NFL Draft Rumors: Broncos, Jones, Jaguars
The Broncos hosted USC running back Ronald Jones on a pre-draft visit on Thursday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Jones, a likely first or second round pick, is coming off of a Monday visit with the Redskins.
It’s very unlikely that Jones is in play at No. 5 overall, but the Broncos also hold the eighth pick in the second round (No. 40 overall), so Jones could be a consideration there.
Here’s the latest round of NFL Draft news:
- South Dakota State tight end Dallas Goedert visited with the Jaguars, Alex Marvez of The Sporting News tweets. All in all, Goedert says he has worked out for or visited with “15 to 20 teams.”
- Pittsburgh tackle Brian O’Neill met with the 49ers, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area tweets. As a former tight end, O’Neill has tremendous athleticism for the left tackle position.
- NC State defensive end Bradley Chubb says that he he does not have a visit lined up with the Browns and the same goes for Penn State running back Saquon Barkley, Albert Breer of The MMQB tweets. However, that doesn’t mean that either player is out of consideration for Cleveland. The Browns are apparently comfortable with the medicals and character of both players.
- The Patriots are hosting Alabama linebacker Rashaan Evans now that his White House trip is over, Rapoport tweets.
Browns Sign Jarvis Landry To Extension
The Browns and wide receiver Jarvis Landry are close to finalizing a long-term deal, Josina Anderson of ESPN.com tweets. The new pact will give Landry an average annual value of more than $15MM per year.
Landry signed the contract on Friday night.
In total, the deal is worth $75.5MM, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. sources say. He adds that the deal includes a whopping $47MM guaranteed, but it’s unclear whether that represents the full guarantee at signing.
Originally, Landry was set to play out the 2018 season on his one-year, ~$16MM franchise tender. However, the Browns traded for Landry with the idea that they would hammer out a long-term deal with his camp. The Dolphins did not want to pay Landry like a top-flight receiver, but GM John Dorsey believes that he is deserving of a mega-deal even though he plays from the slot.
The monster pact should spell good news for Odell Beckham Jr. Between this contract and the mega-contract given to Bucs star Mike Evans, OBJ has favorable comps to make his case for a $90MM+ deal that would make him the league’s highest-paid receiver. Landry now boasts the fifth-highest average annual value of any wide receiver in the NFL. The only receivers with a higher AAV than Landry are Antonio Brown, Evans, DeAndre Hopkins, and Sammy Watkins.
Over the last four seasons, Landry hauled in 400 passes for 4,038 yards and 22 touchdowns for Miami. He finished the 2017 season with 987 receiving yards – nearly giving him a third straight 1,000-yard campaign – and had a career-high nine receiving touchdowns. However, critics are quick to point out that his yards per catch average dipped to a career low 8.8 per reception.
The Browns now possess a lethal 1-2 at wide receiver in Landry and Josh Gordon, which should give quarterback Tyrod Taylor a chance to shine. Former first round pick Corey Coleman is also in the mix and the Browns are hoping that he can take a step forward with a more talented QB throwing to him. Of course, the Browns are expected to take a quarterback with the No. 1 overall pick, so it’s not a given that Taylor will be under center for the entire year.
Opinion: Browns Could Take Chubb
- The Browns have talent on the defensive line in Myles Garrett, Larry Ogunjobi, and Emmanuel Ogbah, but the presence of those players would not preclude the Browns from taking Bradley Chubb at No. 4 overall if they want him, Dan Labbe of Cleveland.com opines. Recently, coach Hue Jackson said that he has dreamed about a scenario in which he has Garrett and Chubb as his top bookends.
