NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/25/16
Today’s practice squad moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: WR Chris Hubert
- Cut: OT Martin Wallace
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: WR Dobson Collins
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: TE Gerald Christian, WR Mose Frazier, CB Joe Powell
- Cut: WR Corey Washington
Cleveland Browns
- Cut: OL Mike Liedtke
Detroit Lions
- Signed: OT Matt Rotheram
- Cut: RB Mike James
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: CB Keith Baxter
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: S Doran Grant (Twitter link via Howard Balzer), DT Louis Nix
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: DL Bobby Richardson
- Cut: LB Deion Barnes
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: DT Sterling Bailey, OT Austin Shepherd, DB Cedric Thompson
- Cut: TE Kyle Carter, TE Brian Leonhardt, QB Joel Stave
New England Patriots
- Signed: S Shamiel Gary, DT Anthony Johnson (Twitter link via Mike Reiss of ESPN.com)
New York Jets
- Signed: LB Reshard Cliett (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle)
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: OT Keavon Milton
- Cut: TE Rashaun Allen
Seattle Seahawks
- Cut: RB Zac Brooks
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: WR Donteea Dye
Washington Redskins
- Signed: WR Matt Hazel
Browns Make Handful Of Moves
The Browns have claimed quarterback Joe Callahan off waivers from the Saints and center Gabe Ikard off waivers from the Bills, according to Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com. To make room for those two, the Browns have waived fullback Malcolm Johnson and defensive back Darius Hillary.
Callahan, an undrafted rookie from Division III Wesley, will now join his third team this month. The Packers previously cut Callahan on Oct. 13, paving the way for the Saints to add him for what amounted to a short-lived stint in New Orleans. The way things have gone under center this year for Cleveland, he could end up on the field at some point.
Injuries have forced the Browns to shuffle through five quarterbacks, the latest being fifth-round rookie Kevin Hogan. He debuted in the Browns’ 31-17 loss to the Bengals on Sunday after fellow rookie Cody Kessler departed with a concussion. Kessler is currently in the NFL’s concussion protocol, meaning it’s unclear whether he’ll be able to play against the Jets on Sunday. Josh McCown, who has missed most of the season with a broken collarbone, could return this week. However, if he and Kessler are out, Hogan and Callahan would be the Browns’ top two signal-callers.
Johnson, whom the Browns chose in the sixth round of last year’s draft, was active for their first seven games this season and picked up one start. He also notched five receptions.
Browns Shoot Down Joe Thomas Trade Talk
The Browns are winless through seven games and there’s next no chance of them reaching the postseason this year. It would stand to reason that they would entertain offers for their best veterans, but coach Hue Jackson says that Joe Thomas is not available via trade, despite reports to the contrary. 
“We. Are. Not. Going. To. Trade. Joe. Thomas,” Jackson told reporters today (via the Browns on Twitter).
Of course, we’ve seen coaches and GMs deny trade talk in the past only to deal the player in question. Thomas, in his tenth season, could be a valuable piece for a contending team and he could bring in a quality return for a Cleveland team that is (once again) playing for next year. According to yesterday’s report, the Browns are looking for a second-round pick in exchange for the veteran. Thomas is under contract for another two seasons after this one and is slated to make $10MM in 2017 and 2018. However, there is no guaranteed cash remaining on his contract.
Thomas, a six-time All-Pro lineman and lifelong member of the Browns, has never been to the playoffs. If Jackson is telling the truth, then that won’t change anytime soon.
Browns Could Face Loss Of Another OL Starter
- Brown’s placement on the exempt list is expected to clear a path for Robbie Gould to become the Giants’ full-time kicker, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Gould likely does not sign with the Giants if he wasn’t going to have the opportunity to win the job and have a chance to finish the season with the team, per Rapoport. The longtime Bears kicker worked out for the Browns earlier this season in what would have been for a shorter-term fix, but this unfortunate circumstance opened the door for another regular gig.
- Cameron Erving left the Ohio showdown, and the Browns‘ starting center will undergo tests Monday, Hue Jackson said (via Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com). Jackson categorized this as an illness, but Cabot notes if this is related to the bruised lung he sustained against the Ravens earlier this season then the second-year blocker could be lost for the remainder of 2016. The Browns removed him at halftime. Cleveland’s line, which moved on from Mitchell Schwartz and Alex Mack after free agency defections, already lost Joel Bitonio for the season earlier this month. Reserve center Austin Reiter also tore his ACL in Week 4.
