Browns To Sign DT Andrew Billings
The Browns are about to get more of Andrew Billings in their lives. The former Bengals defensive tackle has agreed to sign with Cincy, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).
Billings will ink a one-year deal worth $3.5MM fully guaranteed. The structure could be indicative of the current climate and reflective of player concerns during this period of uncertainty. Either way, it’s a solid deal for both sides. The Browns get a former starter on the cheap who can push opposing lineman thanks to his 328-pound frame. Billings, meanwhile, has security and a chance to cash in if he performs.
Billings, 25, has appeared in 47 games with 37 starts for the Bengals over the last three years. He came into the league as a fourth-round pick in 2016, but saw his entire season wiped out by a knee injury.
Browns To Add S Karl Joseph
Former first-round pick Karl Joseph will be heading east. The Browns will add the four-year Raiders safety on a one-year deal, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).
The Raiders did not pick up Joseph’s fifth-year option in 2019, making him a 2020 free agent. After suffering a season-ending injury last year, Joseph will attempt to re-establish his value in Cleveland.
While the Raiders were open to a Joseph re-up, that was many months ago. And Las Vegas has been busy on defense this week, with one of those additions being safety Jeff Heath.
The Browns, however, have been active on the market as well. Joseph joins B.J. Goodson, Jack Conklin, Austin Hooper and Case Keenum as Cleveland-bound talents thus far in free agency. The Browns were discussing a potential tag-and-trade deal with the Vikings for Anthony Harris as well. Joseph may not interfere with those talks, but he has extensive starting experience and may be tabbed for one of Cleveland’s first-string spots. The Browns have already lost Eric Murray in free agency, and Damarious Randall is now on the market as well.
The No. 14 overall pick out of West Virginia in 2016, Joseph started 41 games as a Raider. He has never been a prolific ball hawk, intercepting four passes in four seasons, but has fared better in the box. Pro Football Focus has graded Joseph as a top-35 safety in each of the past two seasons, rating him as one of last season’s top run-defending safeties.
Browns To Sign LB B.J. Goodson
The Browns have come to an agreement with linebacker B.J. Goodson, per NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero. Cleveland has already lost linebackers Christian Kirksey and Joe Schobert in free agency so Goodson should immediately slot into the starting lineup.
Still just 26 years old, Goodson has accumulated 160 tackles in 53 games (29 starts) since entering the league in 2016. A fourth-round pick by the Giants, Goodson spent his first three seasons in New York before a trade last September sent him to Green Bay where he immediately entered the team’s rotation.
Last season, Goodson graded similarly to both Schobert and Kirksey, ranking as the 54th highest graded linebacker out of 89 qualified players, per Pro Football Focus.
Browns Exploring Trade For Vikings S Anthony Harris
The Browns are exploring a trade for Vikings safety Anthony Harris, reports Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. It would take at least a third-rounder to get a deal done, “and probably a second.”
The 28-year-old was slapped with the franchise tag on Monday, but there were whispers that the Vikings were going to try to tag-and-trade the defensive back. Harris is set to make $11.44MM next season. As Cabot points out, the Browns have the ammo to get a deal done. The team currently owns one second-rounder (#41) and a pair of thirds (#74, #97).
Harris has a natural connection to Cleveland, as he played under Browns pass game coordinator and defensive backs coach Jeff Howard in Minnesota. Browns head coach (and former Vikings offensive coordinator) Kevin Stefanski is also familiar with the long-time Vikings safety.
The former undrafted free agent has evolved into a starter in Minnesota, as he started a career-high 14 games in 2019. He finished the campaign with 60 tackles, 11 passes defended, and six interceptions.
Browns To Acquire Broncos FB Andy Janovich
Day 2 of the tampering period will produce a fullback trade. The Broncos have agreed to trade Andy Janovich to the Browns in exchange for a 2021 seventh-round pick, Mike Klis of 9News reports (on Twitter).
Janovich has been one of the league’s top fullbacks, but many NFL systems do not make use of this diminishing position. New Denver OC Pat Shurmur does not intend to use fullbacks regularly, per Klis, leading to the Broncos shipping Janovich out for little value.
While the Broncos extended Janovich in October of last year, he only played 13% of the team’s offensive snaps. With another new offensive coordinator set to take over, the fifth-year fullback will relocate to Cleveland. Janovich, 26, is under contract through the 2022 season.
Janovich will join Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt in the Browns’ backfield on Kevin Stefanski‘s first Cleveland offense.
Case Keenum Joins Browns
The Browns have agreed to a three-year deal worth up to $18MM ($10MM guaranteed) with quarterback Case Keenum, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. While Cleveland is still heavily invested in quarterback Baker Mayfield, the team is making a heavy investment in ensuring they have a strong option behind him.
Keenum appeared set as a career backup after difficult stints as a starter with the Texans and Rams. In 2017 however, Keenum led the Vikings to the NFC Championship Game and seemed to be a resurgent prospect. After struggling with the Broncos and Washington over the past two seasons though, Keenum’s market seems to no longer offer an opportunity to start.
Previous reports tied Keenum to the Browns and it is worth keeping in mind that the Browns new head coach and general manager were not with the organization when Cleveland selected Mayfield with the first overall pick in 2018. Mayfield looked like a franchise quarterback as a rookie, but after a difficult sophomore season, the Browns do have reasonable cause for concern.
Rookie head coach Kevin Stefanski was the quarterbacks’ coach with the Vikings when Keenum excelled in 2017. Keenum immediately becomes one of the league’s highest-paid backups and has a chance to reunite with a coach who helped him reach the peak of his career.
RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/16/20
Monday’s restricted free agent and exclusive rights free agent tender decisions will be posted below. Deals will be updated throughout the day.
