Browns To Release DB K’Waun Williams
The Browns are releasing defensive back K’Waun Williams, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).
The Browns and Williams were locked in a dispute with regards to Williams’ health. The Browns suspended Williams for one game earlier this month for conduct detrimental to the team. Essentially, Williams was holding himself out of practice with bone spurs in his ankle. The Browns believed that Williams’ ankle was fine and did not excuse him from team activities. When he continued to sit out, he was punished by the club.
It was largely expected that Williams would be cut by the Browns. With his release, the Browns are now at the 75-man limit.
Latest On Cowboys’ QB Search
The Cowboys will spend the next week searching for a quarterback with Tony Romo sidelined, but any quarterback they bring in will be No. 2 on the depth chart behind Dak Prescott, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Prescott will be Dallas’ starter until Tony Romo is ready to return. 
Meanwhile, it doesn’t sound like the Cowboys and Browns will get together on a Josh McCown trade (link). Apparently, between the Browns’ asking price and McCown’s salary, it’s all a little too rich for the Cowboys’ blood. Earlier this summer, it was reported that the Browns were seeking a fourth-round pick for McCown. The Cowboys, meanwhile, didn’t want to give up anything of value for the veteran signal caller and it was speculated that they would not sacrifice more than a sixth-rounder for him.
Romo suffered a compression fracture to his L1 vertebra. He will not need surgery on his back, but the 36-year-old could miss 6-10 weeks as he heals up.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Browns Cut Paul Kruger, Others
The Browns have released linebacker Paul Kruger, as Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com writes. Also in this wave of cuts were kicker Travis Coons, quarterback Austin Davis and tight end E.J. Bibbs. 
Kruger recorded 11.0 sacks in 2014, but last season he saw his sack count drop to 2.5. Over the summer, Kruger didn’t perform as well as the team had hoped and today he became a roster casualty as the club focuses more on its young players. According to Cabot, Friday night’s preseason game against the Bucs was Kruger’s last chance to make a strong impression on the team but he failed to do that as he didn’t get close to sacking starter Jameis Winston.
Kruger came to the Browns in 2013 when he inked a five-year free agent deal worth $40.5MM, including $13MM guaranteed. He was under contract through next season at $6.5MM this year and $7MM next year. Now, the Browns will save millions by cutting him loose.
Meanwhile, the release of Coons means that former Bucs kicker Patrick Murray has won the Browns’ kicking job.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Latest On Browns, Josh Gordon
Browns executive VP of football operations Sashi Brown says that he’s not interested in trading Josh Gordon, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that he won’t trade him for the right price. So, what is that price? The Browns want a second-round pick “and then some” in order to part with the wide receiver in a trade, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (video link). 
Garafolo adds that everyone on the Browns roster can be available for the right price, which makes sense considering that the team is going through a rebuilding phase. On Thursday, the Browns found out that Barkevious Mingo – who was on the roster bubble – was worth a fifth-round pick. That probably has Cleveland execs dreaming about what they can score for their more valuable assets.
In terms of pure talent, Gordon has the potential to be one of the league’s very best receivers. However, it’s not a given that a team can keep him on track and on the field. Gordon was granted a conditional reinstatement by Roger Goodell earlier this summer, meaning that he’ll be sidelined for the first four games and can only come back for Week 5 if he stays the course with his treatment plan.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Lions Had Interest in Barkevious Mingo
Before he was traded to the Patriots, the Lions expressed interest in acquiring linebacker Barkevious Mingo from the Browns, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. 
[RELATED: Browns Trade Barkevious Mingo To Patriots]
The Patriots gave up a fifth-round pick to acquire Mingo, a price higher than you might expect for a player who was mostly relegated to special teams duty last season. With other teams like the Lions in need of linebacker help, the price for the former top ten pick creeped up.
Earlier this month, the Lions learned that linebacker Jon Bostic will be sidelined for a while following an unspecified surgery. While Bostic was not slated to start, he was expected to be a key reserve. The Lions are planning to start Kyle Van Noy, Tahir Whitehead, and DeAndre Levy with the likes of Josh Bynes, fifth-round pick Antwione Williams, Jerry Franklin, and Khaseem Greene in reserve.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Browns Trade Barkevious Mingo To Patriots
The Browns have agreed to trade Barkevious Mingo to the Patriots, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The Browns will receive a 2017 fifth-round pick in return, according to Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal (on Twitter). Both teams have confirmed the swap via press release.
[RELATED: Download The Must-Have Trade Rumors App Today!]
With Rob Ninkovich, Jabaal Sheard, and Shea McClellin nursing injuries, Mingo could be a valuable fill-in for New England. Of course, all of those injuries only further weakened the front seven after the Pats traded Chandler Jones to the Cardinals earlier this offseason.
