Mike Shanahan Wasn’t Sold On RG3 Trade
Lukewarm about Washington trading so much to acquire Robert Griffin III in the first place, Mike Shanahan became further divided against the team’s then-franchise quarterback and Daniel Snyder, whom he felt was partially responsible for pulling the strings for Griffin, after a February 2013 meeting.
The current Browns projected starter, Griffin addressed Mike Shanahan, then-OC Kyle Shanahan and then-QBs coach Matt LaFleur to discuss things he wanted to change about the offense, according to an expansive report from TheUndefeated.com’s Jason Reid. Then coming off a torn ACL sustained during Washington’s playoff defeat against the Seahawks, Griffin said 19 of Washington’s plays were unacceptable to run, primarily identifying several from the zone-read-based package that helped the former Baylor spread passer to the 2012 offensive rookie of the year award, and expected them to be removed from the playbook, Reid writes. RG3 concluded the meeting, which featured video examples of his points, by identifying himself as a dropback passer rather than a running quarterback.
Griffin using the word “unacceptable” pointed Mike Shanahan to connect the dots to this mandate having a Snyder touch, in his opinion, with Washington’s owner using that word often.
“I said to Dan, ‘Do you realize what you’re doing to this kid?’” Shanahan told Reid of a coach-owner summit that occurred immediately after Griffin’s address. “He was using phrases Dan used all the time. There’s only one way a guy who’s going into his second year would do something like this: If he sat down with the owner and the owner believed that this is the way he should be used. He had to have the full support of the
owner and, in my opinion, the general manager to even have a conversation like that. … We tried to get him to slide. We tried to get him to throw the ball away. If he had told me he was hurt, I would have taken him out of the [playoff] game. To hear him … it was really incredible.”
Ironically, Shanahan changed Washington’s offense to fit Griffin’s speed and lack of polish as a dropback passer. Griffin, though, hasn’t been the same since that rookie slate when he threw for 20 touchdown passes and rushed for 815 yards while throwing for 3,200. In 13 games in 2013, RG3 threw for 3,203 but rushed for just 489 as Washington went 3-10 during his starts before giving way to the now-franchise-tagged
Kirk Cousins to close out that season.
“When I finally sat down with Dan, I said, ‘Hey, you own the team. We can work with him and do some things. But we haven’t seen anything on tape that warrants giving [up] this type of compensation.’ To me, it was absolutely crazy,” Shanahan told Reid about his stance at the time on Griffin, for whom Washington traded its first-round pick in 2012, along with its 2013 and ’14 first-rounders. “But I told Dan that if that’s what he wanted to do, I’d make it work.”
Responding to his former coach’s comments, the recently signed Browns passer did not offer a rebuttal, according to the team website.
“I’m so far removed from Washington now and focused on this opportunity here in Cleveland that I don’t even worry about those things anymore,” Griffin said. “I can only focus on what I can control and that’s here in Cleveland … I didn’t even see that story.”
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Minor NFL Transactions: 5/18/16
Today’s minor moves:
- The Browns claimed kicker Jaden Oberkrom off waivers from the Jaguars, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter). Waived by the Jags on Monday to make room for veteran guard Jeff Linkenbach, Oberkrom kicked for four years at TCU, making 79-of-100 field goals for the Horned Frogs. He’ll join Travis Coons and Brad Craddock as Cleveland’s rostered kickers. However, the Browns are searching for help after Coons had four kicks blocked last season, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.
- The Panthers have added wide receiver Avius Capers to the roster, as David Newton of ESPN.com tweets. Capers is a familiar face for the Panthers, having spent time with the team in training camp last year. As of this writing, Carolina has a dozen receivers on its roster.
- The Colts are signing former New Mexico State corner Winston Rose following a successful private workout, Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle tweets. Rose boasts a 4.37-second 40-yard-dash time and his speed has led to NFL attention.
- The Packers have signed safety Jermaine Whitehead, according to a source who spoke with Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. Whitehead finished last season with Baltimore, who signed him late in the year off San Francisco’s practice squad.
