Browns Sign Caleb Brantley
The Browns announced Friday that they have signed sixth-round defensive lineman Caleb Brantley, the seventh member of their 10-player draft class to ink his rookie deal.
[RELATED: Browns Sign Myles Garrett]
While most low-round selections aren’t particularly noteworthy, that’s not the case with Brantley. Soon after the Browns used the 185th pick on the ex-Florida Gator, general manager Sashi Brown acknowledged that Brantley might not play a down for the team. At the time, Brantley was facing an assault charge for an incident that occurred in Gainesville, Fla., last month. Brantley was alleged to have punched a woman in a bar, causing dental injuries, but the charge against him was dropped Wednesday on account of “insufficient evidence,” and it turns out he was actually defending himself against an assault.
Now that he’s officially a member of the Browns, Brantley could prove to be a late-round steal for the club. Brantley had the potential to go as high as Round 2 before his legal troubles, after all, and Lance Zierlein of NFL.com wrote prior to the draft that he has the talent to become a “defensive force.”
Browns Sign No. 1 Overall Pick Myles Garrett
Myles Garrett is officially a member of the Browns. The No. 1 overall pick has signed his rookie deal, according to a team announcement. 
As dictated by his slot, Garrett’s four-year deal is worth $30.412MM with a hefty signing bonus of $20.258MM. The rookie will be well-compensated, but he’ll also be one of the position’s best bargains over the next four years if he is anywhere near as good as evaluators believe him to be. The market for defensive ends is presently sky-high with contracts exceeding $15MM per year for top earners like Muhammad Wilkerson, J.J. Watt, Olivier Vernon, and Jason Pierre-Paul.
The deal includes offset language, a source tells Albert Breer of The MMQB (on Twitter). This means the Browns can save some money if they wind up releasing the No. 1 pick at some point during his rookie deal. In that (unlikely) event, the Browns would get out of some of their obligation if Garrett’s signs with a new club. For example, if Garrett has $4MM in guaranteed money left on his contract at the time of his release and he signs with a new club on a $1MM deal, the Browns will only be on the hook for $3MM, with the new team making up the difference.
Garrett was the consensus top prospect in the 2017 draft for months, but the Browns tried to throw the football world a curve by giving some reporters the impression that UNC quarterback Mitch Trubisky was a consideration on draft day. Ultimately, the Browns made the selection that was widely seen as a no-brainer. Garrett is believed to be about as much of a can’t-miss prospect as you can get in the draft and all signs are pointing to a Pro Bowl career in his future.
Garrett figures to be a Week 1 starter for the Browns at defensive end with second-year DE Emmanuel Ogbah at the other bookend.
Photo via Pro Football Rumors on Instagram.
Pats, Jason McCourty Had “Mutual Interest”
After the Titans released cornerback Jason McCourty in mid-April, speculation abounded that he’d join twin brother and Patriots safety Devin McCourty in New England. Instead, Jason McCourty ultimately inked a deal Tuesday with the Browns. However, it seems the Patriots at least kicked the tires on signing McCourty.
“I think there was definitely mutual interest, but to be honest, the Patriots are kind of set at cornerback,” McCourty told NFL Network on Thursday (via Kevin Patra of NFL.com). “They have a lot of talent in that room. There really wasn’t room for me. Me and Dev talked about that and that’s just the way of the league. I’m excited about the opportunity I have in Cleveland to work with those guys.”
It’s unclear when the Pats showed interest in the 29-year-old McCourty, though they may have viewed him as a fallback option in the event of a Malcolm Butler trade. It appeared earlier this offseason that New England would send Butler to the Saints for draft-pick compensation, potentially the 32nd overall choice, but that never came to fruition. And with Butler still around to serve as one of the Patriots’ top corners, joining big-money offseason signing Stephon Gilmore and Eric Rowe, there wasn’t a clear fit for McCourty.
While playing with Devin McCourty would’ve been a “dream come true,” Jason McCourty instead looks primed to team with Joe Haden as one of the Browns’ starting corners in 2017. Since signing with the Browns, though, McCourty has indicated that he’d be willing to play free safety (via Nate Ulrich of Ohio.com). Cleveland’s penciled-in No. 1 option there is Ed Reynolds, who started in seven of 10 appearances last season and ranked a respectable 45th among Pro Football Focus’ 90 qualified safeties.
Browns Sign Third-Round DT Larry Ogunjobi
- The Browns have inked third-round defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi, per a team announcement. Ogunjobi, who went 65th overall after a strong career at UNC-Charlotte, might start immediately in Cleveland alongside fellow D-tackle Danny Shelton.
Good News For Browns DB Howard Wilson
It turns out that the injury to Browns defensive back Howard Wilson is not as bad as initially feared. His partially fractured kneecap was initially believed to be a season-ender, but a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) that he’ll need only three or four months to recover. With that in mind, there’s a chance that he could suit up for the Browns midseason.
The Browns selected Wilson in the fourth round and he was widely projected to play a key role as a reserve corner. Shortly after he went down, the Browns rushed to sign veteran cornerback Jason McCourty. When considering that Wilson is going to still be out for a while and the Browns did not make any other major changes to the CB group, the McCourty signing still looks like a prudent move.
Wilson has now suffered two serious knee issues in the past three years. In his sophomore season at Houston, he suffered a torn ACL. In 2016, Wilson bounced back as he appeared in 12 games and registered 54 tackles with five interceptions.
