Nate Orchard On Browns' Bubble?
- The Browns are so bullish on their defensive ends that they passed on Bradley Chubb at No. 4 overall in order to select Ohio State cornerback Denzel Ward. That decision rankled some fans, but the Browns still have solid depth at the position. That depth could leave former second-round pick Nate Orchard without a job, Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com writes. Orchard second in the nation with 18.5 sacks as a college senior at Utah, but he has yet to produce at the pro level. He saw time in all 16 games in 2017, but started only one and finished out with 25 tackles, two sacks, one forced fumble and one recovery.
Hue Jackson On Hot Seat
- In a roundtable featuring ESPN.com’s AFC North writers, Browns head coach Hue Jackson and Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco are viewed as the division’s participants most on the proverbial hot seat. Jackson, of course, is not only fighting for his job after posting one win in two seasons, but he’s also dealing with a new general manager — John Dorsey — who will likely jump at the chance to hire his own head coach if Cleveland disappoints once again in 2018. Flacco, meanwhile, could see first-round rookie quarterback Lamar Jackson push for Baltimore’s starting job as soon as this season, especially if Flacco repeats his 2017 woes.
- The Browns auditioned former CFL cornerback Jordan Holland on Tuesday.
Browns Audition CFL CB Jordan Holland
The Browns worked out former Canadian Football League cornerback Jordan Holland on Wednesday, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).
Holland, who stands 5’10”, 190 pounds, last played for the Edminton Eskimos but has also spent time with the Cleveland Gladiators (Arena Football League) and Billings Wolves (Indoor Football League). He’s the son of 49ers outside linebackers coach Johnny Holland, who spent the 2016 campaign as the Browns’ linebackers coach. The younger Holland played his college ball Prairie View A&M University, an FCS school in Texas.
Given his dearth of NFL experience, Holland will likely have a difficult time making any roster in the league, but Cleveland’s 53-man squad could be especially hard to crack given the Browns’ offseason additions of Denzel Ward, T.J. Carrie, E.J. Gaines, and Terrance Mitchell, all of whom will join holdover Briean Boddy-Calhoun.
Could Browns Make Selection In Supplemental Draft?
- Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com believes the Browns are in prime position to land a cornerback during tomorrow’s supplemental draft. While all of the NFL teams were present for cornerback Sam Beal‘s Pro Day at Western Michigan, Cleveland general manager John Dorsey was one of the few top executives to attend the workout. Furthermore, the team has recently put an emphasis on acquiring defensive backs. They added T.J. Carrie, E.J. Gaines and Terrance Mitchell via free agency, they traded for Damarious Randall, and they drafted rookie Denzel Ward with the fourth-overall pick. While the team does have plenty of depth, Cabot believes Dorsey won’t hesitate to take Beal.
- Meanwhile, one pundit believes the Browns could end up using a fourth-rounder on the cornerback. “Cleveland can bid a fourth because they’re a team that’s kind of up and coming,” NFLdraftscout.com’s Rob Rang told Cabot. “They’ve already invested a lot in defensive backs, but you can never have too many good corners. I just don’t know that this is someone you can count on to produce immediately. With all of the veterans they brought in, and with them drafting Denzel Ward, I don’t know that Cleveland has to take him.” If this ends up being the case, the Browns would have to sacrifice a fourth-rounder during next year’s draft.
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Browns Studying Supplemental Draft DBs
Several new defensive backs will see action for the Browns this season. Denzel Ward, Damarious Randall, T.J. Carrie and E.J. Gaines are now in the mix in Cleveland. But the team with the top bidding spots in the upcoming supplemental draft is doing its homework on the available DBs. John Dorsey attended Western Michigan safety Sam Beal‘s pro day, and Zac Jackson of The Athletic notes the Browns are studying up on supplemental cornerbacks Adonis Alexander (Virginia Tech) and Mississippi State safety Brandon Bryant. The Browns’ 0-16 finish last season guarantees them the first bid position in this non-televised event, so if Cleveland is willing to sacrifice a third-round pick in the 2019 draft, its move would beat any other team that’s willing to part with a third-rounder to the punch. Jackson adds that only Ward and Randall’s jobs look certain this season, with competition set to commence for the other three primary roles in the secondary.
Browns Could Make Supplemental Draft Pick
- Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal took a look at this year’s Supplemental Draft and whether the Browns would make a move. He came away thinking that GM John Dorsey‘s “aggressive” approach may lead him to use a selection on one of the cornerbacks available in the draft despite the Browns’ recent upgrades to their secondary.
Poll: Which Rookie RB Will Rush For Most Yards In 2018?
In selecting their third first-round running back of this century, the Giants continued to show how they regard this position despite its marginalization over the past several years. Saquon Barkley is the odds-on favorite to win offensive rookie of the year.
However, the running back position produces annual mid- or late-round surprises — from Devonta Freeman to Jordan Howard to Kareem Hunt — that end up providing immense value to certain teams. The Giants obviously have an incredibly gifted ball-carrier set to take handoffs from Eli Manning, but which of Barkley’s peers is in the best position to challenge him (and the quarterback contingent) for the OROY honor?
The other two first-round RBs look to be less equipped for a strong challenge due to circumstances.
Sony Michel‘s prospects of being an immediate ground producer may have been better on a different team. While the Patriots boast one of the NFL’s best offensive lines, Bill Belichick notoriously finds myriad usages for his backs and involves nearly all of them. Although, Dion Lewis‘ departure after a 180-carry season opens the door for someone to take over as New England’s primary back. And Michel averaged 7.9 yards per carry on 156 totes at Georgia last season. Rashaad Penny looks to be behind Chris Carson to start the season, and the surprise first-rounder may be given time to develop for a Seattle team that’s struggled on the ground for a few years now.
