Jaguars Trade S Ronnie Harrison To Browns
2:13pm: The Jaguars have indeed traded Harrison to the Browns, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). In exchange, Jacksonville will receive a fifth-round choice, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
Cleveland recently lost rookie safety Grant Delpit for the season due to an Achilles tear, so the team has been connected to players like Logan Ryan and Earl Thomas in recent days. Instead, the Browns opted for a younger player who entered the league in 2018 as one of the best-regarded safety prospects and who has likely not yet hit his ceiling. Harrison may bump Andrew Sendejo out of the starting lineup and will look to team with Karl Joseph in Cleveland’s defensive backfield.
The Jags, meanwhile, continue to stockpile picks. They already have two first-rounders, two second-rounders, and two fourth-rounders in 2021, and now they will have two fifth-round choices as well. If they want to move up the board for a top QB prospect in 2021, they will probably be able to.
1:35pm: The Jaguars have done plenty of unloading this offseason, trading players like Yannick Ngakoue, Calais Campbell, and A.J. Bouye while waiving former No. 4 overall pick Leonard Fournette. And according to NFL features writer Tyler Dunne, Jacksonville is also preparing to deal safety Ronnie Harrison (Twitter link).
Given where Jacksonville is in its rebuild — and given Ngakoue’s determination to get away from the Jaguars as quickly as possible — the earlier trades made plenty of sense, as they involved shedding the contracts of veterans who were unlikely to be on the next competitive Jaguars team in exchange for draft capital. Harrison, though, was a third-round pick in the 2018 draft and started all 14 of the games in which he appeared last season.
Per Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics, Harrison was the league’s 65th-best safety out of 83 qualified players in 2019, and PFF was especially harsh in assessing his run defense. Though he did score well in pass coverage, the Jags apparently aren’t fond enough of his play to keep him around for his third professional season. Instead, the team may look to fifth-round rookie Daniel Thomas to play a big role right away.
At this time, it’s unclear who the Jags’ trading partner might be. Teams like the Ravens and Browns make sense given their recent turmoil at the safety position, and Jacksonville and Baltimore already did some business earlier this year in consummating the Campbell trade.
Last season, Harrison recorded 71 tackles, two sacks, and two interceptions. Despite his middling PFF marks, he certainly looks like a player with plenty of upside, so it’s interesting to hear that the Jags are looking to move on.
Titans Frustrated With Jadeveon Clowney
A recent report indicated that the Ravens may be the frontrunners for free agent pass rusher Jadeveon Clowney, but the Titans — who, unlike the Ravens, actually offered Clowney a contract earlier this year — continue to lurk.
Tennessee GM Jon Robinson said back in July that he was still monitoring the Clowney situation, but he wanted to get the former No. 1 overall pick in the Titans’ facility for a physical. So while Robinson may have been willing to bring Clowney in on a fairly low-risk deal without a medical examination, he needs to be assured that Clowney is in good health if he is going to authorize a significant contract.
However, it seems that Clowney has been hard to pin down. In an interview with 102.5 The Game this morning, Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports said that the Titans are frustrated with the “lack of engagement” on Clowney’s part (h/t Joe Rexrode of The Athletic on Twitter). Tennessee still wants to bring him in for a physical, but for reasons that are presently unclear, Clowney — who has posted videos to social media suggesting that he is fully healthy — appears reluctant.
Robinson goes on to say that the Titans or Seahawks, not the Ravens, will be the team to land Clowney. In either case, he will sign a contract worth around $12MM per year, a far cry from the $20MM that he was shooting for at the outset of free agency.
The Titans have always looked like a good fit given the presence of head coach Mike Vrabel — the Texans’ LB coach and defensive coordinator during Clowney’s first four years in Houston — and given the club’s need for another pass rusher. The team did take a flier on Vic Beasley and will return Harold Landry, who posted nine sacks in a promising sophomore effort in 2019, but Clowney could provide a major boost to the Titans’ defensive front.
