Browns Still Plan To Slot Wills At LT
The Browns have not honored David Njoku‘s trade request. The former first-round pick enters his fourth season in Cleveland, and while Kevin Stefanski said he had not spoken with Njoku in several weeks, the first-year Browns coach noted he is eager to work with him.
Njoku has not lived up to his Round 1 billing yet, leading the Browns to give Austin Hooper a tight end-record contract. While Njoku’s unhappiness was reported to predate the team’s Hooper addition, he tweeted that he “loves Cleveland” while noting the game includes “a lot of complications.” Regardless, Njoku is set to earn $1.76MM this season. The Browns picked up his fifth-year option (worth $6MM) but can cut bait on that cost before the 2021 league year.
- Despite the COVID-19 pandemic preventing teams from conducting on-field workouts throughout the offseason, the Browns have not changed their plan at tackle. First-round pick Jedrick Wills will begin his career as Cleveland’s starting left tackle, Stefanski adds. The Alabama product will make the interesting transition from college right tackle to NFL left tackle. Recently signed free agent Jack Conklin, a college left tackle, will continue his NFL right tackle work.
- The Browns hired former Vikings QBs coach Kevin Rogers as a senior offensive assistant. Rogers was with the Vikings from 2006-10, which doubled as Stefanski’s first five years with the franchise, but has not coached since 2016. Rogers, 68, spent decades at the college level. He worked as the offensive coordinator for Syracuse (1991-98), Notre Dame (1999-2001) and Boston College (2011). His most recent gig was at alma mater William & Mary; that four-year stay ended after the 2016 season.
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/29/20
Teams continue to make moves as players report to training camps, with many opting to pare their rosters from 90 to 80 players well before the mid-August deadline. Here are Wednesday’s minor moves:
Baltimore Ravens
- Re-signed: G Parker Ehinger
Chicago Bears
- Waived/injured: CB Tre Roberson
Cincinnati Bengals
- Waived/injured: DT Ryan Glasgow
Cleveland Browns
- Waived/injured: DE Trevon Young
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Claimed off waivers (from Bills) OL Garrett McGhin
Kansas City Chiefs
- Waived: OL Jovahn Fair, DT Braxton Hoyett, DB Jalen Julius, FB/TE John Lovett, P Tyler Newsome, LB Bryan Wright
Miami Dolphins
- Claimed off waivers (from 49ers): DT Ray Smith
- Waived: CB Ryan Lewis
New York Jets
- Placed on reserve/retired list: RB Jalin Moore
15 NFL Players Land On NFL’s Reserve/COVID-19 List
The Dolphins, Browns, Ravens, Bengals, Steelers, Jaguars, Chiefs, Cowboys and Buccaneers have placed players on the newly created reserve/COVID-19 list. Here’s the full rundown, per the league’s transactions wire:
Baltimore Ravens
Cleveland Browns
Cincinnati Bengals
Dallas Cowboys
Jacksonville Jaguars
- CB Luq Barcoo, DT DaVon Hamilton, CB Josiah Scott, OL Tre’Vour Wallace-Simms
Kansas City Chiefs
- WR Aleva Hifo
Miami Dolphins
- LS Blake Ferguson, DT Benito Jones, CB Cordrea Tankersley
Pittsburgh Steelers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The reserve/COVID-19 designation is for players who have tested positive for the coronavirus or are in quarantine for potential exposure. In turn, these players are removed from the roster and allowed to return after three weeks.
This Date In Transactions History: Browns Extend OL John Greco
The 2013 offseason was a busy one for the Cleveland Browns. The organization replaced general manager Tom Heckert Jr. with Michael Lombardi, and they hired Rob Chudzinski as head coach after canning Pat Shurmur. The team also made significant changes to the roster, ditching former third-round quarterback Colt McCoy and signing veteran Jason Campbell to a two-year deal. The front office also traded former third-overall pick Trent Richardson.
One of the moves that went under the radar was a move made on July 23rd, 2013. On that date, the organization signed offensive lineman John Greco to a five-year, $13MM deal. The contract featured only $3MM in guaranteed money.
Greco originally joined the Browns before the 2011 season, as the Rams traded their former third-round pick to Cleveland for a conditional seventh-rounder. Greco appeared as a backup in 15 games during the 2011 campaign, but he endeared himself to the organization in 2012 when he started 10 games in place of Jason Pinkston.
