Cabot: Osweiler Has Inside Track On Starting Job
- Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer says the game still looks a little too fast for DeShone Kizer, so she believes Brock Osweiler has the inside track to open the season as the Browns‘ starting quarterback, which is consistent with reports we have been hearing over the past several weeks.
Thomas Expects Osweiler To Start
Earlier this week, Joe Thomas was asked if he could name all 18 quarterbacks the Browns have started during his tenure. The perennial All-Pro left tackle passed the test, and with Cody Kessler having been demoted to third string for now, that number figures to expand to at least 19 this season. Thomas believes the other veteran in the clubhouse will be the Week 1 starter.
Osweiler’s primary competition is now DeShone Kizer, the team’s second-round pick who fared well against Saints backups in the Browns’ preseason opener. Kizer remains in the mix due to a combination of physical skills and instincts for the position, Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com notes.
Danny Shelton To Miss 3-6 Weeks
- There’s a chance the Browns will have to open the season without one of their top players, Danny Shelton. The nose tackle suffered a knee injury that will sideline him for three to six weeks, Field Yates of ESPN reports (on Twitter). Shelton, the 12th pick in 2015, was a full-time starter for Cleveland in each of his first two seasons and posted a breakout 2016, ranking 15th in performance among Pro Football Focus’ 125 qualified interior D-linemen. He also piled up 59 tackles, 23 more than he amassed in 2015, and the first 1.5 sacks of his career.
Roger Goodell On Josh Gordon
- When asked Thursday about a potential reinstatement for suspended Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon, commissioner Roger Goodell said it is “not under active consideration to my knowledge…at least it hasn’t gotten to my desk yet” (Twitter link via Mary Kay Cabot of The Plain Dealer). The 26-year-old was denied reinstatement by the league office in May and informed that he could not reapply again until the fall, so Goodell’s update here in August doesn’t mean a whole lot.
Isaiah Crowell Studying Freeman's Deal
Devonta Freeman‘s five-year, $41.25MM deal pleased Isaiah Crowell, who recently hired Drew Rosenhaus to handle negotiations for a potential Browns extension. The fourth-year Cleveland running back said he spent a few days analyzing the Falcons back’s deal.
The 24-year-old Crowell said Rosenhaus and the Browns were in “heavy negotiations” when the agent visited Browns camp in Berea, Ohio, a few weeks ago. Rosenhaus did not confirm that, via Cabot. Crowell is coming off a career-best 952-yard rushing season and stands to run behind an improved offensive line in 2017. Acknowledging he’s angling for that second contract, Crowell also wants to be known as a top-five back.
Let’s Figure Out Who Offered A Second-Rounder For A.J. McCarron
An unidentified team reportedly offered the Bengals a second-round pick for backup quarterback A.J. McCarron this offseason, as Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com reported earlier this week. Cincinnati rejected the offer, as it apparently wants a first-rounder for McCarron, who will once again act as a reserve behind starter Andy Dalton in 2017.
McCarron, 26, doesn’t have much NFL experience, as he’s only made four total starts (all following a 2015 Dalton injury) during his three-year career. Although he posted a decent showing in those appearances, tossing seven touchdowns against two interceptions, the former fifth-round pick’s track record is admittedly limited. McCarron’s contract situation is also up in the air: while the Bengals reportedly believe he’ll be a restricted free agent in 2018 because he spent his rookie season on the non-football injury list, McCarron and his agent may have a different take. An arbitrator hearing and resolution likely won’t come until next season.
