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AFC Workouts: Snead, Texans, Mims

June 15th, 2025 at 7:41pm CST by Ely Allen

Willie Snead hasn’t seen much success in the NFL since his departure from Baltimore following the 2020 season. The 32-year-old veteran receiver bounced around over the next two years, splitting his 2021 campaign between the Raiders and Panthers before spending two seasons in San Francisco. After an injury placed him on the Dolphins’ injured reserve in last year’s preseason, resulting in him getting cut and sitting out the entire season, Snead is attempting a comeback with a recent tryout with the Chargers.

Los Angeles attempted to improve their receiving corps this offseason through the draft with additions like Ole Miss’ Tre Harris in the second round and Auburn’s KeAndre Lambert-Smith in the fifth. Their top returning wideouts from last year include Ladd McConkey, Quentin Johnston, and Derius Davis, and an aging Mike Williams has returned after a year away. The team hosted Snead for a veteran tryout earlier this week, per ESPN’s Kris Rhim.

Adding Snead would provide some veteran depth to the group. Though he had some resurgent seasons catching balls from Lamar Jackson in Baltimore, he was never able to reach the heights of his surprising first two campaigns in New Orleans. Since leaving the Ravens, his production has been minimal, so it will likely take a stellar tryout to convince the next team to sign him.

Here are a few more workout updates from around the AFC:

  • The Texans continue to work out cornerbacks as the offseason carries on. After the team hosted former Raiders first-round pick Damon Arnette on Monday, Houston welcomed Duke Shelley and Keenan Isaac in the days after, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2. Shelley, a six-year veteran, has 11 starts in his career over time with the Bears and Vikings. The last two years, though, have seen him relegated to specials teams with the Rams and the practice squad of the Giants. Isaac, a former undrafted signee for Tampa Bay in 2023, spent this past United Football League season with Arnette on the Houston Roughnecks.
  • Lastly, the Browns worked out former Saints running back Jordan Mims, per Wilson. With a deep, young group of rushers already on the roster, Mims potential signing would add some camp depth with the possibility of him contributing on special teams as a returner.

Browns Open To Keeping All Four QBs

June 14th, 2025 at 10:38pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

There is plenty of time before final roster cuts in August, but the Browns are already considering holding onto all four of their quarterbacks.

General manager Andrew Berry said (via Jori Epstein of Yahoo Sports) that Cleveland could “absolutely” carry four quarterbacks into the regular season, provided, of course, that “they all play well enough.” According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, all four “answered the bell” this spring.

The Browns value Joe Flacco‘s familiarity with Kevin Stefanski‘s offensive scheme; those traits are also the reason that Flacco took limited reps during OTAs and minicamp, typically with the first team, per Epstein. That has allowed Stefanski and new offensive coordinator Tommy Rees to sort through the team’s younger options: ex-Steelers first-rounder Kenny Pickett and rookie draft picks Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders.

Pickett and Gabriel also played with the first team in the spring, but Sanders did not, per Epstein. He has “come on strong over the last two weeks,” according to Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot, and could still be a part of the starting competition in training camp.

If the Browns go with three quarterbacks, Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon Journal believes that either Flacco or Pickett will be the odd man out. Flacco’s experience is his biggest plus, but Cleveland was more aggressive in its pursuit of Pickett this offseason. The Browns traded for him on the first day of the new league year, while Flacco did not sign until April.

Obviously, the Browns are unlikely to cut Gabriel after drafting him in the third round. They could try to sneak Sanders through waivers after every other team passed on him multiple times in the draft, but he could be claimed if another squad’s backup gets injured during training camp.

Browns Were Diontae Johnson’s Only Suitor

June 13th, 2025 at 10:00pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

After a rollercoaster 2024 season, Diontae Johnson received virtually no interest in free agency until he landed in Cleveland last month.

Johnson said at mandatory minicamp that the Browns were “the only team to hit me up,” per Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot.