After Round 1, however, it becomes a bit more interesting. The Buccaneers did not possess a formidable depth chart at running back prior to investing their second-round pick in USC’s Ronald Jones. In 2017, Jones rushed for 1,550 yards and scored 20 total touchdowns. He could well be an early-season starter, with the likes of Jacquizz Rodgers and Peyton Barber in his path toward a first-string role. Chosen just before Jones, Nick Chubb will have to contend with Carlos Hyde in Cleveland this season for the revamped Browns. Chubb, though, notched three 1,000-yard seasons in the nation’s toughest conference.
Kerryon Johnson looks to be set to start in a committee in Detroit, but the Lions have been desperate for a surefire ground producer for years now. And they view Johnson as a three-down back. LeGarrette Blount and Ameer Abdullah reside in the Motor City carries picture, but neither would impede Johnson from a major role if he proves ready from the outset. Derrius Guice could have a quicker path to playing time in Washington. Considered by some the second-best back in this draft, the LSU product fell largely because of character concerns. However, Guice averaged 7.6 yards per carry in 2016 on nearly 200 attempts and is expected to push for the Redskins’ starting job from the start.
Also expected to challenge for an early role: the Broncos’ Royce Freeman. The Oregon-developed talent posted three 1,300-plus-yard seasons with the Ducks, amassing a staggering 947 college carries. With the Broncos having moved on from four-year starter C.J. Anderson, only Devontae Booker (299 rushing yards last season) resides in the third-rounder’s path. Is he a threat to be the 2018 version of Hunt?
As for Barkley, he has the most obvious route to a full-time gig. Despite Jonathan Stewart now being in the Big Apple, the Penn State dynamo will factor in from the start of the Giants’ season. And the three-down back totaled at least 2,300 yards from scrimmage in back-to-back years for the Nittany Lions. The Giants have questions up front, having lost Justin Pugh and Weston Richburg, but they added multiple UFAs — spearheaded by Nate Solder — and chose likely Day 1 starter Will Hernandez in Round 2.
So, will Barkley’s situation be too much for the rest of this class to overcome, a la Ezekiel Elliott? Or will one of the later-round picks emerge in Hunt fashion? Is there a Day 3 dark horse in this year’s class in the mold of Freeman or Howard? Take PFR’s latest poll and weigh in with your thoughts in the comments section!
Browns Notes: Rookies, Stephenson, Jackson
- Former NFL agent (and current CBS Sport contributor) Joel Corry observes the “interesting dynamics” between the Browns pair of first-round picks (Twitter link). As Corry points out, cornerback Denzel Ward, who was selected fourth overall, doesn’t have any incentive to sign his contract until the team inks their first-overall selection, quarterback Baker Mayfield, to a deal. If Mayfield ends up receiving guaranteed money without any offsets, Corry believes Ward can push to get similar advantages on his contract. For what it’s worth, 2017 first-rounder Myles Garrett does have offsets in his deal.
- After being suspended for the first two games of the upcoming season, Browns offensive lineman Donald Stephenson decided to retire yesterday. As Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com points out, coach Hue Jackson was set to fine the player after he was a no-show from mandatory minicamp. Now, the team presumably won’t hit Stephenson with any fines, especially since he gave up his $1MM in guaranteed money by deciding to retire.
- Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer believes the Browns have improved, but he’s wondering if Jackson will be able to take a step forward. The writer notes that the head coach had a built-in excuse (“rebuild”) during his 1-31 start with the organization, but there will now be actual expectations for the squad. The hiring of offensive coordinator Todd Haley will certainly help, but it will ultimately be up to the head coach to lead the Browns to success.
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Browns Place Donald Stephenson On Reserve/Retired List
The Browns have placed offensive lineman Donald Stephenson on the reserve/retired list, according to an announcement from the team. Stephenson signed a one-year, $2.5MM deal with Cleveland in the spring, but he won’t be suiting up for the Browns. 
Stephenson, 30 in September, saw his 2017 season with the Broncos cut short due to a torn calf muscle. He appeared in seven games with four starts before being shut down for the year. Stephenson’s 303 snaps were not enough to qualify for Pro Football Focus’ rankings, but in a larger sample, he would have graded out as the 12th-worst tackle in the league.
It’s not immediately clear why Stephenson is walking away from the game. He was handed a two-game ban for violating the league’s substance abuse policy in June and also skipped the Browns’ mandatory minicamp. Stephenson was already out $80K and was set to lose out on $300K in fines for the suspension, so the ban may have impacted his decision.
Stephenson was to serve as the first tackle off of the bench behind starters Shon Coleman and Chris Hubbard. For the first two weeks of the year, the Browns may lean more heavily on reserves Greg Robinson, and Spencer Drango for support. The Browns could also explore alternatives in free agency.
Hue Jackson Leads List Of Hot Seat Coaches
- A number of head coaches will be on the hot seat almost as soon as the 2018 campaign gets underway, and John McClain of the Houston Chronicle ran down the list of coaches who could be fired. Hue Jackson seems like an obvious candidate after posting only a single victory over two seasons with the Browns, while Buccaneers coach Dirk Koetter was thought to be on the chopping block following the 2017 campaign. Pro Football Rumors recently examined a similar topic, asking readers which coach will be handed his walking papers first. Your early favorite? Jackson.