Seven Rookies Remain Unsigned
Updated on June 25th, 2016 3:32pm CT
The overwhelming majority of the rookies in the 2016 draft class have officially signed. However, as we approach July, we still have a small group of stragglers. Seven rookies have yet to put pen to paper with their respective teams and that group includes three first-rounders: Joey Bosa (Chargers, No. 3), Darron Lee (Jets, No. 20) and Joshua Garnett (49ers, No. 28). 
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Bosa, of course, stands as the most high-profile player yet to sign his rookie pact and his negotiations are also the most public of the bunch. This week, agent Todd France and team president of football operations John Spanos both discussed the negotiations in radio interviews and it appears that the two sides aren’t even in agreement as to what the disagreement is all about. Spanos says the two sides are hung up on the idea of offset language. France, meanwhile, says there are other reasons behind the protracted talks, including cash flow.
The latest Collective Bargaining Agreement has made rookie contracts much simpler than they used to be. Every rookie from No. 1 through (roughly) No. 256 receives a four-year deal with varying salary amounts based on where they are selected. However, offset language is among the key clauses which may be discussed. If a player with offset language in his contract his released midway through the deal, the original team is only on the hook for the difference in salary between the two contracts. Without offset language, the player can effectively double dip and collect two paychecks. Naturally, there are many player agents who are disinclined to forfeit that potential earning power.
Of the seven players without signed deals, four of those players are third-round picks. That’s because contracts in the third round are, for some reason, far less regulated than the rest of the draft. While third round picks have slotted signing bonuses like everyone else, the base salaries can be brokered and that’s probably at least part of the holdup for these four rookies. However, one pattern to note is that first-rounders Bosa, Lee, Fuller, and Garnett are all represented by powerhouse agency CAA.
Here is the complete list of 2016 rookies who have yet to complete their contracts with signatures and initials:
Cleveland Browns
- 3-65: Carl Nassib, DE (Penn State)
Dallas Cowboys
- 3-67: Maliek Collins, DT (Nebraska)
New York Jets
- 1-20: Darron Lee, LB (Ohio State)
San Diego Chargers
San Francisco 49ers
- 1-28: Joshua Garnett, G (Stanford)
Tennessee Titans
- 3-64: Kevin Byard, DB (Middle Tennessee State)
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Danny Shelton Lost 30 Pounds This Offseason
- Browns defensive tackle Danny Shelton lost 30 pounds this offseason, and his improved physique should allow him to stay on the field for more snaps. “He can do so many more things at the weight he’s at right now and the condition he’s in,’‘ defensive line coach Robert Nunn told Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. “So he’s got to keep that and time will tell. He’s the one that controls that. I can help him only so much and the strength coaches can only help him so much and Coach Jackson can only help him so much. I think he sees the difference of where he was and where he can be.”
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Hue Jackson "Not Even Close" To Naming No. 1 QB
With the Browns’ minicamp in the books, head coach Hue Jackson said Thursday he’s “not even close” to naming a starting quarterback and acknowledged that there will be an open competition in training camp, tweets Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. Offseason free agent pickup Robert Griffin III seems like a good bet to win the job, but he’ll have to beat out a group headlined by fellow veteran Josh McCown – who was impressive last season.
Browns Sign Third-Round QB Cody Kessler
- The Browns signed third-round pick Cody Kessler, as Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal writes. Kessler, a USC product who went 93rd overall, had less hype than other quarterbacks in this year’s class but wound up being taken earlier than some big names at the position.
Browns Sign Patrick Murray
The Browns have signed kicker Patrick Murray, according to his agents at Schwartz and Feinsod (Twitter link). Murray was with the Buccaneers until he was waived in May. 
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Murray spent last season on IR after the Bucs waived him with an injury designation. In his only year of action, 2014, Murray converted 20 of 24 field goals. Murray will now presumably enter into a kicking competition with Travis Coons. Cleveland has been looking into kickers this offseason following a year in which Coons saw four of his kicks blocked. Last month, the Browns claimed kicker Jaden Oberkrom off waivers from the Jaguars only to see the TCU product retire days later.
In other Browns news, former GM Ray Farmer recently opened about what he thinks went wrong with Johnny Manziel. Farmer placed a fair amount of blame on the former Texas A&M star for his actions but also said that the team was not prepared to deal with his level of celebrity.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Browns Coach Hue Jackson On RGIII
Some would say that RGIII is coming to Cleveland with baggage, but new Browns coach Hue Jackson wouldn’t agree. 
Browns Notes: Manziel, Farmer, Jackson
- In an interview on ESPN, former Browns GM Ray Farmer said that the organization was not ready to handle Johnny Manziel‘s level of celebrity, which hindered the quarterback’s development. “In Johnny’s case, I truly feel like a lot of people piled on the young man,” Farmer said (transcript via USA Today). “He’s done his share of helping everybody get on top of that bandwagon, but the reality is the responsibility is born by both the club, and the player. And when the club doesn’t follow up on its end, it makes it that much easier for players to get off track.”
- Browns defensive end Desmond Bryant says he was absolutely hoping that Cleveland would hire Hue Jackson, whom he referred to as his favorite coach (Twitter link via Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal). Bryant played for Jackson in Oakland in 2011.
Browns Sign Shon Coleman
- The Browns announced the signing of third-round offensive tackle Shon Coleman. Coleman, selected with the No. 76 overall pick, was a two-year starter at Auburn. Cleveland have now signed 11 of their 14 rookies from this year’s enormous class.
Hue Jackson Wants RGIII To Earn Starting Job
- In response to a reader wondering when Browns head coach Hue Jackson would officially name Robert Griffin III Cleveland’s starting quarterback, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer said that the formal designation would probably come after the preseason games begin. Per Cabot, Jackson wants Griffin to earn the job, and RGIII is getting a strong push from Josh McCown—who looks ready to start tomorrow—and rookie Cody Kessler, who is handling his learning curve nicely.
Josh McCown Wants QB Competition Resolved Quickly
- Before settling in on a five-year, $37MM contract with the Eagles, safety Rodney McLeod received similar offers from other teams. Jimmy Kempski of The Philly Voice tweets that McLeod heard from the Jaguars, Browns, and Buccaneers.
- Josh McCown would prefer that the Browns make their starting quarterback decision sooner than later, the signal-caller said on 850 WKNR in Cleveland (via Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com). “I’m a human being and there’s no doubt, you want things mapped out,” McCown said. “I don’t like it, but I think it helps me get better.”
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