Teams Inquiring On Josh Gordon
Multiple teams have reached out to the Browns to inquire about the availability of wide receiver Josh Gordon, league sources tell Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Facebook link). However, a Browns team source tells Schefter that the team is not looking to trade Gordon. 
[RELATED: Browns Suspend CB K’Waun Williams]
This offseason, the Browns have worked to establish an environment in which Gordon could thrive, and many around league believe Hue Jackson is the right coach to get him back on track. It remains to be seen whether a team will offer up enough to make the Browns interested in parting with Gordon, but Schefter says it is a situation keeping an eye on.
In late July, Gordon was reinstated by the NFL with certain conditions. The wide receiver will be suspended for the first four games of the season and his return will be conditional. If he does not stay on course with his treatment plan, then his return date in October is not guaranteed.
In 2013, despite missing the first two games due to a suspension, Gordon led the NFL in receiving yards, finishing with 87 receptions for 1,646 yards and nine touchdowns. Thanks to his off-the-field issues, the 25-year-old played in five games in 2014 and missed the entire 2015 season. Obviously, the talent is there for Gordon to be one of the league’s very best wide receivers. There is also a chance that he doesn’t stick to his treatment plan, which may allow for another team to talk the Browns into parting with him.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
10 Teams That Could Claim RB Karlos Williams
After waiving him yesterday, the Bills “fully expect” another NFL club to land running back Karlos Williams, and we’ll find out tomorrow if any other team decided to place a claim (the waiver period is typically 24 hours, but rolls over until Monday on weekends). If no one else is interested, Williams will become a free agent. But given that Williams’ (minimal) signing bonus will accelerate onto Buffalo’s cap –meaning that any acquiring team would only be on the hook for minimum salaries for the next three years — it seems likely that Williams will get claimed.
Clearly, there are reasons to be concerned about Williams’ future. He’ll be suspended for the first four games of the 2016 season after violating the league’s substance abuse policy, and he’s struggled with his weight throughout the offseason. At one point, Williams was up 261 pounds, and after losing some of that heft, he’d reportedly begun to balloon once again, leaving the Bills to wonder if he was serious about football.
But Williams also flashed dynamic ability during his rookie season, finishing with 613 yards from scrimmage and nine TDs on just 104 touches while averaging 5.6 yards per carry. The 23-year-old also became one of just two players in NFL history to score a touchdown in each of his first six games in the league. All in all, Williams seemingly defines an old adage: high risk, high reward.
Let’s take a look at several teams that could be interested in Williams, listed in order of their waiver priority:
Cleveland Browns — New head coach Hue Jackson is trying to foster a new culture with the Browns, but he’s also shown a willingness to give players a second chance. He’s embraced wide receiver Josh Gordon, who was recently reinstated from a season-long suspension, and he stood by running back Isaiah Crowell after the latter posted a disturbing image online. Crowell and Duke Johnson figure to get most of the run for Cleveland during the upcoming season, but the club should be stockpiling talent during its rebuild, and Williams would be a cheap upgrade.
San Diego Chargers — San Diego had high hopes for its rushing attack after trading up to select Melvin Gordon in the first round of last year’s draft, but offensive line injuries and Gordon’s own poor play led to the Chargers finishing 31st in rushing DVOA. Gordon then had microfracture surgery in January, and while his long-term prognosis is positive, serious knee injuries are always unwelcome news for young running backs. It looks like Gordon is already losing work to Danny Woodhead during the preseason, and if the Chargers think Gordon is in for another sub-par season, they could take a risk on Williams.
Baltimore Ravens — This is only my speculation, but given that he’s on the wrong side of 30, coming off injury, and due a non-guaranteed $3MM base salary, veteran running back Justin Forsett could be a surprise cut as roster cutdowns approach. Such a move would be made much easier if the Ravens were able to acquire a talent like Williams, who could slot in the backfield after his suspension, teaming with Javorius Allen, Terrance West, Kenneth Dixon, and perhaps Lorenzo Taliaferro. Baltimore has taken chances on character risks in the past, though the club was burned by safety Will Hill, with whom they cut ties after he was handed a 10-game suspension.
Philadelphia Eagles — Like the Browns, the Eagles haven’t been afraid to collect players who are considered character risks, as evidenced by their trade for receiver Dorial Green-Beckham last week. Philadelphia is hoping it can turn around the career of DGB, who struggled with both motivation and learning the Titans’ playbook, and they could place a similar bet on Williams. Like DGB, Williams clearly has talent, and the Eagles could use another option alongside Ryan Mathews, Kenjon Barner, Darren Sproles, and Wendell Smallwood. Turron Davenport of USA Today recently looked at how Williams could succeed in the type of outside zone runs employed by the Eagles.
Browns Sign Josh Boyce, Waive/Injure Dennis Parks
- The Browns have signed WR Josh Boyce, whom New England selected in the fourth round of the 2013 draft, and waived/injured 2016 UDFA Dennis Parks, as Nate Ulrich of The Akron Beacon Journal reports. Boyce spent most of this year with the Colts before he was waived on August 16. He has nine catches for 121 yards in his professional career.
Browns Sign Jahwan Edwards
- The Browns signed running back Jahwan Edwards, Nate Ulrich of Ohio.com reports. A second-year UDFA out of Ball State, Edwards spent time on the Dolphins, Falcons and Jaguars’ practice squads last season. Miami waived him just after the 2016 draft.