The Browns proceeded to ink Greco to a surprisingly lengthy extension, but the organization ended up getting plenty out of the offensive guard. The lineman started 56 games for Cleveland between 2013 and 2016, including a stint at center when regular starter Alex Mack was sidelined.
While Greco dealt with a handful of injuries during his tenure in Cleveland, he emerged as a dependable, reliable option for the coaching staff. While he certainly wasn’t a household name, the lineman consistently ranked in the top-20 of Pro Football Focus’ offensive guard rankings.
Cleveland made some changes to their offensive line before the 2017 season, adding Kevin Zeitler and center J.C. Tretter. Greco was ultimately cut by the Browns at the end of the preseason. He didn’t end up seeing the field during his subsequent stint with the Saints, but he appeared in 21 games (with seven starts) for the Giants between the 2017 and 2018 seasons.
While Greco’s career ended unceremoniously, he’s getting his time in the (PFR) limelight today.
AFC North Notes: OBJ, Green, Andrews, Steelers
It’s been almost three years since Odell Beckham Jr. fractured his left ankle, and while the star wideout has yet to return to the Pro Bowl, he’s managed to put up back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons. However, in an alternative universe, OBJ may have decided to hang up his cleats following that 2017 campaign.
Appearing alongside Cam Newton, Todd Gurley, and Victor Cruz on his YouTube series The Bigger Picture, Beckham admitted that he almost retired following the injury.
“I said this in college, I said, ‘I fear the day that they make this game a business and not what I love,’” Beckham said. “And when I seen that for the first time after breaking my ankle, like I thought about like not playing no more. Like this is not really it for me because they’ve ruined the game of football for me a little bit.”
OBJ didn’t elaborate on what the Giants did to upset him during that 2017 campaign, although it’s worth noting that the receiver had rushed back from a preseason ankle sprain. The veteran’s tenure with New York ended last offseason when he was traded to the Browns, and the 27-year-old proceeded to appear in all 16 games for the first time since 2016.
Let’s check out some more notes from around the AFC North…
- When we learned yesterday that A.J. Green wasn’t going to sign an extension with the Bengals, it was made clear that he’ll willingly play the 2020 season under the franchise tag. Of course, that could be temporary lip service; since the wideout hasn’t signed the tender, he could skip training camp and preseason and still earn his full salary. However, as Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com notes, until Green officially signs the tender, the Bengals have the ability to rescind the franchise tag. This would save the organization almost $18MM, and while it’d be a somewhat unprecedented move, Florio notes that “in an unprecedented year, it’s impossible to rule anything out.”
- The Steelers have made some changes to their coaching staff. As Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com passes along, Blaine Stewart is now the assistant wide receivers coach and Denzel Martin is now the assistant outside linebackers coach. The duo had previously served as coaching assistants. The organization also shook up their scouting department, promoting Chidi Iwuoma from BLESTO scout to a college scouting position and Dennis MacInnis from scouting intern to BLESTO scout.
- While Ravens tight end Mark Andrews has Type 1 diabetes, he made it clear that he won’t be opting out of the 2020 season due to health concerns. “We’ve got a big year coming up,” Andrews said (via Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com). “I want to be able to do a lot of things, and … just being able to help this team win is exciting for me.” The former third-rounder earned his first Pro Bowl nod last season after hauling in 64 receptions for 852 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Browns Sign Round 2 S Grant Delpit
The Browns wrapped up their draft class signings Wednesday, coming to terms with second-round pick Grant Delpit on his four-year deal.
Selected 44th overall, Delpit will be expected to compete for a starting safety job with the Browns. Cleveland allowed Damarious Randall to defect to the Raiders but brought in ex-Raider first-rounder Karl Joseph on a one-year deal. Delpit, however, becomes the team’s top long-term safety investment.
Viewed by most as a first-round pick going into his junior season at LSU, Delpit demonstrated the ability to lock down defenders in both man and zone coverage. While his stock slipped a bit, allowing Cleveland to take him with its second-round pick, Delpit was productive throughout a three-year career. He registered 199 tackles (17.5 for loss) and seven sacks.
The Browns attempted to install Jabrill Peppers as a long-term cornerstone of their defense, but the team traded the 2017 first-round pick to the Giants in the Odell Beckham Jr. deal. Delpit represents the team’s latest effort to bring a high-ceiling talent into the fold at the position.
