Combine Updates: Browns, Buccaneers, Titans
General managers and head coaches around the league are speaking to the media on Wednesday and Thursday at the scouting combine in Indianapolis, and while most of them will only generally address their pending free agents or other noteworthy contract situations, a handful have revealed some interesting tidbits.
Here are a few updates from the sessions so far:
Cleveland Browns:
- Browns head coach Hue Jackson, who said the team will take a hard-line stance when it comes to not tolerating off-field behavior like Johnny Manziel‘s, was also asked about players like Josh Gordon (suspended) and Armonty Bryant (arrested). Jackson said he has spoken to Bryant, and will meet with Gordon if and when he’s reinstated, stressing that he wants high-character players and will evaluate each situation on a case-by-case basis (Twitter links via Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com and Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal).
- Jackson guaranteed that the Browns will come out of this year’s draft having picked a quarterback. However, he cautioned that the team might not use the No. 2 overall pick to select a signal-caller (Twitter link via Cabot).
- Jackson conceded that if the fit is right, he would value potential free agents who had previous experience in his system (Twitter link via Nate Ulrich). Bengals wideouts Marvin Jones and Mohamed Sanu might fit that bill.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers:
- Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht said today that the team doesn’t have any indication of whether veteran guard Logan Mankins is leaning toward retiring or playing in 2016. That decision won’t affect the Bucs either way though, according to Licht, who says the team expects to hear from Mankins within the next few weeks (Twitter links via Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times).
- Licht will meet with Doug Martin‘s agent this week, and said he’s optimistic about the possibility of working out a new deal for the running back (Twitter link via Stroud).
- If the Bucs don’t re-sign Martin, they’ll be prepared to address the position either in free agency or the draft, says Licht (Twitter link via Stroud).
- Licht expects to concentrate primarily on defensive players in the draft, but that won’t stop the Bucs from grabbing an offensive player if he’s the top player on their board (Twitter link via Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune).
Tennessee Titans:
- Titans head coach Mike Mularkey views Brian Schwenke‘s injuries as a potential cause for concern, and said the team won’t rule out the pursuit of a veteran center (Twitter link via Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com).
- Defensive tackle Al Woods is one of the Titans pending free agents that the team is talking to and wants to keep, according to Mularkey (Twitter link via McCormick).
- Mularkey doesn’t believe the Titans’ moves in free agency will tip off what the team plans to do with the No. 1 pick in the draft, per Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com. “I don’t know that it’s a telltale sign — if we do this, we won’t do that,” Mularkey said.
- The Titans don’t currently plan on making any more roster cuts prior to the start of free agency, Mularkey said (Twitter link via McCormick).
- If the Titans ultimately decide to trade the first overall pick in the draft, they’ll be looking for a “fair deal,” not necessarily one that lines up with the old draft-pick value chart, per GM Jon Robinson (Twitter link via Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com).
Travis Benjamin To Test Free Agent Market
5:19pm: Contract talks between Benjamin and the Browns have broken off, according to Rand Getlin of NFL.com (Twitter link). Benjamin’s agent, Ron Butler, confirms the fifth-year wide receiver will venture into the free agent market. Benjamin will join Alshon Jeffery and a host of No. 2-type wideouts among a crop that lacks the firepower of last year’s.
4:23pm: Word from the combine is that Browns wide receiver Travis Benjamin will test the free agent market, per Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net (on Twitter). Benjamin has “almost a handful” of meetings with other teams set up, Pauline adds. 
A report earlier this week indicated that the Browns and Benjamin were nearing a new deal, but that might not be the case. For months now, the Browns and Benjamin have been discussing a new pact. Recently, when about his pending free agency, Benjamin replied that “the ball is in my court,” suggesting that he hasn’t yet decided whether he’ll sign an extension with Cleveland or explore the open market. However, Benjamin has said multiple times that he’d like to return to the Browns. In December, Benjamin indicated that he was about 75% or 80% of the way to reaching a new deal with Cleveland. Now, he’s at least going to put his toe in the waters of free agency.
