Browns Unhappy With Corey Coleman
- Corey Coleman was not believed to be on the trade block during the draft, but Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com reports the Browns haven’t been pleased with the 2016 first-round pick. They’ve called for the Baylor product to elevate his work ethic and production. Twice missing extensive time due to hand breaks, Coleman has not lived up to his No. 15 draft slot. And now that a new regime is calling the shots, one that drafted Antonio Callaway in the fourth round last month, Cabot notes Coleman could become expendable.
- Additionally, the Browns are open to Joel Bitonio replacing Joe Thomas at left tackle, per Cabot. However, the main plan remains to try second-round pick Austin Corbett there. Corbett replaced Bitonio as Nevada’s left tackle in 2014 and started four years there for the Wolf Pack. Both Bitonio, a well-paid guard, and Corbett are almost certainly going to start for the Browns this season, Cabot writes. It’s just unclear where. This would make 2017 right tackle starter Shon Coleman a swing player, with Chris Hubbard set to man the right tackle job.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/6/18
Today’s minor moves:
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: TE Julian Allen, DL Lenny Jones
New York Jets
- Signed: LB Frankie Luvu, LB Anthony Wint
- Waived: CB Reggie Hall, DT Lord Hyeamang
Browns Sign Rookie Austin Corbett, Two Others
The Browns announced that they have signed second-round draft choice Austin Corbett, the first player picked in the second round (No. 33 overall). Cleveland has also signed its two sixth round selections, WR Damion Ratley (No. 175 overall) and CB Simeon Thomas (No. 188 overall).
Corbett, a Nevada product, helped his draft stock dramatically during Senior Bowl practices, when he reportedly “dominated everybody” while lining up at center, guard, or right tackle. Given that he does not have ideal size for an NFL tackle (6-4, 306 pounds), many feel that he may ultimately be forced to line up inside at the professional level, but the Browns believe he can play on the edge.
Regardless of where he lines up, he will be protecting a valuable commodity. While the Browns are reportedly set on opening the season with Tyrod Taylor under center, the team did just make QB Baker Mayfield the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, and the reigning Heisman Trophy winner figures to take the reins sooner rather than later.
And, if Corbett wins the left tackle job — his primary competition for that role is 2016 third-rounder Shon Coleman, who served as Cleveland’s right tackle last season — he will have pretty big shoes to fill. Joe Thomas, a 10-time Pro Bowler and six-time All-Pro who had been entrenched at the left tackle position for the Browns since 2007, announced his retirement in March, thereby opening up an opportunity for Corbett or Coleman.
Corbett is the only offensive lineman Cleveland selected in this year’s draft.
Browns Rumors: Mayfield, Haley, Ward
While the Baker Mayfield/Browns noise didn’t intensify until draft week, the newly assembled front office viewed the Oklahoma product well independently before arriving in Cleveland. John Dorsey, Eliot Wolf and consultant Scot McCloughan all had Mayfield atop the quarterback class, Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com notes, with Alonzo Highsmith subsequently joining them. Using the Packers’ grading system the Browns do now, Dorsey, Wolf and McCloughan — who has long praised the 2017 Heisman Trophy recipient — each put Mayfield atop their respective lists prior to coming to Cleveland. While a report emerged earlier this week indicating Sam Darnold may well have been more teams’ top-rated QB in this class, Cabot reports four teams — three AFC squads and one in the NFC — had Mayfield as this class’ No. 1 quarterback. Two other teams, per Cabot, provided strong indications he was their top QB choice.
Here’s the latest from Cleveland, including more about the Browns’ signal-caller situation.
- While the Browns are certainly higher on Mayfield than they were on DeShone Kizer or Cody Kessler, the memories of neither rookie winning a game are still fresh with Hue Jackson. And he reiterated this weekend he’s not going to deviate from Tyrod Taylor atop the QB depth chart. “I’m not going to back off of this,” Jackson said, via Cabot. “We can keep writing this narrative, Tyrod Taylor’s the starting quarterback of this football team, and that won’t change. … Tyrod has demonstrated every day what it’s like to be a starting quarterback in the National Football League. I want some of that to rub off on (Mayfield) so he can see firsthand what it means to play quarterback in the National Football League. Baker doesn’t know.”
