Browns Release Randy Starks, Jim Dray
The Browns, led by new front-office decision-makers and a new coaching staff, have begun to make changes to their roster, announcing today in a press release that they’ve released veteran defensive tackle Randy Starks and tight end Jim Dray.
[RELATED: Browns expected to cut Johnny Manziel]
Starks, 32, signed with the Browns last March after spending his previous seven years in Miami, where he earned a pair of Pro Bowl nods. Over the course of his seven seasons with the Dolphins, Starks never recorded fewer than three sacks, but he notched just a single sack in 2015 for the Browns in his 15 games, to go along with 29 tackles.
Pro Football Focus graded Starks as the Browns’ top interior defender, placing him 46th overall out of 123 qualified players. However, Cleveland decided to opt for the cap savings created by releasing Starks, rather than keeping him around for the final year of his contract. By cutting the veteran lineman, the Browns clear $3MM from their cap, and will carry just $625K in dead money.
Dray, meanwhile, was the Browns’ second tight end behind Gary Barnidge during the 2015 season. While Barndige flourished, enjoying a career year and earning a contract extension, Dray was used primarily as a blocker, earning only 16 targets all season. He caught six of them, for 61 yards.
Like Starks, Dray was heading into a contract year, so the Browns will carry minimal dead money ($300K) on their cap this season. Releasing the tight end creates $1.775MM in cap savings for Cleveland.
As vested veterans, both Starks and Dray will immediately become free agents without having to pass through waivers.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
AFC Notes: Raiders, Flacco, A. Mack, Bills, Titans
The Raiders need to find a running back to complement Latavius Murray, opines Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com. Bair lists Chris Johnson, Tim Hightower, Matt Forte, James Starks and Ronnie Hillman as potential fits through free agency.
Earlier tonight, PFR’s Rory Parks previewed the Raiders’ offseason in depth and, like Bair, named RB as a position the club could address. Click here for the rest.
More from the AFC:
- Reworking quarterback Joe Flacco‘s deal and cutting $9MM off his $28MM-plus cap hit for this year would go a long way toward helping the Ravens make improvements, Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com writes. As of Wednesday morning, the Ravens and Flacco haven’t discussed a restructuring.
- The notion that Browns center Alex Mack has a clause in his contract preventing the team from placing the franchise or transition tag on him is untrue, according to Joel Corry of CBS Sports. Corry notes (via Twitter) that Mack does have a no-trade clause, though. The 30-year-old is expected to opt out of his current deal in the coming weeks and become a free agent.
- A pair of escalators affecting the Bills‘ salary cap have been triggered, as Mike Rodak of ESPN.com tweets (Twitter links). Tyrod Taylor‘s cap number this season has increased from $1.3MM to $3.3MM based on an escalator and how his ’16 playtime incentive is treated. Bills center Eric Wood also hit an escalator that increases his 2016 cap number by $650K.
- Out of their pending free agents, the Titans are prioritizing nose tackle Al Woods and tight end Craig Stevens, Terry McCormick of Cover32.com reports. Woods made a career-high nine starts last season. Stevens has been a Titan since 2008 and is discussing a new deal with the team, per McCormick.
- Chiefs backup quarterback Chase Daniel is scheduled for free agency, but the club has too many other needs to worry about investing a decent chunk of money in a reserve signal caller, writes Adam Teicher of ESPN.com. Teicher believes it’s time for either Aaron Murray or Tyler Bray to step up and take over for Daniel as Alex Smith‘s top understudy. Although the two have been Chiefs for a combined seven years, neither has appeared in a regular-season game.
- In a Monday roundup of Ravens news and notes, Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun discusses the possibility of the team trading down from the No. 6 pick, and reexamines the likelihood of cornerback Kyle Arrington being released.
Sam Robinson contributed to this post.
2016 NFL Franchise Tag Candidates
On Tuesday, February 16th, NFL teams will be able to place franchise and transition tags on potential free agents for the first time. While the window for franchise tags opens at that point, most clubs won’t actually tag any players right away.
As our list of important dates for the 2016 offseason shows, the deadline for teams to assign those franchise and transition tags comes two weeks later, on Tuesday, March 1st. Generally when it comes to NFL contract discussions, deadlines spur action, so teams will likely wait until closer to that March deadline to officially use franchise tags, once it becomes clear that they won’t be able to strike a longer-term deal yet with their respective free-agents-to-be.