Dolphins QB Josh Rosen Drawing Trade Interest
Could Josh Rosen be on the move again? For the second time this offseason, a report has surfaced indicating that the Dolphins are receiving calls from clubs with interest in dealing for the 23-year-old signal-caller, with Adam Schefter of ESPN.com noting this morning that Miami has fielded trade inquiries in recent days (Twitter link).
Back in May, Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk published a similar report, but that was before the Dolphins had gotten a chance to see No. 5 overall pick Tua Tagovailoa in action. Tagovailoa looks healthy and appears primed to take over for Ryan Fitzpatrick at some point this season, so Rosen could be on his way out.
Of course, having three QBs that are familiar with their club’s offense could be invaluable in this COVID-impacted season, so the Dolphins will have to weigh that reality against whatever trade offers come their way. Miami gave up a second-rounder to acquire Rosen last offseason, but it’s unlikely the team would be able to recoup that value in another trade. The UCLA product has gone 3-13 as a starter, completing 54.8% of his passes for 2,845 yards, 12 touchdowns, and 19 interceptions.
On the other hand, he has been unfortunate to begin his pro career with the 2018 Cardinals and 2019 Dolphins, outfits that boasted minimal talent on the offensive side of the ball. So there is still hope that Rosen, whom Arizona selected with the No. 10 overall pick of the 2018 draft, could live up to his pedigree.
Seahawks Re-Sign Josh Gordon
The Seahawks are re-signing talented but troubled wideout Josh Gordon, as Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com was first to report (Twitter link). Gordon was hit with an indefinite suspension in December for violating the league’s policies on performance-enhancing substances and substances of abuse, but he applied for reinstatement in June. According to Fowler, that process is going well, so Gordon may be cleared for a return soon (Twitter link).
Most NFL fans are familiar with Gordon’s saga at this point. The December ban marked Gordon’s sixth suspension since he entered the league as a supplemental draft choice in 2012, and he missed the entire 2014-15 campaigns due to violations of the league’s substance abuse policy.
Teams continue to be intrigued by his undeniable talent, but he is getting farther and farther away from his tremendous 2013 season with the Browns, when he piled up 87 catches for a league-best 1,646 yards and nine TDs. The Patriots acquired him from Cleveland in September of 2018, and he produced pretty well for New England that year, tallying 40 catches for 720 yards and three scores during 11 regular season games. But in what would become something of a Christmas tradition, Gordon was suspended indefinitely in December 2018 for another substance abuse violation.
He was reinstated last August and returned to the Pats, who had placed an original-round RFA tender on him to secure his services. New England placed him on IR in October due to a knee injury and waived him about a week later. The Seahawks subsequently claimed him off waivers.
Gordon, 29, showed flashes of his old self in Seattle, and prior to his latest suspension, he expressed his desire to return to the Seahawks. The ‘Hawks reciprocated that interest in July, and Gordon has been working out in the Seattle area in the hopes of getting a call.
Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports that Gordon’s contract is a one-year pact that can be worth a little over $1MM (Twitter link). That’s a low-risk, high-reward flier for the Seahawks, who recently re-signed Paul Richardson to add to a solid WR corps that also includes Tyler Lockett and D.K. Metcalf.
Buccaneers Sign RB Leonard Fournette
The Bucs got their man. Shortly after it was reported that Tampa was pursuing former Jacksonville RB Leonard Fournette, the Bucs agreed to terms with the 2017 first-rounder, per Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network (via Grant Gordon of NFL.com).
It will be a one-year deal worth up to $3.5MM. Fournette will take home a base salary of $2MM and will have the chance to earn an extra $1.5MM in incentives based on rushing yards and playing time. Plus, since Fournette’s deal with the Jags did not include offset language, he could still pocket the $4.2MM that he was due to earn this year prior to being waived by Jacksonville if he wins his grievance against his former club.