In 2015, Benjamin hauled in a career-high 68 catches for 966 yards and five touchdowns. He also served as the team’s primary punt returner, taking 28 punts back for an average of 11.6 yards per attempt. The advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus (sub. req’d) placed Benjamin in a four-way tie for the 66th best receiver amongst all qualified players. To the naked eye, however, the 26-year-old looks the part of a strong No. 2 receiving option.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Tashaun Gipson Preparing To Move On From Browns
Tashaun Gipson would like to stay with the Browns, but it appears that the interest might not be mutual. No substantial talks have taken place between the Pro Bowl safety and the Browns and Gipson is now preparing to move on, Mary Kay Cabot of The Plain Dealer writes. 
Gipson hasn’t had much contact with the Browns this offseason which is probably disappointing for him since his former defensive coordinator Ray Horton is back in Cleveland. In late December, the safety indicated that hasn’t had any talks with the club since Week 1.
Last offseason, Gipson was slapped with the second-round tender worth $2.356MM. Unsatisfied with that deal, Gipson waited until June 12th to put pen to paper, becoming the last restricted free agent to join a team for the 2015 season.
In 2013 and ’14, Gipson started 26 games for the Browns, racking up 146 tackles during that stretch and showing a knack for coming up with big plays — he grabbed 11 interceptions during those two seasons, returning two of them for touchdowns. Despite playing just 11 games in 2014, the Wyoming product earned a Pro Bowl nod. In 2015, Gipson played in 13 games, totaling 60 tackles, two interceptions, and two pass deflections. For his efforts last season, Pro Football Focus (sub. req’d) gave him a below average grade of 43.7.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Minor NFL Transactions: 2/22/16
Here are today’s minor signings, cuts, and other moves:
- The 49ers cut tight end Brian Leonhardt, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter). The 49ers were expected to cut a tight end following the addition of Garrett Celek.
- The Broncos re-signed blocking tight end Richard Gordon, according to Mike Klis of 9NEWS (on Twitter). Gordon was on the team’s 53-man roster for five weeks last year and dressed only once.
- The Steelers signed Roy Philon, per Wilson (on Twitter). Philon, a defensive tackle, has a rep for being able to move well for a player of his size.
- The Dolphins cut defensive back Dax Swanson, according to Wilson (on Twitter). Swanson’s stay in Miami was brief as he was signed to a futures deal roughly six weeks ago. Swanson had several taxi squad stints around the league in 2015, including multiple turns with the Dolphins.
- The Browns cut running back Luke Lundy, Wilson tweets.
Browns Close To Re-Signing Travis Benjamin
The Browns are close to re-signing Travis Benjamin, per Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com (on Twitter). It’s not immediately clear exactly when he feels a deal will be reached, however. 
For months now, the Browns and Benjamin have been discussing a new pact. Recently, when about his pending free agency, Benjamin replied that “the ball is in my court,” suggesting that he hasn’t yet decided whether he’ll sign an extension with Cleveland or explore the open market. However, Benjamin has said multiple times that he’d like to return to the Browns. In December, Benjamin indicated that he was about 75% or 80% of the way to reaching a new deal with Cleveland. Now, it seems that number could be finally closing in on 100%.
In 2015, Benjamin hauled in a career-high 68 catches for 966 yards and five touchdowns. He also served as the team’s primary punt returner, taking 28 punts back for an average of 11.6 yards per attempt. The advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus (sub. req’d) placed Benjamin in a four-way tie for the 66th best receiver amongst all qualified players. To the naked eye, however, the 26-year-old looks the part of a strong No. 2 receiving option.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
AFC Rumors: Pats, Osweiler, Raiders, Browns
The Patriots offered Tyrunn Walker a three-year deal as a non-tendered restricted free agent, but the defensive tackle opted to sign a one-year pact with the Lions instead. New England could have interest again, ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss reports.
New Lions GM Bob Quinn, formerly the Patriots’ scouting director, knows his former team’s interest well, and Reiss wonders how much that will play into Detroit’s decision on whether to retain the fifth-year lineman. A broken leg limited Walker to four games last season.
