Latest On Browns OL Alvin Bailey
Browns offensive lineman Alvin Bailey pleaded no contest to drunken driving, as Adam Ferrise of the Cleveland Plain Dealer writes. Bailey was arrested for DUI late in September. 
Bailey will pay a small fine and have his license suspended for six months, but he can avoid jail by taking a three-day driver-intervention course. Of course, he’s not free and clear of NFL punishment. The league may suspended the lineman two games as a first-time DUI offender.
The 25-year-old joined the Browns on a free agent deal after spending previous years as a depth player with the Seahawks. This year, he took on a larger role while Cameron Erving was sidelined. Through the first half of the season, Pro Football Focus has Bailey ranked as just the 59th best guard in the NFL out of 77 qualified players. According to the advanced metrics, Bailey’s pass blocking has been fairly strong while his run blocking has been downright atrocious. Fortunately, the Browns have been splitting his time wisely, putting him on the field for 212 pass plays versus just 93 running plays.
Corey Coleman Set To Return Sunday
A broken hand Browns rookie receiver Corey Coleman suffered in practice Sept. 21 has kept the first-rounder out for most of the season, but he’s likely to return Sunday against Dallas.
“He is definitely full go. He did a great job of having a great practice today,” head coach Hue Jackson said Thursday (via Pat McManamon of ESPN.com).
In a season largely devoid of bright spots for the 0-8 Browns, Coleman looked like a find for the club over the first two weeks of the year. The 15th overall pick, an ex-Baylor star, hauled in a combined seven receptions for 173 yards and two touchdowns in those matchups. Both scores came in Week 2, when he amassed five grabs for 104 yards.
In his first couple NFL games, Coleman caught passes from quarterbacks Robert Griffin III and Josh McCown. He might add a third signal-caller to the list in as many contests Sunday, as fellow rookie Cody Kessler could return from the concussion he suffered in a Week 7 loss to the Bengals. Jackson will announce Friday whether Kessler or McCown will be under center against the 6-1 Cowboys.
If the promising Kessler starts Sunday, the rebuilding Browns’ passing game could certainly be worthy of attention with him throwing to two other potential long-term building blocks in Terrelle Pryor and Coleman. Pryor is scheduled to become a free agent after the season, though, so it’s possible he and Coleman won’t comprise the Browns’ starting wideouts for long.
Browns, Jamie Collins Not Talking Contract
Despite trading either a 2017 compensatory third-round pick or a 2018 fourth-rounder to the Patriots on Monday for linebacker Jamie Collins, an impending free agent, the Browns aren’t showing much urgency to lock him up. The team and Collins’ agent, Bus Cook, have not engaged in any substantive contract talks yet, reports CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora, who adds that it’s possible those discussions won’t take place at all.
While La Canfora ultimately expects the Browns to either re-sign Collins or place the ~$15MM franchise tag on him before free agency opens, one rival executive told him the 0-8 club is content to let the 27-year-old walk after the season and receive a compensatory third in 2018 in return. Should that happen, it would essentially make the Browns’ trade with the Pats a wash. Thanks to the free agent departures of offensive linemen Alex Mack and Mitchell Schwartz last offseason, the Browns are likely to net a compensatory third for 2017. If they do, it’ll go to New England.
“That tells me the owner still might not be spending any money and they might not sign any UFAs (unrestricted free agents) again. What they’re saying internally is that if we don’t re-sign him we’ll get the pick back the next year,” said the exec.
Collins, a Pro Bowler last year and one of the NFL’s premier linebackers, is reportedly looking to top Panthers standout Luke Kuechly‘s $12.36MM average annual value on his next contract. That’s probably not ideal for Browns owner Jimmy Haslam, but his franchise is nearly $50MM under the salary cap this year and will enter the offseason with upward of $64MM in breathing room. Although the Browns are rebuilding, their spending space has to go somewhere, and it stood to reason at the time of the Collins trade that a sizable chunk of it would go to him. Now, it seems that’s far from a sure thing.
Practice Squad Updates: 11/2/16
Here are today’s practice squad moves.
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: TE Nic Jacobs
Chicago Bears
- Signed: OL Williams Poehls
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: TE Connor Hamlett
Denver Broncos
- Signed: RB Terrell Watson
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: RB Brandon Burks (via Packersnews.com)
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: OL Zach Sterup
- Signed: OL Joe Cheek
- Cut: CB Tyler Patmon (Twitter link via Terez Paylor of the Kansas City Star)
Collins: I Didn’t Ask For “Von Miller Money”
After the Patriots shipped Jamie Collins to the Browns, it was widely reported that the team’s unsuccessful contract talks helped to spur the deal. According to one report, Collins’ camp once told the Patriots that they were seeking “Von Miller money.” In a chat with reporters today, Collins denied setting his asking price that high. 