Tampa was said to be interested in Fournette earlier this year and reportedly engaged in trade talks with Jacksonville. Ultimately, the Bucs were able to acquire him without sacrificing any draft capital, but their RB room has become pretty crowded. In addition to incumbent Ronald Jones, Tampa added Ke’Shawn Vaughn and Raymond Calais in the draft and signed veteran LeSean McCoy in July.
Prior to the Fournette signing, the team continued to tout Jones as its RB1, but Fournette is clearly the better back, even if he hasn’t quite lived up to his status as a former No. 4 overall pick. And since McCoy was signed for the veteran minimum, some have speculated that the Bucs could release him, though Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network says that Shady remains in the team’s plans (Twitter link). Fournette did pick up 76 receptions out of the backfield last year, but he may see most of his work on first and second downs while McCoy becomes a third-down/passing game complement.
Fournette added 265 carries for 1,152 yards in 2019, good for a career-high 4.3 yards-per-carry average. He now has a prime opportunity to truly break out in what is shaping up to be a prolific offense.
LSU WR Ja’Marr Chase Opts Out Of 2020 Season
College football’s consensus No. 1 wide receiver, LSU’s Ja’Marr Chase, will opt out of the 2020 season and declare for the 2021 NFL draft, as Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports was the first to report. Chase is viewed as a potential top-five pick.
According to Dodd, Chase’s decision was not necessarily due to COVID-19. The SEC is still planning to play its 2020 season in the fall (for now), and while NFL GMs may be hesitant to select a prospect who has not played since the 2019 season when the 2021 draft comes along, it’s hard to imagine Chase’s opt-out impacting his stock too much.
The 6-foot, 208-pounder was part of LSU’s juggernaut offense last year, setting SEC single-season records in receiving yards (1,780) and receiving touchdowns (20). That same offense produced three skill positions players that were selected in the first round of the 2020 draft, including Chase’s running mate, Justin Jefferson. As good as Jefferson was, Chase was even better, winning the Biletnikoff Award in his sophomore season.
Thus far, Chase is the highest-profile collegiate player to opt out, though other first-round prospects and tantalizing receivers like Wake Forest’s Sage Surratt and Purdue’s Rondale Moore have also made that decision. It seems likely that plenty of other players will follow suit.
Chase’s formal announcement is expected tomorrow.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/30/20
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves right here:
Cleveland Browns
- Waived: WR D.J. Montgomery
- Waived with failed physical designation: WR Damion Willis
- Waived off IR: C Casey Dunn
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: WR DeAndre Thompkins
- Waived: CB Alexander Myres
Seattle Seahawks
- Waived: DE Eli Mencer
Browns Were In Serious Talks For Yannick Ngakoue
The Jaguars have finally traded Yannick Ngakoue, shipping him to the Vikings in exchange for a 2021 second-round pick and a conditional fifth-rounder in 2022. But before that happened, Jacksonville and the Browns were engaged in serious trade talks, as Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reports.
The Browns were mentioned as a potential suitor for Ngakoue this offseason, but until now, there were no concrete reports concerning Cleveland’s interest. Per Cabot, the fact that Ngakoue was dealing with a change in representation during the trade negotiations threw a wrench in the works, and by the time his agency situation was settled, the July 15 deadline for extending franchise-tagged players had passed. While the Browns may have been willing to part with the same draft capital that the Vikings did to land Ngakoue, his status as a potential one-year rental made them less inclined to do so.
However, Ngakoue “really wanted” to play for the Browns, according to Cabot’s sources. The 2016 third-rounder accepted a significant pay cut from his $17.8MM franchise tag number to facilitate his trade to Minnesota, and Cabot says he may have been willing to drop his 2020 salary even more for Cleveland.
But the Browns ultimately elected to move forward with Olivier Vernon, reworking his deal to turn his $15.25MM non-guaranteed pact into $11MM guaranteed with the potential to earn an additional $2MM via incentives. When that happened, it made an Ngakoue trade (or a Jadeveon Clowney signing) much less likely.