Browns Move Shon Coleman To LT
Quarterbacks have justifiably dominated draft-centric Browns conversations this offseason, but Joe Thomas‘ retirement has left a hole the franchise hasn’t had to worry about since the Romeo Crennel regime. And as of now, the Browns have shifted Shon Coleman from right to left tackle, Terry Pluto of cleveland.com notes. With Chris Hubbard having been signed to play right tackle, the 6-foot-6 Coleman — a 2016 third-round pick who started all 16 games at right tackle last season — Coleman finds himself with either an opportunity to replace a legend or on the verge of being demoted. An anonymous NFL exec, per Pluto, does not believe John Dorsey will go into training camp with Coleman stationed atop the Browns’ depth chart at left tackle. Pro Football Focus preferred Coleman’s pass-blocking work to his ability to open running lanes, bestowing a middling overall grade upon the young blocker, but Coleman’s 14 penalties were the most among tackles last year.
Thomas replacement Spencer Drango, a 2016 fifth-rounder, gave up 11 sacks — most in the league in 2017. The exec floated the idea of the Browns trading down from No. 4 and selecting a tackle, but the team holds the Nos. 33 and 35 overall picks that could be used on a tackle without sacrificing prime first-round real estate.
- Contrary to a previous report, the Jets do not have a Josh Allen visit scheduled, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com tweets. However, Gang Green brass did trek to Wyoming this week to observe a private workout. The Jets have been linked to Allen for months, and several team officials “love” the 6-foot-5 quarterback’s skill set. Allen has also been connected to the Browns and is among the four passers visiting the Giants next week.
Browns Trade QB Kevin Hogan
The Browns have traded away another quarterback, sending Kevin Hogan and a sixth-round pick (No. 205 overall)to the Redskins for a sixth-round pick (No. 188 overall), with both teams announcing the deal. The Browns had acquired the sixth-round pick used in the deal from the Patriots in exchange for Jason McCourty
Hogan, 25, is the third quarterback to be traded from the Browns this offseason. They also sent Cody Kessler to the Jaguars and DeShone Kizer to the Packers. They received a conditional seventh-round pick for Kessler and cornerback Damarious Randall in exchange for Kizer.
The Browns also added Tyrod Taylor, who coach Hue Jackson said will enter the season as the starter, and long-time backup quarterback Drew Stanton. They’re set to take a quarterback with either the first or fourth overall picks of the upcoming draft as well.
Hogan joins a Redskins quarterback contingent that includes Colt McCoy and Stephen Morris behind newly-acquired Alex Smith. The Stanford alum had received permission from the Browns on Thursday to allow his agent to seek out a trade with another team.
The Chiefs drafted Hogan in the fifth round of the 2016 draft and he was cut prior to the regular season. He signed with the Browns shortly after and has appeared in eight games, including a start, over the last two seasons in Cleveland. The start came last year and it came in a losing effort to the Texans in Week 6.
Latest On Johnny Manziel
A look at Johnny Manziel as he gets set to make his Spring League debut:
- Manziel is scheduled to play roughly half of his team’s offensive snaps on Saturday coach Terry Shea tells ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert. That’s going to be standard procedure for the league, which has eight quarterbacks spread out among its four teams. Manziel will play the first and third quarters for the South team on Saturday, while Cody Keith, who played at East Carolina and in the CFL, will handle the second and fourth quarters. Besides Manziel, former Titan Zach Mettenberger is the most notable quarterback in The Spring League.
- Recent comments by Manziel regarding his time with the Browns drew some criticism. “If Cleveland did any of their homework they would have known I wasn’t a guy who came in every day and watched film,” Manziel on The Dan Patrick Show (Twitter link). “I wasn’t a guy who really knew the X’s and O’s of football.”
- Those comments won’t hurt Manziel’s bid to return to the NFL, in the opinion of Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (video link). Garafolo doesn’t believe that the former first-round pick was was trying to make excuses or shift blame, so it likely won’t be a strike against him with coaches. Manziel is reportedly willing to accept a practice squad deal with no money guaranteed if necessary, so it sounds like he has humbled himself and is willing to put in the work this time around.
Contract Details: Browns, Janis, Wright
Here’s a look at the details of some recent free agent deals:
- The Browns got former Packers wide receiver Jeff Janis on a one-year, $1.25MM deal with no guaranteed money, Tom Silverstein of the Journal Sentinel tweets. He’ll have to make the 53-man roster to earn any cash, but the deal does include a $100K workout bonus. If he sticks, the contract will call for a $1.25MM cap number.