Joe Thomas Trade Again On Table
Joe Thomas has not made it known he wants out of Cleveland, but as the 0-7 Browns have predictably floundered in another rebuilding year, the left tackle doesn’t seem to have a place on the team. And trade winds are blowing again around the perennial first-team All-Pro.
Several teams are interested in the 10th-year edge protector, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports, and all would give Thomas a chance to play in the playoffs for the first time in his career.
Florio reports the Patriots, Cardinals, Giants, Seahawks and Vikings have varying degrees of interest in a potential Thomas deal. But the Browns likely will keep him through Week 8, with the deadline a day after their clash with the Jets. The team owes its longest-tenured player $488K in Week 8; Thomas is under contract through 2018.
The Browns are eyeing a second-round pick for the six-time All-Pro lineman, a source tells Florio. That would be a worse haul than what they could have received last year, when the Broncos submitted a proposal including 2015 first-rounder Shane Ray and a second-round pick. Thomas will turn 32 in December, so his days of being a top-tier blocker are winding down. But he’d certainly be an upgrade on numerous teams’ left tackle situations.
Florio adds the chances the Browns move Thomas are lower than they were a year ago, and teams’ cap space in taking on Thomas’ contract will be an issue. The 6-foot-6 blocker does not have any guaranteed money left on his deal and will make $10MM in 2017 and ’18. As Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap points out (Twitter link), teams would only need to possess around $4.9MM in 2016 cap space to trade for Thomas. The Giants and Patriots are safely under that mark, while the Seahawks (at $5.931MM) are to a lesser degree. Both the Vikings (league-low $426K in cap space) and Cardinals ($2.171MM) aren’t.
If the Browns get to the point they’re willing to take what they can get for Thomas, Florio notes the Patriots would be interested in being his landing spot. The Pats and Browns already made a deal that sent the Browns’ 2013 first-round pick, Barkevious Mingo, to New England earlier this year. New England placed Sebastian Vollmer on the PUP list due to nagging hip problems that are expected to keep him out all season.
Minnesota’s line has not performed well and placed both starting tackles, Matt Kalil and Andre Smith, on IR. However, the Vikings traded their first-round pick next year for Sam Bradford and recently added Jake Long. Mike Zimmer, in criticizing his offensive line, said (via Florio) the team doesn’t plan to make any more additions up front.
It’s been reported on multiple occasions Thomas will not ask for a trade. But with the Browns having already parted with several veterans, not playing for anything in the short term and showing with their most recent draft moves how much they covet draft picks, a deal would make sense either this season or before the 2017 draft.
Browns’ Josh McCown Could Return Next Week
Josh McCown has a “chance” to return to the field in time for the Browns’ Week 8 matchup against the Jets, head coach Hue Jackson told reporters, including Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal (Twitter link). Jackson added that Cleveland will evaluate the quarterback position further on Monday.
[RELATED: Cleveland Browns Depth Chart]
If McCown is able to go next week, it’s possible that he would start under center, given that Cody Kessler left today’s game against the Bengals with a concussion. If Kessler can’t clear the league’s concussion protocol by next Sunday, McCown would likely start if healthy. If McCown needs more time, Cleveland would start Kevin Hogan, who threw for 100 yards and rushed for 104 more today.
The Browns’ quarterback situation this season has almost become comical, as injuries have forced the club to run through a multitude of options. Robert Griffin III, McCown, Kessler, Charlie Whitehurst, Hogan, and wide receiver Terrelle Pryor have all seen time at QB as Cleveland tries to find a healthy signal-caller.
McCown, 37, went 1-7 as a starter for the Browns last season. In his one game under center for Cleveland this year, the veteran completed 20 of his 33 passes and threw two touchdowns with two interceptions.
Hue Jackson Could Have Succeeded Marvin Lewis In Cincinnati
Hue Jackson has his work cut out for him as the head coach of the Browns, but he had the opportunity to succeed Marvin Lewis as the Bengals‘ head coach if he so chose. As Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer writes, “Jackson confirmed this week that he passed up an opportunity to succeed [Lewis] in Cincinnati, taking the Browns job instead.” Of course, even if Lewis wanted to hand the baton to Jackson at some point down the line, it would have been difficult for Jackson to turn down a head coaching job elsewhere, as there is no guarantee that Cincinnati ownership would have gone along with Lewis’ plan, or that Lewis would have even been around to pass the torch.