- The Browns had close to the same grade on Mayfield and Saquon Barkley, Pat McManamon of ESPN.com notes. While this could mean the Browns placed a slightly higher grade on the Penn State-produced running back, Dorsey felt the need at quarterback and the fact he could land a promising running back prospect in the second round (Nick Chubb went to Cleveland at No. 35) tipped the scales for Mayfield. Cleveland was long connected to a quarterback at No. 1, and Barkley was not believed to be a serious consideration.
- Todd Haley‘s arrival in northeast Ohio will mean full autonomy of the Browns’ offense, Dan Graziano of ESPN.com notes. Both Jackson and Mayfield will spend time this summer learning Haley’s playbook. Jackson will be taking a CEO-style approach this year instead of calling plays, as he has the past two seasons. But it still sounds like some of the third-year HC’s concepts will be included in Haley’s offense.
- The Browns had Denzel Ward and Bradley Chubb ranked equally on their board, and need won out, Dorsey said during a radio interview on 92.3 The Fan (via Cabot). Ward’s ability to play press coverage well made him DC Gregg Williams‘ preference, too.
Brandon Beane On Bills’ First-Round Trades
Brandon Beane enjoyed a complicated night on his first draft as Bills GM. And he detailed the extensive process in an expansive piece by Jay Skurski of the Buffalo News.
The Bills were ready to give the Broncos an extra first- and second-round pick, Beane confirms of Mike Klis of 9News’ report that emerged on draft weekend. Denver and Buffalo’s GMs agreed to the swap at around 7pm CT on draft night — one that would have sent Buffalo’s Nos. 12 and 22 picks and one of its second-rounders to Denver in exchange for the No. 5 overall choice and a third-round pick — but John Elway told Beane the deal would be off if a certain player was still on the board.
Beane wondered if that player was Denzel Ward, but when a text message came alerting Beane that Bradley Chubb might fall past the Browns at No. 4, he began to worry about his plans to acquire Josh Allen.
“I was really nervous when Cleveland got on the clock. You’ve got your channels where you’re getting information outside of the draft room. Somebody told me, it’s down to Ward or Chubb,” Beane said, via Skurski. “Earlier in the day, people felt like they were probably going to go Chubb. That was my first four. I did say it was going to be Chubb, and we’ll go to Denver. I was wrong. Not until (the Browns) were on the clock did I get the text from somebody that said, ‘Hey, Ward may go here.’ I said (expletive).”
“I was a little bummed when Elway told me, ‘Hey, this is our guy.’ I felt like what I had to offer John was better than anybody else could offer. I felt like I was bidding against myself, basically.”
Beane became leery of the Dolphins and Cardinals moving up to No. 7 for Allen, whom Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller reported was their No. 1-rated quarterback, but he would no longer be willing to part with the No. 22 pick like he was in talks with the Broncos at No. 5. And he wasn’t willing to trade the Bills’ 2019 first-rounder.
“(Assistant GM) Joe (Schoen) would say, ‘(the Buccaneers) want this and this,’ and it included 22, and I said no,” Beane said. “It was just too much. I would have done 22 at five. I wasn’t doing it there. Because I knew nobody could be offering that. … That was the biggest obstacle I faced during the whole thing. Everybody wanted next year’s one leading up to the draft, and I wasn’t doing it.”
Beane and Schoen then approached the 49ers at No. 9, but John Lynch was zeroed in on Mike McGlinchey. However, Jason Licht called Beane back and said he would accept the offer of both of Buffalo’s second-round picks. The Bills collected a seventh-rounder from the Bucs as well.