The lack of suitors for the veteran wide receiver makes sense after tumultuous stints in Baltimore and Houston at the end of last season. He averaged 51.0 yards per game for the Panthers before being dealt to the Ravens at the trade deadline, where he only saw five targets in his first four games.

Rashod Bateman‘s Week 13 injury should have been an opportunity for Johnson to seize a bigger role. Instead, he refused to enter the game, leading to a one-week team suspension and his eventual departure from Baltimore. The Texans tried their luck by claiming Johnson on waivers, but he also seemed dissatisfied with his target share despite the team’s playoff victory over the Chargers.

Houston waived Johnson as well, and after being briefly re-claimed by the Ravens for compensatory pick purposes, he hit free agency with significant questions about his ability to adjust to new teams.

The Browns could use some experience at wide receiver behind Pro Bowler Jerry Jeudy, but Johnson’s veteran-minimum salary should set low expectations for his contributions in Cleveland. He’s been able to produce in the past, but he will have to prove he can be a reliable teammate to earn playing time.

Browns Discussed Re-Signing Nick Chubb Before Draft

June 12th, 2025 at 12:53pm CST by Adam La Rose

Once the 2025 draft had taken place, it was essentially guaranteed Nick Chubb would find himself on a new team this season. That is now officially the case, with his one-year Texans pact in place.

Chubb will collect a base value of $2.5MM, and incentives will allow him to double that figure. It comes as no surprise the four-time Pro Bowler was only able to land a pact of that nature given the uncertainty surrounding his health status. Chubb managed to briefly return from his massive knee injury in 2024, but his showing when on the field fell well short of his previous production.

That was a key factor in the expectation Cleveland would move on this offseason. Shortly after the draft, Browns general manager Andrew Berry all-but confirmed Chubb would not be back for an eighth season with the team. Few eyebrows were raised once it became clear the 29-year-old was headed to Houston as a result, but Cleveland did engage in talks about a new deal in this case.

The Browns discussed a re-signing with Chubb and his camp prior to the draft, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. Team and player were unable to reach agreement, though, and in the wake of that development Cleveland’s attention turned to the highly-regarded pool of RBs in this year’s class. The team wound up adding Quinshon Judkins in the second round and then Dylan Sampson in the fourth. Both of them are now in place for the next four years as a result.

The Browns also have Jerome Ford and Pierre Strong as returnees from last year. Ford in particular should have a notable role in 2025, but a new Chubb agreement would have allowed him to continue operating as a key member of the backfield. Retaining the latter is something Myles Garrett lobbied for during his offseason talks with Berry, as Garrett recently noted (via ESPN’s Daniel Oyefusi). Conversations related to the direction of the franchise were part of Garrett’s offseason, one in which his trade request was rescinded in the wake of a $40MM-per-year extension being worked out.

No agreement came to bear in Chubb’s case, however, leaving him to remain on the open market deep into free agency. The four-time 1,000-yard rusher will look to regain his previous form in Houston while the Browns attempt to find an effective short- and long-term replacement for him in the backfield.

Minor NFL Transactions: 6/9/25

June 9th, 2025 at 9:24pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Here are the latest minor moves from around the league:

Cleveland Browns

New Orleans Saints

Barton started two games at right tackle for the Cardinals in 2024, but ended the season on injured reserve. He will join a crowded OT room in Cleveland with Dawand Jones and Jack Conklin as the expected starters at left and right tackle, respectively.

Texans Looking Into RB Nick Chubb

June 8th, 2025 at 4:14pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Texans have been “looking at [the] running back market” and could pursue former Browns RB Nick Chubb, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.

Chubb, a seven-year veteran, hit free agency this offseason for the first time in his career after playing just 10 games in the last two years due to injury. A torn ACL robbed him of most of the 2023 season; he worked his way back to the field for eight games in 2024 before going down once more with a broken foot. Chubb expressed a desire to stay in Cleveland, but the Browns declined to re-sign him and instead pursued younger options for their backfield.