- The Browns recently hosted tackle Pierce Burton on a visit, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter).
Latest On Browns, Cody Kessler
Cody Kessler has been one of the few bright spots in yet another disappointing season for the Browns. In three full games and part of a fourth, the USC product has completed over 65% of his passes for 865 yards, throwing for four touchdowns against just one interception. Cleveland did not win any of the games in which Kessler appeared, but in the three games that he started and finished, the Browns have at least been competitive. His 93.8 QB rating is 14th in the league.
Kessler’s surprising emergence has led many to wonder if the Browns, who were widely expected to draft a signal-caller with one of their two first-round selections in the 2017 draft, might be better-served by investing that capital in other positions (although such a decision would surely fuel more Carson Wentz-esque controversy). As one opposing coach told Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, “Kessler can be the long-term answer for the Browns if he continues to get better. [Head coach] Hue Jackson is doing a great job with him just like he did with Andy Dalton and others.”
Indeed, Jackson’s reputation as something of a quarterback whisperer is leading to the growing belief that Kessler, whom the Browns unexpectedly selected in the third-round of the 2016 draft, could be the team’s long-awaited solution under center. Jackson’s own comments have contributed to that perception. Cleveland’s head coach said Kessler, “is one of the better rookie quarterbacks I’ve coached. I’ve had some real good rookies before, Joe Flacco, to name one, and I’m sure I have had some others, but he’s done an outstanding job.”
Jackson went on to say Kessler is so impressive “because I’ve seen him do things that we did not even ask other rookies to do on different kind of teams. He’s playing well. He’s growing every week. He’s seen a lot in his young career in the National Football League. For that experience, he’ll be better as he continues to move forward.”
Kessler has also impressed his veteran teammates. Wideout Andrew Hawkins said, “What stands out about Cody is his ability to command the huddle. He has a great grasp of the offense. For such a young guy, that’s kind of rare.” All-Pro left tackle Joe Thomas, who has protected a parade of mediocrity during his time in Cleveland, added, “He’s done a tremendous job. He’s surprised a lot of people. As a leader, as a quarterback, those intangibles that you need to have, he has those intangibles to be a great quarterback in the NFL.”
Jackson, though, is predictably keeping quiet when it comes to how Kessler’s performance–even if he continues playing well through the end of the season–will impact next year’s draft plans. “I don’t know that anybody will affect the draft plans,” Jackson said. “I don’t think we’ll talk about those until the season is over. We’re going to always do everything we can to better our football team as we move forward.”
That makes sense, of course, but the fact that Jackson is even being asked those types of questions is encouraging news for Browns fans, who need as much encouragement as they can get.
Browns Work Out David Cobb, Three Others
The Browns have been busy this week, as Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports (via Twitter) that the team worked out four players, including running backs David Cobb and Terrence Magee. The team also auditioned lineman Trevor Robinson and Darrion Weems.
Cobb is the most experienced running back of the two. The 23-year-old made seven appearances (one start) for the Titans last season, compiling 146 yards and a touchdown on 52 carries (2.8 average). Despite being selected in the fifth round of the 2015 draft, the Titans released the running back in August. He briefly caught on with the Steelers practice squad, but he was cut from the team earlier this month.
Magee, an undrafted free agent out of LSU in 2015, has bounced between the Ravens, Rams, and Seahawks. The 23-year-old has appeared in five career games, collecting 17 rushing yards on five carries.
Robinson, a former undrafted free agent out of Notre Dame, has 38 career games under his belt, including 21 starts. The 26-year-old made 13 starts for the Charges in 2015, but he was ultimately cut prior to the season. Weems, 28, has been in the league since 2012, but he’s only made seven appearances in those four-plus seasons.
Browns Audition Darrion Weems
- The Browns worked out offensive tackle Darrion Weems on Friday, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets. Weems, 28, had played on roughly a third of Denver’s offensive snaps this season before being waived last week, but graded as one of the worst interior lineman in the league, according to Pro Football Focus.