Browns’ RG3 To Practice Today
The Browns will get Robert Griffin III back on the practice field today. The team announced that RG3 is their player designated for return, kickstarting their three week window to place him on the active roster. 
Griffin’s season ended just as it started when he suffered a fractured coracoid bone in his left shoulder in the season opener. After the injury, it was unclear whether he would be able to suit up again in 2016. He now looks to return to the team at a time when they are winless through eleven games and desperately seeking a W.
The quarterback will be eligible to play in Sunday’s showdown with the Giants in Cleveland. If the Browns can’t win against the G-Men, they’ll have to win against the Bengals, Bills, Chargers, or Steelers in order to avoid matching the 2008 Lions.
Griffin, a fifth-year pro, set NFL rookie records for passer rating (102.4), interception percentage (1.27), and rushing yards by a quarterback (815) en route to being named the Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2012. Starting 13 games in 2013, Griffin recorded a career-high 3,203 passing yards and became the fifth quarterback in NFL history to record 3,000 passing yards in each of his first two seasons. He was hoping to be reignited by a change of scenery in Cleveland, but his Week 1 injury has pushed the pause button on that pursuit.
Thanks to injuries and a bizarre final season in Washington, Griffin has appeared in just 10 games since the end of the 2013 season.
Terrelle Pryor On Looming Free Agency
The Browns slunk to 0-11 after losing to the Steelers today and can obviously continue to turn their attention to the future. One player who’s been a pleasant surprise for the team this season, Terrelle Pryor is not locked up beyond 2016 but appears ready to embrace a potential lengthy stay in Cleveland.
“I don’t believe in taking the easy road and going to teams just because they are great,” Pryor said, via Keith Britton of 92.3 The Fan in Cleveland (Twitter link). “I would rather start how we are and then build it into an empire. I believe in battling. I don’t believe in taking the easy way out. Whatever happens in free agency, I love being here. I respect the coaches, the owners, and at the end of the day, it’s up to them.
“I love playing for Hue [Jackson]. I love playing for [Jimmy] Haslam; he is a great owner. They have given us one of the best facilities. They want to win.”
While Cleveland has let numerous talents depart in recent years — including starters Mitchell Schwartz, Alex Mack, Tashaun Gipson and Travis Benjamin this offseason — the team has begun extension talks with Pryor, a looming UFA. The former Ohio State and Raiders quarterback caught five passes for 97 yards Sunday to increase his season-long numbers to 56 receptions, 724 yards and four touchdowns despite entering the season with two career catches.
The 27-year-old pass-catcher could well come in on the tier so many of the No. 2-level wideouts settled on this offseason, with Joel Corry of CBSSports.com pointing toward Tavon Austin‘s deals as a potential floor for Pryor. Both signed for at least four years and $40MM, with Austin receiving $28.5MM in guaranteed money. The 6-foot-4 Pryor is having a better season than both and stands to join a free agent class of receivers that was thinned out considerably thanks to the deals given to Austin, Hurns, Emmanuel Sanders, Doug Baldwin and Keenan Allen this year.
Alshon Jeffery, Kenny Britt and Michael Floyd are among the top options in their primes for wideout-seeking teams next year, barring preemptive extensions of course. Pryor’s team has plenty of resources to sign both he and Jamie Collins to long-term pacts if it so chooses, with Cleveland’s $64.53MM worth of projected 2017 cap space ranking second in the league.
Browns May Shut Down Cody Kessler
Browns head coach Hue Jackson said his club may shut down rookie quarterback Cody Kessler after he suffered his second concussion of the season today, according to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com (Twitter link).
[RELATED: Cleveland Browns Depth Chart]
If Cleveland does opt to stash Kessler for the rest of the season, the club might have the chance to get another look at Robert Griffin III, whom the Browns signed to a two-year contract during the offseason. Griffin went down with injury during the season opener, but is on track to return and will begin practicing next week. If Cleveland opts to activate from injured reserve, it could use the rest of the season to determine if Griffin should be in the club’s plans for 2017. If Griffin isn’t healthy enough to go, the Browns would turn to either veteran Josh McCown or rookie Kevin Hogan.
Kessler, a third-round pick, has certainly been serviceable after being thrust into the starting role — through seven starts, he’s completed 67% of his passes 1,241 yards, six touchdowns, and just one interception. However, the Browns still look increasingly likely to select a quarterback in next year’s draft, and a report earlier today indicated the Cleveland is extremely interested in UNC QB Mitch Trubisky.
