- The Browns’ secondary has been depleted by injuries, so the team brought in cornerback Robert Jackson for a workout, according to veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer (Twitter link). Jackson is an UDFA from UNLV who spent time with the Texans this preseason. Whether it’s Jackson or someone else, the Browns will likely add cornerback help soon.
- The Jaguars won the Carlos Hyde trade, opines Jason Fitzgerald of Overthecap.com (Twitter link). The cap expert points out that the Jaguars will only have to pay Hyde $1.22MM and can cut him after the season for nothing, while the Browns “paid $3.75M for 6 games and a 5th round pick.” If Hyde can stay healthy and be productive, it could turn into a steal for Jacksonville.
- With the Browns’ shocking trade of Carlos Hyde, Cleveland has added another draft pick to their arsenal. The “Browns now have their picks in rounds 1-6, plus a 3rd-round pick from New England (DL Danny Shelton), a 5th-round pick from Jacksonville (RB Carlos Hyde), a 5th-round pick from New England (WR Josh Gordon) and a conditional 7th-round pick from Jacksonville (QB Cody Kessler)”, Adam Schefter notes (Twitter link). Previous Browns GM Sashi Brown was aggressive in adding draft capital through trades, and his successor John Dorsey seems to be following in his footsteps.
The Browns have agreed to trade running back Carlos Hyde to the Jaguars in exchange for a 2019 fifth-round draft pick, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. It’s a blockbuster deal that gives the Jaguars a proven tailback in the absence of starter Leonard Fournette. 
Just eight months ago, Hyde signed a three-year, $15MM free agent deal with the Browns to become their No. 1 running back. But, with a pair of talented options behind him on the depth chart, the Browns pounced on the opportunity to build on their draft capital while taking a significant salary off the books.
Through six games this year, Hyde hasn’t exactly set the world on fire. He’s averaged just 3.4 yards per carry this year – a career low – though he does have five rushing touchdowns on his stat line.
Prior to joining the Browns, Hyde spent the first four years of his career with the 49ers and served as the starting running back for the final three. All in all, he averaged a solid 4.2 yards per carry in SF and a strong 4.6 yards per attempt in 2016. Hyde also offers capable hands, as evidenced by his 59 catches for 350 yards last season.
In conjunction with T.J. Yeldon, Hyde should provide the Jaguars with a competent rushing game for however long Fournette is sidelined. However, Hyde can hardly be expected to be a panacea for what ails Jacksonville. Blake Bortles‘ inconsistency is clearly costing the Jags as they’re 1-3 in their last four games. In those contests, Bortles has thrown just four touchdown passes against six picks. He’s also been sacked 13 times, so the Jags’ offensive line will have to do better in order to keep defenses honest and open holes for their new running back.
With Hyde out of the picture, the Browns should be able to increase rookie Nick Chubb‘s workload. Browns fans have good reason to be excited about the Georgia product after he amassed 105 yards and two touchdowns off of just two carries in Week 4 against the Raiders. Pass-catching wizard Duke Johnson also figures to get more touches in the team’s revamped backfield.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
On Thursday, Browns head coach Hue Jackson told reporters there have been no discussions about trading quarterback Tyrod Taylor before the Oct. 30 deadline. When pressed further, Jackson shrugged off the notion that Taylor would not finish the year in Cleveland. 
“I do [expect him to be with the Browns all season], until someone tells me something differently,” Jackson said. “He is our backup quarterback.”
For his part, Taylor admits that he’s frustrated with his No. 2 QB role, but he refuses to complain to management or demand a trade. It’s not hard to read between the lines and see that Taylor would prefer to be a starter elsewhere rather than Baker Mayfield‘s clipboard holder in Cleveland.
Taylor has just one year to go on his deal, which would make him a logical rental for another club. The Browns would also save a bundle by moving him. Taylor has already collected on his $6MM roster bonus, but a trade would allow them to escape the prorated portion of his $10MM base salary.
The trouble is, there may not be a robust market for Taylor’s services. The Dolphins will be without Ryan Tannehill for an unknown period of time, but they have every reason to stick with Brock Osweiler after last week’s OT victory over the Bears. The Bills, in theory, could use a QB while Josh Allen heals up from a UCL injury, but it’s hard to picture that reunion going down.
If the rest of the league would utilize Taylor as a strong backup quarterback rather than a starter, it’s hard to see the Browns getting much of a return. The Jets got a third-round pick for Teddy Bridgewater in August, but Bridgewater had a first-round pedigree and a much cheaper contract. Moving Taylor might not yield much in the way of draft compensation, and it would mean losing out on one of the more talented backups in the NFL.
With all of that in mind, do you think the Browns should trade Taylor before the deadline? Click below to cast your vote and back up your opinion in the comments. (Link for app users.)
- Browns linebacker Joe Schobert will be sidelined for “a little while” as he deals with with a hamstring injury, head coach Hue Jackson told reporters, including Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com (Twitter link). Losing Schobert for any amount of time is devastating for Cleveland, as he’s played nearly every snap on defense while ranking as a top-10 linebacker league-wide, per Pro Football Focus. With Schobert down, the Browns will likely deploy Christian Kirksey and Jamie Collins as their nickel linebackers. Cleveland’s linebacker depth already took a hit earlier this week when James Burgess was placed on injured reserve.