“I’m not Von Miller. Let’s be smart,” Collins said (Twitter link via Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com).
Collins also denied rumblings of an $11MM/year contract offer from the Pats (Twitter link). However, as noted yesterday, it sounds like a matter of semantics. The Patriots apparently floated that number in talks, but never formally put such an offer on the table.
The details of Collins’ talks with the Patriots are largely irrelevant now, but it does give us insight into where his team may kick things off in negotiations. The Browns obviously want to lock Collins up for future seasons and they now know that they won’t have to work his reps down from a ludicrously high six-year, $114.5MM starting point. Yesterday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com heard that Collins does want to top Luke Kuechly‘s $12.36MM/year average, which is a more realistic target. Kuechly signed his deal with the Panthers prior to the 2015 season and the cap/market increase may allow Collins to leapfrog him, depending on how he performs for the rest of the season.
Collins also said he feels he’s auditioning for the 31 other teams, considering he’s out of contract after this season. At the same time, he said that he “wasn’t worried” about joining the winless Browns and is putting his focus on thriving with his new team.
Saints Inquired On Joe Haden
With the NFL’s trade deadline behind us, it’s time to focus on the deals that weren’t made. According to ESPN’s Ed Werder (via Twitter), the Saints “made [a] play” for Browns cornerback Joe Haden before the deadline. However, the organization ultimately determined that the asking price was too high for the two-time Pro Bowler. 
In a follow up tweet, Werder says the Saints were simply doing their due diligence on Haden. The player’s salary and injury history ultimately limited the team’s interest.
Haden certainly would have helped a struggling Saints defense. The team’s secondary has allowed the 12th-most passing yards in the league, and it’s worth noting that the majority of the team’s “behind” the Saints in the rankings have yet to have their bye week. While the secondary has allowed a modest nine passing touchdowns this season, they’ve only collected three interceptions while allowing 30.7 points per game, which is good for the second worst mark in the league.
Haden would have been a notable addition to the defense. The 27-year-old has played five games this season, compiling 21 tackles, nine passed defended, and a pair of interceptions. Haden only ranks 29th in Pro Football Focus’ cornerback ratings (subscription required), but the former first-rounder would still be a considerable upgrade over the Saints current defensive backs. Delvin Breaux and Sterling Moore are currently battling injuries, forcing the Saints to rely on journeyman B.W. Webb and undrafted free agent Ken Crawley.
Practice Squad Updates: 11/1/16
Here are today’s practice squad moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: LB Zaviar Gooden, TE Brian Leonhardt
- Cut: T Martin Wallace
Baltimore Ravens
- Cut: RB Stephen Houston
Chicago Bears
- Cut: OT Arturo Uzdavinis
Cleveland Browns
- Cut: WR Mitch Mathews
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: LB Terrance Smith
New England Patriots
- Signed: OG Chase Farris, TE Austin Traylor
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: LB Lamar Louis
- Cut: DL Royce LaFrance
New York Jets
- Signed: OT Jesse Davis, WR Myles White
- Cut: C Kyle Friend, LB Reshard Cliett
San Diego Chargers
- Signed: LB James Burgess
- Cut: WR Kevin Norwood
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: S Vinnie Sunseri
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: WR George Farmer
- Cut: QB Joel Stave, FB Julian Howsare
2016 NFL Trade Deadline Primer
The 2016 NFL trade deadline is just hours away. This is the last chance of the season for contending teams to deal for a key piece for the playoff push and final opportunity for rebuilding clubs to make a future-minded deal. This year, there are a number of players who have been mentioned in trade rumors that could be changing jerseys between now and the 4pm ET/3pm CT deadline.
Naturally, cap room will be as much of a factor for teams as their positional needs. As Albert Breer of The MMQB (Twitter links) outlines, some teams have a great deal of space to work with while others have very little. The Browns, 49ers, Jaguars, and Titans all have enough cap space to acquire just about any contract. The Chargers, Rams, and Vikings, meanwhile, all have less than $1MM of room to work with.
Historically, the NFL trade deadline hasn’t brought a ton of action, but yesterday we saw a surprise blockbuster go down when the Patriots traded linebacker Jamie Collins to the Browns. We just might be in store for more major news today.
