Browns, Giants Alter Zeitler/Vernon Trade
When the Browns and Giants agreed to swap guard Kevin Zeitler and defensive end Olivier Vernon earlier this week, the two clubs also decided to trade draft picks: Cleveland was set to give up a fifth-round pick (No. 155) to New York, while Big Blue send a fourth-round pick (No. 132) to the Browns. Now, following the deal that will send Odell Beckham Jr. to Cleveland, the two teams have agreed to revise the Zeitler/Brown trade.
The pick swap will no longer occur, according to Art Stapleton of NorthJersey.com (Twitter link). Instead, Zeitler will simply be traded straight up for Vernon, while OBJ will go to the Browns in a separate move. However, you can look at both swaps together as such: Beckham and Vernon for Zeitler, Peppers, No. 17 overall and No. 95 overall.
It’s unclear as to why the Giants and Browns have reached this agreement. The return for Beckham has been widely panned, so it’s possible the Giants asked for the Vernon/Zeitler pick swap to be eliminated as something of a face-saving move (although undoing a 23-spot drop in the draft probably isn’t worth all that much).
Browns To Sign TE Demetrius Harris
The Browns have reached a two-year agreement with former Chiefs tight end Demetrius Harris, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Cleveland, of course, traded for Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. last night, adding a clear No. 1 option to its Baker Mayfield-led offense. Harris won’t have the impact of OBJ, but he’ll give the Browns a competent second tight end behind starter David Njoku. Njoku played roughly 80% of Cleveland’s offensive snaps, while incumbent backup tight end Orson Charles saw action on ~15% of plays.
Harris was a basketball player at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, but NFL teams were intrigued by his 6’7″ stature. He signed with the Chiefs in 2013 as an undrafted free agent, but didn’t see the field until the 2015 campaign. Harris saw regular action in each of the past three years, missing only one game during that time, but he wasn’t a key factor in Kansas City’s offense, as he averaged only 15 receptions and 170 yards in that span. A major contributor on special teams, Harris played on more than 80% of the Chiefs ST snaps a year ago.
2019 NFL Trades
We’ve already seen a few trades consummated in advance of the 2019 league year, and with the draft not too far off, several more deals figure to be completed this spring. We’ll track those moves – and the rest of the year’s trades, right up until the fall deadline – in this space.
Here’s a breakdown of 2019’s trades to date, in reverse chronological order:
Post-Draft
- Jets acquired CB Nate Hairston.
- Colts acquired a 2020 sixth-round pick.
- Eagles acquired S Rudy Ford.
- Cardinals acquired DT Bruce Hector.
- Patriots acquired TE Eric Saubert.
- Falcons acquired a conditional 2020 seventh-round pick.
- Vikings acquired K Kaare Vedvik.
- Ravens acquired a 2020 fifth-round pick.
- Eagles acquired DE Eli Harold.
- Bills acquired T Ryan Bates.
- Texans acquired RB Duke Johnson.
- Browns acquired a conditional 2020 fourth-round pick.
- Pick will become third-rounder if Johnson is active for 10 games with the Texans.
- Jets acquired OL Alex Lewis.
- Ravens acquired a conditional 2020 seventh-round pick.
- Chiefs acquired LB Darron Lee.
- Jets acquired a 2020 sixth-round pick.
- Bears acquired K Eddy Pineiro.
- Raiders acquired a conditional 2021 seventh-round pick.
- Oakland will acquire pick if Pineiro is on Chicago’s active for five games.
- Seahawks acquired TE Jacob Hollister.
- Patriots acquired a conditional 2020 seventh-round pick.
During Draft
- Seahawks acquired a 2019 seventh-round pick (No. 236; WR John Ursua).
- Jaguars acquired a 2020 sixth-round pick.
- Eagles acquired DT Hassan Ridgeway.
- Colts acquired a 2019 seventh-round pick (No. 246; C Javon Patterson).