Houston signed ex-Bengals running back Joe Mixon last offseason and could look to add another former AFC North ballcarrier in Chubb. Both Mixon and his backup, Dameon Pierce, missed at least three games last year with minimal production from Cam Akers and Dare Ogunbowale further down the depth chart.

Chubb’s 41.5 yards per game and 3.3 yards per carry in 2024 were well below his career standards, but he was one of the most efficient running backs in the league before his 2023 injury. This late in the offseason, he will likely have to sign a one-year deal close to the veteran minimum to prove his health, which could offer significant upside for the Texans.

Fowler said on SportsCenter (via Bleacher Report’s Andrew Peters) that a return to Cleveland is “not totally off the table” but remains unlikely after the Browns selected two running back in April’s draft. That aligns with Fowler’s previous report on ESPN Cleveland that Chubb is not expected to re-sign with his longtime “barring some sort of surprise or injury.”

Fowler also mentioned the Commanders and the Bears as potential suitors at the end of May. The Commanders are returning their 2024 backfield, making Washington a less likely destination than Chicago. The Bears missed out on their preferred running backs in the draft and do not have a clear No. 2 behind D’Andre Swift.

Dawand Jones On Track To Be Browns’ LT

June 5th, 2025 at 10:48am CST by Sam Robinson

JUNE 5: Jones noted when speaking to the media that he has dropped 20 pounds in anticipation of handling blindside duties (h/t Jeff Schudel of the News-Herald). As expected, Jones is indeed in position to operate as Cleveland’s new starter at the left tackle spot.

MAY 28: The quartet of tackles chosen during the first half of the 2020 first round delivered mixed results on their respective rookie contracts. Tristan Wirfs has become an anchor in Tampa, now residing as the NFL’s highest-paid left tackle, while Giants draftee Andrew Thomas — when available — has been among the best LTs as well. Mekhi Becton, who looked like the worst of the batch as his Jets career careened off course, has bounced back as a guard.

Quietly, Jedrick Wills — chosen ahead of Becton and Wirfs (at No. 10 overall) — remains in free agency. The Browns could not rely on the Alabama alum following troublesome 2023 knee injuries (MCL and PCL sprains, along with bone bruises), and despite picking up his fifth-year option, the team demoted a five-year starter late last season. As Wills remains unattached, the Browns are aiming to turn to another injury-prone option to replace him.

Dawand Jones has filled in for both Wills and Jack Conklin in Cleveland’s lineup, but the Ohio State alum has also seen both his NFL seasons end early. Jones suffered a knee injury during a December 2023 practice, ending his season and further depleting a Browns O-line that had already lost Conklin and Wills by that point, but he returned on time in 2024 — something the Browns’ then-tackle starters failed to do — and played 10 games (eight starts). Not long after the Browns elevated Jones over Wills, the 2023 fourth-rounder sustained an ankle injury to close his second season. He also underwent a cleanup knee procedure this winter.

The Browns, however, did not draft a tackle or any O-linemen last month. As the team conducts a rare four-man quarterback competition, cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot notes Jones is on track to start at left tackle. Jones opened as a Week 1 starter last year, but he was then a fill-in performer. The Browns do have part-time 2024 Commanders starter Cornelius Lucas — who signed a two-year, $6.5MM deal — in place as insurance, but the 12th-year veteran’s contract points to a swing role. The Browns certainly needed their swingmen during the Wills-Conklin period, and with the latter still in place after an offseason pay cut, Lucas stands to be important even in the event Jones becomes Cleveland’s LT starter.

Playing 334 right tackle snaps and 176 on the left side in 2024, Jones graded as a bottom-five tackle (in the view of Pro Football Focus) last season. The advanced metrics site was more bullish on Jones in 2023, ranking him 48th among tackle regulars. PFF graded Lucas (464 offensive snaps) 28th among tackles last season. This plan, with Jones unproven and injury-prone and Lucas entering an age-34 season, brings considerable risk for a Browns team with a destabilized QB situation.