“He said, ‘I’ll do it for the twos, but we’ve got to do it right now,’ ” Beane told Skurski. “I said alright, I need another pick, though. I need a player. I don’t care what it is, just give me your last pick, whatever it is. He said, ‘Alright, done.
“(The Broncos taking Chubb) was a blessing in disguise. I was tight after Denver’s pick. I was trying not to show it to the room, but I was tight. Joe and I, we were very tight.”
In passing on the chance to acquire additional first- and second-round picks, the Broncos are betting big on Chubb. Beane said he also spoke with the Giants and Browns about the Nos. 2 and 4 picks, and Skurski reports the only trade Beane would have made pre-draft was with the Giants at No. 2.
Skurski adds the Bills finalized their quarterback hierarchy following their April 13 Sam Darnold workout. Miller reported this week Darnold was the Bills’ top-rated quarterback, so it would have made sense for a trade to the second slot. Although, Darnold was still connected to the Browns at No. 1 at that point. The Bills were rumored to be targeting a top-five pick for weeks prior to the draft, but the Giants and Browns wanted more than Beane was willing to offer, per Skurski.
As for the Bills’ second Round 1 trade, Beane contacted the Packers at No. 14 and Raiders at No. 15. Green Bay ended up accepting a New Orleans offer that did include a 2019 first, and Oakland did not want to trade down again, per Skurski. Edmunds was the target because of the Bills’ situation at linebacker, Beane said, and the Ravens quickly agreed to a deal at No. 16.
“(Edmunds) was sticking out on our board, and it’s a need,” Beane said. “If a guy is sticking out on our board, and it’s really not a need, you might not do it. But with the hole we had there, and where he was on our board, it was a no-brainer. Even if we could have got to 14, we would have done it.”
Draft QB Fallout: Darnold, Allen, Mayfield
A draft that produced one of the longest rumor cycles surrounding quarterbacks in recent memory continues to generate fallout. And some of it centers on the quarterback that fell to No. 3.
Among the emotions expressed in the Jets’ war room after the Giants chose Saquon Barkley over Sam Darnold were disbelief and joy, per Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. But the Giants weren’t the only team many NFL executives and scouts believe helped out the Jets.
The Browns’ Baker Mayfield pick went against the grain, with Matt Miller of Bleacher Report writing that he only confirmed two teams — the Browns and Patriots — that rated the 2017 Heisman Trophy winner as the top quarterback in this draft. Conversely, 15 different teams rated Darnold as their top QB, Miller reports.
Mike Maccagnan decided to keep an airtight lid on his quarterback hierarchy, only informing Christopher Johnson and Todd Bowles of which signal-caller he had as his top-rated passer. The fourth-year Jets GM didn’t bother to assign final grades to the top five QBs in fear of that information seeping out, but grades were given to every other player on the Jets’ board, per Mehta. While the precise order here is not known, Mehta reports Darnold was the Jets’ top-rated passing prospect — one the team did not think would get past the Browns at No. 1 until very late in the process.
The Jets weren’t certain the Giants would pass on Darnold, either, but were aware of Dave Gettleman‘s interest in Barkley. One source informed Miller that Gettleman, indeed, did not pick up the phone regarding trade interest in the No. 2 overall pick. While Gettleman himself confirmed one team made a strong offer for No. 2, it’s unclear when on draft night that proposal emerged. Wowed by none of these QBs, the Giants did not have a consensus on which of these players was the best prospect.
While the Cardinals wound up with Josh Rosen, Miller reports Josh Allen was their top-rated quarterback. The team that actually drafted Allen, the Bills, had the Wyoming talent rated as this class’ No. 2 passer, Miller reports. Buffalo was one of the teams that viewed Darnold as this draft’s top QB.
No reports of Allen visiting the Cardinals emerged until he confirmed just before the draft he took a trip to Arizona. Miller notes the Cards may have tried to trade up for Allen prior to landing Rosen. Additionally, the Twitter controversy did not appear to affect Allen’s stock. Miller adds no sources indicated that played a role in their teams’ respective assessments of Allen.