Even though the action might not heat up for a couple more weeks, it’s worth taking a closer look at what to expect during 2016’s franchise tag period. We don’t know yet what the exact salary amounts for franchise tags will be, since the NFL has yet to announce the salary cap figure for the coming year. But back in November, former agent Joel Corry of CBSSports.com projected the 2016 franchise tag salaries, based on a presumed cap of $154MM. Here are the non-exclusive franchise tag amounts projected by Corry:
- Quarterback: $19.748MM
- Running back: $11.871MM
- Wide receiver: $14.527MM
- Tight end: $9.053MM
- Offensive line: $13.678MM
- Defensive end: $15.494MM
- Defensive tackle: $13.368MM
- Linebacker: $14.131MM
- Cornerback: $13.838MM
- Safety: $10.717MM
- Punter/kicker: $4.534MM
Those numbers are unlikely to be 100% accurate, but the actual figures won’t be drastically different, so we can use them as points of reference when considering which players are candidates to be franchised in 2016.
For a refresher on the characteristics of the exclusive and non-exclusive franchise tags, as well as the transition tag, be sure to check out PFR’s glossary entry on the subject. Once you’re up to speed, let’s dive in and take a look at the most likely candidates to be tagged, along with several more outside possibilities….
Virtual locks:
Broncos pass rusher Von Miller was viewed as the top player in this year’s group of potential free agents even before he terrorized Cam Newton in Santa Clara and earned Super Bowl MVP honors. Now, there’s no doubt that Denver will do all it can to retain the former second overall pick. The only questions for Miller are whether he’ll reach a long-term deal with the Broncos before the club needs to franchise him, and whether he’d get the exclusive or non-exclusive tag.
Panthers cornerback Josh Norman didn’t make the same impact in Super Bowl 50 that Miller did, but Carolina still seems likely to franchise him to avoid letting him hit the open market. The franchise tag for cornerbacks is projected to be worth nearly $14MM, but the Panthers are in better cap shape than they have been in recent years, and can afford to take the hit.
Meanwhile, it has been a few years since a quarterback was franchised, but Washington signal-caller Kirk Cousins is a strong candidate. Reports have indicated the team won’t let him get away, but the two sides apparently aren’t close to a multiyear agreement, which makes the franchise tag the most logical option at this point.
Strong candidates:
A year or two ago, Bears receiver Alshon Jeffery would have been a no-brainer candidate for the franchise tag. However, 2015 was an up-and-down season for Jeffery, who only played in nine games due to injury issues. When he did play, Jeffery was excellent, averaging a career-high 89.7 yards per game, and few teams have more projected cap room this offseason than Chicago, so it seems unlikely that the team would let the wideout get away — especially given how weak the market for receivers is this year, outside of Jeffery.
The Jets are facing an interesting predicament on their defensive line with Damon Harrison and Muhammad Wilkerson eligible for free agency this winter. Harrison isn’t a franchise tag candidate, and the Jets could conceivably re-sign him at a reasonable price, then move forward with a defensive line of Harrison, Sheldon Richardson, and Leonard Williams. However, letting an asset like Wilkerson get away for nothing isn’t great business, which is why he has been viewed as an intriguing tag-and-trade candidate for New York.
Elsewhere in the AFC East, the Bills and Dolphins don’t have a ton of cap flexibility, which could affect their decisions on offensive tackle Cordy Glenn and defensive end Olivier Vernon, respectively. There are ways for Buffalo and Miami to create the space necessary to tag their free-agents-to-be, but 
both teams already have plenty of highly-paid veterans on their books, so the decisions aren’t no-brainers. I think Glenn, at least, is slightly more likely than not to be tagged, but both players could conceivably reach the open market.
Safety Eric Berry had a tremendous comeback season in 2015, and it would put something of a damper on that story for the Chiefs to allow him to sign elsewhere next month. A $10MM+ price tag for a safety isn’t cheap, but it’s a more affordable tag than most positions, so I think Kansas City will have to strongly consider using it if the team can’t agree on a longer-term contract with Berry. As last year’s negotiations with Justin Houston showed, the Chiefs aren’t afraid to franchise a player, then work out a multiyear pact with him later in the offseason.
One position that’s significantly cheaper than safety is kicker, where Corry projects a salary in the $4.5MM range. The Ravens and Justin Tucker have reportedly been negotiating a potential extension for over a year, but with the franchise deadline approaching, the team isn’t afraid to use a tag on Tucker, if it comes to that.