The other pieces from a once-formidable Browns O-line are also aging. Joel Bitonio considered retirement this offseason and will turn 34 in October. Teller and longtime Bitonio guard sidekick Wyatt Teller are entering age-31 campaigns. While no reinforcements arrived in the draft, the Browns did sign three-year Bears guard starter Teven Jenkins on the cheap (one year, $3.1MM); that may prove important given the ages of the team’s expected starters. Even center Ethan Pocic is not young, by NFL standards, as he will play an age-30 season this year.

Lucas winning the LT job would stand to give the Browns an extraordinarily rare all-3o-something front, but the team is hoping Jones can provide some youth for the unit. Jones, 24 in August, has two years remaining on his rookie deal. A Browns team that may need to conduct an O-line overhaul in 2026, as its four 30-something starters are in contract years, would certainly benefit from a young player seizing the reins this season.

Browns QB Dillon Gabriel Signs Rookie Deal

June 4th, 2025 at 8:44pm CST by Ely Allen

While the day was filled with snippets of Shedeur Sanders‘ reps at Browns Organized Team Activities today, the real news happened off the field as third-round rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel signed his rookie contract, according to a team announcement. No contract details have been released.

With Deshaun Watson dealing with injury and the quarterback room consisting of only a 40-year-old Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett on his third team in as many years, the Browns were constantly linked to a rookie quarterback in the 2025 NFL Draft. While many assumed that that quarterback would in some way or another end up being Sanders, a historically strange slide led to five other passers hearing their names called before Sanders. One of those names was Gabriel’s, which came at No. 94 overall.

After six years playing college football (three at UCF, two at Oklahoma, and one at Oregon), Gabriel only got better and better, even after a left clavicle injury ended his time with the Knights. Overall, Gabriel proved to be an elite producer who could protect the ball and score with his arm or his legs. He went 46-17 as a starter with the Knights, Sooners, and Ducks, showing an impressive ability to pick up new systems quickly and effectively.

That, contrasted with Sanders, who has worked under the same offense under the same coach since high school, could be a reason that Gabriel’s name has been seeing much more run in recent days as a contender for a role as QB1 or 2. One of the latest reports we’d seen saw Gabriel seemingly looking like the QB2 behind Pickett. The lefty seems to be making quick progress as he learns his fourth new offense in five years.

There will still be plenty of time for Gabriel to challenge Pickett or for Sanders to challenge them both or even for Flacco to get back in the picture. Regardless, Gabriel can now get his mind off contract negotiations and put all his efforts into football.

Gabriel is only the third Browns rookie to put pen to paper so far. Here’s how the rest of the draft class is looking:

Minor NFL Transactions: 6/4/25

June 4th, 2025 at 7:46pm CST by Ely Allen

Today’s minor moves across the NFL:

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Jacksonville Jaguars

Miami Dolphins

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Gill becomes the 13th wide receiver on the Browns roster. While that certainly seems like a lot, keep in mind that the Browns need to run drills for four quarterbacks and some receivers aren’t able to participate at the moment. An undrafted receiver out of Fresno State last year, Gill spent the last two months of the season on the Browns’ practice squad.

The Eagles add another undrafted rookie to their group in Adeyi. The speedy, diminutive wideout spent his final two collegiate seasons at Sam Houston State. He had 30 catches for 271 yards and a touchdown, with another score on the ground. He returned punts for the Bearkats in 2024, as well.

2025 NFL Cap Space, By Team

June 4th, 2025 at 8:57am CST by Sam Robinson

This week started with a point on the NFL calendar that has been important for decades. Although teams have not needed to wait until June to make their most expensive cuts in many years, they do not see the funds from post-June 1 designations until that point.