Former Manager On Johnny Manziel
- Maverick Carter, who works closely with LeBron James and once managed Johnny Manziel, tells Mark Anthony Green of GQ that he doesn’t regret his association with the former Browns quarterback. “No, I don’t regret it,” Carter said. “I met Johnny and liked him. He obviously was who he was coming out, which is gigantic. I feel like we did a great job with Johnny and helped him a lot. But he was his biggest opponent. He’s a very intelligent guy—he’s just his biggest opponent. Still is. But to this day, if he called me, I’d go help him in a second. So that’s another reason why I can’t regret it: I made relationships with him and his family that’ll probably last a lifetime.”
Browns Sign Eric Patterson
- The Browns signed defensive back Eric Patterson, Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle tweets. The 23-year-old entered the NFL last year as a UDFA with New England. The Ball State product appeared in two games for Indianapolis and one with St. Louis.
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Browns “Surprised” By Return From Trade With Eagles
The Browns, with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2016 draft but with a fairly depleted roster, were looking to trade the N0. 2 pick in an effort to acquire more selections and address their numerous weaknesses with as much young talent as possible. Apparently, though, they did not know just how fruitful such a trade would be.
Rather than keeping the No. 2 overall pick and selecting quarterback Carson Wentz or an elite defensive prospect like Jalen Ramsey, the Browns–who had already signed Robert Griffin III in free agency–traded the pick, along with a fourth-round selection in 2017, to the Eagles in exchange for the No. 8 overall choice, a third-rounder and a fourth-rounder in 2016, a first-rounder in 2017, and a second-rounder in 2018.
Cleveland executive VP of football operations, Sashi Brown, speaking at a state of the team address at the Browns’ Fan Fest yesterday, said, “We were pleased with it. I was a little surprised we got as much as we did, but some hard negotiating and [VP of player personnel Andrew Berry] was a big help in that, keeping me at bay and not pulling the trigger too soon. We were able to come away with what should be the foundation of the championship team that we’re going to build.” (link via Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer).
The Browns, of course, were not done there. On draft day, they dealt the No. 8 overall pick from Philadelphia to the Titans in exchange for Tennessee’s No. 15 overall choice, the No. 76 overall choice, and a 2017 second-rounder. After even more wheeling and dealing, Cleveland ended the draft with 14 new players, including a quarterback, Cody Kessler, and now have two first-round and two second-round picks in 2017.
But building upon that youthful foundation and turning it into a winning product is an entirely different matter, as Browns fans know all too well. As Brown said earlier this month, “You always have that second-guessing in the back of your mind that if the player that we would’ve selected there at two pans out. You’re going to be thinking about it for a long time certainly.”
Nonetheless, Brown cannot doubt the process that led him to this point, especially since Philadelphia was willing to part with more assets than Cleveland had anticipated. Said Brown, “When we really sat down and talked with Philly, understand the batch of picks they were wanting to put together, where we sit as a roster today, this was the right decision for us. We felt like we could still get the No. 1 wide receiver on our board (Corey Coleman), which was coveted by us certainly in the building to support [Griffin], and what we want to do on offense and the running game that will be the engine of what we want to do on [offense]. But we were able to do position ourselves for today to address the roster but also moving forward in the future to have more flexibility.”
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Hue Jackson On Browns' QB Situation
The Browns have several options to choose from as they select their starting quarterback — they did not promise a starting job to Robert Griffin III, third-round rookie Cody Kessler is expected to be given an opportunity to compete, and even Josh McCown is still a threat to earn the starting role. And though head coach Hue Jackson says Cleveland will choose a starter “way before” the season begins, the club doesn’t feel the need to rush when naming its No. 1 signal-caller.
Browns Rumors: RG3, McCown, Nassib, Trades
Although the Browns paid a high-end backup price for Robert Griffin III at two years and $15MM, the team signed the wayward quarterback with the intention he could be their long-term option.
“Our plan would be for Robert, if it carries out, to come in, solidify himself and then, if we felt like he’s our answer longer-term, to begin working on a longer-term deal,” GM Sashi Brown told media — including Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal. “... He’s just 26 years old and he wants to play for a long time. He provides that upside, if he’s able to come in and do what’s first, which is establish himself as a starter and a capable starter for us.”
Cleveland’s brass is not ready to hand the starting job to Griffin right now, with Josh McCown still in the mix and third-round pick Cody Kessler likely a developmental option. But the Browns are at least paying lip service to the fact the 2012 offensive rookie of the year can resurrect his career for a team that’s had the worst run at quarterback since re-spawning in 1999.