Long shots:
The Jets want to extend Ryan Fitzpatrick and the Eagles have spoken highly of Sam Bradford, but it appears unlikely that either quarterback will get franchised. At least one report has indicated that the Eagles aren’t expected to use their franchise tag to retain Bradford, and a price tag of nearly $20MM seems too high for Fitzpatrick.
Like Fitzpatrick, Buccaneers running back Doug Martin is a player whose team badly wants to re-sign him, but may view the franchise tag salary as too high. For running backs, the tag could be worth nearly $12MM, which would make Martin the second-highest-paid RB in the NFL – behind Adrian Peterson – by a comfortable margin. For a player who has been as inconsistent as Martin, that seems excessive.
A handful of offensive linemen are possible candidates to be tagged by their respective teams, including Kelechi Osemele (Ravens), Russell Okung (Seahawks), Mitchell Schwartz (Browns), Kelvin Beachum (Steelers), and Andre Smith (Bengals). However, I’d be a little surprised if even one of those five got the franchise tag. Since there’s only one price tag for all offensive linemen, the projected salary ($13.678MM) is left-tackle money, and Osemele, Schwartz, and Smith haven’t seen much – if any – playing time at left tackle. As for Okung and Beachum, I’m skeptical that their teams will want to invest too heavily in them, since they haven’t been consistently healthy and elite in recent years.
If the Broncos strike a long-term deal with Miller soon, it would free up the franchise tag for quarterback Brock Osweiler or defensive end Malik Jackson. Even in the unlikely event that Miller and the Broncos agree to terms quickly though, the franchise salaries for Osweiler and Jackson may be a little too high.
Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul got the franchise tag last year, but it’ll be pricier this season, and obviously there are more question marks this time around, given the state of his right hand. As such, I don’t think he’s a real candidate to be tagged, despite New York’s significant cap space. Bengals safety Reggie Nelson seems like a similar long-shot — he had another good season in 2015, earning his first Pro Bowl nod, but it would be surprising to see a team commit $10MM+ to a 33-year-old safety.
Finally, Tucker isn’t the only kicker or punter who has a shot to be tagged. Jaguars punter Bryan Anger, Raiders punter Marquette King, and Packers kicker Mason Crosby are among the other special teams candidates. They’re all less likely than Tucker to be franchised, but the Jags and Raiders have the most cap room in the NFL, so they could certainly afford it.
AFC Notes: Browns, Jets, Jackson, Raiders
Let’s take a look at the latest from the AFC franchises on the first 2016 Sunday without football, beginning in Cleveland, where uncertainty exists throughout the receiving corps.
- The Browns will go after one or both free agent Bengals wide receivers, Marvin Jones and Mohamed Sanu, according to Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com. The former Hue Jackson charges are available at a need area for the Browns, who may lose Travis Benjamin and are uncertain of Josh Gordon‘s playing status. Cabot puts Gordon being back in Cleveland this fall at 50-50. Gordon has not been reinstated yet after applying on Jan. 20, per Pro Football Talk (on Twitter).
- Conversely, Cabot expects Cleveland to cut Dwayne Bowe after the highly paid receiver struggled to get on the field in one of the most disappointing seasons for a wideout in recent memory. Due the team’s fourth-highest cap charge at $8MM in 2016, Bowe will cost the Browns $4.6MM in dead money if they release the declining 31-year-old target. The team will save $3.4MM by making this move, however.
- Underachieving cornerback Justin Gilbert, however, may not be joining 2014 first-round disappointment Johnny Manziel among players departing the Browns, Cabot writes, with Ray Horton‘s secondary background potentially serving as a last hope of sorts for the top-10 pick. Gilbert would cost the Browns $7.58MM if cut.
- Malik Jackson will command more money than Broncos end cohort Derek Wolfe, Troy Renck of the Denver Post writes. Wolfe signed a four-year, $36.7MM extension in January. Jackson, who’s had the more consistent career, will probably be an eight-figure AAV player if he signs with the Broncos or elsewhere after his success despite playing three different positions — defensive tackle, 4-3 defensive end and 3-4 end — the past three seasons.
- Muhammad Wilkerson should expect to be franchise-tagged, Seth Walder of the New York Daily News writes. Despite Wilkerson expressing frustration last offseason about playing under his fifth-year option and the Jets employing Sheldon Richardson and Leonard Williams, Gang Green will look to keep Wilkerson on the tag, Walder writes. The Jets could still try to trade the sixth-year end after tagging him, Walder writes, and could plan on paying him (the tag was $14.8MM for ends last year) this season before letting him walk in 2017. They’d receive a compensatory draft choice once he signs elsewhere in that scenario.
