Eagles Express Interest In Jeremy Maclin
The Eagles have expressed some level of interest in free agent Jeremy Maclin, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. A deal, of course, would mark a homecoming for the wide receiver. 
Maclin spent the first five years of his career in Philadelphia before he departed for Kansas City in 2015. Maclin did his best work with the Eagles in 2014 having caught 86 passes for 1,318 yards and ten touchdowns. He set a new career high in catches in 2015 when he hauled in 87 passes, but he has not replicated that kind of yardage total in the last two seasons with KC. His 15.5 yards per grab in 2014 also stand as a career high.
In addition to the Eagles, the Browns have also shown interest in Maclin, Schefter says. The Browns already made one major upgrade to the receiver group this spring with the Kenny Britt signing, but adding Maclin would give them a formidable 1-2 combo. The Browns are also expecting offensive production from rookie David Njoku, but no pass catcher in Cleveland offers Maclin’s combination of experience and skill.
While the Browns are flush with cap room, the same cannot be said for the Eagles. The Eagles have roughly $5MM in space to work with and they might have to find additional room if they hope to reunite with the 29-year-old.
We now have four known teams interested in Maclin. Maclin is visiting with the Bills today before potentially meeting with the Ravens on Wednesday.
Desmond Bryant Returns To Practice
- Desmond Bryant returned to the practice field for the Browns last week after missing the 2016 season with a torn pectoral muscle sustained away from the team’s facilities. Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com notes the veteran defensive lineman, who also played for Hue Jackson on the 2011 Raiders, will stay at defensive end in Gregg Williams‘ 4-3 after playing end in the Browns’ 3-4 looks previously. The 2017 Browns are in position to have Bryant and Myles Garrett at end, joining 2016 Day 2 picks Emmanuel Ogbah and Carl Nassib.
Browns Dissatisfied With Davis' Speed
- Demario Davis did not have the speed the Browns wanted at their linebacker position, Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer notes. The Browns traded their incumbent No. 1 middle linebacker to the Jets in exchange for Calvin Pryor. Davis is returning to the Jets and their 3-4 scheme. Cleveland is pivoting back to a 4-3 after hiring Gregg Williams, and while the Browns installed Davis as their primary middle ‘backer and moved 2016 breakout performer Christian Kirksey to the weak side, the team plans to use Kirksey and Jamie Collins in its nickel sets. As for the starting middle linebacker in the base alignment, the Browns may first turn to Tank Carder for now, per Pluto. Carder has been with the Browns for six years but has worked as a backup throughout that time.
- We heard earlier the Browns are considering using a 4-2-5 nickel-type look more frequently to help Jabrill Peppers — often a linebacker at Michigan — and Pluto notes the team does plan to bring a large dose of nickel sets this season. While the league has already gravitated toward passing-down sub-packages as offenses have spread out more in recent years, the Browns would seem to have personnel that fits better with this alignment. Especially after the team signed Jason McCourty to join Joe Haden and Jamar Taylor.
What Will Calvin Pryor's Role Be With Browns?
- The Browns acquistion of Calvin Pryor does provide some much-needed depth at safety, but ESPN.com’s Pat McManamon notes that the team is still “one player short of a starting unit at linebacker.” There have been whispers that the Browns could utilize Pryor and rookie Jabrill Peppers in a 4-2-5 alignment, with Jamie Collins and Christian Kirksey serving as the linebackers. However, before the team commits to this strategy, McManamon believes they have to determine whether Pryor is even capable of starting.
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Brock Osweiler Impressing Hue Jackson
- Browns quarterback Brock Osweiler has emerged as a serious candidate to start Week 1 because he has exceeded head coach Hue Jackson‘s expectations since joining the team via trade in March, relays Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com. Osweiler’s performance last year in Houston was ugly, and he even came with behind-the-scenes concerns that led to wariness from Jackson. But Osweiler “has been outstanding in our building, and that’s what’s most important,” noted Jackson, who has teamed with quarterbacks coach David Lee to help tighten up the 6-foot-8, 235-pounder’s delivery. “I told him this yesterday — I went back and watched a little bit of film of him from last year, and he looks much better right now,” said Jackson. “He’s more compact. He’s throwing the ball with a lot more velocity. He’s doing a lot of good things.”
Browns Add RB, Cut Another
- The Browns have signed running back Terrence Magee and waived fellow RB Darius Jackson with an injury designation for his knee. Magee combined for five carries with Baltimore and Seahawks from 2015-16. Jackson didn’t see any action as an undrafted rookie in 2016, but the former Eastern Michigan standout generated some interest after the Cowboys cut him in December. Along with the Browns, who plucked Jackson off waivers, the Eagles, Giants and 49ers put in claims.
Jets Were Planning To Release Calvin Pryor
No surprise here, but the Jets were planning to release Calvin Pryor before completing a Thursday morning trade with the Browns, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Rather than cutting him outright, the Jets got something instead of nothing and the Browns got to scoop up the former first-round pick without competing with other clubs. 
