Browns To Start Kessler Over McCown
SATURDAY, 8:55am: While the Browns clearly want to secure that elusive first win, coach Jackson acknowledged that the quarterback decision was partly motivated by the future.
“He has some uncanny ability. He has some moxie, some poise and he has demonstrated that. He has done some good things in games, but you have to do it over a number of opportunities to really know that it is truly in there,” Jackson said (via Patrick Maks of ClevelandBrowns.com).
“That’s why I need to keep playing him to evaluate this and to know what we see is right and for sure. I will not get to know these things if I do not play him. It is best to let us find out. We understand the situation we are in. The beautiful part about it all is our team does not look at it as if our coaches are not giving ourselves the best chance to win. We feel like he will help us, and then we have a very capable guy in Josh, if something was to happen, that can go in there and play as well. I feel good about where we are right now.”
FRIDAY, 12:12pm: Browns coach Hue Jackson announced that Cody Kessler will start at quarterback on Sunday. The rookie will be slotted ahead of Josh McCown, even though McCown is healthy and able to go on Sunday against Dallas. 
[RELATED: Corey Coleman Set To Return]
Clearly, at 0-8, the Browns are playing for the future and not for the current season. When McCown was under center for the Browns, he showed that he can move the offense down the field, even if he’s not exactly a world-beater. Kessler doesn’t air it out the way that the veteran does, but he is obviously in their future plans whereas McCown is not.
McCown, 37, is under contract through the 2017 season and is slated to carry a $5.04MM cap number next year. However, Cleveland can cut him loose before June 1st and save $4.375MM against just $666K in dead money. Today’s move isn’t a signal that McCown is a goner, of course, as they could retain him as veteran insurance for a younger option.
AFC Notes: Jaguars, Talib, Browns, Bengals
Could the Jaguars hire Tom Coughlin as their next coach? No conversations have taken place between the two parties, but Adam Schefter of ESPN.com wonders if the Jags could be interested in Coughlin, who was their very first coach as an expansion franchise. Coughlin – who coached the Jags from 1995-2002 – still has a home in Jacksonville, his charity is based there, and he has made it clear that he wants to coach. One source close to the situation told Schefter that “it’s not the craziest idea in the world.” One obstacle, however, could be Coughlin’s age (71 next August), as well as the fact that he enjoys his current role with the league, tweets Tom Pelissero of USA Today.
More regarding Jacksonville and three other AFC teams:
- Broncos cornerback Aqib Talib will not play on Sunday night against Oakland due to his back injury, James Palmer of NFL.com tweets.
- The grievance for cornerback K’Waun Williams against the Browns is expected to be heard around February, his agent tells Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal (on Twitter). Williams just had ankle surgery on Monday and 12-week recovery period is expected.
- The Bengals tried out kicker Travis Coons, according to Katherine Terrell of ESPN (Twitter link). The club also auditioned Zach Hocker, Kai Forbath, and Randy Bullock this week, but Mike Nugent remains in place as its lone option at kicker. The 34-year-old Nugent is on notice, though, having connected on just 14 of 19 field goals. In the Bengals’ 27-27 tie with the Redskins last week, Nugent missed a field goal and an extra point.
- The Browns are considering switching second-year man Cameron Erving from center to right tackle, head coach Hue Jackson said Friday (via Nate Ulrich of Ohio.com). The 2015 first-round pick struggled at guard as a rookie, starting in just four of 16 appearances, and has performed poorly at center this season while battling injuries. Erving, who has appeared in five of the Browns’ eight games, is currently Pro Football Focus’ worst-ranked center.
- The Jaguars worked out punter Brock Miller, as Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets. Miller is the second punter to audition for Jacksonville this week, joining Cody Webster.
Pigskin Links: Collins, Romo, Titans
Here at Pro Football Rumors, we deliver up-to-the-minute news on NFL transactions and high-quality original analysis. Each week, we also feature some of the best blog articles from around the web in our regular feature, Pigskin Links.
We’re looking for interesting reads on all things football from blogs of all sizes. While PFR is dedicated to player movement, Pigskin Links is open to pieces on all areas of the game. If you would like to suggest your blog post (or someone else’s) for Pigskin Links, send us an email with the link and a brief synopsis at PigskinLinks@gmail.com.