As training camp approaches, here is another look at the Browns’ 2020 draft class:
1-10: Jedrick Wills, T (Alabama): Signed
2-44: Grant Delpit, S (LSU): Signed
3-88: Jordan Elliott, DL (Missouri): Signed
3-97: Jacob Phillips, LB (LSU): Signed
4-115: Harrison Bryant, TE (Florida Atlantic): Signed
5-160: Nick Harris, C (Washington): Signed
6-187: Donovan Peoples-Jones, WR (Michigan): Signed
Browns Give Myles Garrett Record Extension
The Browns and Myles Garrett agreed to a deal Tuesday that would make the Pro Bowl pass rusher the league’s highest-paid defensive player. Garrett signed the contract Wednesday.
The deal will 
make Garrett the NFL’s highest-paid defender. It will be worth $125MM over five years, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (on Twitter). This comes in $1.5MM north of the NFL’s previous highest-paid defender, Khalil Mack.
Cleveland will guarantee Garrett $100MM — $50MM at signing — and has its top defender signed through 2026, Rapoport tweets. The $100MM figure will surpass Mack as well, though the Bears edge rusher’s $60MM fully guaranteed will still lead all defenders.
Despite the ugly end to Garrett’s 2019 season, this process has moved fast. The Browns began extension talks with their star defensive end barely a month ago, and the team with the most cap space appears on the verge of resetting the defender market. This would give the league two new market-topping deals in two weeks, with Patrick Mahomes agreeing to a $45MM-per-year pact July 6.
Although Cleveland has a new GM, Andrew Berry was with the team when Garrett went No. 1 overall in 2017. Berry has been active this offseason, authorizing big-money payments to Jack Conklin and Austin Hooper. Garrett’s deal, though, would be the foundational piece of a Browns defense that largely consists of rookie contracts. Garrett is signed through 2021, after the Browns picked up his fifth-year option.
Garrett’s resume is not on Mack’s level just yet, but he’s nearly five years younger — at 24 — and has become one of the game’s best pass rushers. The former Texas A&M standout registered 13.5 sacks and 29 QB knockdowns in 2018. He was on his way to a better statistical season last year, recording 10 sacks in 10 games. But the NFL suspended Garrett for the rest of 2019 after he struck Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph with a helmet. Roger Goodell reinstated Garrett earlier this year.
Prior to Garrett, the Browns had squandered several first-round investments — from Johnny Manziel to Justin Gilbert to Corey Coleman — in recent drafts. This massive extension coming to pass would represent a tide change for a Cleveland team that has not seen many homegrown players come through worthy of such an accord in the modern era.
NFC East Notes: Cowboys, Eagles, Williams
Two players linked to the Cowboys in recent weeks are not in the team’s plans, it appears. Jadeveon Clowney has the Cowboys and Saints at or near the top of his figurative list, but the pass rusher who has been connected to nearly half the league this offseason is off Dallas’ radar, Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram notes. That also applies to David Njoku, the Browns tight end connected to the Cowboys after his trade request surfaced recently. The Cowboys signed Aldon Smith and have Tyrone Crawford and four recent draft picks joining DeMarcus Lawrence at defensive end. They also are looking likely to carry Dak Prescott‘s $31.4MM cap number on their books this season, limiting funding for a Clowney deal. At tight end, the Cowboys lost Jason Witten but extended Blake Jarwin. Beyond Jarwin, however, the team is fairly thin at this spot.
Here is the latest from the NFC East:
- One member of the Cowboys’ D-end contingent may not have a chance to supplement Lawrence. The Cowboys have continued to hope for the NFL to reinstate Randy Gregory, but as of Monday, Hill adds that the team has largely given up on this notion. The NFL banned Gregory indefinitely for substance abuse, and although the new CBA’s suspension structure is focused more on PEDs, the former second-round pick was suspended four times under the previous CBA’s discipline structure. Despite being drafted in 2015, Gregory has played 28 career games.
