Browns Fire OC Todd Haley
Hue Jackson isn’t the only one cleaning out his office in Cleveland. The Browns have also fired offensive coordinator Todd Haley, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). 
[RELATED: Browns Fire Hue Jackson]
Initially, when Jackson was fired, it sounded as though Browns ownership had chosen Haley over Jackson in the wake of their rift. As it turns out, both men have been told to pack their bags.
Haley delivered results as the Steelers’ offensive coordinator, but his brash personality has been both a positive and a negative throughout his career. In Cleveland, his approach clearly did not jibe with Jackson, and his results did not inspire confidence among the Browns’ decision makers. This year, the Browns have averaged 342.4 yards per game, good for just 24th in the league. Meanwhile, their 65 offensive penalties (2nd highest in the NFL) have cost them 511 yards.
To replace Haley, the Browns have promoted assistant Freddie Kitchens to the interim OC role. Meanwhile, defensive coordinator Gregg Williams was promoted to head coach, replacing Jackson.
Browns Fire Hue Jackson
The Browns fired head coach Hue Jackson, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter) reports. The decision comes one day after the Browns lost to the rival Steelers, dropping their record to 2-5-1 on the year. 
[RELATED: Browns Fire OC Todd Haley]
Jackson has gone 3-36-1 as the Browns’ head coach, so his dismissal seemed like an inevitability. New GM John Dorsey (perhaps with some pressure from ownership) gave Jackson a reprieve upon taking over, but the Browns have not been able to capitalize on their stockpile of talent under Jackson’s guidance this year.
It’s possible that Jackson’s rift with offensive coordinator Todd Haley played a role in his midseason dismissal. Their issues were very apparent during the “Hard Knocks” miniseries and, recently, Jackson pushed for more involvement in offensive decision-making.
Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams was promoted to head coach on Monday afternoon, replacing Jackson. Meanwhile, the Browns promoted assistant Freddie Kitchens to the interim OC role to take over for Haley.
Dorsey, owner Jimmy Haslam, and other “power brokers” within the organization met on Monday morning to determine the best course of action going forward, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (video link) hears. At first, it sounded like the team opted to fire Jackson and stick with Haley. Instead, they got rid of both men.
It sounds like we can count Baker Mayfield among those that are in favor of the change. Rapoport (Twitter link) hears the rookie quarterback is not going to miss the 53-year-old coach.
A fun fact from Schefter (on Twitter): the last six Browns head coaches – Romeo Crennel, Eric Mangini, Pat Shurmur, Rod Chudzinski, Mike Pettine, and Jackson – were fired after the second Steelers game of that season.
Jackson had two years remaining on his contract, so the Browns are contractually obligated to pay him through 2019 season. His salary may be offset by another job, however.
Patriots Interested In Acquiring WR, Have Discussed Demaryius Thomas
The Patriots are interested in acquiring a “bona fide, premium” receiver before Tuesday’s trade deadline, according to Jay Glazer of Fox Sports (Twitter link), and New England has at least discussed Broncos wideout Demaryius Thomas, reports Michael Girardi of NFL.com (Twitter link).
New England, of course, has already made one move for a pass-catcher earlier this year, picking up Josh Gordon and a seventh-round pick from the Browns in exchange for a fifth-rounder. But adding another receiver to a depth chart that already includes Gordon, Julian Edelman, Chris Hogan, Phillip Dorsett, and Cordarrelle Patterson could prove appealing for the Patriots as they head into the second half of the season.
As Girardi tweets, the Patriots aren’t necessarily focused on any one player or position as the trade deadline approaches, but Thomas is undoubtedly available for the right price. The Broncos have reportedly received interest in both Thomas and fellow wideout Emmanuel Sanders, but they’d prefer to move Thomas — and his contract — off their books. Thomas is signed through 2019, but the Patriots — or any club that acquired the veteran receiver — could cut him after 2018 with no dead money accelerating onto their cap.
For the rest of the 2018 campaign, Thomas would be relatively affordable, as he’s due roughly $4.5MM over the next nine weeks. The Patriots currently have ~$5.1MM in available cap space, per Over the Cap, meaning they’d just barley be able to fit Thomas onto their books without making any other moves. Thomas, 30, has posted 33 receptions on 49 targets, managing 372 yards and three touchdowns in the process.
Lane Johnson Tears MCL
Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson suffered an MCL tear in his left knee during the team’s win over Jacksonville in London today, per Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link). The Eagles are on a bye next week, but Johnson nonetheless could miss an extended period of time. Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets that Johnson, who was already dealing with an ankle injury (to the same leg), will be sidelined for about a month. McLane adds that the 2017 First Team All-Pro will have further testing when the team returns to Philadelphia.
Johnson, whom the team selected with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2013 draft, is having another excellent season. He is currently ranked as the 10th-best tackle in the league, per Pro Football Focus, and the Eagles — whose running game is already sputtering — will miss him dearly during his absence.