Here’s this week’s look around the football blogosphere:
- From The Rafters says the Patriots will regret trading Jamie Collins.
- Tailgate Sports Hub wonders if the NFL has fooled us.
- Wayniac Nation debated Dak Prescott vs. Tony Romo.
- Titans247 handed out grades for Tennessee at the midway point.
- Cup Of Joe In The D turned in Week 9 predictions.
- Tailgate Sports Hub wonders if the NFL has fooled us.
Got a great football blog post that you want to see featured in next week’s Pigskin Links? Email it to Zach or tweet it to him: @ZachLinks.
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.
Eagles Notes: Huff, Roseman, Pederson, Turner
Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com gave his thoughts on the Eagles‘ release of wide receiver Josh Huff. Huff clearly made a huge error in judgement when he was pulled over with a gun and weed this week, but Shorr-Parks notes that it will be tough to replace him as a kick returner and a gunner on special teams. On the other hand, Huff has not done much for Philly as a receiver, so his presence will not necessarily be missed on offense. He also points out that Huff’s arrest is much more serious than the Nigel Bradham incident from earlier this year. Bradham was licensed to carry a weapon in Florida but he made a boneheaded move by forgetting to take it out of his bag before flying. Huff, meanwhile, was not licensed to carry in New Jersey.
Here’s more on the Eagles:
- Eagles coach Doug Pederson seemed to indicate recently that the team would be playing Josh Huff against the Giants on Sunday, but he clarified his remarks with reporters today. “Let’s go back and kind of relive the events; I said we were going to get more information, we were going to make a collective decision, and that’s what we did,” Pederson said, according to Les Bowen of The Inquirer. “You heard Howie [Roseman’s] comments yesterday, and I truly believe that’s the right way to handle this, is to dialogue, have communication, and do the best thing for the Philadelphia Eagles.”
- Pederson indicated that wide receiver Paul Turner won’t be promoted to the active roster before Sunday, as Shorr-Parks tweets. Turner, who has been on the team’s practice squad since the start of the year, seemed likely to get the bump after Huff’s release. Instead, it sounds like Philly will roll with Jordan Matthews, Nelson Agholor, Dorial Green-Beckham, and Bryce Treggs at wide receiver. Running back Wendell Smallwood should handle the bulk of kick return opportunities.
AFC East Notes: Bills, McCoy, Jets, Richardson
Bills running back LeSean McCoy returned to practice on Thursday and that could be a sign that Shady will be activated for Monday night against Seattle. McCoy was sidelined for last week’s loss to the Patriots, leaving backup Mike Gillislee in the top role.
“I feel good,” McCoy said (link via NFL.com). “First day back out here. Ran some routes. I feel a lot better today than I have.”
Coach Rex Ryan echoed those thoughts, calling McCoy’s practice “a positive sign.” So far this year, the tailback has 112 carries for 598 yards and a career-best 5.3 yards per attempt.
Here’s more from the AFC East:
- Tyrod Taylor‘s unconventional five-year extension gave the Bills an escape hatch if he flopped and a team-friendly deal in the event that he became an elite quarterback. So far, neither one of those scenarios have played out and that stands to benefit Taylor, ESPN.com’s Mike Rodak writes. Without a better option, the Bills pretty much have to trigger Taylor’s $27.5MM option – barring a dramatic second half slide. And, because he hasn’t been exceptional this year, Taylor isn’t missing out on a larger payday on the open market. As Rodak notes, Taylor has been the NFL’s best running QB, totaling a league-high 319 rushing yards and 17 rushing first downs plus three rushing touchdowns. At the same time, he has completed only 58.7% of his passes.
- Scouts believe that Sheldon Richardson is a better player than Muhammad Wilkerson, but the Jets brain trust believes that they are mostly interchangeable in Todd Bowles’ system, Manish Mehta of the Daily News writes. That is something to keep in mind as the Jets go into the offseason with the belief that they probably have to trade one of the two players. After Wilkerson inked a lucrative five-year extension over the summer, it seems like Richardson is more likely to go. In theory, Gang Green could try and carve out room to keep Wilkerson, Richardson, and young star Leonard Williams, but it’s clear that they need to convert that defensive line surplus into help in other areas.