Browns Sign Zane Gonzalez
- The Browns have agreed to terms with seventh-round kicker Zane Gonzalez, the club announced today. Gonzalez, an Arizona State product, was widely viewed as the best kicker available in the 2017 draft, although he didn’t come off the board first. That honor went to Memphis placekicker Jake Elliott, who was selected in the fifth round by Cincinnati. Gonzalez made 92% of his field goal attempts in 2016 and also converted 39 of 40 extra points in 2016. Per Lance Zierlein of NFL.com, Gonzalez has forced touchbacks on 75% of kickoffs over the past two seasons.
Latest On Browns Draft Pick Caleb Brantley
While the initial police report documenting an April incident involving defensive tackle Caleb Brantley indicated he had knocked a a woman unconscious, new evidence has shown Brantley was in fact defending himself against an assault, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
Brantley, originally viewed as a Day 2 draft pick, eventually fell to Round 6 where he was selected by the Browns. Cleveland wasn’t willing to commit to Brantley pending the results of the investigation, but given that charges against the Florida product have been dropped, Brantley now figures to stick on the Browns roster. However, NFL clubs did have other concerns about Brantley leading up to the draft, including his undersized stature and his maturity level, as Tom Pelissero of USA Today details.
“Based on our information, we understood there was a reasonable chance that the charges would be dismissed,” said executive VP of football operation Sashi Brown in a statement. “As we previously discussed, the allegations made regarding were not something we take lightly.
Caleb understands that we have an expectation and standard for every member of our organization. He’s a talented young man with a great opportunity in front of him. He is now able to move forward and focus on earning a spot on this roster.”
Charges Against Browns’ Caleb Brantley Dropped
The battery charge against Browns rookie Caleb Brantley has been dismissed, his lawyer tells Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com (Twitter link). The Florida product was alleged to have punched a woman in a bar, causing dental injuries. The charge was closed due to “insufficient evidence,” per Alachua County Court documents (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com).
[RELATED: Browns To Sign CB Jason McCourty]
After taking the Florida product in the sixth round, top exec Sashi Brown indicated that his time with the organization would be short lived if the charges stuck. Now, Brantley could have a much clearer path to making the 53-man roster. From a talent perspective, many evaluators viewed the defensive tackle as a first- or second-round pick. However, because of this ugly incident and other perceived character issues, many teams took him off of the board completely. One Florida coach also reportedly warned teams to steer clear of Brantley.
Back on April 13, two witnesses saw Brantley get into a verbal spat with a female patron at a bar. After the woman shoved Brantley due to “crude comments” he made, Brantley was said to have struck the woman in the face, rendering her unconscious and knocking out a tooth. Even though he’s in the clear from a legal perspective, the Browns will likely be keeping a close eye on the rookie’s off-the-field behavior from here on out.
Browns To Sign CB Jason McCourty
Jason McCourty has found a new home. The Browns are signing the cornerback, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). It’s a two-year, $6MM deal with $2MM guaranteed, according to Courtney Fallon of NFL.com (on Twitter). 
[RELATED: Browns Rookie CB Howard Wilson Fractures Kneecap]
McCourty met with the Browns on Tuesday and that was his first known visit since being released by the Titans more than one month ago. It didn’t take long for the two sides to agree to terms. McCourty could’ve waited for a camp injury somewhere, but his familiarity with defensive coordinator Gregg Williams helped to quickly facilitate a contract, Rapoport tweets.
The veteran may have lost a step in recent years thanks in part to injuries, but he’ll have an opportunity to redeem himself in Cleveland. It’s likely that he’ll start opposite of Joe Haden, another big-name cornerback who is looking to prove the doubters wrong. There’s also a chance that he could see some time at free safety, allowing him to directly mentor Jabrill Peppers if the rookie wins the top strong safety job.
The Titans cut McCourty to avoid paying him a $7MM base salary in 2017. Terms of his new deal are not yet known, but it’s a safe bet that he’ll be making a lot less in Cleveland.
Length of agreement first reported by Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
Browns Meet With CB Jason McCourty
Former Titans cornerback Jason McCourty had dinner with Browns coaches and brass on Monday night, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. McCourty is visiting Cleveland’s facility today and will also take a physical.
McCourty will be 30 years old when the 2017 season gets underway, and there are certainly reasons to be concerned about his recent level of play. Last year, McCourty finished out as just the 55th ranked cornerback in the league, per Pro Football Focus, so while he was still a viable starter, the Titans were probably right in thinking that he wasn’t worth his $7MM base salary. Additionally, McCourty has been banged up in recent seasons. He played through shoulder and chest ailments last year while groin surgeries caused him to miss a dozen games in 2015.
Still, he was excellent from 2010-13 and he was one of the league’s more secondary guys in the league during that time. He could provide some key veteran leadership for the Browns and maybe even recapture some of his old magic in a new environment.
The Titans cut McCourty in mid-April and several teams reportedly phoned him that same week. However, his trip to Cleveland marks his first known visit with a team since he became a free agent. One report indicated that a one-year deal with a maximum of $2MM – similar to the pact Leon Hall inked with the Giants last season — could be a likely outcome for McCourty.
The Browns added a cornerback in the fourth round of the draft when they tapped Houston’s Howard Wilson, but he might be done for the season after suffering a painful knee injury. As it stands, Joe Haden (who is coming off of a down year) and Jamar Taylor are the projected starting cornerbacks.