Minor AFC Transactions: 5/15/17
Teams are doing lots of spring cleaning today, so we’ll split the moves into two separate posts for each conference. First up, the AFC:
- The Raiders announced the signing of safety Marcus McWilson. A Kentucky product, McWilson played in 13 games for the Wildcats in 2016, racking up 108 tackles (4.5 for loss) and one interception, which he returned for a touchdown.
- Following suit on a busy transaction day for fringe roster cogs, the Ravens added four UDFAs to their offseason roster. Baltimore added linebacker Randy Allen (South Alabama), wide receiver Aaron Bailey (Northern Iowa), defensive back Jaylen Hill (Jacksonville State) and tackle Roubbens Joseph (Buffalo), Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com reports.
- The Browns signed defensive backs Donte Carey and Najee Murray. Both players participated in the team’s rookie minicamp on a tryout basis. To make room, the team waived offensive lineman Josh Boutte.
- The Titans signed defensive lineman Jimmy Staten, a fifth-round draft pick by Seattle in 2014. In addition to Staten, they inked defensive lineman Cameron Robbins (Northwestern), linebacker Johnny Ragin (Oregon), cornerback Trevon Hartfield (Southwestern Oklahoma State), and kicker Jordan Gay (Centre). Staten, Robbins, Ragin and Hartfield all took part in the team’s rookie minicamp. To make space, the Titans waived defensive lineman Roderick Henderson and linebacker Reshard Cliett.
- The Jets announced the signing of linebacker Jevaris Jones and released fellow linebacker Austin Calitro.
- The Colts signed free agent guard Blake Muir and four undrafted free agents: cornerback Dante Blackmon, safety Tyson Graham, wide receiver Al-Damion Riles, and offensive tackle Andrew Wylie. To make room for the new players, the team parted ways with center/guard Austin Blythe (a 2016 seventh-round pick) and cornerback Frankie Williams. The Colts also waived three 2017 UDFAs: wide receiver Jerome Lane, cornerback Chris Lyles, and guard Chris Muller.
- The Bills have signed linebackers Abner Logan and Anthony Harrell while waiving safety Jeremy Tyler and linebacker Junior Sylvestre.
Peppers Insists Absence Wasn't Tactical
- Jabrill Peppers missed the first day of Browns rookie minicamp by not signing a participation waiver, which lets rookies practice without having signed their contract. The rookie safety could not be drug tested until he did. However, the Michigan product did sign it and joined his first-year peers on Saturday and said the delay did not stem from any attempt to avoid a drug test. “I don’t know why you think of me like that, but everyone is entitled to an opinion,” Peppers said, via Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Peppers will enter Stage 1 of the NFL’s drug program after a diluted sample resulted in a failed drug test at the Combine.
Hue Jackson: Browns’ QB Job Is Cody Kessler’s To Lose
The Browns have been searching for a franchise quarterback for a long time, and that search continued during this year’s draft, when the club nabbed Notre Dame signal-caller DeShone Kizer with the No. 52 overall selection. We heard several weeks ago that Cleveland is open to having Kizer start right away if he performs well in training camp and in the preseason, and since he has far and away the most upside of any QB currently on the roster, the club certainly hopes he earns the starting job sooner rather than later.
But as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes, second-year player Cody Kessler, whom the Browns selected in the third round of the 2016 draft, currently sits atop the Browns’ depth chart, and the starting QB job is his to lose. Head coach Hue Jackson said, “They have to take it from [Kessler]. They better take it from him because I know him — he is not going to give it up. It will be fun. That is what competition is all about. Until someone takes something from someone and shows that they can do it at a high level play in and play out, then we have to keep going in the direction where we’re traveling.”
Kessler performed reasonably well in nine games for the club last year, and Jackson said back in October that the USC product was one of the best rookie quarterbacks he had ever coached. It therefore makes sense that Kessler would get the early opportunity to take control of the starting job, but Jackson also made it clear that there will be an open competition among Kessler, Kizer, Brock Osweiler, and Kevin Hogan.