Mingo, the No. 6 overall pick in the 2013 draft, had his fifth-year option for 2017 declined earlier this offseason. Mingo has basically become a special teams guy for the Browns – a far cry from what they expected from him a few short years ago. The LSU product was not considered a lock to even make the team this offseason and the Browns apparently will get something for him rather than nothing.
Last season, Mingo played 256 defensive snaps and did not record a single sack. He recorded 5.0 sacks as a rookie, but his production has decreased in every season since then.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Browns Exec: Not Looking To Move Gordon
Multiple teams have reportedly reached out to the Browns with interest in trading for Josh Gordon. However, Browns executive VP of football operations Sashi Brown says that he’s not interested in parting with his star wide receiver. 
[RELATED: Gordon Says He Wants To Stay In Cleveland]
“We’re not looking to trade Josh,” Brown said, according to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. “I’m just not going to enter into any of the speculation. I understand what the interest is in Josh. There are literally hundreds of conversations going around the league about players all the time, and if we got into speculating about all the reports, about what could be going on and what conversations could be going on, we’d be here for a much longer time than we have.”
However, Brown did caution that every player has a price. The wide receiver, he says, falls into “the same category every other player does. There’s nothing unique to Josh in that sense.” In short, it sounds like the Browns are opposed to parting with their high-upside weapon, but they won’t rule out accepting a Godfather offer.
Gordon, of course, will be suspended for the first four games of the 2016 season. If he stays on course with his treatment plan, he will be permitted to return to the team for their October 9th showdown against the Patriots.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
The Beat: Jeff Schudel On The Browns
With the season fast approaching, we’re chatting with beat writers from around the league to gain insight on each team’s offseason and how those moves will impact the season ahead.
Now, we continue the series by discussing the Browns with Jeff Schudel of the The News-Herald and Morning-Journal. You can follow Jeff on Twitter @jsproinsider and check out his stories here.
Zach Links: As expected, the Browns named RGIII as their starting quarterback this week. What are your expectations for him? Can he recapture some of the magic he showed early on in Washington? 
Jeff Schudel; I do have high expectations for RG3, but that might be a relative term. He will become the Browns 25th starting quarterback in 18 years when he takes the first snap against the Eagles on Sept. 11, so if he manages to throw more touchdown passes than interceptions and win five or six games he’ll be a success. Griffin has surprised me with his running. I don’t expect him to run as much as he did in 2012 when he was a rookie with the Redskins, but Hue Jackson will design runs for him.
Zach Links: Speaking of the quarterback position, what do you think the Browns should do with Josh McCown? Should they continue to hold out for a third- or fourth-round pick from the Cowboys in a potential trade?
Jeff Schudel; In my opinion the Browns should not take less than a third for McCown. That is probably too steep for a quarterback that was 2-17 over the last two seasons, but he is worth more to the Browns as a backup than a fourth-round pick would be. The odds of RG3 making it through 16 games behind this offensive line are slim. Rookie Cody Kessler isn’t ready to play.
Browns Notes: Gordon, Murray, Coons
- Teams are calling the Browns about Josh Gordon‘s availability but, for what it’s worth, he doesn’t want to be traded, as Tony Grossi of ESPN.com writes. “I haven’t heard too much about it,” Gordon said. “Cleveland is my team. That’s where I want to be, everything like that. That’s not even in the ballpark for me. I’m not sure how that works.” Gordon went on to express his gratitude towards owner Jimmy Haslam and coach Hue Jackson and said that he is excited about making his comeback in Cleveland.
- Patrick Murray seems to be separating himself in Browns‘ kicking duel, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal tweets. Today, he went 4-for-4 on field goals while Travis Coons went 2-for-3. Coons made 87.5% of his attempts with Cleveland last season, but the Browns’ new regime added Murray on a cheap one-year deal earlier this summer.
Browns Shuffle Secondary
- The Browns are shuffling their defensive backfield, as the club plans to move Jamar Taylor — acquired from the Dolphins in exchange for a 27-spot drop in the draft — to the outside, meaning veteran Tramon Williams will play the slot in sub packages, Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com writes. The shift was somewhat necessitated by the ongoing saga of usual slot corner K’Waun Williams, who has been suspended by Cleveland and may not be long for the roster. The Browns, who finished just 27th in pass defense DVOA, also boast Pro Bowler Joe Haden, Justin Gilbert, Trey Caldwell, and Charles Gaines at cornerback, per Roster Resource.
- Earlier today, we heard that while clubs are expressing interest in trading for Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon, Cleveland is likely to hold onto the dynamic pass-catcher.