Bills Work Out Jeron Johnson, James Ihedigbo
The Bills auditioned a group of safeties on this week, including Jeron Johnson, James Ihedigbo, and Danny McCray, as Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets. The Bills already signed Sergio Brown out of that workout, so it doesn’t sound like Johnson et al will be signing with Buffalo at this time. 
After serving as a reserve defensive back and a special-teamer for several years with the Seahawks, Johnson signed with the Redskins last year with the hope of getting more playing time. Unfortunately, he didn’t get the kind of burn he was hoping for. This yea, Johnson had a quiet offseason before hooking on with the Chiefs in August. They dropped him in September, leaving him to roam the workout circuit. Since then, Johnson has shown his stuff for the Giants, Ravens, and Bills but has not found a home.
After starting 21 games for the Lions over the past two seasons, safety Ihedigbo has been unable to find work this season and he hasn’t had much in the way of auditions either. His late October tryout for the Dolphins was his first known workout of the season and the Bills visit marks his second. Last year, the 32-year-old was ranked as Pro Football Focus’ No. 64 safety out of 69 qualifiers. However, 2014 was arguably his best season ever.
NFC Notes: Huff, Eagles, 49ers, Giants
Wide receiver and kick returner Josh Huff, who was released today by the Eagles, issued the following statement to ESPN’s Adam Caplan: “First, I want to apologize to Mr. Lurie and his family, my coaches and teammates, and all Eagles fans. I’m sorry that any action by me brought negative light to this organization. I want to thank the Lurie Family, Howie, this community and the entire Eagles organization for the opportunity I’ve had for the past 3 years. Most important, I want to let the fans and community as a whole know that I understand the responsibility I have as a professional athlete, and I will take all measures necessary to correct mistakes I have made.”
More from the NFC:
- Could 49ers head coach Chip Kelly reunite with Huff? Kelly previously coached Huff at Oregon and with the Eagles, but he says that he hasn’t gotten an opportunity to pore over the details of the wideout’s arrest. Kelly also hasn’t gotten to speak with GM Trent Baalke, who was on a scouting trip this week, as Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com writes. “I have no idea what happened,” Kelly said. “I haven’t followed any of it. I know he got arrested two days ago, but I haven’t followed any of it.” Ultimately, Kelly says it’s too soon to say whether he’d have interest in signing Huff.
- Giants defensive end Olivier Vernon said Thursday that he’s “obviously not” satisfied with his production in Year 1 of the five-year, $85MM mega-deal he inked as a free agent in the offseason (via Tom Rock of Newsday). Vernon, whose contract includes $52MM in guarantees, has just one sack in seven games this season, though the ex-Dolphin has been playing with a hand injury. “I would like him to be 100 percent, but I am not so sure it is there right now,” said defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. To his credit, Vernon has played in just under 91 percent of the Giants’ defensive snaps this year. He also ranks a solidly above-average 19th among Pro Football Focus’ 111 qualified edge defenders in overall performance.
- The NFL hit former 49ers defensive tackle Kaleb Ramsey with a 10-game suspension on Thursday, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). It’s unclear what led to the ban for Ramsey, who retired in July. The 49ers chose Ramsey in the seventh round of the 2014 draft out of Boston College, but he didn’t appear in a game in either of his two seasons with the club.
- Saints first-round defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins looks poised to finally make his NFL debut this week.
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/3/16
Thursday’s minor moves from around the NFL:
- The Bengals have waived cornerback Chris Lewis-Harris, as Jim Owczarski of The Enquirer tweets. Lewis-Harris was in his fifth year with Cincinnati, which signed him as an undrafted free agent from Chattanooga in 2012. The 27-year-old logged 26 appearances with the Bengals, including seven this season. He also racked up his first career interception in a Week 4 win over Miami this year and participated in 31.7 percent of the Bengals’ special teams snaps over their first eight games.
- The Cowboys have cut fullback Rod Smith, according to Todd Archer of ESPN.com. The former Ohio State Buckeye signed with the Seahawks last year as an undrafted free agent and appeared in one game with the club before it waived him. The Cowboys then claimed Smith, who suited up for 11 of their games last season and their first seven of 2016. Smith rarely touched the ball, but he did take the field for 40.2 percent of the Cowboys’ special teams snaps to begin the year.
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