Potentially as a result of the then-24-year-old Walker spurning their offer, the Pats used their first-round pick on Malcom Brown. They have starters Brown and 2014 first-rounder Dominique Easley under contract, with only Alan Branch looming as a free agent. A deal for Walker doesn’t seem to make as much sense for the Patriots as it did last year.
The Lions enter 2016 with more defensive tackle queries after the franchise faced major uncertainty last offseason, when Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley both bolted. Detroit’s follow-up plan included bringing in Walker from the Saints and trading for Haloti Ngata. Both are free agents now.
Walker remains in rehab mode after also dislocating his ankle in Week 4 against the Seahawks, and ESPN.com’s Michael Rothstein writes that the Lions should use this as an opportunity to keep the talent entering his age-26 season on a one- or two-year deal, where he can prove he’s an elite talent.
Here’s some more from around the AFC.
- Steelers GM Kevin Colbert‘s already stated he will remain true to Pittsburgh’s build-from-within model and is eyeing a production leap from one of the Steelers’ holdover defenders, similar to how Cameron Heyward ascended in 2014 and Stephon Tuitt last season. “We talked about that last year, the progression has to outpace the regression of some of the older guys,” Colbert told media, including Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “I think outside help will be important but also those young guys taking that next step.” Colbert singled out linebackers Bud Dupree and Ryan Shazier, whom the Steelers used their past two first-round picks on, as potential ascending cogs. The Steelers, however, have fortified their front seven well, housing four first-round linebackers and signing Heyward to an extension last year. Pittsburgh’s pass defense slunk from 27th to 30th last season. Kaboly identifies second-year player Senquez Golson as a prime performer to elevate the Steelers’ pass defense from in-house. The 2015 second-rounder missed the entire season due to injury.
- Given that the Browns are regularly early-first-round drafters but haven’t selected a quarterback in the top five since Tim Couch in 1999, Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer doesn’t envision the Browns trading out of their No. 2 spot. While there aren’t rock-solid top-five quarterbacks in this prospect pool as there have been in recent years, the Browns have better odds at drafting this class’ best quarterback since the Titans won’t take one at No. 1. Cleveland took three QBs at No. 22 overall in the past nine years — Brady Quinn, Brandon Weeden and Johnny Manziel — only for all to falter. Cabot points to the Browns’ trading down from No. 4 to No. 8 and ending up with Justin Gilbert instead of Sammy Watkins as an example that would make Cleveland hesitant to orchestrate such a maneuver with this kind of glaring need.
- The Broncos shouldn’t give in to the escalating demands of the quarterback market in assessing their potential offer to free agent Brock Osweiler, Mark Kizsla of the Denver Post writes. Using recent contracts given to Nick Foles, Mark Sanchez and Matt Cassel, Kizsla recommends Denver offer Osweiler no more than $10MM per season, as the team’s proven it can win a Super Bowl with adequate quarterback play. Troy Renck of the Denver Post counters that Foles’ three-year, $36MM deal fits for Osweiler, who went 4-2 in games he started and played throughout, and that a $10MM offer would force Denver to scramble for lower-tier options like Robert Griffin III.
- Mackensie Alexander or Eli Apple could be options for the Raiders at No. 14, Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle writes. The Raiders are thin at corner, with waiver claim David Amerson residing as their best in-house option. But Oakland’s safety situation needs work too. After Charles Woodson‘s retirement, the Raiders cut and then re-signed Nate Allen at a lower salary.
Extra Points: Manziel, Laurinaitis, Draft
2:25pm: Dallas PD could conclude its Manziel investigation by next week, the Associated Press reports.