Here’s more coming out of Cleveland.
- Despite Griffin’s signing cosmetically looking like it leaves McCown without a place on a rebuilding team, the 36-year-old passer remains a threat to keep his starting job, per Ulrich. The Browns would also consider keeping him if he doesn’t. “[We want to] have him come in and compete to be our starter,” Brown said. “Josh has been a great presence for our young guys in the locker room, and that QB room is enhanced by his presence. I think [keeping him even if he doesn’t win the starting job will] be a consideration.” Amid the disastrous Johnny Manziel experiment that cycled in and out of the huddle last season, McCown completed 63.7% of his passes and threw 12 touchdown passes compared to four interceptions despite being saddled with one of the league’s worst pass-catching contingents. McCown is owed just more than $5MM this season, the last year of his contract, and the Browns would carry $2.33MM in dead money if they cut him. Of course, with more than $41MM in cap space right now, the Browns aren’t exactly geared toward 2016 contention.
- One of the Browns’ Day 2 picks, Carl Nassib, caused the new GM to make a lofty comparison. Brown said the 6-foot-7 former Penn State pass-rusher has “as good of a motor, if not better, than Joey Bosa,” per Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer (on Twitter). The Vince Lombardi Award winner after registering a Division I-FBS-best 15.5 sacks for the Nittany Lions last year, Nassib out-produced Bosa last season. But the Ohio State pass-rusher collected 26 sacks in three seasons and recorded 51 tackles for loss in that span, giving the former Buckeye a much more consistent resume.
- Although there isn’t much of a way to disprove this, Brown said Emmanuel Ogbah was the top player the Browns hoped would still be there when they picked at No. 32 (via Ulrich, on Twitter). As a junior at Oklahoma State, Ogbah finished tied for fourth nationally last season with 13 sacks.
- Brown also challenged those who questioned the team’s pick of Princeton tight end Seth DeValve in the fourth round, telling media (including Ulrich, on Twitter) that they won’t be second-guessing the selection for long.
Browns Were UDFA Mike Matthews' First Choice
- Tom Reed of Cleveland.com takes a look at Browns undrafted rookie free agent Mike Matthews, a former Texas A&M center who is brother to Jake Matthews and cousin to Clay Matthews. Mike, for his part, says Cleveland was his first choice when identifying potential landing spot.
Browns' Minicamp Roster Includes 14 Tryout Players
- The Browns agreed to terms with 11 undrafted free agents last week, but only 10 ultimately signed deals, according to Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal, who tweets that the club’s agreement with Missouri defensive back Kenya Dennis fell through. In addition to the 32 players on Cleveland’s roster who will participate in the team’s rookie minicamp, the Browns are also bringing in 14 tryout players — one of those players is former fifth-round quarterback Ricky Stanzi.
Browns Sign Corey Coleman, Other Draftees
No NFL team has more draftees to lock up than the Browns, who selected 14 players in this year’s draft, averaging two picks per round. The team has begun to put a dent into its rookie class, announcing today that six draft picks, including first-round wide receiver Corey Coleman, have officially signed contracts.
Here’s the full list of Cleveland draftees that have formally put pen to paper so far:
- 1-15: Corey Coleman, WR (Baylor)
- 5-154: Jordan Payton, WR (UCLA) (previously reported)
- 5-168: Spencer Drango, OL (Baylor)
- 5-172: Rashard Higgins, WR (Colorado State)
- 5-173: Trey Caldwell, CB (Louisiana-Monroe)
- 7-250: Scooby Wright, LB (Arizona) (previously reported)
In addition to securing their top pick, the Browns have now signed their last five selections as well, leaving eight unsigned players in between — that list includes second-round pass rusher Emmanuel Ogbah, along with three third-round picks and four fourth-rounders.
Coleman, who figures to be catching passes from either Robert Griffin III or Josh McCown in his rookie season, will get a four-year deal worth about $11.655MM, with a signing bonus of $6.676MM and a first-year cap hit of $2.119MM, according to Over the Cap’s data. Coleman’s contract will also feature a fifth-year option for 2020, allowing Cleveland to control him for an extra season.
The Browns’ selection of Coleman at No. 15 overall last month was the result of multiple trades down, first from No. 2, then from No. 8.
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