Browns Reach Injury Settlement With Patrick Skov
- The Browns have reached an injury settlement with running back Patrick Skov, reports Wilson (via Twitter).
Browns Suspend CB K’Waun Williams
WEDNESDAY, 7:41pm: Williams’ agent, Evan Krakower, has issued a press release regarding his client. The entire statement can be found on Twitter. Part of it reads, “It is extremely puzzling that the Browns comments have ignored the significant treatment they have provided K’Waun to his ankle up to the night in question.”
Krakower continued, “In light of his previous service to the team and his injury history, we believe the Browns suspension and fine are excessive in nature at best, and totally unwarranted at worst. A punishment of this excessive nature of a player, with aprevious exemplary record on and off the field, is inappropriate. Therefore, Mr. Williams will be appealing this fine and suspension through the appropriate channels.”
6:23pm: Williams had a second opinion on his ankle at the Cleveland Clinic on Wednesday, and a specialist told him that he’ll have to undergo surgery to remove bone spurs, his agent told Cabot. Williams, therefore, will appeal the punishment the Browns handed him. However, University Hospitals – not the Cleveland Clinic – is the team’s hospital, tweets Cabot.
TUESDAY: The Browns are suspending cornerback K’Waun Williams for two weeks as a result of an “ongoing dispute” regarding his standing with the club, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter links). Williams, whose suspension is for conduct detrimental to the team, will also be docked one game check.
[RELATED: Browns, Desmond Bryant discussing 2016 payment]
As Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com details, Williams’ future with the Browns is now in jeopardy following an episode last week. After Williams suffered an ankle injury during an intrasquad scrimmage, he declared himself out for Cleveland’s first preseason contest, a decision which irked the club’s management. The Browns listed Williams’s absence as due to a personal reason, and the third-year pro hasn’t returned to camp since.
“We’ll talk about that at a different time,” head coach Hue Jackson said Tuesday. “I just think there are a lot of mixed messages that are going on as far as all that’s concerned. We’ll deal with it, and I’m sure we’ll all talk about it at the appropriate time.”
While some sources have told Cabot that the Browns are under the impression that Williams may retire, other sources told the Cleveland.com scribe that Williams was merely away seeking a second opinion on his ankle. Indeed, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal hears (Twitter link) that Williams will get a new opinion on his injury tomorrow. Williams, who has served as the Browns’ slot corner in each of the past two seasons, was reportedly unhappy that trade acquisition Jamar Taylor had been playing ahead of him in nickel packages, tweets Rapaport.
Williams, 25, figures to appeal any suspension or loss of pay, according to Cabot (Twitter link).
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Browns Waive O-lineman Erle Ladson
- The Browns waived offensive lineman Erle Ladson, tweets Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal.
Browns Sign Ed Eagan, Waive/Injure Rannell Hall, Reach Injury Settlement With Kyle Rose
- The Browns have signed WR Ed Eagan and have waived/injured Rannell Hall. The team also reached an injury settlement with DL Kyle Rose (Twitter link via Nate Ulrich of The Akron Beacon Journal).
Rannell Hall Out For Season
- Browns WR Rannell Hall, whom the club plucked off of Tampa Bay’s practice squad last December, will be out for the season after suffering a fractured fibula in Friday night’s loss to Green Bay, according to Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer. Hall was certainly on the roster bubble, but he would have been eligible for the practice squad and would have at least had an outside chance at a roster spot given Cleveland’s fairly thin receiving corps.
Browns Want Fourth-Rounder For Josh McCown
The Browns don’t appear willing to simply give away Josh McCown, as Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports indicates that Cleveland is demanding “no less than fourth-round pick” for the veteran quarterback. The Cowboys, the club that’s been most heavily linked to McCown, aren’t willing to trade “anything of value,” per Robinson, who suggests that Dallas would only part with a pick in the sixth round or later.
[RELATED: Cowboys not interested in Johnny Manziel]
The Cowboys’ depth chart behind Tony Romo was already thin as the team headed into training camp, and became even more so when backup Kellen Moore suffered a leg injury during a practice session that will sideline him for three-to-four months. Dallas was thought to have interest in free agent Nick Foles before he signed with the Chiefs, and were reportedly considering other options such as Mike Glennon (who, like McCown, would’ve have to been traded for), Jimmy Clausen, and Josh Freeman.
The Browns, meanwhile, have seemingly braced McCown for a possible deal, as a report last week indicated that the club had spoken with McCown about the mechanics of a trade. Cleveland has already named Robert Griffin III its starting quarterback, and while there is certainly value in retaining a high-end reserve, the team’s reluctance to deal McCown could simply be posturing in the hopes that they can net a higher return. The Browns used a 2016 third-round pick on USC quarterback Cody Kessler, and signed fellow backup Austin Davis to an extension last season, so unless the club wants to keep four signal-callers on the roster, there doesn’t appear to be room for McCown.
While the Browns boast depth at QB, the Cowboys do not, as they only other available options behind Romo are fourth-round rookie Dak Prescott and 2015 undrafted free agent Jameill Showers, neither of whom has ever attempted an NFL pass. As such, it seems unfathomable that Dallas won’t look to acquire a veteran before the season begins, and if it looks to the free agent market, the club could consider Michael Vick, Matt Flynn, Tarvaris Jackson, Charlie Whitehurst, T.J. Yates, or a number of other players who still remain unsigned.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.