- Broncos acquired a 2019 sixth-round pick (No. 187; WR Juwann Winfree).
- Panthers acquired a 2019 sixth-round pick (No. 212; T Dennis Daley) and a 2019 seventh-round pick (No. 237; WR Terry Godwin).
- Patriots acquired a 2019 fifth-round pick (No. 163; P Jake Bailey).
- Eagles acquired a 2019 fifth-round pick (No. 167; QB Clayton Thorson) and a 2019 seventh-round pick (No. 246).
- Patriots acquired a 2019 fifth-round pick (No. 159; DT Byron Cowart).
- Vikings acquired a 2019 fifth-round pick (No. 162; LB Cameron Smith) and a 2019 seventh-round pick (No. 239; WR Dillon Mitchell).
- Raiders acquired a 2019 fifth-round pick (No. 149; WR Hunter Renfrow).
- Cowboys acquired a 2019 fifth-round pick (No. 158; CB Michael Jackson) and a 2019 seventh-round pick (No. 218; RB Mike Weber).
- Bengals acquired a 2019 fourth-round pick (No. 136; C Michael Jordan).
- Cowboys acquired a 2019 fifth-round pick (No. 149) and a 2019 sixth-round pick (No. 213; S Donovan Wilson).
- Falcons acquired a 2019 fourth-round pick (No. 135; DE John Cominsky).
- Raiders acquired a 2019 fourth-round pick (No. 137; TE Foster Moreau) and a 2019 seventh-round pick (No. 230; DE Quinton Bell).
- Rams acquired a 2019 fourth-round pick (No. 134; DT Greg Gaines) and a 2019 seventh-round pick (No. 243; S Nick Scott).
- Patriots acquired a 2019 fifth-round pick (No. 162) and a 2019 fifth-round pick (No. 167).
- Titans acquired a 2019 fourth-round pick (No. 116; S Amani Hooker).
- Jets acquired a 2019 fourth-round pick (No. 121; TE Trevon Wesco) and a 2019 fifth-round pick (No. 157; LB Blake Cashman).
- Vikings acquired a 2019 fourth-round pick (No. 114; G Dru Samia).
- Seahawks acquired a 2019 fourth-round pick (No. 120; WR Gary Jennings); and a 2019 sixth-round pick (No. 204; RB Travis Homer).
- Falcons acquired a 2019 fourth-round pick (No. 111; CB Kendall Sheffield).
- Lions acquired a 2019 fourth-round pick (No. 117; DE Austin Bryant) and a 2019 sixth-round pick (No. 186; RB Ty Johnson).
- Colts acquired a 2019 fourth-round pick (No. 109; S Khari Willis).
- Raiders acquired a 2019 fourth-round pick (No. 129; CB Isaiah Johnson) and a 2019 fourth-round pick (No. 135)
- Broncos acquired LB Dekoda Watson and a 2019 seventh-round pick (No. 212).
- 49ers acquired a 2019 fifth-round pick (No. 148; LB Dre Greenlaw).
- Saints acquired a 2019 fourth-round pick (No. 105; S Chauncey Gardner-Johnson).
- Jets acquired a 2019 fourth-round pick (No. 116) and a 2019 fifth-round pick (No. 168).
- Bengals acquired a 2019 fourth-round pick (No. 104; QB Ryan Finley).
- 49ers acquired a 2019 third-round pick (No. 110; P Mitch Wishnowsky), a 2019 sixth-round pick (No. 183; T Justin Skule), and a 2019 sixth-round pick (No. 198; CB Tim Harris).
- Rams acquired a 2019 third-round pick (No. 97; T Bobby Evans) and a 2019 fifth-round pick (No. 162).
- Patriots acquired a 2019 third-round pick (No. 101; T Yodny Cajuste) and a 2019 fourth-round pick (No. 133; QB Jarrett Stidham).
- Bills acquired a 2019 third-round pick (No. 96; TE Dawson Knox).