12:03pm: The Dallas Police Department issued an update Saturday regarding its investigation of domestic violence claims against Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel. The Dallas PD’s statement comes courtesy of Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com (Twitter link):
“On February 5, 2016, Dallas Police Department detectives began investigating a complaint of a domestic violence assault that occurred in Dallas on January 30, 2016, in which Jonathan Manziel was the listed suspect. Up to this point in the investigation, detectives have continued communicating with the complainant, interviewed witnesses, received medical records from the complainant, and obtained video from surveillance cameras. Detectives are continuing with their efforts to fully investigate the facts of this case. As this remains an on-going investigation, no details of the investigation will be released at this time. We would like to finish the investigation as soon as possible, but detectives work around the victim’s and witnesses’ schedules which can sometimes delay the process. As of today, there has been no determination as to what type of charge, if any, will be filed against Mr. Manziel. Updates to this case will be made as information comes available.”
The surveillance video mentioned in the statement is from the Hotel ZaZa, where Collen Crowley claims Manziel’s assault on her began, reports Pat McManamon of ESPN.com. As McManamon writes, Crowley stated in an affidavit that she told a hotel valet that she was scared for her life, and Manziel subsequently threw her in the passenger seat of his car. The Dallas PD has the video of Crowley’s encounter with the valet along with other surveillance, per McManamon.
Here’s more from around the NFL:
- Linebacker James Laurinaitis, whom the Rams cut Friday after he started 112 straight games for the club, was taken aback by his release. “I didn’t see this one coming,” he told Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “I thought maybe at worst, a pay cut. I still felt like I was producing.” The 29-year-old is fresh off his seventh consecutive 100-tackle season since entering the league in 2009 and, more impressively, has never missed a game. However, Pro Football Focus (subscription required) rated his 2015-16 performance an ugly 83rd out of 97 qualifying LBs.
- Although Terron Beckham – cousin of Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr. – didn’t play college football, the 23-year-old is hoping to catch on in the NFL as a running back. The 5-foot-11, 230-pounder will have a chance to impress scouts on Feb. 25 at a “shadow combine” in Indianapolis, reports Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post. The event is for draft hopefuls who aren’t invited to next week’s national scouting combine or any regional combines. Terron Beckham, who’s a trainer and fitness model, says he’s “Marshawn Lynch and [Adrian Peterson] transformed into one person.” Despite that glowing self-assessment, he’s “an extreme long shot” to end up in the league, a personnel executive told Hubbuch. Further, it’s unknown if Beckham is even eligible for the draft, per Hubboch, as neither he nor his agent have called the league office to find out.
- Speaking of the draft, teams are concerned about Michigan State quarterback Connor Cook‘s leadership abilities, Albert Breer of NFL.com tweets. Cook can, however, allay those fears at the combine, Breer adds. MSU tightly restricts scouts at practice, per Breer (Twitter link), which means they haven’t been able to watch Cook interact with teammates.
- The stock of Louisiana Tech QB Jeff Driskel is rising, perhaps as high as the second round, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle writes. “I like Driskel,” an AFC scouting director told Wilson. “He can still use more polish, but he’s got a big arm and can move and seems very coachable. I could see him being drafted higher than most people think. He helped himself a lot.”
Browns’ Alex Mack Likely To Opt Out
Browns center Alex Mack is likely to opt out of his current deal with the club by 4pm on March 4 unless Cleveland offers him a contract “he can’t refuse,” reports Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. However, even if Mack does opt out, Cabot expects the Browns to remain a possible suitor.
That March 4 date is an important deadline, because while Mack’s contract does contain no-trade language, it does not have a no franchise/transition tag clause, as Joel Corry of CBSSports.com explained earlier this week (Twitter links). If Mack were to opt out of his deal before March 1 — the deadline for teams apply franchise/transition tenders — Cleveland could still use a tag on him. So while he’ll want to announce his decision after that date, Mack must decide whether to opt out before 4pm eastern time five days before the new league year begins on March 9, hence the March 4 deadline.
[RELATED: Browns likely to pursue WR Mohamed Sanu]
As Cabot writes, the possibility of the Browns selecting a quarterback — possibly Cal’s Jared Goff or North Dakota State’s Carson Wentz — with the second overall pick would presumably be appealing to Mack, and possibly encourage him to stay, especially since, as Cabot adds, Mack has “deep roots” in Cleveland. However, the Browns won’t have the chance to select a young quarterback until the end of April, well after both when Mack is forced to make his opt-out decision and when he’ll have likely signed his next contract.
