Minor NFL Transactions: 11/21/17
Here are today’s minor moves.
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: WR Carlton Agudosi
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: S Justin Currie
- Signed: DE Tyrone Holmes
- Placed on IR: DT Jamie Meder
Houston Texans
- Waived: QB Josh Johnson (according to agent Doug Hendrickson, on Twitter)
- Signed: WR Cobi Hamilton
Los Angeles Rams
- Waived: TE Johnny Mundt
New England Patriots
- Signed off Bills’ practice squad: OLB Eric Lee
Washington Redskins
- Placed on IR: G Shaun Lauvao
Latest On Josh Rosen, Sam Darnold
After the latest USC-UCLA game brought numerous scouts and NFL personnel executives, some fallout from the Trojans’ 28-23 win over the Bruins emerged. Most notably, one of the two quarterbacks looks like a good bet to leave school early while the other isn’t certain yet.
Josh Rosen declaring for the 2018 draft is viewed as a “done deal,” Tony Pauline of DraftAnalyst.net reports. Sam Darnold has not decided yet, and Pauline reports that decision is a ways off. This gels with what came out about Darnold over the summer.
Albert Breer of SI.com added the teams at the top of the draft will play a part in influencing the redshirt sophomore’s decision.
“Sam Darnold has great support around him and comes from a great family and my understanding is he’s going to take everything into account … that includes who is at the top of the draft,” Breer told 92.3 The Fan (via Scott Patsko of cleveland.com). “It includes the coaches that he sees drafting first, second and third overall. That will be part of the decision-making. What is best for me? What will put me in the best position to have a long NFL career.”
As for Saturday night’s game, at least 20 teams sent scouts. Pauline reports four franchises — the Browns, Bills, Jets and Giants — had key front office personnel at the game in addition to scouts. Mike Maccagnan and Jerry Reese were confirmed to be on hand.
Pauline’s consensus from discussing Darnold with on-hand personnel would be the passer could use one more year of seasoning. While a few of these evaluators said Darnold would be the 2018 No. 1 pick if he entered the draft due to his arm talent and athleticism, the prodigious talent drew Jay Cutler comparisons as well. Darnold wouldn’t be the first quarterback to bypass a draft as a possible No. 1 overall pick, with Peyton Manning and former Trojan Matt Leinart among those to do so in years past.
GMs and scouts who spoke to Pauline viewed Rosen as possessing possibly a bit more ability than Darnold, but his personality appears to be turning off some NFL folks. At least two GMs issued “stay away” warnings regarding Rosen. Another GM whom Pauline notes runs a team that will likely own a top-12 pick and is in need of a quarterback said he would not select Rosen with it due to character concerns.
Overall, Pauline reports the consensus on the 2018 quarterback class is Rosen and Darnold are clearly atop the field.
Haslams Meet With Browns Players About Team Direction
After the Browns dropped to 0-10 and 1-25 in the new regime’s run, a unique meeting took place between two parties that don’t commonly associate in the manner they recently did.
Owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam met with roughly 12 Browns players after the team’s loss to the Jaguars, Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com reports, adding one of the components of this summit was for ownership to ask the players what needs to change going forward.
Players asked questions of the owners in a free-flowing setup, Cabot reports. Emmanuel Ogbah, a member of the leadership council that was summoned for this meeting, said he hadn’t previously seen the Haslams meet with a select group of players before.
Hue Jackson was present at the meeting. Browns executive VP of football ops Sashi Brown was not, Cabot reports. Jackson said (via Cabot) following his team’s latest loss he did not want to get into whether or not he thinks the Browns’ current long-game plan is working.
“Yeah, because we never really just sit down and talk to the owner,” Ogbah said, via Cabot, of being a bit surprised at the owners-players meeting. “But yeah it was really helpful for us. They understand what we’re going through. If there are changes needed, we talk to them about it. So it’s good to have an owner close to us.”
The Browns’ owners have been involved with the front office recently. Dee Haslam taking the personnel department to task after the A.J. McCarron trade didn’t go through, and Jimmy Haslam took part in a conference call that was believed to have raised tensions in the Browns’ front office earlier this season. The Browns have sought football-based personnel help and have also been connected to Peyton Manning as a possible top front office candidate. So, it’s notable Brown wasn’t at this meeting given that representatives of the other main groups within the franchise were.
Cabot notes the long-reported rift between the coaching staff and the front office will have to be addressed to some degree in the offseason, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reported Sunday that Jackson will want more decision-making power if he returns for the 2018 season. Jackson said players don’t press him about where this long-term plan is going, but presumably this was discussed in the meeting with ownership.
“I’m very appreciative that Dee and Jimmy would talk to the players about what they feel, what they see and what they want,” Jackson said, via Cabot. “I will say this to all involved, that there is a plan in place and they want to win and they expect this organization to win and for it to be better. And they’re going to get it that way. I truly believe that with all my being.”
Jackson is off to the second-worst start by a head coach in NFL history, with only John McKay‘s 1976-77 Buccaneers opening a run worse than these Browns.