- Redskins acquired a 2019 fourth-round pick (No. 112; RB Bryce Love) and a 2019 fourth-round pick (No. 131; G Wes Martin).
- Jets acquired a 2019 third-round pick (No. 92; T Chuma Edoga).
- Vikings acquired a 2019 third-round pick (No. 93) and a 2019 seventh-round pick (No. 217; CB Kris Boyd).
- Seahawks acquired a 2019 third-round pick (No. 88; LB Cody Barton) and a 2019 sixth-round pick (No. 209; DT Demarcus Christmas).
- Vikings acquired a 2019 third-round pick (No. 92) and a 2019 fifth-round pick (No. 159).
- Lions acquired a 2019 third-round pick (No. 81; S Will Harris).
- Vikings acquired a 2019 third-round pick (No. 88) and a 2019 sixth-round pick (No. 204).
- Bears acquired a 2019 third-round pick (No. 73; RB David Montgomery) and a 2019 sixth-round pick (No. 205; CB Duke Shelley).
- Patriots acquired a 2019 third-round pick (No. 87; RB Damien Harris), a 2019 fifth-round pick (No. 162), and a 2020 fourth-round pick.
- Rams acquired a 2019 third-round pick (No. 70; S Taylor Rapp).
- Buccaneers acquired a 2019 third-round pick (No. 94; CB Jamel Dean) and a 2019 third-round pick (No. 99; S Mike Edwards).
- Seahawks acquired a 2019 second-round pick (No. 64; WR D.K. Metcalf).
- Patriots acquired a 2019 third-round pick (No. 77; DE Chase Winovich) and a 2019 fourth-round pick (No. 118; G Hjalte Froholdt).
- Dolphins acquired QB Josh Rosen.
- Cardinals acquired a 2019 second-round pick (No. 62; WR Andy Isabella) and a 2020 fifth-round pick.
- Chiefs acquired a 2019 second-round pick (No. 56; WR Mecole Hardman).
- Rams acquired a 2019 second-round pick (No. 61; S Taylor Rapp) and a 2019 fifth-round pick (No. 167).
- Saints acquired a 2019 second-round pick (No. 48; C Erik McCoy) and a 2019 fourth-round pick (No. 116).
- Dolphins acquired a 2019 second-round pick (No. 62), a 2019 sixth-round pick (No. 202; T Isaiah Prince), and a 2020 second-round pick.
- Browns acquired a 2019 second-round pick (No. 46; CB Greedy Williams).
- Colts acquired a 2019 second-round pick (No. 49; LB Ben Banogu) and a 2019 fifth-round pick (No. 144; S Marvell Tell).
- Patriots acquired a 2019 second-round pick (No. 45; CB Joejuan Williams).
- Rams acquired a 2019 second-round pick (No. 56) and a 2019 third-round pick (No. 101).
- Broncos acquired a 2019 second-round pick (No. 42; QB Drew Lock).
- Bengals acquired a 2019 second-round pick (No. 52; TE Drew Sample), a 2019 fourth-round pick (No. 125; DT Renell Wren) and a 2019 sixth-round pick (No. 182; RB Trayveon Williams).
- Bills acquired a 2019 second-round pick (No. 38; OL Cody Ford).
- Raiders acquired a 2019 second-round pick (No. 40; CB Trayvon Mullen) and a 2019 fifth-round pick (No. 158).
- Panthers acquired a 2019 second-round pick (No. 37; T Greg Little).
- Seahawks acquired a 2019 second-round pick (No. 47; S Marquise Blair) and a 2019 third-round pick (No. 77).
- Jaguars acquired a 2019 second-round pick (No. 35; T Jawaan Taylor), a 2019 fifth-round pick (No. 140; RB Ryquell Armstead), and a 2019 seventh-round pick (No. 235; DT Dontavius Russell).