- Walder slots Ryan Fitzpatrick first and Damon Harrison third, respectively, among the Jets’ offseason priorities. He expects Fitzpatrick to receive a contract around the same parameters as the Rams’ Nick Foles accord that stands to pay him $13.8MM in guarantees on the two-year extension he signed. Walder anticipates Fitzpatrick requiring more guaranteed money to stay with the Jets but a two-year offer would be realistic.
- Donald Penn will probably be back with the Raiders after the team explores the market, Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap writes. The Raiders have a league-most $71.93MM worth of cap space, so they could easily afford to keep their left tackle of the past two seasons. Penn will be 33 in April, so it won’t take a long-term deal to keep him in Oakland. Former starters Rod Streater and Andre Holmes will be allowed to find other opportunities, Fitzgerald writes, while the team should discuss extensions for contract-year running backs Latavius Murray and Marcel Reece.
AFC Notes: Browns, Osweiler, Titans
The latest from the AFC:
- Given quarterback Brock Osweiler‘s lack of a track record, the Broncos have to take a cautious approach in re-signing the pending free agent, opines Mark Kiszla of The Denver Post. Osweiler was statistically superior to Peyton Manning last season – considering Manning’s struggles, that isn’t saying much – and Kiszla thinks the Broncos should offer him a three-year, $28.5MM deal. That probably wouldn’t be enough to prevent the 25-year-old from testing the free agent market, however.
- Browns perennial Pro Bowl left tackle Joe Thomas said in January he wanted to see who would take over the team’s vacant general manager and head coaching positions before deciding whether to ask for a trade. The Browns’ front office is now in the hands of executive vice president of football operations Sashi Brown, and Hue Jackson is their new head coach. Both have earned Thomas’ approval, which means he’s excited to continue his career in Cleveland. “He was the No. 1 guy that I was hoping that we would hire,” Thomas said of Jackson, per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. “We got the biggest fish to be had in this offseason and now he was able to put together an impressive staff, so the ship’s headed in the right direction.” On Brown, Thomas stated, “I’m really happy for him. He’s a guy that I’ve gotten to know over the last couple years in Cleveland, even before he took over as the head man, even before the conversation we had after the season, I developed a relationship with him.”
- Taylor Lewan‘s presence may make it difficult for the Titans to draft Laremy Tunsil at No. 1 overall, Jim Wyatt of Titans.com writes in a mailbag. A second-year left tackle, Lewan rated as the No. 12 overall tackle, per Pro Football Focus, last season.
Sam Robinson contributed to this post.
Joe Thomas On Johnny Manziel, Browns’ Future
Joe Thomas concedes the Browns are going to move on from Johnny Manziel, calling the 23-year-old quarterback’s latest drama “a sad ending to the story,” Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer tweets.
A six-time first-team All-Pro, Thomas said Manziel complained about concussion symptoms on Wednesday before Week 17 and didn’t see him at the Browns’ facility again, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal tweets. Thomas, however, tells reporters (including Cabot, via Twitter) he did not see Manziel the morning he was diagnosed with a concussion and only heard about the then-second-year signal-caller complaining about concussion-related symptoms.
Recent conflicting reports emerged on the nature of Manziel’s absence that week, with alcohol potentially residing at the root of his concussion diagnosis.
Manziel, seen in Las Vegas that weekend and absent from a concussion protocol-mandated check-in, started eight games in Cleveland in two seasons and finished with a 57.8 completion percentage in 2015. “It didn’t work out for Manziel in Cleveland for a lot of reasons. Hopefully he’ll get his life on track and be able to use talents,” Thomas told media, including Ulrich (Twitter link).
Manziel is under investigation by Dallas police for alleged domestic violence of his ex-girlfriend Jan. 30.
Thomas sees the Browns “probably” using their No. 2 overall pick on a quarterback, per Cabot (on Twitter). The 10th-year left tackle added (via Ulrich, on Twitter) the Browns have a bright future, as long as they “pick the right QB.”
Both Hue Jackson and Sashi Brown informed the 31-year-old Thomas he remains a key part of Cleveland’s future and the team’s new power structure doesn’t want to trade him. Thomas told media (via Cabot, on Twitter) he doesn’t think the Browns entertained the notion of trading him until the Broncos called at the trade deadline.