Browns Add 13 UDFAs
As the Browns begin their rookie minicamp, they signed 13 undrafted free agents. Here’s the full rundown:
- Evan Berry, WR (Tennessee)
- Elijah Campbell, DB (Northern Iowa)
- Michael Carrizosa, P (San Jose State)
- Christian Dilauro, OL (Illinois)
- Daniel Ekuale, DL (Washington State)
- Micah Hannemann, DB (BYU)
- Desmond Harrison, OL (West Georgia)
- Dontrell Hilliard, RB (Tulane)
- Fred Lauina, OL (Oregon State)
- Montrel Meander, DB (Grambling State)
- Da’Mari Scott, WR (Fresno State)
- Trenton Thompson, DL (Georgia)
- Derrick Willies, WR (Texas Tech)
Berry is the younger brother of All-Pro Chiefs safety Eric Berry, the No. 5 overall pick in 2010 out of Tennessee. Evan Berry holds the Volunteers’ record for most kickoff-return touchdowns in school history with four. The Browns used just one of their eight draft choices on offensive linemen, so it probably shouldn’t be surprising three of them are on board as UDFAs.
Carrizosa finished in the top five in Division I-FBS punting twice with the Spartans (2015, 2017). Cleveland has punter Britton Colquitt signed through the 2020 season, but it would only cost the team $1.3MM in dead money to release him. Colquitt had a deal in place with the Broncos in 2016 before the franchise cut him for then-rookie seventh-rounder Riley Dixon.
Chiefs, Browns Cancel Trade
The Dadi Nicolas/Randall Telfer trade won’t be happening after all. The deal has been nullified and both players have been waived by their original teams, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. 
On Tuesday, the Browns agreed to send Telfer, a tight end, to the Chiefs for Nicolas, a linebacker. It’s not immediately clear why the trade has been cancelled. Failed physicals are often the culprit for cancelled deals and Nicolas, who missed all of January with a ruptured patellar tendon, may not have passed his exam.
The Browns are well set at tight end with holdovers David Njoku, Seth DeValve, and free agent addition Darren Fells, so they are able to move on from Telfer without getting anything in return.
Alonzo Highsmith On Josh Rosen, Josh Allen
As we heard Sunday, Browns VP of player personnel Alonzo Highsmith indicated Sam Darnold was his preferred quarterback until late in the draft process. Baker Mayfield then became the consensus choice. However, the first-year Browns exec had one interesting reason for being less interested in Josh Rosen, whom the Browns worked out at UCLA and hosted on a visit.
The Browns were not connected closely to Rosen, the least mobile of this year’s top QB contingent but also the player who could well be the readiest to start in Week 1, and they preferred a more mobile passer. But this candor is rather interesting and may not age well if Rosen has a strong rookie year for the Cardinals. It’s not the first time a key Browns exec’s made a comment on a quarterback they bypassed.
Browns Waive RB Darius Jackson
The Browns announced that they have waived running back Darius Jackson. Linebacker Dominique Alexander has also been let go with a failed physical designation.
Jackson entered the league as a sixth-round pick of the Cowboys in 2016. In December of that year, he was cut to make room for the return of Darren McFadden and the Browns scooped him up off of waivers. The Browns weren’t the only team with interest – the Eagles, Giants, and 49ers all tried to land Jackson, but lost out to Cleveland due to waiver priority.
The Eastern Michigan product has still yet to see the field in a real NFL game. Last summer, a knee injury ended Jackson’s season before it could start. If he is healthy now, he figures to draw consideration from teams and those aforementioned clubs could get involved.
Alexander, who entered the league as a UDFA out of Oklahoma in 2016, was a special teams player who also lost his 2017 season to a knee injury. Alexander’s role as a linebacker/special teamer will likely be filled by fifth-round pick Genard Avery.