Johnson’s fellow bookend, left tackle Jason Peters, also left today’s game with a head injury. Though Peters did return to action, he has not been playing to his usual standards this year, and he is dealing with other health issues of his own (plus, he is 36 and is clearly on the tail end of his career).
There have been no trade rumors surrounding tackles in advance of Tuesday’s trade deadline, and the Eagles will likely ask Halapoulivaati Vaitai to fill in at right tackle while Johnson is out.
Johnson signed a lucrative five-year extension in January 2016, which was restructured (to his benefit) last March. He is under club control through 2021.
DeSean Jackson Requests Trade
Buccaneers wide receiver DeSean Jackson recently requested that the team trade him, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. However, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times tweets that Bucs head coach Dirk Koetter is unaware of the request, and if Jackson did ask for a trade, it would be surprising if Koetter did not know about it.
In any event, Rapoport says that the 3-3 Bucs have refused to grant that request, and it appears as if the team will hold on to Jackson through Tuesday’s trade deadline. After all, Koetter’s job security is tenuous at best, and GM Jason Licht is probably not much safer. As such, team brass may have personal reasons, as well as on-field reasons, to keep Jackson around.
Jackson signed a three-year deal, $33.5MM deal with the Bucs in March 2017, but he and quarterback Jameis Winston never got on the same page during Jackson’s first year with the club, and Jackson’s deep ball skills were sorely underutilized. He caught 50 balls for 668 yards and three scores last season, and his 13.4 yards per catch average was the lowest mark of his career.
This year, he and backup signal-caller Ryan Fitzpatrick were making magic together through the first two games of the season, but since Winston has resumed quarterbacking duties, Jackson has once again seen his numbers take a dip. In each of the last two games, Winston has missed an open Jackson for what would have likely been a long touchdown pass.
Although the Bucs have declined to honor Jackson’s request to date, this report will surely increase interest in the 31-year-old playmaker (who turns 32 on December 1). Any acquiring team would take on the remainder of his $11MM salary for this season and would be on the hook for his $10MM salary in 2019, but he could be released after the 2018 campaign without any dead money being left on the cap.
Texans WR Will Fuller Done For Season
On Friday morning, tests confirmed the Texans’ worst fears. Wide receiver Will Fuller suffered a season-ending torn ACL and will be placed on injured reserve, head coach Bill O’Brien announced. 
Fuller, 24, was on pace to have the best season of his career. Through seven games, he hauled in 32 catches for 503 yards and four touchdowns and reeled 71.% percent of all passes thrown to him by Deshaun Watson. The Texans will have to get by without Fuller’s production and the attention that he takes off of star receiver DeAndre Hopkins.
Since entering the league as a first-round pick out of Notre Dame in 2016, Fuller has missed eight possible regular season games. That number will grow to 17 after he misses the second half of the 2018 season.
The Texans are now expected to survey the free agent market for receivers. Many will connect the dots between the Texas team and Dez Bryant, but there are no indications that the Texans are interested in the veteran. Terrelle Pryor is also among those looking for work, and he says he’s healthy and ready to contribute.
Alternatively, the Texans could look to their practice squad for reinforcements. They currently have three receivers – Malachi Dupre, Cyril Grayson, and Issac Whitney – waiting in the wings.
Patrick Peterson: I’m Committed To Cardinals
It sounds like Patrick Peterson no longer wants out of Arizona. With less than a week to go until the trade deadline, Peterson says he is committed to helping the Cardinals win. 
“I’ve been incredibly frustrated with how the season has gone,” Peterson wrote in a statement. “But my energy is 100% focused on being part of the solution and helping us turn this around. I’ve never shied away from a challenge before and I’m not starting now. I have always given my all to the Cardinals organization, my teammates, and fans. That is what I intend to do for the years to come. I am an Arizona Cardinal, and my focus is on this week’s game.”
P2 has long been regarded as one of the league’s very best cornerbacks, but his talent has been wasted on a 1-6 Cardinals team with serious problems on both sides of the ball. Peterson ranks as Pro Football Focus’ No. 4 corner this season, but the Cardinals have allowed more than 26 points per game, including 45 points to the Broncos’ suspect offense last Thursday.
Peterson asked the Cardinals for a trade on Monday and the Saints and Eagles were said to have interest in him. The Saints, who probably didn’t have enough draft capital to land the All-Pro, acquired Eli Apple from the Giants on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the defending champs already have a tricky cap situation, so it would have been hard trade to pull off.
Peterson, 28, is in the midst of a five-year, $70MM extension. The Cardinals have him signed through his age-30 season in 2020, with cap numbers of $14.956MM, $11.884MM, and $13.184MM in each season.
Broncos Release QB Chad Kelly
Swag Kelly has been booted out of Denver. On Wednesday morning, the Broncos announced the release of the quarterback after a bizarre incident earlier in the week.