Jackson said that all four players will have the opportunity to take first-team reps, and he unsurprisingly sounded the most pessimistic about Osweiler, whom the Browns acquired from Houston as part of a salary dump in order to take the Texans’ second-round selection in this year’s draft. Jackson said, “Brock is learning our system and learning the things that we do at the position. I think the other guys have done it. They have been through the process with me and understand how to play. That doesn’t mean that he can’t have an opportunity to exceed or succeed anybody” (interestingly, Kizer, like Osweiler, has not yet “been through the process” with Jackson either, so that statement could suggest just how little the team values Osweiler).
In any event, the training camp battle to watch will be Kessler v. Kizer, though Kizer will almost inevitably get his shot at some point in the near future.
Browns’ Howard Wilson Fractures Kneecap
The top cornerback investment the Browns made this offseason, Howard Wilson will be out a “significant” amount of time after fracturing his patella Friday, Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com reports (on Twitter). The injury occurred on the first day of the team’s rookie minicamp.
Cleveland selected Wilson in the fourth round. He was projected to play a potentially key role as a reserve corner. Now, Wilson could be out for the season, although the team is holding out hope the severe injury won’t erase his rookie campaign, Cabot tweets. The Browns confirmed Wilson will undergo surgery and miss time during the 2017 season.
Hue Jackson said Sashi Brown will attempt to replace Wilson by signing another corner, Cabot reports.
This marks the second severe knee injury in the past three years for Wilson, who saw his sophomore slate at Houston end after three games due to a torn ACL. Wilson already signed his rookie contract.
The Browns traded up with the Broncos to No. 126 for the right to draft Wilson. The 6-foot-1 defender intercepted five passes in 2016 and represented some of the Browns’ depth at this position, along with second-year players Briean Boddy-Calhoun and Trey Caldwell.
Browns Notes: Peppers, Brantley, Gordon
Jabrill Peppers reported to Browns rookie minicamp but did not practice today because, as an unsigned player, the safety did not sign a participation waiver that would have allowed him to work out without a contract, Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com reports. Agent Todd France urged Peppers not to sign the standard participation document, per Cabot.
Peppers encountered a setback after a diluted sample at the Combine resulted in the Michigan talent failing a drug test. By not signing this waiver, Peppers can’t yet be drug tested, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, who adds this tactic is quite rare. The participation agreement goes about ensuring a player, should he get injured like Dante Fowler Jr. was two years ago during the Jaguars’ rookie minicamp, would receive the same contract he would have if an injury had not occurred. Florio notes Peppers will be in Stage 1 of the NFL’s substance-abuse program once he signs. Should Peppers fail a test on this tier of the program, he would be upgraded to Stage 2, where suspensions and the loss of game checks could loom.
Here’s more from the Cleveland area.
- A report from a since-fired ESPN Cleveland contributor Sabrina Parr indicated Peppers was already indulging in drugs upon arriving in Cleveland. Specifically, Parr said during a radio appearance that Peppers was “on the Lean and the Molly,” the former a Codeine-fueled concoction and the latter slang for ecstasy. Peppers denied those allegations today. “Absolutely not, never in my life,” Peppers said, via Cabot. “Whatever drugs she said I’ve done, I’ve never done in my life.” Regarding the diluted sample, Peppers told media today he over-hydrated at the Combine due to a history of cramping. Browns executive VP Sashi Brown called Peppers’ mistake at the Combine “a concern” when asked about it at the Browns’ post-draft press conference.
- A Browns rookie in facing bigger trouble, Caleb Brantley attended rookie workouts today. He has not been charged for the alleged incident where he’s been accused of striking a woman in the face and dislodging a tooth due to conflicting witness reports. The defensive tackle’s attorneys allege “several women” were verbally abusing their client — with one punching him in the mouth, Nate Ulrich of Ohio.com reports. Brantley’s attorneys say as their 22-year-old client attempted to push away the woman who struck him, his hand made contact with her face. The Browns are conducting their own investigation of the events that occurred at Gainesville, Florida, nightclub last month. Brown said after the draft the team wasn’t certain to keep the sixth-round pick, who remains mired in a legal investigation as well. “I’m looking forward to the facts coming out and the truth about what happened that night,” Brantley said today, via Ulrich. “But I can’t really speak on the legal situation.”