RFAs
Tendered at original-round level:
- Bengals: TE Cethan Carter, G Alex Redmond, DT Josh Tupou, S Brandon Wilson
- Broncos: WR Tim Patrick
- Dolphins: LB Vince Biegel, P Matt Haack
- Raiders: QB Nathan Peterman, LB Nicholas Morrow
- Seahawks: WR David Moore, C Joey Hunt, DE Branden Jackson
Non-tendered:
- Bills: WR Isaiah McKenzie
- Dolphins: S Adrian Colbert, LB Deon Lacey
- Eagles: RB Corey Clement
- Giants: C Jon Halapio
ERFAs
Tendered:
- Broncos: S Trey Marshall, WR Diontae Spencer, CB Shakial Taylor
- Browns: Pharaoh Brown, RB Dontrell Hilliard, WR KhaDarel Hodge
- Chiefs: G Andrew Wylie
- Colts: DB Rolan Milligan
- Lions: CB Dee Virgin
- Ravens: RB Gus Edwards
Non-tendered:
- Chiefs: TE David Wells
Browns Sign Jack Conklin
The Browns have made their second huge splash of the day. Hours after signing Austin Hooper and making him the highest-paid tight end in league history, they’ve doled out another big contract. Cleveland has agreed to terms with offensive tackle Jack Conklin on a three-year deal, agent Drew Rosenhaus told Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Conklin is getting $42MM over the three years, with $30MM of it being guaranteed. He’ll bring in $20MM just in the first year of the contract. Conklin likely could’ve landed a longer-term deal, but Rosenhaus told Schefter they wanted to keep it short due to projected increases in the salary cap so he can hit free agency again soon. Conklin is very young for a top-flight free agent, and will still only be 28 when this new deal ends.
Just minutes ago we heard the Browns were the favorites with the Jets still in the mix, and things came together quickly. Conklin was the eighth overall pick out of Michigan State in 2016, and he’s been the Titans’ right tackle for the past few seasons. Tennessee declined his fifth-year option following a torn ACL and injury-plagued 2018 campaign, a move which blew up in their face when Conklin returned to playing at a very high level last year.
Conklin was one of the top offensive linemen available, and fills a huge need for Cleveland. The Browns already announced they won’t be re-signing Greg Robinson and there has been speculation they’ll move on from Chris Hubbard, both of their starting tackles from last year.
They now have Conklin locked in at one of those spots, and it’s possible they’ll still pursue veterans Trent Williams or Jason Peters like they’ve reportedly been considering. Baker Mayfield was frequently under duress last season, and his play suffered significantly as a result. He got skittish in the pocket at times, and upgrading his protection was always going to be a priority this offseason. With the additions of Hooper and Conklin today, his job has gotten a whole lot easier.
Browns Favorites For OT Jack Conklin?
The Browns have already made one big splash in free agency by making Austin Hooper the highest-paid tight end in NFL history, and it sounds like they could make another soon. Cleveland is the favorite to land free agent offensive tackle Jack Conklin, Connor Hughes of The Athletic hears (Twitter link). 
Hughes reports that the Jets are still in the mix, but that “there’s a price many believe they will not exceed.” There was a report a few weeks ago that Conklin would likely sign with New York, but that was quickly shot down by Adam Schefter. Conklin has been the Titans’ starter at right tackle for the past four seasons, and is one of the top offensive linemen available. Tennessee declined Conklin’s fifth-year option after an injury-plagued 2018 campaign, a move they likely came to regret as the Michigan State product returned to playing at a high level this past season.
The eighth overall pick of the 2016 draft, Conklin is still only 25. The Browns won’t be re-signing the recently arrested Greg Robinson and there’s been speculation they could move on from Chris Hubbard as well, which would leave them without both of their starting tackles from last season. Obviously, they’ll be doing something to address the position.
We’ve heard that they’ve been considering veteran tackles Trent Williams and Jason Peters, although Conklin is a lot younger than both of those guys and as such is the more appealing long-term option. We heard last month that the Browns were planning to make a big investment in their offensive line this offseason, and it sounds like they’re following through. Whoever Conklin signs with, he should be in for a huge payday.
Browns To Sign Austin Hooper
The Browns have reached agreement with Austin Hooper, as NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets. The deal will make Hooper the league’s highest paid tight end of all time. Hooper has also personally confirmed that the Browns are likely to land him (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com). 
“I’m definitely leaning Cleveland. Unless something comes up unexpected, then no question Cleveland is the leader,” Hooper said.
Once finalized, the deal will pay Hooper $42MM over four years, as Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com tweets. The pact includes $18.5MM fully guaranteed at signing with $23MM locked in through the first two years. The average annual value of $10.5MM makes Hooper the league’s best compensated TE in NFL history, putting him ahead of Jimmy Graham. Graham, before he was cut, was on a deal that paid him $10MM per annum.
Hooper has drawn interest from just about everyone in recent weeks and, unlike the incumbent Falcons, they had enough available cap room to swing a deal. The deal, for now, is a (teleconferenced) handshake. On Wednesday, the two sides can make things official when the 2020 league year officially begins.
In 13 games for Atlanta in 2019, the two-time Pro Bowler set career-highs in catches (75), receiving yards (787), and touchdowns (six). In Cleveland, Hooper would provide Baker Mayfield with yet another explosive offensive weapon. Last year, despite all of their immense talent, the Browns were unable to capitalize.
This year, things could be different under their new regime, and their aerial attack could be more dangerous than ever. Meanwhile, the Browns will keep their fingers crossed for the swift and full recoveries of Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry, both of whom are coming off of surgery. If they’re good to go, opposing defenses will have their hands full with Hooper, OBJ, Landry, and David Njoku, who would likely line up in two tight end sets with the team’s new high-priced addition.