Browns Interested In Giants LT Nate Solder?
With their Trent Williams efforts looking likely to come up short, the Browns may be looking at another NFC East tackle. They are interested in Giants left tackle Nate Solder, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports tweets.
While it would be a major salary to take on, Solder is a proven left tackle who would upgrade Cleveland’s offensive line. The Giants signed Solder to a four-year, $62MM deal, reshaping the tackle market in 2018. Solder, the centerpiece of Dave Gettleman‘s aggressive overhaul of Big Blue’s offensive front, has not lived up to this contract and is signed through 2021.
The Browns made two deals (though they were categorized as one) with the Giants this offseason, acquiring Odell Beckham Jr. and Olivier Vernon. Cleveland took New York’s second- and third-biggest contracts in doing so. Solder’s now sits second on the Giants’ payroll, in terms of AAV, behind only Eli Manning.
Cleveland’s line has struggled throughout 2019, even though Pro Football Focus tabs Greg Robinson as its No. 25 tackle (Solder sits 35th). But the Browns managed to release their starting left tackle in a preseason procedural move and were able to re-sign him quickly, indicating the rest of the league’s lack of interest in the former No. 2 overall pick. PFF grades right tackle Chris Hubbard, a 2018 Browns addition, as a bottom-tier tackle.
This has been the top Williams potential destination, but the Redskins have stonewalled the Browns. Interest in Solder’s massive contract would illustrate John Dorsey‘s desire to upgrade at tackle. This is Solder’s age-31 season. The former Patriot’s cap number spikes to a whopping $19.5MM in 2021. The Giants have not been mentioned among the seller contingent, but at 2-5, it would make sense for New York to consider it.
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/22/19
Here are Tuesday’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Released: LB Ramik Wilson.
Carolina Panthers
- Promoted from practice squad: WR DeAndrew White
- Placed on IR: CB Natrell Jamerson
Chicago Bears
- Waived: DE Jonathan Harris
Cleveland Browns
- Signed off Jaguars’ practice squad: DT Eli Ankou
Houston Texans
- Signed: WR Steven Mitchell
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: LB Donald Payne
- Promoted from practice squad: LB Joe Giles-Harris
- Placed on IR: LB D.J. Alexander, TE Geoff Swaim
- Waived: CB Parry Nickerson
Minnesota Vikings
- Released: CB Marcus Sherels
New England Patriots
- Waived: S Jordan Richards
New Orleans Saints
- Released: LB Ray-Ray Armstrong, RB Zach Zenner
New York Giants
- Signed: LB Devante Downs
- Waived: TE Garrett Dickerson, LB Tuzar Skipper
Oakland Raiders
- Signed: DE Kasim Edebali
San Francisco 49ers
- Waived: LS Garrison Sanborn
Browns Giving Up On Trent Williams?
- It does not look like a Trent Williams-to-Cleveland scenario will transpire. The Browns have repeatedly inquired about the Redskins tackle, but Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com notes (via Twitter) they have accepted the fact Washington will stick to its guns and hold onto him. Washington has Williams signed through 2020 but has not seen him budge on his holdout. The Redskins are believed to prefer waiting until the offseason to trade him, in order to learn where every team’s draft capital resides.
NFL Workout Updates: 10/21/19
Here is the latest from the workout circuit:
Carolina Panthers
- CB Andre Chachere, WR/TE Caleb Smith
Cleveland Browns
- TE Drew Belcher, LB Ukeme Eligwe, TE Tyree Mayfield, S Montrel Meander, LB Silas Stewart, DB Kyle Wilson
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2019 NFL Cap Space, By Team
With eight days to go before the 2019 trade deadline, here’s a look at the cap space possessed by each team, via ESPN.com’s Field Yates (on Twitter):
1. Colts: $43.5M
2. Browns: $32.9M
3. Dolphins: $28M
4. Bills: $24.7M
5. Cowboys: $24M
6. Titans: $23.7
7. Chiefs: $23.1M
8. Raiders: $22.4M
9. Eagles: $22.2M
10. Texans: $21.6M
11. Lions: $18.9M
12. Bears: $17M
13. 49ers: $14.4M
14. Panthers: $14.2M
15. Bengals: $13.6M
16. Redskins: $13.5M
17. Jaguars: $10.3M
18. Broncos: $10M
19. Packers: $9.5M
20. Seahawks: $7.8M
21. Buccaneers: $6.5M
22. Jets: $6.1M
23. Rams: $4.6M
24. Cardinals: $4.1M
25. Chargers: $4.1M
26. Steelers: $3.4M
27. Patriots: $2.5M
28. Giants: $2.2M
29. Ravens: $2.1M
30. Saints: $1.9M
31. Falcons: $1.7M
32. Vikings: $623K
Browns’ Kareem Hunt Returns To Practice
Browns running back Kareem Hunt will return to practice on Monday, per a club announcement. Hunt must still serve two more games on his eight-game suspension, but he is apparently healthy enough to scrimmage. 