Today’s workout updates, with all links going to veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer’s Twitter account:
Cleveland Browns
- WRs John Diarse, Shay Fields, Tavarres King; FB Dimitri Flowers; C Luke Bowanko; T Gerhard de Beer (link)
Green Bay Packers
- FB Dan Vitale; TE Clive Walford; DT Vincent Valentine; Ss Ibraheim Campbell, Eddie Pleasant (link)
Houston Texans
- RB Ralph Webb; LB Marquis Flowers; CB Horace Richardson (link)
Indianapolis Colts
- RB Devante Mays; WR Tre McBride; G Zack Golditch; DE Anthony Lanier; LB Gimel President; S J.J. Wilcox (link)
New England Patriots
- DE Tank Carradine; LBs Corey Nelson, Tegray Scales; S A.J. Howard (link)
New York Giants
- QB Joe Callahan; WR Austin Proehl; DE Myles Humphrey (link)
Washington Redskins
- CBs Donatello Brown, Tony Lippett; Raysean Pringle, Henre’ Toliver, Marquez White (link)
Tyrod Taylor profiles as a logical trade candidate, but Browns head coach Hue Jackson says the team has not discussed moving the quarterback between now and the Oct. 30 deadline (Twitter link via Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal). Taylor, meanwhile, says that he has not thought about requesting a trade. 
“It’s frustrating, but it’s a part of the game at the same time,” said Taylor, who lost his starting job to Baker Mayfield after an injury sidelined him against the Jets last month. “Eight years in, you understand some things happen that you can’t control…Not wanting to complain, just got to continue to keep being myself day in and day out. Continue to be a leader and help the team in any way.”
Taylor’s desire to leave Cleveland may change if another team needs a healthy starting QB in the coming days. Meanwhile, the Browns probably aren’t motivated to move Taylor at this time. It still makes sense to have Taylor as a backstop to Mayfield and teams probably aren’t clamoring for the ex-Bills QB after he had a rough two-and-a-half weeks as the Browns’ starter.
If the Browns opt to move Taylor, they can promote Drew Stanton to the No. 2 QB role. They do not presently have a QB on the practice squad, so they would have to go out-of-house if they wanted a third signal caller in that instance.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Here are Tuesday’s minor moves:
Cleveland Browns
- Promoted from practice squad: WR Da’Mari Scott, LB Xavier Woodson-Luster
- Waived/injured: LB James Burgess
New Orleans Saints
- Waived: CB Demetri Goodson
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: CB Dexter McDougle
- Waived/injured: DT Destiny Vaeao
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: LB Devante Bond
- Released: WR Freddie Martino
We’ll keep track of today’s practice squad moves here:
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: OL Jake Eldrenkamp, WR Blake Jackson
Green Bay Packers
- Cut: WR DeAngelo Yancey
Houston Texans
- Signed: RB Josh Ferguson
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: WR K.J. Brent
- Cut: QB Phillip Walker
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: CB Craig James
- Cut: CB Jalen Myrick
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: DB Chris Campbell, WR Shane Wynn
- Cut: DB Darius Hillary, WR Tanner McEvoy
New York Giants
- Signed: WR Kalif Raymond, DE Myles Humphrey
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: LB B.J. Bello, DT Winston Craig
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: WR Keenan Reynolds
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: OL Ruben Holcomb, CB David Rivers
- Cut: OT Jarron Jones, RB Dare Ogunbowale
Here’s the latest from the workout circuit. Links to veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer’s Twitter account, unless otherwise noted.
Chicago Bears
- CB Quinten Rollins (link)
Cleveland Browns
- C Jake Eldrenkamp (visit), WR Chad Hansen, WR Blake Jackson, WR Korey Robertson, WR Damore’ea Stringfellow (link)
Detroit Lions
- T Cole Gardner, G/T Austin Pasztor (link)
Indianapolis Colts
- WR K.J. Brent, WR Krishawn Hogan (link)
Jacksonville Jaguars
- TE Khari Lee, G Brandon Thomas (link)
Kansas City Chiefs
- WR Deontez Alexander, G Jeff Allen, WR J.J. Jones, WR Austin Proehl (link)
Miami Dolphins
- DE Will Clarke, DT Winston Craig, T Antonio Garcia, DE Alec James, T Dieugot Joseph, DT Lewis Neal, T Corey Robinson, DT DeShawn Williams (link)
New York Jets
- WR J.J. Jones, S Charlie Miller, RB Donnel Pumphrey, C Jon Toth, T Toby Weathersby, RB Ralph Webb (link)
Philadelphia Eagles
- LB B.J. Bello, S Ibraheim Campbell, DT Winston Craig (visit), CB Dexter McDougle, CB Quinten Rollins (Twitter links via Balzer and Sirius XM Radio’s Adam Caplan)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- LB Devante Bond (link)
Washington Redskins
- G Oday Aboushi, G J.J. Dielman, G John Jerry (link)