- Raiders acquired a a 2019 second-round pick (No. 38) and a 2019 fourth-round pick (No. 109).
- Falcons acquired a 2019 first-round pick (No. 31; T Kaleb McGary) and a 2019 sixth-round pick (No. 203; RB Marcus Green).
- Rams acquired a 2019 second-round pick (No. 45) and a 2019 third-round pick (No. 79; CB David Long)
- Giants acquired a 2019 first-round pick (No. 30; CB Deandre Baker).
- Seahawks acquired a 2019 second-round pick (No. 37), a 2019 fourth-round pick (No. 132; S Ugo Amadi), and a 2019 fifth-round pick (No. 142; LB Ben Burr-Kirven).
- Redskins acquired a 2019 first-round pick (No. 26; DE Montez Sweat).
- Colts acquired a 2019 second-round pick (No. 46) and a 2020 second-round pick.
- Eagles acquired a 2019 first-round pick (No. 22; T Andre Dillard).
- Ravens acquired a 2019 first-round pick (No. 25; WR Marquise Brown), a 2019 fourth-round pick (No. 127; CB Iman Marshall), and a 2019 sixth-round pick (No. 197; QB Trace McSorley).
- Packers acquired a 2019 first-round pick (No. 21; S Darnell Savage).
- Seahawks acquired a 2019 first-round pick (No. 30), a 2019 fourth-round pick (No. 114), and a 2019 fourth-round pick (No. 118).
- Steelers acquired a 2019 first-round pick (No. 10; LB Devin Bush).
- Broncos acquired a 2019 first-round pick (No. 20; TE Noah Fant), a 2019 second-round pick (No. 52), and a 2020 third-round pick.
Pre-Draft
- Chiefs acquired DE Frank Clark and a 2019 third-round pick (No. 84).
- Seahawks acquired a 2019 first-round pick (No. 29), a 2019 third-round pick (No. 92), and a 2020 second-round pick.
- Kansas City currently owns two 2020 second-round picks and will send the lower pick to Seattle.
- Chiefs acquired DE Emmanuel Ogbah.
- Browns acquired S Eric Murray.
- Eagles acquired RB Jordan Howard.
- Bears acquired a conditional 2020 sixth-round pick.
- Pick could become fifth-rounder based on unknown conditions.
- Cowboys acquired DE Robert Quinn.
- Dolphins acquired a 2020 sixth-round pick.
- Titans acquired QB Ryan Tannehill and a 2019 sixth-round pick (No. 188).
- Dolphins acquired a 2019 seventh-round pick (No. 233) and a 2020 fourth-round pick.
- Browns acquired WR Odell Beckham Jr. and DE Olivier Vernon.
- Giants acquired G Kevin Zeitler, S Jabrill Peppers, a 2019 first-round pick (No. 17), and a 2019 third-round pick (No. 95).
- 49ers acquired DE Dee Ford.
- Chiefs acquired a 2020 second-round pick.
- Eagles acquired WR DeSean Jackson and a 2020 seventh-round pick.
- Buccaneers acquired a 2019 sixth-round pick (No. 208).
- Jets acquired G Kelechi Osemele and a 2019 sixth-round pick (No. 196).
- Raiders acquired a 2019 fifth-round pick (No. 140).
- Raiders acquired WR Antonio Brown.
- Steelers acquired a 2019 third-round pick (No. 66) and a 2019 fifth-round pick (No. 141).
- Patriots acquired DL Michael Bennett and a 2020 seventh-round pick.
- Eagles acquired a 2020 fifth-round pick.
- Cardinals acquired T Marcus Gilbert.
- Steelers acquired a 2019 sixth-round pick (No. 207).
- Redskins acquired QB Case Keenum and a 2020 seventh-round pick.
- Broncos acquired a 2020 sixth-round pick.
- Broncos acquired QB Joe Flacco.
- Ravens acquired a 2019 fourth-round pick (No. 113).
ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/10/19
Here are today’s exclusive-rights free agent tender decisions:
ERFAs
Tendered:
- Bengals: CB Tony McRae, G Alex Redmond, DT Josh Tupou, S Brandon Wilson
Broncos Place Second-Round Tender On DL Shelby Harris
The Broncos have placed a second-round tender on restricted free agent defensive lineman Shelby Harris, according to Mike Klis of 9News.
Harris will now collect $3.095MM for the 2019 campaign. Theoretically, another team could sign Harris to an offer sheet, but they’d have to be willing to sacrifice a second-round pick. Additionally, Denver has the right to match any offer Harris may receive, so the tender almost certainly ties Harris to the Broncos’ roster for next season.
A seventh-round pick of the Raiders in 2014, Harris bounced around the league, spending time with the Jets and Cowboys before signing a futures deal with the Broncos in 2017. That low-risk move has paid off ten-fold for Denver, as Harris has appeared in all 32 possible games over the past two years, seeing action on more than 35% of the Broncos’ defensive snaps in each season.
Harris, 27, posted seven sacks, 16 quarterback hits, and 15 tackles for loss from 2017-18, and graded as the NFL’s No. 8 interior defender last year, per Pro Football Focus. His role could be set to expand in 2019, as the Broncos reportedly aren’t interested in re-signing veteran defensive tackle Domata Peko, who played 522 defensive snaps last season.
Chiefs Release Justin Houston
The Chiefs have released edge rusher Justin Houston, the club announced today.
“Over the last eight seasons we’ve had the ability to watch Justin grow into a leader on and off the playing field,” Chiefs owner Clark Hunt said. “His passion helped him become one the most successful pass rushers in franchise history. We appreciate his contributions to our team and community and he’ll always be considered a part of the Chiefs family.”
Kansas City had been attempting to trade Houston, but no club was willing to take on his $15.25MM base salary. By cutting Houston, the Chiefs will $7.1MM in dead money, but will also create $14MM in cap space. That latter figure is critical for Kansas City, as the team had less than $10MM in cap space before moving from Houston.
In addition to trying to move Houston, the Chiefs are also rumored to have put fellow pass rusher Dee Ford on the trade block. Ford was designated as Kansas City’s franchise player and will earn north of $17MM in 2019, and the Chiefs are reportedly searching for a second-round pick in exchange. However, it’s possible Kansas City will be more amenable to retaining Ford now that Houston is out of the picture.
Houston led the NFL with 22 sacks in 2015, but injuries have since taken a toll on his availability. Now entering his age-30 campaign, Houston can still be an effective player, as evidenced by his 18.5 sacks over the past two seasons. Pro Football Focus graded him as the NFL’s 14th-best edge defender last year, and he should have a solid market given that most of this offseason’s best pass-rushers were taken off the market via the franchise tag.
Raiders To Trade Kelechi Osemele To Jets
The Raiders have reached an agreement to trade guard Kelechi Osemele to the Jets, according to Adam Schefter and Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Oakland will receive a 2019 fifth-round pick (No. 140), while New York will acquire Osemele and a 2019 sixth-round pick (No. 196), tweets Jerry McDonald of the Oakland Tribune.
Oakland, of course, acquired superstar wideout Antonio Brown from the Steelers late last night, just months after dealing away their own stars in edge rusher Khalil Mack and receiver Amari Cooper. Now, the club is dealing away arguably its best offensive lineman, so it’s unclear if the Raiders view themselves as contenders or are instead continuing with their rebuild.
Osemele, 29, inked a five-year, $58.5MM deal with Oakland in 2016 after spending the first four years of his career in Baltimore. After missing only one game during his first two years in the Bay Area, Osemele was sidelined by a knee injury for five contests in 2018. It’s fair to wonder if that knee issue bothered Osemele all season, as he finished with the worst Pro Football Focus grade of his career last season.