With those caveats in mind, let’s look at the possible candidates for who offered a second-round pick for McCarron:
Arizona Cardinals
Let’s start off this exercise with the one true wild card on this list, as the Cardinals already have their starting quarterback in another former Bengal, 37-year-old Carson Palmer. Given that Palmer hinted at retirement all offseason, it’s entirely feasible 2017 will be his final NFL season, and Arizona hasn’t established a plan for the future. Drew Stanton and Blaine Gabbert aren’t realistic options to take over under center if Palmer does hang up his cleats after the upcoming campaign, so it’s possible the Cardinals would have floated a Day 2 selection in order to land a long-term successor like McCarron. General manager Steve Keim hasn’t been afraid to trade draft picks in the past, although his other significant deal — sending a second-rounder to the Patriots for edge rusher Chandler Jones — was a win-now move. McCarron’s 2014 NFL.com draft profile noted his lack of a “big-time, vertical arm,” which would theoretically present a problem in a Bruce Arians offense.
Buffalo Bills
The Bills hemmed and hawed on whether to retain incumbent signal-caller Tyrod Taylor, and though it appeared as though he’d hit free agency, Taylor ultimately agreed to a short-term pact that will keep him Buffalo through the 2018 season. While McCarron would seemingly fit in new play-caller Rick Dennison‘s offense, the timeline of the Bills’ front office turnover makes it unlikely they were involved in McCarron trade discussions. Buffalo reached a new deal with Taylor just prior to the start of the 2017 league year in early March, and former general manager Doug Whaley was fired two months later. Targeting another quarterback just after working out a fresh pact with Taylor seems improbable, and Buffalo’s ownership wouldn’t have let a lame duck like Whaley make such a franchise-altering decision.
Chicago Bears
While the Bears were never linked to McCarron, they were interested in trading for another high-profile backup quarterback — the Patriots’ Jimmy Garoppolo. Rival clubs didn’t believe Chicago would be forced to part with its No. 3 overall pick in order to land Garoppolo, as a package of multiple second-round selections was thought to be enough to get a deal done. Clearly, that view was misguided in regards to Garoppolo’s availability, but the Bears were obviously willing to ship away draft choices in order to bring in a passer. Ultimately, Chicago not only signed free agent Mike Glennon, but sent a bevy of picks to the 49ers in order to move up one spot in the first round for UNC’s Mitch Trubisky. Sending a second-rounder to Cincinnati for McCarron, then, wouldn’t have been out of the question.
Cleveland Browns
The one club known to have held McCarron trade talks with the Bengals is the Browns, who were reportedly discussing McCarron as late as the first day of the draft in April. However, negotiations between Cincinnati and Cleveland apparently didn’t get very far, as the Bengals were had assigned a high price tag to its backup quarterback. Based on familiarity alone, the Browns were an excellent fit for McCarron, as Cleveland head coach Hue Jackson was the Bengals’ offensive coordinator when McCarron entered the league in 2014. The Bengals didn’t seem to have any qualms about dealing McCarron to a division rival, and Cleveland seems like an obvious contender for the mystery team that offered Cincinnati a second-round pick, especially given that it owned two of them heading into the draft.
Denver Broncos
An armchair psychologist might say general manager John Elway‘s insistence that the Broncos are not currently trying to trade for McCarron (“150% false) is a bit on the defensive side, but even if Denver isn’t looking into McCarron at the moment, that doesn’t mean the club wasn’t interested in him earlier this year. Yes, the Broncos used a first-round pick on Paxton Lynch just a year ago, but reports on him and fellow quarterback Trevor Siemian haven’t been positive. Plus, Denver was linked to at least one signal-caller upgrade — veteran Tony Romo — this offseason, meaning the Broncos were willing to put Lynch and Siemian on the bench if a better option was discovered.
Houston Texans
One of the three clubs on this list that ultimately traded up to select a quarterback in the first round of the draft, the Texans are now set for the future with Clemson’s Deshaun Watson under center. But would they have been willing to ship a relatively early pick to the Bengals for McCarron before acquiring Watson? Possibly, although the fact that McCarron would likely need to be extended relatively quickly may have presented a problem. The Texans are staring at long-term deals for wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins and defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, so cap space could quickly get tight. And after general manager Rick Smith whiffed on Brock Osweiler in 2016, Texans ownership may not have given approval for the front office to spend both draft pick capital and more cash on another unproven quarterback.
Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs actually selected another quarterback — Georgia’s Aaron Murray — one pick before McCarron came off the board to Cincinnati in the fifth round of the 2014 draft. But McCarron doesn’t look like a perfect fit for Kansas City, and like Houston, cap space problems would have likely come into play. The Chiefs are currently projected to be nearly $5MM over the cap in 2018, so extending or franchising McCarron would have possibly been untenable. As such, Kansas City needed the benefits of a rookie quarterback contract, and instead opted to trade up to acquire Patrick Mahomes out of Texas Tech.
New York Jets
Writing in early March, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com suggested the Jets may have looked into a possible Sheldon Richardson-for-McCarron trade, noting his belief that Cincinnati would have had to insert a draft pick to get a deal done. I completely disagree on that last point, as a quarterback — even a reserve — has more value than a unproductive edge rusher/defensive tackle (plus, Richardson is scheduled to earn nearly $8MM more than McCarron in 2017), the idea of Gang Green trading for McCarron wasn’t completely out of the question. New York isn’t trying to win during the upcoming season, however, and will limp through the campaign with Josh McCown, Bryce Petty, and Christian Hackenberg before presumably finding a quarterback in next year’s draft.
San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers are one of the more interesting clubs on this list, as new head coach Kyle Shanahan should be allowed to essentially handpick his quarterback of the future at this point. San Francisco signed free agents Brian Hoyer and Matt Barkley, and drafted Iowa’s C.J. Beathard in the third round, but any talks regarding McCarron likely would have occurred before the 49ers made those moves. Still, the idea that San Francisco would have offered a second-round pick for McCarron seems unlikely for a few reasons. First, the Niners’ second-rounder was No. 34 overall, an extremely valuable draft choice, and second, San Francisco is probably holding off on adding a long-term quarterback until the 2018 free agent status of Kirk Cousins — Shanahan’s former pupil — is resolved.
What do you think? Did one of these clubs offer a second-round pick for McCarron? Or was it another unidentified team? Weigh in here:
Corey Coleman Cleared In Assault Case
The Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office in Ohio announced Tuesday that it will not file charges against Browns wide receiver Corey Coleman for a Dec. 31 assault. A woman accused Coleman of beating up a man who reportedly suffered a concussion, a ruptured eardrum and other minor injuries during an altercation in the wideout’s apartment complex. Coleman maintained his innocence throughout the process, though his brother and another man were charged. Both pleaded not guilty.
The prosecutor’s office released a statement Tuesday explaining that it’s no longer investigating Coleman, part of which reads (via Tom Pelissero of NFL.com):
“The Cleveland Police Department’s investigation resulted in charges against Jonathan Coleman, 25, and Jared Floyd, 24, both of Dallas. A Grand Jury returned returned an indictment charging each defendant with one count of Felonious Assault, a second degree felony. Both were released on a $10,000 personal bond. Detectives continued their investigation into the possible participation of others, including the brother of Jonathan Coleman, Corey Coleman. Detectives recently received the labratory results from evidence submitted for DNA analysis. The testing results, conducted by the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office, indicate that there is no evidence implicating Corey Coleman.”
In response, Coleman’s attorney, Kevin Spellacy, told Adam Ferrise of cleveland.com: “I’m impressed with the county prosecutor and Cleveland police department’s diligence in this case. Obviously Corey’s denials are consistent with the evidence and we’re happy they came to the same conclusion.”
Coleman, 23, is entering his second NFL season. The Browns used the 15th pick in the draft on him last year, and he went on to total 33 catches, 413 yards and three touchdowns in 10 games as a rookie.
Johnny Manziel Pondering Coaching Career
Johnny Manziel still wants to return to the NFL, but he’s starting to consider some alternatives in case that doesn’t come to fruition. The former Browns quarterback would like to coach, “probably” at the college level. 