Jackson and Thomas met at Super Bowl 50, with Cleveland’s longtime left-edge protector telling Ulrich (on Twitter) the new Browns coach was the “No. 1 guy” he preferred in the team’s latest coaching search and that he’s “all in” (Twitter link) despite the team discussing him a trade last season.
Thomas would prefer the Browns retain free agent linemen Mitchell Schwartz and Alex Mack, calling them the best right tackle and center in the NFL, respectively, but knows such moves may not occur (Twitter link). Schwartz is an unrestricted free agent, and Mack can opt out of his Jaguars-created contract.
Photo courtesy USA Today Sports Images
Extra Points: Combine, Draft, Colts, Browns
The NFL announced the 332 participants who will perform at the NFL Scouting Combine, with potentially high-value quarterbacks Jared Goff, Paxton Lynch and Carson Wentz among the prospects invited.
These quarterbacks figure to be jostling for the right to either go No. 1 overall, in the event the Titans trade their pick, or be the first signal-caller off the board.
Despite coming from Division I-FCS North Dakota State, Wentz looks to be out front right now, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report hears (video link). The 6-foot-6 Wentz’s rise to this point comes from being the only quarterback scouts have seen throw since the season ended, Cole notes, with Wentz impressing the scouting armada at last month’s Senior Bowl.
Sources told Cole, however, younger QBs Goff and Lynch may have higher ceilings due to their age and potential for physical growth and calls this race a fluid situation.
Here’s more from Cole and others from around the league.
- Although Ronnie Stanley rates as the top tackle prospect by many outlets, GMs and other NFL sources are questioning the Notre Dame lineman’s work ethic, Cole reports (video link). Stanley’s decision to train for the Combine in Las Vegas resides the crux of this concern, one GM told Cole.
- The Colts rearranged their coaching staff, shifting multiple assistants to different position groups, Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star tweets. Jim Hostler will shift from coaching the wide receivers to coaching the tight ends this coming season, and Tim Berbenich will transition to the assistant quarterbacks coach job after he served as a defensive assistant last season.
- The Browns adjusted their analytics-geared front office again on Thursday, according to Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal. Former director of football research Ken Kovash will now assist new player personnel VP Andrew Berry in running the scouting department. Kevin Meers, a source tells cleveland.com (via Ulrich), will now lead the research department. Meers and Berry will report to new football operations VP Sashi Brown, who has final say on the 53-man roster, Ulrich reports. Meers, Berry, Brown and new chief strategy officer Paul DePodesta are all Harvard graduates.
AFC North Notes: Burfict, Browns, Suisham
Shortly after word broke a month ago that Vontaze Burfict would face a three-game suspension for repeated on-field safety violations, reports indicated that the Bengals linebacker would meet with commissioner Roger Goodell to discuss the penalty. That meeting, which Burfict hopes will help get his suspension reduced, hasn’t happened yet, but it’s set to take place within the next week, according to Coley Harvey and James Walker of ESPN.com.
Here’s more from out of the AFC North:
- Browns director of football research Ken Kovash has received a promotion from the team, a source tells Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com (Twitter links). The team is still determining his new title, but Kovash is expected to help new VP of player personnel Andrew Berry run the Browns’ scouting department.
- Chris Boswell converted 29 of 32 field goal tries for the Steelers in 2015, but veteran kicker Shaun Suisham, who spent the season on IR, fully intends to reclaim his job this year, as he tells Chris Adamski of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “The first thing I need to do is get healthy,” said Suisham, who continues to recover from a torn ACL. “If I’m healthy, I think I will be in good position to get my old job back.”
- Few NFL teams restructure contracts as frequently as the Steelers do, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com, who takes an in-depth look at why Pittsburgh is constantly moving around money, how it benefits the club, and how it can backfire as well.
- Hue Jackson‘s first major challenge will be carrying out a culture change in the Browns‘ locker room, Bud Shaw of Cleveland.com writes. Shaw wonders if the Browns will now put more emphasis on character in the draft now that Jackson is part of the organization.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Brees, Haden, Others Get Salary Guarantees
Several NFL players are on contracts containing language stating that they’ll get a full or partial salary guarantee for the 2016 season if they remained on their respective teams beyond the third day after this year’s Super Bowl. That third day came and went on Wednesday, and while not every player with a guarantee deadline locked in that money – Nate Allen was cut by the Raiders, while Dannell Ellerbe reworked his deal with New Orleans – most of those guys had their contracts remain untouched.