Browns Focusing On UNC QB Mitch Trubisky
The Browns have high grades on North Carolina quarterback Mitch Trubisky and are strongly interested in him as they search for a franchise signal-caller, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. “They love him,” said one NFL scout. “Trust me, they love him.”
[RELATED: RG3 To Practice Next Week]
Cleveland does have already have three quarterbacks under contract for the 2017 season, but that won’t prevent the club from evaluating every option available in next year’s draft. Veterans Josh McCown and Robert Griffin III are candidates for release next year, and while third-round rookie Cody Kessler has been serviceable through seven starts, the Browns are still extremely likely to select a passer in 2017.
Trubisky, an Ohio native, will almost certainly be drafted in the top half of the first round, as he ranks as the sixth and 11th overall player on CBSSports.com and Matt Miller of Bleacher Report‘s respective big boards. Per La Canfora, the Browns staff was in attendance at UNC’s game on Saturday, and has done “extensive work” on Trubisky, who has completed nearly 70% of his passes this year for 25 touchdowns and four interceptions. Trubisky hasn’t been universally lauded, however, as one longtime former GM recently dismissed the North Carolina QB as simply a “one-year starter” who is buttressed by statistics.
The Browns aren’t the only team with a projected top-five pick that is looking into quarterbacks, as a recent report indicated that the Bears are researching Miami signal-caller Brad Kaaya.
Haden: Browns Players Remain Optimistic
- Although much has been made of the turmoil in the Browns‘ front office, cornerback Joe Haden does not believe those negative vibes have trickled down to the players themselves. Per Aditi Kinkhabwala of the NFL Network (Twitter links), Haden said that although he has been in locker rooms where the players have quit, the Browns’ current roster remains engaged. Haden believes head coach Hue Jackson is a big reason for that, as the players believe in him. Haden also says the team is generally too young to have developed the cynicism that a more veteran group might harbor.
Browns Notes: Collins, RG3, Manziel
Browns head coach Hue Jackson believes it would a “coup” for his club to re-sign linebacker Jamie Collins, as Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal details, and cornerback Joe Haden agrees. “It’s just been so many years of letting really good talent walk out the door,” Haden said. “If you really want to have something, you’ve got to keep them on board. Letting him out of the door, that would just be like the same thing over and over again.”
As of early November, Cleveland had not engaged in contract talks with Collins, whom it acquired from the Patriots days before the trade deadline in exchange for what will likely turn out to be a conditional third-round pick. However, the Browns would like to extend either Collins or wide receiver Terrelle Pryor soon so that the franchise tag remains in play for the other when free agency rolls around. Collins has denied a report that indicated he wanted “Von Miller money,” but he is reportedly aiming to top fellow linebacker Luke Kuechly‘s $12.36MM annual average.
Here’s more on the Browns:
- Quarterback Robert Griffin III will start practicing next week, Jackson told reporters, including Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com (Twitter link), today. However, RG3 has yet to be officially cleared for contact, so it’s an open question as to what level of exertion he’ll be able to demonstrate. Cleveland would be able to bring Griffin back from injured reserve if it chooses to do so, and the club has given every indication that it will do just that.
- Former Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel settled his civil suit with ex-girlfriend Colleen Crowley months ago, and though no money was involved in the agreement, Manziel was issued a two-year protective order, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. That turn of events likely helped to bring about yesterday’s tentative settlement between Manziel and prosecutors, a deal that should see the quarterback’s charges dismissed.
- While the two settlements represent good news for Manziel, not everything is rosy for the embattled quarterback. If Manziel ends up getting signed by an NFL club, he could be facing league penalties, as NFL chief disciplinary officer Todd Jones once told Jane McManus of ESPN.com (Twitter link) that Manziel would be looking at a six-game suspension.
Latest On Johnny Manziel
Johnny Manziel has reached a tentative deal with prosecutors for a dismissal of his domestic assault case, according to Schuyler Dixon of The Associated Press. Manziel’s case stems from allegations brought forth by his ex-girlfriend. 
The 23-year-old was/is facing a misdemeanor assault charge that calls for up to a year in jail and a $4K fine. Defense attorney Jim Darnell says the deal still needs to be finalized, but he left a Thursday morning hearing feeling encouraged. Another hearing has been scheduled for Dec. 1, when the case could be settled and put to bed.
At the moment, Manziel is technically free to sign with any team and is not under suspension. However, he may still face discipline for the aforementioned DV case, even if charges are dropped. Furthermore, teams are probably going to steer clear from Manziel until he can demonstrate that his demons are behind him and that he will focus on football. So far, he has done nothing to ease such concerns.