- Hue Jackson said last year he was ready to move on from Josh Gordon, but Brown said earlier this offseason he was open to the embattled wideout returning. Today, Jackson was noncommittal on the still-suspended pass-catcher’s status with the Browns. “He’s not back, so I don’t even want to really get into that right now,” Jackson said, per Ulrich. “I wish Josh well, and we’ll cross all those bridges when we get there.” The 26-year-old Gordon was denied reinstatement on Thursday. He can reapply in the fall.
- Isaiah Crowell signed his second-round RFA tender this week.
Agent Terminates Relationship With Josh Gordon
Suspended Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon is currently without an agent, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Joby Branion terminated their relationship “a couple weeks ago,” a source told Florio. Branion succeeded Drew Rosenhaus, who parted ways with Gordon several months back, as Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com notes (on Twitter). Branion had been working to help get Gordon reinstated, a bid the NFL denied Thursday. The league’s decision came on the heels of a recent conversation between Gordon and commissioner Roger Goodell, per Bleacher Report’s Jason Cole, who adds that Gordon is working out in Gainesville, Fla., and seems to be in good shape physically (Twitter links).
Browns Sign Three Draft Picks
Cleveland Browns
Browns’ Josh Gordon Denied Reinstatement
Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon has been denied reinstatement, a source tells Tony Grossi of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Gordon can re-apply in the fall, but for now he remains in limbo. 
[RELATED: Browns RB Isaiah Crowell Signs RFA Tender]
Gordon applied for reinstatement in March and was left hanging for a bit while the league office considered his case. When he applied, Gordon’s business manager said the wide receiver was living with him and was “in the best place mentally that he has been in…years.” Apparently, that wasn’t good enough for Roger Goodell & Co. after all of Gordon’s off-the-field missteps.
When he’s been on the field, Gordon has performed like one of the very best wide receivers in the NFL. In 2013, his last full season, he totaled 87 receptions, a league-leading 1,646 yards, and nine touchdowns in 14 games. In 32 career games, he has racked up 161 catches, 17.1 yards per reception, and 14 touchdowns. Still, even once he’s reinstated, it’s not a sure thing that the Browns will want to keep him. Top Browns executive Sashi Brown says the club is open to a Gordon return, but multiple have indicated the team may look to trade him.
Earlier this week, we learned that Gordon is currently without an agent. The 26-year-old has gone through three different reps in the last three years.
Browns RB Isaiah Crowell Signs RFA Tender
Browns running back Isaiah Crowell has signed his restricted free agent tender, according to his agents as Universal Sports Management (Twitter link).
Because Crowell was tendered at the second-round level, he’s scheduled to earn a non-guaranteed $2.746MM base salary for the 2017 season. While Crowell reportedly drew interest as an RFA earlier this year, it was always unlikely another team would sacrifice a second-round pick in order to add a running back with limited results at the NFL level. Crowell didn’t attend early Cleveland workouts in April (perhaps in something of a mini-protest), but he’s now under contract and set to become an unrestricted free agent in 2018.
Crowell, 24, is coming off the best season of his three-year career, as he posted career highs in carries, rushing yards, and receiving yards while scoring seven touchdowns. He’ll return as the Browns’ lead ball-carrier in a backfield that also includes Duke Johnson Jr., George Atkinson, Darius Jackson, and seventh-round pick Matthew Dayes.
Josh Gordon Doesn't Have An Agent
Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon is currently without an agent, tweets Jason Cole of Bleacher Report, who adds Gordon has utilized three different agents in three years. Gordon, 26, is in limbo at the moment after applying for reinstatement in March. He’s yet to hear back from the league regarding his status, and Gordon’s fate with Cleveland is also in question. While reports have indicated the Browns may look to trade Gordon, executive VP of football operations Sashi Brown said the club is open to a Gordon return.