“I’d do something involved with sports. I can’t get away from it,” Manziel said (via ESPN.com). “I’ve had to ask myself that a little bit as of late over the past year, but at the same time I’d want to be involved in sports in some way, whether it’s coaching, whether it’s doing something like that. So I think that’d be my route.”
Manziel, 24, has no formal coaching experience, though he did serve as a coach at an Elite 11 quarterback camp in February. Despite all of his star power, Manziel’s bad behavior over the years might make it hard for him to get a foot in the door in the coaching world.
At the same time, it doesn’t appear that he has any real interest from NFL teams. The Cowboys did not give any thought to signing Manziel when mulling quarterback options in July and we haven’t gotten a whiff of any concrete interest in the QB since his Super Bowl week meeting with Saints coach Sean Payton. Meanwhile, Manziel personally said that he has only had “a couple of discussions” with teams about a potential return.
Browns Reject Brock Osweiler Trade Offer
The Browns will start quarterback Brock Osweiler in the team’s preseason opener against New Orleans, head coach Hue Jackson announced Monday. And, apparently, it’s not to showcase him to other teams. 
Pat McManamon of ESPN.com (on Twitter) hears the Browns are starting Osweiler because he is their best option at quarterback and not because he is potential trade bait. When the Browns first acquired Osweiler from Houston this offseason, it seemed likely that they would flip him to a team desperate for a quarterback. Now, Cleveland seems prepared to keep him for themselves. In fact, the Browns have already turned down a trade proposal for Osweiler this offseason, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter).
“A lot goes into our evaluation but it’s always going to be about efficiently and effectively running the offense,” Jackson said in the press release regarding Osweiler’s preseason start against the Saints. “You want your starter to be able to do that despite any circumstance. Brock hasn’t really gotten any first team reps and this will give him that chance. We look forward to seeing what he can do with this opportunity throughout the week and against the Saints.”
Cody Kessler will serve as the No. 2 QB against New Orleans and he’ll be followed by rookie DeShone Kizer and Kevin Hogan on the depth chart.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/5/17
Here are today’s minor moves.
- After working out tight end Emanuel Byrd, the Packers signed the talent out of Marshall, the team announced. They played cornerback Herb Waters on IR. The Chiefs initially signed Byrd as a UDFA in May but released him earlier this week.
- The Dolphins are signing guard Isame Faciane, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports (on Twitter). He’s spent time with both the Bills and Vikings, the Minnesota stint ending after the Vikes released him from their practice squad following a DUI arrest, per Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (on Twitter). Faciane finished last season on the Buffalo taxi squad. A biceps injury will sideline recently signed interior lineman Ted Larsen for a while.
- Miami also waived tackle Terry Poole, per Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald (on Twitter). Poole was originally a Seahawks fourth-round pick in 2015; he has yet to play in an NFL game.
- Wide receiver Rasheed Bailey will sign with the Browns, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reports (via Twitter). Cleveland also signed tight end Nate Lese and waived defensive lineman Jamal Marcus and wide receiver James Wright with injury designations, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal tweets. The Eagles cut Bailey in May. He’s been with the Eagles and Chargers and spent time in the CFL.
- The Texans signed wideout Marcus Leak, Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com reports. Houston won’t have the services of Will Fuller for months after the 2016 first-round pick broke his collarbone this week. The Colts waived Leak in June.
- Kansas City signed cornerbacks Jacoby Glenn and Larry Scott, Terez Paylor of the Kansas City Star tweets. The Chiefs waived Keith Baxter. Glenn spent parts of the past two seasons with the Bears, mostly on the practice squad before being waived in May. A Chargers UDFA addition out of Oregon State in 2016, Scott ended up with the Colts but was cut in May.
- Tackle Martin Wallace cleared waivers and will revert to the Saints‘ IR, Nick Underhill of The Advocate tweets.