But Mack does have high hopes for the Browns as an organization — per Cabot, he met with new head coach Hue Jackson and the Senior Bowl and felt the meeting went well, and he reportedly considers Jackson to be a “fantastic coach.” It’s a similar sentiment expressed by left tackle Joe Thomas, who has expressed not only an affection for Jackson, but a hope that he won’t be traded.
From the team’s perspective, Cleveland faces the possibility of losing not only Mack, but also standout right tackle Mitchell Schwartz, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent on March 9. The Browns drafted Cameron Erving in the first round last year as something of a safety net, but the defection of two of its three best offensive lineman would no doubt be a setback for Cleveland.
Bengals Unlikely To Re-Sign Mohamed Sanu
3:28pm: The Browns, mentioned below as a potential suitor for Sanu, are indeed expected to pursue him in free agency, a source tells Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. The source added that former Bengals OC Hue Jackson “loved Sanu’s versatility.”
8:38am: The Bengals have multiple wide receivers eligible to hit the open market in March, and at least one of them is unlikely to return to Cincinnati. According to Alex Marvez of FOX Sports, there’s “virtually no chance” that the Bengals re-sign Mohamed Sanu, who is expected to explore other opportunities in free agency.
Sanu, 26, established new career highs in 2014 with 56 receptions, 790 receiving yards, and five touchdowns. However, with fellow free-agent-to-be Marvin Jones back in the mix for Cincinnati in 2015, Sanu took on a decreased role in the Bengals’ offense. Receiving half the targets that he did the year before, the former third-round pick saw his numbers dip to 33 catches and 394 yards, and he didn’t record a single touchdown. Sanu admits that he’d like a bigger role going forward, wherever he lands.
“I think about that all the time,” Sanu told Marvez on SiriusXM NFL Radio. “When you’ve got so much talent on one team, it’s hard to get the ball. It definitely crossed my mind going elsewhere. We’ve just got to see how everything unfolds.”
While Sanu’s contract year wasn’t overly impressive, he’s expected to draw interest from multiple teams in free agency, including perhaps the Browns, Falcons, and Giants, writes Marvez. This year’s wide receiver market isn’t strong, so once the top two or three options come off the board, the Bengals wideout could become a more attractive target for teams that need to upgrade the position, particularly since so many clubs will have cap space on hand. One report earlier this week estimated a deal worth $5MM annually for Sanu.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Browns Notes: Manziel, Horton, Benjamin
The Dallas Police Department obtained medical records for Colleen Crowley this week as part of the criminal investigation into whether Johnny Manziel assaulted her, according to ESPN.com’s Pat McManamon. Crowley filed a complaint weeks ago alleging that the Browns quarterback assaulted her and ruptured her eardrum. In Texas, causing serious injury could be considered aggravated assault, which is a felony. According to a source, as of one week ago, Crowley could not hear out of her left ear.
Manziel won’t be a member of the Browns much longer as the team is expected to cut him in March. Earlier today, the Browns held an introductory press conference for their new coaches and those coaches fielded questions on players who will be a part of the club in 2016. Here’s a look at some of the highlights:
- Browns defensive coordinator Ray Horton said that he left the Titans to be with new coach Hue Jackson and also said that he fell in love with Cleveland and its fans, as Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal tweets. If not for that, Horton says he could have stayed in Tennessee.
- Horton said the Browns have to give outside linebacker Paul Kruger help on the opposite side (Twitter link via Ulrich).
- Browns special teams coordinator Chris Tabor made it clear that the team wants wide receiver Travis Benjamin and safety Johnson Bademosi back, as Ulrich tweets.
- Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com (on Twitter) “wouldn’t be surprised” if the Browns lock Benjamin up to a new deal very soon. Benjamin said in December that was about 75% or 80% of the way to reaching a new deal with the Browns.
- Browns associate head coach (offense) Pep Hamilton said the staff hasn’t discussed possibility of having wide receiver Josh Gordon on the team next season, Ulrich tweets.