- Wide receiver Kendall Wright’s deal with the Vikings is worth $1MM with $400K guaranteed, Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune tweets. The pack includes an $800K base salary, $100K signing bonus, and a $100K workout bonus.
- Tight end Bucky Hodges’ contract with the Jets is a two-year deal worth $1.075MM, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com tweets. The pact includes a $25K roster bonus if he is on the 53-man roster in Week 1.
Browns Allow Kevin Hogan To Seek Trade
Browns backup quarterback Kevin Hogan has requested and received permission for his agent to seek a trade, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Hogan is presently the No. 3 QB on the Browns’ depth chart, but there won’t be room for him once the Browns use the No. 1 selection in the draft on a new signal caller. 
Hogan, a Stanford product, struggled in his first career start against the Texans last year. However, he looked good overall when he came off the bench against the Jets on Oct. 8. Hogan completed 16 of 19 passes for two touchdowns against one interception.
The Browns retained Hogan as an exclusive rights free agent this offseason, so he would be a cheap addition for another team looking to add a second or third QB. He won’t net much for the Browns in a trade, but Cleveland could come away with a late draft pick for him.
The Browns have already traded away QBs DeShone Kizer and Cody Kessler this offseason. Cleveland received cornerback Damarious Randall from the Packers in the Kizer deal and secured a conditional seventh-round pick in the 2019 draft from the Jaguars for Kessler.
Browns To Meet With Vea, Hurst
A number of NFL insiders anticipate, in the event Sam Darnold is off the board, the Jets will use their No. 3 overall pick on Baker Mayfield, Tony Pauline of DraftAnalyst.com reports. The Jets have already conducted a private workout with the 2017 Heisman Trophy recipient and are scheduled to meet with him next week. And plenty of Mayfield-to-New York buzz has emerged already. They’re among the seven teams that will do so, but Gang Green could have the inside track on Mayfield if the Browns turn to Darnold or Josh Allen. And several league execs and scouts expect the Giants to take Darnold if Allen goes to Cleveland. Pauline adds that if Rosen is on the board and the Jets draft Mayfield, they would be making a “colossal mistake.”
- Three more teams intend to visit with Washington defensive tackle Vita Vea. Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter) the Packers and Buccaneers will host the mammoth lineman. The Cowboys are already scheduled to meet with Vea, and Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal notes Vea will visit the Browns as well. The four-year Huskies cog rates as the top interior defender in the draft, per Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com.
- The Browns are also meeting with Michigan defensive lineman Maurice Hurst. In line to be a second-generation NFLer, Hurst said during a Sirius XM Radio appearance (via Ulrich) he will meet with the Browns. Hurst was discovered to have a heart condition at the Combine but has since been cleared. The Michigan talent could be an option for the Browns in the second round, with the team holding picks 33 and 35.
Browns To Host Lamar Jackson On Visit
The Browns will be bringing in all four of quarterbacks linked to them at No. 1 overall this week, with Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com reporting Josh Rosen‘s visit will round out a busy week of powwows between Browns brass and highly touted passing prospects.
But the most accomplished college quarterback in this draft will also visit the Browns soon. Next week, Lamar Jackson will be summoned to Cleveland to meet with the Browns, Nate Ulrich of ohio.com reports. Yahoo Sports first reported this meeting would commence.
Hue Jackson said at the league meetings last week he wouldn’t neglect the 2016 Heisman Trophy winner and 2017 Heisman finalist, and Ulrich notes the Browns are intrigued by Jackson’s dual-threat abilities. The Louisville phenom is expected to be selected after the Browns’ draft windows open, being projected to go later in the first round.
Jackson already went through a private workout with the Texans, but that would be an incredibly unlikely union due to Houston’s investment in the 2016 Heisman Trophy runner-up. Jackson could still be on the board by the time the Browns pick again at No. 33, but with the franchise widely expected to select a passer at No. 1 overall, a Jackson landing spot figures to be away from Cleveland. John Dorsey said a two-quarterback draft won’t be likely to occur on his watch.