The Raiders will clear $10.5MM in both cash and cap off their books by moving Osemele, while the Jets will take on the same amount. Both clubs will remain among the top-seven teams in available cap space heading into the new league year on Wednesday. Osemele is under contract through the 2020 season, and will carry an $11.7MM cap charge next year.
The Jets’ fielded one of the NFL’s worst offensive lines last season, and had pursued Osemele when he was a free agent in 2016, so the marriage makes sense on paper. In 2019, New York ranked dead last in adjusted line yards, Football Outsiders’ offensive line metric, and also ranked 32nd in adjusted line yards when running behind the center/guard. James Carpenter, the Jets’ left guard starter entering last season, missed the second half of the year with injury and is now a free agent, leaving a gap that Osemele will now fill.
Frank Clark Won’t Report To Training Camp Without Extension
Seahawks defensive end Frank Clark has no intention of signing his franchise tag or reporting to training camp unless he receives an extension, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).
Clark was one of five pass-rushers to receive the franchise tender last week, but he may have been the closest of the group to reaching a long-term agreement. Reports just before the tag deadline indicated Seattle was progressing on a new deal with Clark, so there may be some momentum in discussions. The Seahawks have until July 15 to work out a extension with Clark — if they don’t, he’ll be forced to play out the 2019 campaign under the franchise tender.
A former second-round pick, Clark will collect $17.128MM for the 2019 season, a total which will become fully guaranteed once he signs his tag. While that’s a hefty total for a single season, it doesn’t represent Clark’s true value on the open market, or what he’s likely searching for via an extension. While he’s probably not going to exceed Khalil Mack‘s $23.5MM annual average, Clark could feel secure in targeting a $20MM+ yearly salary on a long-term pact.
Clark, 25, has been a wrecking ball over the past three seasons, ranking seventh among NFL defensive linemen in sacks (32) and 10th in quarterbacks hits (66) during that time. Last year, Pro Football Focus graded Clark as the league’s No. 18 edge defender.
Browns Release TE Darren Fells
The Browns have released tight end Darren Fells after failing to trade him, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (Twitter link). The Jets were mentioned as a possible suitor for Fells after reports emerged Saturday that he was on the trade block, but no deal came to fruition.
Fells, 33 next month, signed a three-year, $12MM deal with Cleveland just last offseason. He’d been scheduled to earn a base salary of $2.65MM in 2019, and would have carried a cap charge of $3.7MM. Instead, the Browns will now take on a dead money hit of $1.4MM by cutting Fells.
In his lone season in Cleveland, Fells appeared in all 16 games, but played on just 38.5% of the Browns’ offensive snaps and managed only 11 receptions. While he wasn’t given many opportunities behind starting tight end David Njoku, Fells was effective when targeted. Among tight ends with fewer than 25 catches, Fells finished third in Football Outsiders’ DVOA, meaning he was productive on a per-play basis.
While Fells has historically been praised as a blocking tight end, 2018 wasn’t a banner year for him in that regard, at least according to Pro Football Focus. PFF assigned Fells a 72.9 pass-blocking grade, which put him near the middle of the pack among his position group, but a 55.9 grade in the run game, a mark which ranked near the bottom of the league.
David Irving Says He’s Quitting Football
Cowboys defensive tackle David Irving said on Instagram that he’s quitting football after being suspended indefinitely by the NFL last week (Twitter link via Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News).
Irving was smoking marijuana while making the statement, so take it with a grain of salt. Only 26 years old, Irving has dealt with myriad off-field issues during his time in the NFL, and it’s clear he’ll need to go through a lengthy reinstatement process — one that likely involves some form of rehab and counseling sessions — before he gets back on the field.
Still a talented player, Irving posted seven sacks in eight games as recently as 2017, but he’s only been available for 10 total contests over the past two seasons. Scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent next week, Irving could have been poised to cash in on the open market. Instead, he’s unlikely to garner any interest until his status with the NFL is resolved.