending previous years as a depth player with the Seahawks. This year, he took on a larger role while Cameron Erving was sidelined. For his 13 games (five starts), Pro Football Focus has Bailey ranked as just the No. 60 offensive guard in the NFL out of 78 qualified players.. According to the advanced metrics, Bailey’s pass blocking has been fairly strong while his run blocking has been downright atrocious.
Latest On Browns OL Alvin Bailey
Browns offensive lineman Alvin Bailey pleaded no contest to drunken driving, as Adam Ferrise of the Cleveland Plain Dealer writes. Bailey was arrested for DUI late in September.
Bailey will pay a small fine and have his license suspended for six months, but he can avoid jail by taking a three-day driver-intervention course. Of course, he’s not free and clear of NFL punishment. The league may suspended the lineman two games as a first-time DUI offender.
The 25-year-old joined the Browns on a free agent deal after spending previous years as a depth player with the Seahawks. This year, he took on a larger role while Cameron Erving was sidelined. Through the first half of the season, Pro Football Focus has Bailey ranked as just the 59th best guard in the NFL out of 77 qualified players. According to the advanced metrics, Bailey’s pass blocking has been fairly strong while his run blocking has been downright atrocious. Fortunately, the Browns have been splitting his time wisely, putting him on the field for 212 pass plays versus just 93 running plays.
Browns OL Alvin Bailey Arrested
Browns offensive lineman Alvin Bailey was arrested early this morning for operating a vehicle under the influence, as Allison Wood of The Royalton Post writes. The Browns effectively confirmed the news in speaking with Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal (Twitter link) and expressed “extreme disappointment” in his actions. 
Bailey tested over the legal limit on a portable breath test and officers also spotted green flakes in his car which were believed to be marijuana. The lineman “was cited for failure to comply, drug abuse, drug paraphernalia, and speeding. Bailey has a Sept. 29 court date with regards to these charges.
Bailey joined the Browns on a free agent deal after spending previous years as a depth player with the Seahawks. Recently, he took on a larger role as Cameron Erving was sidelined. If Bailey is disciplined or cut, the Browns will have yet another hole to address.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Browns Add Alvin Bailey, Justin Tuggle
MARCH 18: Bailey’s deal is a three-year accord worth $6MM, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). The contract contains $500K in incentives next season and $1.4MM in base escalators in 2017 and ’18.
MARCH 11: Identified mostly for the players they’ve lost this week, the Browns added a couple of players today, signing Alvin Bailey and Justin Tuggle, according to the team’s website.
Bailey served as mostly a depth piece on the Seahawks’ offensive line, starting in eight games in three seasons in Seattle. The 24-year-old ex-UDFA has started at left tackle, right tackle and left guard during his career, which includes two playoff starts.
Tuggle played three seasons for the Texans as a reserve linebacker, starting 11 games and playing in 42.
RFA Tender Decisions: 3/9/16
Unrestricted free agent news will obviously dominate the day, but several clubs also had to make decisions on whether to offer tenders to restricted free agents. We’ll round up those decisions here:
Tendered
- Buccaneers – Bradley McDougald, S (Twitter link via Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times)
- Second-round tender (Twitter link via Auman)
- Jets – Kenbrell Thompkins, WR (Twitter link via Rand Getlin of NFL.com)
- Packers – Justin Perillo, TE (Twitter link via Wes Hodges of the Green Bay Press Gazette)
- Rams – Benny Cunningham, RB (Twitter link via Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com)
- Ravens – Chase Ford, TE (Twitter link via Jeff Zriebec of the Baltimore Sun)
- Saints – Josh Hill, TE; Tim Lelito, C (Twitter links via Mike Triplett of ESPN.com)
Non-Tendered
- 49ers – Tony Jerod-Eddie, DL (Twitter link via Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com)
- Bears – Patrick Omameh, G; LaRoy Reynolds, LB; Deonte Thompson, WR (Twitter link via Kevin Fishbain of ChicagoFootball.com)
- Bills – Stefan Charles, DT; Ty Powell, LB; Bacarri Rambo, S (Twitter link via Mike Rodak of ESPN.com)
- Chargers – Cordarro Law, LB; Brandian Ross, S; Damion Square, DL; Johnnie Troutman, G (Twitter link via Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune)
- Colts – Dan Herron, RB (Twitter link via Mike Chappell of FOX 59)
- Falcons – Nathan Stupar, LB (Twitter link via Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com)
- Lions – Tim Wright, TE (Twitter link via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press)
- Packers – Andy Mulumba, LB (Twitter link via Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
- Patriots – Kevin Hughes, T; Sealver Siliga, DL; Brian Tyms, WR (Twitter link via Mike Reiss of ESPN.com)
- Rams – Chase Reynolds, RB (Twitter link via Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post Dispatch ); Daren Bates, S and Brian Folkerts, C (Twitter link via Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com )
- Ravens – Marlon Brown, WR; Micajah Reynolds, DT; Brynden Trawick, S (Twitter links via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle and Jeff Zriebec of the Baltimore Sun)
- Seahawks – Alvin Bailey, OL; Derrick Coleman, FB; Ricardo Lockette, WR; Christine Michael, RB; Nick Moody, LB (Twitter links via Greg Bell of the News Tribune and Brady Henderson of 710 ESPN Seattle)
- Steelers – Terence Garvin, LB (Twitter link via Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
- Washington – Tom Compton, T (Twitter link via Tarik El-Bashir of CSNWashington.com)
Seahawks OT Appears To Be Demanding Trade
It sounds like Seahawks tackle Alvin Bailey wants out of Seattle. The backup offensive lineman took to Twitter just minutes ago with the following:
“Thinkin’ about 31 other cities I’d rather be in then [sic] Seattle right now,” Bailey wrote.
Bailey has been playing in a reserve role thus far in 2015, though he has appeared in each of Seattle’s four games. The 24-year-old was a candidate to start at left guard this year, but Bailey lost his hold on the position over the summer. Eventually, Justin Britt was moved from right tackle to the interior, squeezing Bailey out of the starting lineup.
After the Seahawks’ offensive line looked particularly shaky against the Lions on Monday night, the team is probably wary of losing depth in that unit.
Seahawks Notes: Wilson, Daniels, Bowie
Andy Dalton‘s contract extension with the Bengals shook up the day across the NFL landscape, but one player who could benefit most from those numbers is Russell Wilson, writes Sarah Kirkpatrick of SeattlePi.com.
Kirkpatrick notes that Wilson’s raw numbers are comparable to Dalton’s, and his success in the playoffs where Dalton has consistently failed make him a candidate to surpass that deal considerably. Wilson will likely begin extension talks next offseason.
Here are some other notes from around Seahawks camp:
- Offensive tackle Alvin Bailey has been filling in at left tackle admirably in Russell Okung‘s absence, writes Jayson Jenks of the Seattle Times. He expects Bailey to join the right tackle competition with Eric Winston and Justin Britt once Okung comes back healthy.
- In the same article, Bob Condotta notes that the team is giving B.J. Daniels a chance to compete for a roster spot. Tarvaris Jackson and Terrelle Pryor are currently battling for the second quarterback position, but Daniels could beat out one or both of the players. It is unclear whether the team will carry two or three quarterbacks on the roster.
- Pete Carroll wasn’t happy that right tackle Michael Bowie was claimed off waivers, but defended the decision to waive him after he reported to camp 20 pounds overweight, writes T.J. Cotterill of the News Tribune in a Q&A with the head coach.
- Cotterill also posted a Q&A with star corner Richard Sherman, who spoke about how difficult it would be for teams to replicate their defense.