“This was a decision that we made as an organization,” President of Football Operations/General Manager John Elway said in a statement. “After reviewing all the information and in talking with Vance (Joseph) and Joe (Ellis), we agreed that releasing Chad was the right thing to do. “Even though Chad’s no longer part of our team, we’ve offered to help him however we can and are supportive of him in every possible way.”
On Monday night, Kelly attended a Halloween party hosted by Broncos star Von Miller. At the event, Kelly began acting in an aggressive manner, prompting security to pull him aside in an effort to get him to calm down (via Mike Klis of 9News). The QB called an audible and ran off the property instead, which is where the trouble began.
Just after 1am, Kelly traipsed into the home of a family he did not know, and sat down next to a woman who was holding her young child. The woman called for a man in the house, who came out and struck Kelly with an aluminum vacuum tube. Kelly returned to the party as it was dissipating and police arrived soon after to apprehend him.
Kelly’s history of bizarre off-the-field behavior undoubtedly played a role in the Broncos’ decision. Just a couple of weeks ago, Kelly had a shot at overtaking Case Keenum as the Broncos’ starter. Now, he hopes that another team will give him a chance at redemption.
Giants Trade Damon Harrison To Lions
The Giants have agreed to trade defensive tackle Damon “Snacks” Harrison to the Lions, sources tell ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). In return, the Lions will send a fifth-round pick to New York. 
The Giants signed Snacks to a five-year, $46.25MM deal in 2016. Harrison, for the most part, has been as good as advertised – few can bottle up runners like he can, and he presently ranks as Pro Football Focus’ No. 6 ranked interior defensive lineman in the NFL. However, his salary is steep, he’s one-dimensional compared to other top defensive tackles in the NFL, and he only plays on about 55% of snaps.
The Giants’ new regime appears to be all-in on a rebuild after moving cornerback Eli Apple on Tuesday and Harrison on Wednesday. With his 30th birthday coming up in about a month, Harrison and his hefty salary did not factor into Dave Gettleman‘s vision of the future. By moving Snacks, the Giants will save $4.6MM this year. Between him and Apple, the G-Men took $5.7MM off of the books.
The Lions, meanwhile, pick up a defensive tackle who stuffs the run the way that Dikembe Mutumbo shut down the finger roll. For years, Snacks has ranked as one of the NFL’s best ground game stuffers, and he hasn’t missed a game since his rookie season with the Jets.
Through Week 7, the Lions have allowed 139.3 rushing yards per game, better than only the porous Broncos and Falcons defenses. With Harrison in the lineup, you can expect that to change in short order.
The Lions were forced to go out-of-house at defensive tackle this year and wound up signing Sylvester Williams and Dunkin’ Donuts franchise owner Ricky Jean-Francois in free agency. Neither player has set the world on fire, so head coach Matt Patricia won’t lose sleep over pulling either player from the starting lineup.
Everson Griffen Set To Return To Vikings Tomorrow
Everson Griffen is back. The Vikings announced this evening that the defensive end will resume team activities tomorrow.
The three-time Pro Bowler appeared in two games with Minnesota earlier this season, compiling six tackles and one sack. However, in late September we learned that Griffen was away from the team as he dealt with a “serious, personal health-related issue.” Following several bizarre incidents, the organization said the 30-year-old wouldn’t be returning to the team until he was in a better state of mind (other reports indicated that he was barred from the team until he underwent a mental health evaluation). Fortunately, it sounds like Griffen is doing better, allowing him to return to the field.
“We have been in communication with Everson’s medical professionals throughout this process and have relied on his recommendations regarding the appropriate next steps for Everson,” general manager Rick Spielman said in a statement. “We are excited to welcome Everson back to the Vikings and to see him around teammates, coaches, and staff – people who care deeply about his well-being. Our focus will continue to be on providing an on-going support system for Everson and his family.”
“Being around my teammates and coaches is something I have missed for several weeks,” Griffen said. “While this is an exciting and positive move forward for me, it is only the next step in a longer process. I look forward to once again putting in the work with the guys and contributing to this team in any way I can. My larger focus remains on addressing my personal health, and I’m hopeful the time will come when I feel comfortable sharing my story and using my platform to bring awareness to these issues. I continue to be extremely grateful for the constant support from my family, my teammates, the Vikings organization and our tremendous fans.”
The Vikings will certainly welcome Griffen back with open arms. The veteran has established himself as one of the top defensive ends in the NFL, emphasized by a 2017 campaign that saw him compile 45 tackles, three forced fumbles, and a career-high 13 sacks. The former fourth-rounder inked a four-year, $58MM extension with the Vikings in 2017.
During his absence, the team has been relying on Stephen Weatherly and Tashawn Bower. Considering his time off, it’s unlikely Griffen slides back into the lineup for this weekend’s game against the Saints. However, he’ll surely be placed back into the starting lineup once he’s ready to go.