[RELATED: Jets Trade Safety Calvin Pryor To Browns]
The Jets are hoping that linebacker Demario Davis will perform like he did during his first Jets stint. However, if he has regressed, they can cut him without financial penalty because his $3.7MM salary is not guaranteed. Had they released Pryor, they would have been on the hook for his $1.6MM salary.
Pryor’s shaky status with Gang Green has been the worst kept secret in football for much of the offseason. When the Jets used their first two draft picks on safeties, that all but sealed his fate. When Pryor skipped out on the early part of OTAs, something finally had to give.
Jets Trade Safety Calvin Pryor To Browns
The Jets are trading former first-round pick Calvin Pryor to the Browns, sources tell Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). In return, the Jets are getting linebacker Demario Davis, a player who spent multiple seasons as a starter in New York before leaving for Cleveland in free agency. The Browns have since confirmed the trade via press release.
“Calvin is a young, experienced safety that has upside,” said Browns Executive Vice President of Football Operations Sashi Brown. “We are pleased to be able to add him to our defensive back room and just like every player we acquire, we expect him to come in with a hard-working mindset ready to compete. DeMario is a guy that we developed the utmost respect for in his time with our team, not only as a professional but also as a person. We appreciate all he did for our organization in his time in Cleveland.”
Nicknamed the “Louisville Slugger,” Pryor was drafted by the old regime with the hope that his hard-hitting style would elevate the team’s secondary. Unfortunately, he has not been able to produce in his three NFL seasons and the new regime didn’t have much use for him after drafting LSU’s Jamal Adams No. 6 overall and Florida’s Marcus Maye in the second round. The Jets couldn’t find a trade partner for Pryor prior to the 2017 draft, but they have struck a deal today with Cleveland.
Pryor would probably like to start at strong safety for the Browns, but that job might already belong to first round pick Jabrill Peppers. Still, there’s no reason why he can’t find work as a key reserve. Although he doesn’t fit the Jets plans, the advanced metrics are higher on him than you might think. In his first two NFL seasons, Pro Football Focus had Pryor ranked as a top-50 safety in the NFL. Last year, he took a slight step back, but he still earned a better score than Derrick Kindred and Ibraheim Campbell, two safeties who are hoping to stick on the Browns’ 53-man roster.
Davis saw part-time action in his rookie season after being selected in the third round of the 2012 draft by the Jets, but started every game for the team from 2012-2015. In 2015, his final year with the Jets, he totaled 89 tackles to go along with a pair of sacks and a fumble recovery. Davis inked a two-year, $8MM deal with the Browns in March 2016 and he’s now headed back to New York to complete the final year of that pact. He’ll make a $3.7MM salary this year, though it is completely non-guaranteed.
Isaiah Crowell Discusses Contract Talks
- Isaiah Crowell addressed his contract situation from Browns OTAs, saying “both sides are trying to get something done,” Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal tweets. Crowell reported late to Cleveland’s voluntary workouts. He signed his RFA second-round tender earlier this month and is entering a contract year. The 24-year-old managed to gain nearly 1,000 yards last season despite being a 1-15 team’s primary running back. After the Browns beefed up their line this offseason, Crowell is in better position to play well in a possible audition season for other teams, should the sides be unable to get a deal done before this season. The Browns have $57MM in cap space and signed Christian Kirksey to an extension earlier this week.
- Corey Coleman will be held out of remaining Browns offseason practices after the second-year wideout fell on the ball while making a catch last week, Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. Hue Jackson steadfastly denied Coleman broke a bone during the tumble, but it looks like the 2016 first-rounder won’t re-emerge on the practice field until camp. Coleman missed six games last season because of a broken hand.
Browns Sign Christian Kirksey To Extension
The Browns announced they signed linebacker Christian Kirksey to a four-year contract extension. It’s a four-year, $38MM deal, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). 
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The new deal makes Kirksey the fifth-highest paid player in Cleveland. After Kirksey led the team with 140 tackles – putting him nearly 50 tackles ahead of the next-highest producer – it was no surprise to hear that the Browns were working to extend him this spring. He also graded out as Pro Football Focus’ 22nd best LB last season, putting him ahead of notables such as Brian Cushing, Mark Barron, Ryan Shazier, and Danny Trevathan.
First round picks in the 2014 draft will have to wait one more year before signing extensions with their respective teams, but Kirksey was able to get himself some security this offseason as a former third rounder. His selection proved to be one of the best things to happen to the team under the watch of former GM Mike Lombardi.
This year, the Browns will move Kirksey from inside linebacker to the weak side in defensive coordinator Gregg Williams‘ 4-3 scheme. According to Over The Cap, if the deal were to kick in today, it would make Kirksey the third highest-paid 4-3 outside linebacker in the NFL.