Here’s a rundown of the big names that have been mentioned in trade rumors over the past couple of weeks:
Browns OT Joe Thomas: Thomas, a lifelong member of the Browns, has made it clear that he does not want to be traded. Coach Hue Jackson flatly said that the tackle would not be dealt between now and the deadline. Still, rival GMs aren’t so sure that top exec Sashi Brown won’t pull the trigger on a deal anyway. 
The Browns remain winless and it only makes sense that the team would explore dealing Thomas for draft considerations. However, the Browns already have quite a stockpile and they even drew from that surplus yesterday to acquire linebacker Jamie Collins from the Patriots. All month long, there has been talk of Cleveland selling off its parts with an eye on 2017 and beyond. Now, one has to wonder if A. they are still inclined to sell and B. they could even look to acquire name players this afternoon.
The Giants have expressed interest in Thomas, but they get the impression that Cleveland is going to hold on to him. The Vikings, Colts, Seahawks, Cardinals, Broncos, and Patriots could also use some help up front, but it’s not clear which of those clubs have reached out. Previous reports have indicated that the Browns were seeking a second-round choice for the veteran, but teams might have to sweeten the pot further if they are truly leaning towards keeping him.
Browns CB Joe Haden: Teams are reportedly scouting Haden in advance of the deadline. Once regarded as one of the league’s best young corners, Haden has been slowed by injuries in recent years. Any team that would take on Haden and his considerable salary wants to know exactly where he stands with his ankle, hamstring, and other assorted maladies.
At the midway point of the season, Pro Football Focus has Haden ranked as the 29th best corner in the NFL. That indicates Haden is an above-average starter, but not an elite player at the position. Haden is in year two of his five-year, $67.5MM extension and a cornerback-needy team like the Dolphins could explore a deal. But, as with Thomas, it’s not clear if the Browns are willing to sell. Haden is under contract through 2019 and won’t turn 28 until April. There’s not much he can do for the Browns in 2016, but he could still be a vital piece going forward.
In related news, the Browns are reportedly open to trading fellow corner Tramon Williams. The Packers are thin at cornerback and a reunion would make a lot of sense.
Browns Discussed Trading Tramon Williams
The Browns have discussed trading cornerback Tramon Williams, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Williams, who joined the Browns on a three-year deal prior to the 2015 campaign, is signed through 2017.
There has been plenty of trade buzz around star cornerback Joe Haden, but talk of a Williams deal is brand new. Williams would represent a much lower-cost contract and would require a lot less in the way of compensation. Williams’ deal has a $6.2MM base salary for 2016 with a step down to $5.7MM next season. However, he can be released prior to June 1 with relatively little financial penalty.
Through six games this year (three starts), Williams has 22 total tackles, one fumble recovery, and one interception. Pro Football Focus, meanwhile, ranks him in the bottom 20% of all qualified cornerbacks this year.
Jamie Collins Looking To Top Kuechly’s Salary?
Yesterday, the Patriots shocked the football world when they shipped linebacker Jamie Collins to the Browns for a future draft pick. While there has been speculation about Collins’ work ethic and possible friction with Bill Belichick, the deal was also driven by the Pats’ realization that they won’t be able to re-sign him to a team-friendly deal this offseason. The Patriots didn’t formally offer Collins a new deal (despite reports to the contrary), but they floated the idea of an $11MM/year contract, according to Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald (on Twitter).
After trading for the pending free agent, the Browns are obviously looking to lock Collins up for the long term. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears that Collins is looking to eclipse the $12.36MM/year that Luke Kuechly is making on his current deal with the Panthers. Collins’ camp views him as a hybrid player and will push for a deal that would put him in the top four amongst all linebackers in terms of AAV. Collins reportedly told the Patriots that he wanted “Von Miller money” at one point during talks, so it sounds like his demands have come back down to earth a little bit.
Meanwhile, former Pats assistant Mike Lombardi discussed the Collins deal on the latest edition of The Bill Simmons Podcast (audio link). During the interview, Lombardi shed some light on why New England was willing to bail on the talented linebacker in the middle of the season:
“The one thing you have to do, Donnie Walsh said this to me in 1990s, or the late 80s, ‘You’ve got to know what you’re trading before you make a trade.’ And that’s the one caveat that Belichick knows; he knows what he’s trading. He’s trading a guy who is very talented, but very moody, very inconsistent with his effort, and so for him to pay that player that type of money sends a message to the locker room that, look, I tolerate this and I reward this. He’s never doing that. And when Belichick, every message he sends in terms of a contract is a message to the locker room.”