Josh Gordon Set To Return To Practice
There isn’t much to celebrate in Cleveland with the Browns remaining as the league’s only winless team. Don’t tell head coach Hue Jackson that. He is in the holiday spirit with Josh Gordon‘s impending return to the practice field on Wednesday. 
“It’s like Christmas,” Jackson told reporters, including Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal. “I get to open a new toy. I know what’s in that box, but I just want to see how good it is. It’s exciting that he’ll be back out there.”
Plagued by suspensions throughout his career, Gordon was reinstated to the league on Nov. 1 and is eligible to return to the field for Cleveland’s Week 13 matchup at the Chargers. Gordon produced one of the best seasons by a receiver in NFL history in 2013 when he led the league with 1,646 yards in just 14 games. He has played just five games since that breakout campaign.
If he is anywhere near his 2013 form, Browns fans will have at least one thing to be thankful for this holiday season.
Jackson Is Sticking With Kizer For The Rest Of The Season
- On the other hand, Browns head coach Hue Jackson committed to his rookie signal caller for the rest of the season after today’s game, reports Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. Jackson has turned to both Kevin Hogan and Cody Kessler throughout the season, but he seemed very set on DeShone Kizer after his team suffered their 10th straight loss of the 2017 season. “Where we are right now, I need to continue to see him,” said Jackson. “Let’s let him play. Let’s let him play this thing out. As long as he’s healthy, let’s keep putting him out there. I want to walk away from this season knowing exactly what DeShone Kizer is top to bottom. He deserves that. I know this is all tough for him. Week in and week out, it’s the consistency he has to keep chasing. He just has to keep working at it.” While seeing how Kizer reacts to this adversity seems like the franchise’s main priority, they’re quickly running out of chances to not fall into the same breadth as the 2008 Lions, who were the first team in league history to go 0-16 in a season.
Browns DE Emmanuel Ogbah Out For Year
Browns defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah suffered a broken foot in today’s loss to the Jaguars, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Ogbah will miss the remainder of the season with the injury, reports Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com.
With their winless record still intact, the Browns clearly aren’t heading to the postseason, so Ogbah’s injury won’t have playoff implications. But it will deprive Cleveland of a young, successful defender who has only improved since entering the league as a second-round pick out of Oklahoma State in 2016.
Ogbah, 24, had been playing on roughly three-quarters of the Browns’ defensive snaps this season, and had graded as the NFL’s No. 66 edge defender among 110 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus. His 73.3 overall grade was a major step up on his 2016 mark of 47.8, and Ogbah had been excellent against the run through 11 weeks.
Other members of Cleveland’s defensive line — which ranks an impressive second in adjusted line yards — will be forced to step up given Ogbah’s absence. Nate Orchard and Carl Nassib could be asked to play more snaps at defensive end opposite No. 1 overall pick Myles Garrett.
Hue Jackson Wants Say In Personnel
If Hue Jackson returns as the Browns head coach in 2018, he’s likely to want more input on the club’s personnel moves, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. That’s not to say Jackson requires final say on Cleveland’s transactions, as he agreed to the current decision-making hierarchy when he accepted the Browns job. However, Jackson would “want his voice heard” alongside that of front office members Sashi Brown, Paul DePodesta, and Andrew Berry, per Rapoport. Reports of strife between the Browns’ front office and their coaching staff have been prevalent, especially relating to the club’s ongoing search for a quarterback, so Jackson would likely attempt to assert himself if continues as Cleveland’s coach next season.
Jimmy Haslam Willing To Offer Peyton Manning Ownership Stake
- We have heard plenty of speculation about the Browns‘ desire to bring future Hall-of-Famer Peyton Manning on board in some sort of high-level capacity, and La Canfora writes that club owner Jimmy Haslam is serious about recruiting Manning and could be willing to offer him a small stake in the team as incentive to take on a team president/top executive role.
Browns Sign Kasen Williams To P-Squad
Kasen Williams became one of the preseason’s success stories. The Seahawks wanted to pass the wide receiver through to their practice squad then, but the Browns swooped in and signed him to their active roster.
However, after the Browns waived Williams earlier this week, no one claimed him. He will now reside on Cleveland’s practice squad, Nate Ulrich of Ohio.com reports (on Twitter).
The 24-year-old wideout has played in seven games for the Browns this season, twice catching four passes in a game. On the year, he has nine receptions for 84 yards.
The Browns remain in search of pass-catching consistency, or general passing-game promise, but they chose to cut Williams to activate Corey Coleman. Recovering from a broken hand for a second straight season, Coleman is one of three 2016 draft picks among the Browns’ receiving corps. Kenny Britt and Sammie Coates have not excelled as first-year Browns, and the team also stands to get Josh Gordon back after what will be a three-year absence.
So, the Browns could have more depth than they did recently.
Kasen Williams Clears Waivers
- In order for the Browns to activate wide receiver Corey Coleman, they opted to waive fellow wideout Kasen Williams. The team has learned that Williams has passed through waivers and is free to sign with any practice squad he chooses, tweets Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times. The 25 year-old receiver first latched on with the Seattle back in 2015, but appeared in seven games with Cleveland so far this season.