Manziel’s off-the-field problems have prompted his father to say that he should jailed and led two agents to drop him in the last year. His last agent, Drew Rosenhaus, claimed that there was NFL interest in Manziel as recently as March. Of course, it’s fair to take a skeptical view of Rosenhaus’ comments.
Back in July, Manziel privately told people that he was eyeing a 2017 NFL comeback and had effectively given up on 2016.
Browns Notes: Pryor, RG3
With his contract set to expire at season’s end, Browns receiver Terrelle Pryor is amid a breakout year at the right time. He and the Browns have already begun extension talks, but re-signing the former quarterback is going to be costly for the club. The 27-year-old Pryor could be in line for a deal similar to the one the Rams signed wideout Tavon Austin to in August ($10.55MM-plus per year with $28.5MM in guarantees), according to CBS Sports’ Joel Corry (Twitter link). Despite being on the NFL’s worst team, one that has shuffled through five QBs, Pryor has totaled 51 catches for 627 yards and four touchdowns. Along with Pryor’s solid production, it’ll help his earning power that he’s big (6-foot-4, 223 pounds) and fast (4.4 speed), as Corry notes.
- One of the signal-callers the Browns have used, Robert Griffin III, was cleared for non-contact practice Wednesday, per Nate Ulrich of Ohio.com (via Twitter). Griffin didn’t participate, though, as he hasn’t yet been designated to return. RG3 has been sidelined since suffering an injury to his non-throwing shoulder in Week 1. The Browns put Griffin on injured reserve with the hope that they could take advantage of the new IR rules and bring him back later in the season.
Browns’ RG3 May Practice This Week
As the Browns seek their first win of the season, they could be on the verge their starting quarterback returning to action. There have been discussions about Robert Griffin III possibly returning to practice this week, sources tell Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (on Twitter). 
[RELATED: Browns Notes: Jackson, Kessler, RG3]
Griffin has been sidelined since September with an injury to his non-throwing shoulder. The Browns put RG3 on injured reserve with the hope that they could take advantage of the new IR rules and bring him back later on in the season. This is obviously a lost campaign for Cleveland, but Griffin has been adamant about wanting to play again.
“We’ve got six games left this year, a chance to finish strong, and if I get a chance to be a part of that, I definitely want to,” Griffin said earlier this week.
Browns executive Sashi Brown told reporters yesterday that Griffin is on pace to return, but the decision will ultimately be left up to head coach Hue Jackson. Now at 0-10, one has to imagine that Jackson is eager to get a W and avoid matching the 2008 Lions. The Browns will face the Steelers in Cleveland on Sunday, followed by the Giants and Bengals, all at home.
Browns Notes: Jackson, Kessler, RG3
The Browns may be 0-10, but head coach Hue Jackson apparently isn’t in danger of losing his job. Executive vice president of football operations Sashi Brown told reporters that Jackson won’t be fired despite the team’s losing record.
“We are not focused on 0-16,” Brown said (via Tom Withers of the Associated Press). “Hue is going to be here as our head coach. We talked about continuity being one of the core premises of what we wanted accomplished going out in January. We know that we have a head coach that can be successful here and lead us to a lot of victories and a lot of winning.”
Let’s take a look at some other notes out of Cleveland…
- For what it’s worth, Jackson never thought he was close to losing his job. “I never thought I was going anywhere,” he said. “I know that’s been part of the plan since Day 1, before I took the job. I felt very comfortable. I know there has been a lot of mudslinging going around, but I get it. That’s part of it when you have the record that we do, I expect things to be said. But we are comfortable and we know exactly what we’re trying to do.”
- Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com notes that the decision to fire Jackson would ultimately be up to the team’s owners, Jimmy and Dee Haslam. Furthermore, Florio notes that no one has said that the head coach is definitively safe if the team does finish the season without a victory.
- Marla Ridenour of Ohio.com writes that Browns’ refusal to acknowledge his team’s mistakes during the draft “doesn’t bode well” for the Browns’ future. When asked if the team made a mistake dealing away the second-overall pick (or if they made a mistake selecting Cody Kessler), Brown continued to preach the team’s process, stating they were “pleased with the decision we made.”
- Robert Griffin III is hoping to see the field again this season. The quarterback told Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com that he hopes to return from his shoulder injury in 2016. “We’ve got six games left this year, a chance to finish strong, and if I get a chance to be a part of that, I definitely want to,” Griffin said. Brown told reporters that Griffin is on pace to return this season, but he notes that the decision will ultimately be up to Jackson. Griffin is eligible to be activated from the injured reserve at any time.