With June 1 coming and going, a fourth of the league has seen the savings from post-June 1 releases arrive. That has affected the NFL’s cap-space hierarchy. Here is how every team stands (via OverTheCap) following June 2 changes:

  1. New England Patriots: $67.34MM
  2. San Francisco 49ers: $53.49MM
  3. Detroit Lions: $40.12MM
  4. New York Jets: $39.8MM
  5. Las Vegas Raiders: $36.16MM
  6. Arizona Cardinals: $32.11MM
  7. Dallas Cowboys: $32.11MM
  8. Pittsburgh Steelers: $31.88MM
  9. Seattle Seahawks: $31.21MM
  10. Tennessee Titans: $30.16MM
  11. Green Bay Packers: $28.94MM
  12. Cincinnati Bengals: $27.08MM
  13. Los Angeles Chargers: $26.83MM
  14. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $26.63MM
  15. Jacksonville Jaguars: $26.54MM
  16. Philadelphia Eagles: $25.79MM
  17. New Orleans Saints: $22.62MM
  18. Washington Commanders: $21.13MM
  19. Indianapolis Colts: $20.09MM
  20. Los Angeles Rams: $19.44MM
  21. Baltimore Ravens: $18.95MM
  22. Carolina Panthers: $18.69MM
  23. Minnesota Vikings: $18.49MM
  24. Cleveland Browns: $18.2MM
  25. Houston Texans: $16.3MM
  26. Denver Broncos: $16.23MM
  27. Chicago Bears: $14.76MM
  28. Miami Dolphins: $13.81MM
  29. Kansas City Chiefs: $10.75MM
  30. Atlanta Falcons: $5.02MM
  31. New York Giants: $3.82MM
  32. Buffalo Bills: $1.69MM

The Jets saw their situation change the most from post-June 1 designations, as $13.5MM became available to the team after its Aaron Rodgers and C.J. Mosley cuts. Teams have up to two post-June 1 designations at their disposals. Five clubs — the Jets, Browns, Ravens, Eagles and 49ers — used both slots. Only three other teams made a post-June 1 cut before that seminal date. The eight that made these moves will have dead money split between 2025 and 2026.

Baltimore used the cost-defraying option to release Marcus Williams and Justin Tucker, while Cleveland — in Year 4 of the regrettable Deshaun Watson partnership — used it to move on from Juan Thornhill and Dalvin Tomlinson. As the Eagles’ option bonus-heavy payroll included two hefty bonus numbers for Darius Slay and James Bradberry, the reigning Super Bowl champions released both 30-something cornerbacks. Together, Slay and Bradberry will count more than $20MM on Philadelphia’s 2026 cap sheet. As for this year, though, the Browns, Eagles, Ravens and 49ers respectively saved $9.85MM, $9.4MM, $6.3MM, $6.4MM and $5.6MM, according to Spotrac.

The Jaguars made a mid-offseason decision to release Gabe Davis, doing so not long after trading up to draft Travis Hunter — with the plan to primarily play him at wide receiver — at No. 2 overall. Off-field issues, coupled with a down 2024 season, made Tucker expendable — after the Ravens drafted Tyler Loop in Round 6. The Vikings moved off Garrett Bradbury‘s contract and will replace him with free agency addition Ryan Kelly, while Mason lasted two seasons paired with C.J. Stroud‘s rookie deal. The 49ers made it known early they were moving on from Javon Hargrave, while 2024 trade addition Maliek Collins also exited the team’s D-tackle room.

Derek Carr‘s retirement being processed Tuesday also changed the Saints’ funding. The team will spread the dead money ($50.13MM) across two years. Even with the number being reduced this year, the Saints will be hit with the second-highest single-player dead money hit (behind only the Broncos’ Russell Wilson separation) in NFL history as a result of the Carr exit. The Saints will only be responsible for $19.21MM of that total in 2025. As they did with Jason Kelce and Fletcher Cox‘s retirements last year, the Eagles will also process Brandon Graham‘s hit this way.

Eight of this year’s post-June 1 releases remain in free agency. The Patriots added Bradbury to replace the now-retired David Andrews, while the Vikings scooped up Hargrave. As the Steelers await Rodgers’ decision, they added two other post-June 1 releases in Slay and Thornhill. Tomlinson joined the Cardinals not long after his Browns release.

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