Per Joel Corry of CBSSports.com, here are the players who were assured of full or partial salary guarantees for 2016 after remaining under contract on Wednesday:
- Drew Brees, QB (Saints): $10.85MM of $19.75MM base salary for 2016 now fully guaranteed. This gives Brees a little extra leverage in contract negotiations with the Saints, but doesn’t drastically change his outlook — he’ll be back in New Orleans next season, likely with an extension in hand.
- Joe Haden, CB (Browns): $10.1MM base salary for 2016 now fully guaranteed. Concussion issues wiped out most of the 2015 season for Haden, but he was in no real danger of being cut before this amount – previously guaranteed for injury only – became fully guaranteed.
- Jairus Byrd, S (Saints): $7.4MM base salary for 2016 now fully guaranteed. So far, Byrd hasn’t exactly lived up to the massive deal he signed with New Orleans two years ago, but there’s still so much dead money left on it that it makes sense for the team to keep him around.
- Curtis Lofton, LB (Raiders): $3.5MM of $5.35MM base salary for 2016 now fully guaranteed. Lofton’s first year in Oakland certainly wasn’t his best, and the Raiders could’ve cleared his entire salary from their books if they’d cut him along with Allen, but the team has so much excess cap room that it can afford to bring back the veteran linebacker and hope for a better season.
While there are a few more contract guarantees to keep an eye on in February, including several for Seahawks players, most guarantee dates arrive in March, at – or shortly after – the start of the new league year. So we shouldn’t expect to see many teams cutting players to narrowly beat those guarantee deadlines for at least a few more weeks.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Armonty Bryant, De’Ante Saunders Indicted
FEBRUARY 10, 1:37pm: Bryant and Saunders have been indicted on felony charges, according to a report from NewsNet5.com. Bryant was indicted on two counts of felony drug possession, while Saunders was indicted for improperly handling firearms in a motor vehicle, per the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas.
DECEMBER 26, 2:32pm: A gun belonging to Saunders was in his glove compartment without a permit, the Akron Beacon Journal’s Nate Ulrich reports (on Twitter), with a Cuyahoga County prosecutor will review the matter.
A Cuyahoga County prosecutor will also review Bryant’s case, per Ulrich (on Twitter), and the third-year player has not been charged. Bryant was arrested for possession of Adderall, and he could not produce a prescription, Ulrich tweets. If he can’t provide a prescription, Bryant could also be subject to an NFL suspension, Cabot tweets.
1:25pm: Saunders has been charged with drunk driving and speeding and could also face a charge of having a gun while drunk, Evan McDonald of Cleveland.com reports (on Twitter, via Mary Kay Cabot).
Bryant could face charges if he’s unable to produce a prescription for the Adderall in his possession at the time of the stop, McDonald reports (via Cabot, on Twitter).
8:30am: Browns linebacker Armonty Bryant and cornerback De’Ante Saunders were arrested early Christmas morning, reports Scott Taylor of WOIO TV in Cleveland (via Twitter). According to Taylor, the duo was stopped on I-71 and arrested at 2:16 am on Friday morning. Saunders was arrested for OVI (operating a vehicle impaired) and speeding.
The two players were picked up by a friend after being processed early Christmas morning. Saunders refused a breath test, McDonald reports. He will appear in court Monday.
Browns general manager Ray Farmer gave Taylor a brief statement regarding the arrests (via Twitter):
“We have been made aware of the arrests of De’Ante Saunders and Armonty Bryant after a traffic stop early Friday morning.
These are charges that we take very seriously. The importance of responsible decision-making is something we continually stress to all members of our organizations, which makes it extremely disappointing that these two individuals would put themselves in this situation by making such poor decisions.
Armony will be inactive on Sunday for our game against the Chiefs and will not travel with the team to Kansas City so he can tend to this personal legal matter.
In addition to being a pending legal matter, this incident is subject to the NFL personal conduct policy and we have no further comment at this time.”
Bryant, a seventh-round pick in 2013, is having a career year in 2015. The 25-year-old has started two of his 14 games, compiling career-highs in tackles (40), sacks (5.5), and forced fumbles (two). Bryant is set to make $675K next season, but the Browns could cut the linebacker without being left with any dead money.
Saunders, an undrafted rookie, joined the Browns in November. The Tennessee State product made his only appearance in Week 9 against the Bengals, where he compiled a single tackle. The 23-year-old was on the Browns practice squad at the time of the arrest.