- Returning to the Clowney news cycle, the free agent edge rusher wants to join a winning team, veteran Seattle-based NFL reporter John Clayton said during an ESPN 97.3 radio interview (via Eliot Shorr-Parks of 94WIP.radio.com), adding that the Eagles will appeal to the free agent. Clowney’s hesitance about the Browns stemmed from their modern history as a losing team; his Dolphins reluctance did as well, Clayton adds. The Eagles were unwilling to approach Clowney’s lofty asking price earlier this offseason, but with the Browns bowing out and the Seahawks not expected to match their previous offer, his price may now be reduced. And Philadelphia has not been shy about loading up along its lines.
- Although the Giants plan to pay at least $16.1MM to see if Leonard Williams fits into Patrick Graham‘s defensive scheme, they have not given up on a long-term fit. Big Blue and Williams did not come close on an extension agreement, but Ralph Vacchiano of SNY notes the team can still see a Williams accord coming to pass after the 2020 season. To secure the kind of money he seeks, Williams will need to improve on his half-sack (in 15 games) showing of 2019.
- The Eagles are ready to increase T.J. Edwards‘ role. Despite the second-year player arriving in the league as a UDFA, the Eagles are penciling him in as their starting middle linebacker, Shorr-Parks notes. A Wisconsin alum, Edwards played just 11% of Philly’s 2019 defensive snaps. But the Eagles cut Nigel Bradham and do not have a host of high-profile names at linebacker. The team did draft two linebackers — in Rounds 3 and 6 — this year, however. But the COVID-19 pandemic has made this a bad year for rookie development.
Browns Sign Round 3 LB Jacob Phillips
The Browns now have both their third-round picks under contract. They reached with the No. 97 overall pick — linebacker Jacob Phillips — on Sunday, according to agent Drew Rosenhaus (Twitter link).
Cleveland exited the 2018 season with two high-priced linebackers and a proven starter, but the team has fully transitioned at linebacker entering the 2020 campaign. After the Browns released Jamie Collins last year, they cut the now-injury-prone Christian Kirksey earlier this year. They then let Joe Schobert sign with the Jaguars in free agency. Younger cogs have taken their places.
Phillips joins 2019 draftees Sione Takitaki (a third-rounder) and Mack Wilson (Round 5) on the Browns’ defensive second level, where ex-Giants starter B.J. Goodson also resides. Most of the Browns’ expenses on defense have gone up front, with younger players populating Cleveland’s linebacker and secondary sections of the depth chart.
One of 14 LSU draftees — a total that matched a record for one school — Phillips joined first-round Ravens pick Patrick Queen as a Tigers linebacker starter. Phillips outproduced Queen in tackles in both 2018 and ’19, totaling 200 stops between his sophomore and junior seasons. Phillips declared for the draft early.
Here is how the Browns’ draft class looks as of mid-July. Only one player, a fellow LSU draftee, remains unsigned.
- 1-10: Jedrick Wills, T (Alabama): Signed
- 2-44: Grant Delpit, S (LSU)
- 3-88: Jordan Elliott, DL (Missouri): Signed
- 3-97: Jacob Phillips, LB (LSU): Signed
- 4-115: Harrison Bryant, TE (Florida Atlantic): Signed
- 5-160: Nick Harris, C (Washington): Signed
- 6-187: Donovan Peoples-Jones, WR (Michigan): Signed
Browns No Longer Pursuing Jadeveon Clowney?
Now that the Browns have reworked the contract of defensive end Olivier Vernon, Cleveland is likely out of the Jadeveon Clowney sweepstakes, a source tells Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk.
[RELATED: Browns Sign First-Round Pick Jedrick Wills]
The Browns are one of several teams known to have actually offered a contract to Clowney. Cleveland reportedly was willing to pay Clowney up to $15MM on a one-year deal, and also gave the veteran pass-rusher his best multi-year proposal.
Instead, the Browns will now retain Vernon and play him opposite Myles Garrett at defensive end. Cleveland isn’t interested in signing another veteran like Everson Griffen or Clay Matthews, so the club will likely roll with internal options such Adrian Clayborn and Chad Thomas in reserve.
With the Browns bowing out of a pursuit, Clowney’s market continues to dwindle. Once though to be assured of landing a hefty multi-year pact, Clowney will now almost assuredly have to accept a one-year offer.
The Raiders and Titans have both made offers to Clowney and could still sign the former No. 1 overall selection, and a return to the Seahawks isn’t out of the question, although Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times reported the Seahawks won’t offer the $15-16MM they once were proposing.