Hunt spent the early part of the season recovering from sports hernia surgery, which overlapped with the first six games of his eight-game ban. The suspension stemmed from an ugly recording in which Hunt threw a woman to the ground in a hotel corridor. Despite the controversy around Hunt, the Browns picked up the ex-Chiefs running back with the belief that he would change his ways and improve their running game.
Hunt, for his part, vowed to get back on track.
“I want to again apologize for my actions last year,” Hunt said in a statement after his suspension was announced in March. “I know that my behavior hurt a lot of people, and I again apologize to them. I respect the league’s decision on discipline, and I appreciate the time I spent with Commissioner Goodell last week. I’m grateful for my time with the Browns over the last month and thankful to all the people in the organization that have welcome me. I also appreciate all of the support I received from my union through this process. My commitment to earning the trust of the league, my teammates, the organization, and this community through my actions will continue, and I understand there is a lot of work ahead of me before I’m able to fully return to playing the game I love.”
If he’s healthy and ready to go, Hunt will be able to make his debut in Week 10 against the Bills. The third-year pro will look to build off of career totals of 2,151 yards and 15 touchdowns rushing, plus 79 catches for 833 yards and ten scores via the air.
Trade Rumors: Seahawks, Broncos, Beasley
In the wake of Will Dissly‘s season-ending Achilles tear, the Seahawks are in the TE trade market, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Of course, Seattle already traded Nick Vannett to the Steelers earlier this season, and the club’s TE depth chart is so thin that they used several backup DEs as blocking tight ends in practice this week and may do so against the Ravens today.
Now for more trade rumors from around the league as we approach the October 29 trade deadline
- No surprises here, but the Broncos are getting trade calls on WR Emmanuel Sanders, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com writes. Though Denver GM John Elway has refuted the notion that any of his players are on the trade block, Schefter says the Broncos will listen to offers for Sanders, though they are expected to ask for at least a third-round draft choice in return.
- Another member of the Broncos that could be on the move is cornerback Chris Harris Jr. The Eagles made a strong offer for Jalen Ramsey, and Harris would still be a welcome addition to Philadelphia’s secondary and would not require the team to part with nearly as much draft capital. Former NFL agent Joel Corry (among others) wonders if the Eagles will make a push for Harris (Twitter link).
- The Falcons have put Vic Beasley on the trade block, per Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com. Beasley’s play has tapered off dramatically since his breakout 15.5-sack performance in 2016, but he’s a former first-round pick and is only 27, so he could be a low-risk, high-reward target for a team in need of pass rushing help.
- Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com believes the Browns still have a chance of landing Redskins LT Trent Williams, but she concedes that it will take a first-round pick and more to land him.
- Schefter tweets that the Raiders will be buyers in advance of the deadline and have already begun looking for LBs and pass rushers.
Fallout From Jalen Ramsey Trade
The Rams helped put an end to the Jalen Ramsey saga when they traded two first-round picks and a fourth-rounder to the Jaguars for the disgruntled star earlier this week. Ramsey is expected to suit up for his new club today — his back seems to have healed up quite nicely after the trade was announced — and we have a great deal of Ramsey-related notes to pass along:
- The Eagles were considered a front-runner in the Ramsey sweepstakes, and as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports, Philadelphia did make a legitimate effort to land the soon-to-be 25-year-old All-Pro. Schefter says the Eagles offered a first- and second-round choice to the Jaguars for Ramsey, and they thought they would be able to complete a deal. But when they were outbid by the Rams, the Eagles did not increase their offer, largely because they expect to have four defensive backs returning from injury in the next two weeks.
- The back injury that reportedly kept Ramsey out of the Jaguars‘ lineup for the past several games was widely thought to be an injury of convenience, and Jags owner Shad Khan steadfastly refused to give in to Ramsey’s trade demands (for a while). But as Schefter writes in a separate piece, three doctors cleared Ramsey to return from his injury, and Khan believed the “heart-to-heart” he had with Ramsey had helped to turn the tide. Khan thought Ramsey would play in last week’s game against the Saints, but when he didn’t, that was the final straw. Khan then gave his front office the green light to strike a trade.
- Ramsey, in an interview with ESPN’s Ryan Clark on Sunday morning, said his negative feelings towards the Jaguars this year started when head coach Doug Marrone did not trust him enough to challenge a completed pass during the team’s loss to the Texans that Ramsey insisted was incomplete. Ramsey said a meeting with unnamed Jacksonville execs after that game also prompted him to call his agent and request a trade (Twitter links via veteran NFL reporter Ed Werder).