Cabot says that Vernon is in the midst of a terrific training camp, and the Browns fully believe that he and Myles Garrett will form an imposing pass rush duo in 2020. Ngakoue obviously has considerably more long-term upside than Vernon, so time will tell if Cleveland — which still has a lot of salary cap space — made the right call.
Logan Ryan Hires New Agent
Free agent DB Logan Ryan has hired one of the NFL’s top agents, Joel Segal, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (Twitter link). Rapoport says Ryan is “poised to do a deal.”
It’s unclear if that means Ryan, 29, is set to sign a contract or just that Segal has some ideas to get his new client signed as the regular season draws closer. Ryan, who is now marketing himself as a safety, has seen his name crop up in some informal speculation recently.
The Ravens just parted ways with Earl Thomas, thereby opening up a theoretical spot for Ryan, and the Browns lost rookie safety Grant Delpit for the season due to an Achilles tear. Meanwhile, Browns’ starting corner Greedy Williams is dealing with a shoulder injury, so Cleveland could definitely use some reinforcements in the secondary.
Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com says the Browns have likely inquired about Ryan, but the most recent reports regarding his salary demands indicated that he was looking for a $10MM/year contract. That number has almost certainly come down, so we will see if he can come to terms with a new club in the coming days.
Ryan led all corners — by a significant margin — in tackles last season, racking up 113 combined. No other corner topped 82. The then-Titans slot defender also paced corners with 73 solo tackles. Ryan’s tackling prowess extended to his New England days as well, with the former Patriots starter registering 74 solo stops in 2016.
Ryan only played 22 snaps at safety — compared to 855 in the slot and 243 at outside corner — last season. Still, his intelligence and experience should make the switch to safety a relatively straightforward one, and though his coverage abilities at corner are not as strong as they used to be, he can still serve as effective CB depth if necessary.
Jets Notes: Gase, Bell, Ngakoue
Earlier this week, there was yet another tense moment between Jets head coach Adam Gase and running back Le’Veon Bell. As Rich Cimini of ESPN.com details, Gase pulled Bell after two series during Wednesday’s scrimmage because of hamstring tightness. That prompted Bell to take to Twitter to say that there was nothing wrong with his hamstrings and that “it’s tough to stay loose when you do a bunch of standing around.”
Gase said that he spoke with Bell for a long time after the Twitter posts and that the two sides are on the same page. But as Cimini writes in a separate piece, the latest episode might not be the last one. Bell has reportedly had an unimpressive camp, and Gase has previously indicated he wants to reduce Bell’s workload in 2020. So Bell, who needs a productive season in order to avoid being cut — or to land a lucrative contract with another club — is unlikely to appreciate his fellow backs siphoning off his carries. It remains a situation ripe for future turmoil.
Now for more from Gang Green:
- Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News has previously reported that GM Joe Douglas is under cash-flow restrictions imposed by Jets ownership, and he reiterated that report today. He says ownership gave Douglas a “hard time” after last year’s one-year, $8.4MM contract for Ryan Kalil didn’t pan out, and he also suggests that the club’s tight-fistedness prevented the team from pursuing Yannick Ngakoue, who was just traded to the Vikings (Twitter links).
- On the other hand, the restraint that Douglas showed in free agency this offseason was generally lauded in light of the team’s recent history with splashy signings, so it’s difficult to say whether that restraint was due to a mandate from ownership or just a deliberately measured approach. And as Brian Costello of the New York Post tweets, the Jets were not hugely interested in Ngakoue to begin with given his struggles against the run and the fact that the deadline for an extension passed on July 15.
- Backup QB Joe Flacco is eyeing a Week 3 return, per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The Jets signed the former Super Bowl MVP to back up Sam Darnold, and Flacco has been working his way back from neck surgery.