- In yet another Ramsey piece, Schefter details the series of events that led to the trade to LA. It started with the Rams offering Marcus Peters to the Browns for guard Joel Bitonio. Cleveland countered with an Austin Corbett-for-draft pick offer that the Rams accepted. Los Angeles then offered Peters to the Ravens — another player in the Ramsey sweepstakes — and Baltimore was not only interested, but it wanted the deal to happen right away so it could have Peters for its key matchup with the Seahawks on Sunday. The 2020 fifth-rounder the Rams got back from the Ravens allowed them to add a 2021 fourth-rounder in their package to the Jaguars for Ramsey, which is what allowed the deal to get done.
- Rams‘ COO Kevin Demoff is one of those execs who is more willing to part with draft capital to acquire proven talent, a philosophical shift that has made for more exciting trade seasons in the NFL in recent years. Demoff said, via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, “[w]e don’t value late first-rounders as much as we do proven players. It is a further crapshoot when you get to that point in the round.”
- Demoff refuted the notion that the Rams, losers of three straight, made the Ramsey trade out of desperation, pointing out that the team would have kept Peters if it was truly desperate. Instead, the Rams, who knew they were not going to re-sign Peters in the offseason, elected to get something for him while sending him to a club that will be able to get the most out of his talents. Of course, as noted above, it was the Peters trade that helped to facilitate the Ramsey deal.
- Rapoport says that the Rams are expected to work out a long-term deal with Ramsey in the offseason. The trade was obviously not contingent on having such a contract in place, though the topic was discussed. Schefter says Ramsey has promised he will not hold out if the two sides do not come to terms on an extension in 2020, though all bets are off if the Rams attempt to use the franchise tag on him in 2021. Interestingly, Schefter says the Rams could turn around and trade Ramsey this offseason if they feel they won’t ultimately be able to sign him to a long-term pact.
Latest On Trent Williams
Another day, another nugget on Redskins left tackle Trent Williams. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reports (via Twitter) that the Redskins are refusing to trade the seven-time Pro Bowler this season. This somewhat echoes a report from earlier this week that indicated that the Redskins continue to “stonewall” inquiring teams.
However, Washington has reportedly told potential suitors that they would explore a trade this offseason. The rationale is that the front office will have clarity on other teams’ draft positions. With the team sitting at 1-5, the Redskins believe they have nothing to gain by trading Williams right now. Understanding where prospective draft-pick acquisitions fall will allow them to opt for the best possible offer.
However, despite the Redskins apparent assertion that they won’t be trading Williams, that hasn’t stopped the Browns from aggressively pursuing him. Garafolo notes that Browns general manager John Dorsey has inquired on Williams every week for the past month and a half. Dorsey previously said that “it takes two to tango” when discussing a Williams trade, indicating the Redskins aren’t especially interested in moving the lineman.
Williams, 31, has spent all nine years of NFL career in the nation’s capital. A seven-time Pro Bowler, Williams is under contract through next season. He’s due the remainder of a $10.85MM base salary in 2019 and $12.5MM in 2020.
Latest On Redskins OT Trent Williams
The Redskins continue to “stonewall” rival clubs that have inquired on the availability of left tackle Trent Williams, according to Albert Breer of NFL.com (Twitter link), who adds Williams’ trade value is difficult to ascertain given that Washington hasn’t truly engaged in any substantive conversations with other teams.
Just last week, Redskins president Bruce Allen reiterated his club has not had any “dialogue with any other team” regarding Williams and indicated Washington is not actively shopping the veteran offensive lineman. The Redskins have long maintained that they have no interest in dealing Williams despite his season-long holdout and his displeasure with the team.
The Browns have been mentioned as a likely suitor for Williams in the event he does become available, and despite Allen’s assertion, Cleveland has had talks with Washington about Williams. Asked today about his talks with the Redskins, Browns general manager John Dorsey said, “We’ve had a few conversations,” as Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets. However, Dorsey also said “it takes two to tango,” once again indicating the Redskins aren’t especially interested in moving Williams.
Cleveland is currently deploying Greg Robinson at left tackle, but that could soon change. Robinson either has been or will soon be benched, reports Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. Pro Football Focus grades Robinson as the No. 22 tackle among 73 qualifiers, the former No. 2 overall pick doesn’t have a record of above-average production. As a unit, the Browns offensive line ranks 19th in adjusted line yards and 24th in adjusted sack rate, per Football Outsiders, but ninth in pressure rate allowed.
Williams, 31, has spent all nine years of NFL career in the nation’s capital. A seven-time Pro Bowler, Williams is under contract through next season. He’s due the remainder of a $10.85MM base salary in 2019 and $12.5MM in 2020.