Browns Release John Greco
The Browns have released guard John Greco, according to Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com.
The release of Greco concludes a long tenure in Cleveland for the 32-year-old, who was a starter for the team over the previous six seasons. Greco, who entered the NFL as a third-round pick of the Rams in 2008, joined the Browns prior to the 2011 campaign and ultimately started in 66 of 85 appearances with the club. He started in all 12 of his games during an injury-shortened 2016 and ranked an impressive 18th in performance among Pro Football Focus’ 75 qualified guards.
Greco became expendable to the Browns thanks in part to the signings of guard Kevin Zeitler and center J.C. Tretter in free agency. In cutting Greco, the Browns saved his entire $3.075MM cap hit for 2017.
Browns Release Brock Osweiler
The Browns have released quarterback Brock Osweiler, Zac Jackson of The Athletic reports. Cutting Osweiler was the likely route for Cleveland after he failed to beat out second-round rookie DeShone Kizer for the team’s starting job, though the club will still have to pay the veteran his fully guaranteed $16MM salary. 
The Browns acquired Osweiler in March in an unprecedented trade with the Texans, when Houston essentially paid Cleveland a 2018 second-round pick just to take on his contract. The expectation then was that the Browns would either flip Osweiler elsewhere or cut him, and they went the latter route after they couldn’t find a taker via trade.
Now, if Osweiler signs elsewhere, he’ll likely do so for the league minimum $775K, which will give the Browns a relatively small bit of financial relief. But with the recent releases and trades of Joe Haden, Desmond Bryant and Cameron Erving, the Browns basically made back the money they’re obligated to pay Osweiler.
While Osweiler had a miserable 2016 in Houston after signing a big-money deal in free agency, he seems likely to find work as an inexpensive backup somewhere. Not only is Osweiler still fairly young (26), but the ex-Bronco brings size (6-foot-7, 240 pounds), a big arm and a second-round pedigree (2012) to the table.
NFL Reinstates Steelers WR Martavis Bryant
Huge news for the Steelers. Wide receiver Martavis Bryant has been fully reinstated by the NFL. 
Bryant is now cleared to participate in regular season games and practices. This is the outcome that the Steelers have been expecting.
The league took an intermediate step towards welcoming Bryant back when they gave him clearance to participate in the preseason. Bryant was banned for all of the 2016 season for repeated violations of its substance abuse policy. The Steelers are undoubtedly thrilled to have Bryant back as he’ll help to take pressure off of star receiver Antonio Brown.
Bryant, 25, has only appeared in 21 out of 48 possible regular season games over the course of his career, but he has been productive in his limited action. He has averaged 17.3 yards per catch over the last three years.
The news will also have roster implications for the Steelers as they approach the 53-man deadline on Saturday. Right now, Brown, Bryant, Eli Rogers, Juju Smith-Schuster, and Cobi Hamilton figure to be the team’s top five receivers. Sammie Coates Darrius Heyward-Bey, and Justin Hunter are among the other receivers vying for a spot.
Jets, Seahawks Swap Sheldon Richardson, Jermaine Kearse
The Seahawks have agreed to acquire defensive lineman Sheldon Richardson and a 2018 seventh-round pick from the Jets in exchange for wide receiver Jermaine Kearse, a 2018 second-round pick, and a 2018 seventh-round pick, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter links).
The Jets and Seahawks had been discussing the concept of this deal for weeks, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. New York, of course, had been shopping Richardson for much longer than that. Seattle reportedly showed interest earlier this year, but it wanted Richardson to accept a paycut from his $8.069MM base salary. This time around, the Seahawks agreed to take on his full salary. The Seahawks were able to take the hit after reworking receiver Doug Baldwin‘s contract and shedding Kearse’s $2.2MM salary in the trade.
Richardson certainly has his warts, which may have contributed to a limited trade market. For one, he wasn’t all that effective last season, as Richardson managed only 1.5 sacks in 15 games (though he still graded out as the NFL’s No. 31 edge defender, per Pro Football Focus). Richardson also comes with off-field question marks, as he has a substance abuse suspension in his past, and has dealt with commitment and tardiness issues.
But, if healthy and motivated, the addition of Richardson would give the Seahawks arguably the best front seven in the NFL. Richardson, who can conceivably play either along the edge or on the interior, would join a Seattle defensive unit that also includes Michael Bennett, Frank Clark, Cliff Avril, Bobby Wagner, and K.J. Wright on the front end, and the vaunted Legion of Boom in the back end.
The Jets, meanwhile, needed a wide receiver following a season-ending injury to Quincy Enunwa, and Kearse will add experience to a group that includes rookies ArDarius Stewart and Chad Hansen. Kearse, 27, posted 41 receptions for 510 yards a season ago, but Seattle has developed enough wideouts — including Paul Richardson, Tyler Lockett, and Kasen Williams — that Kearse wasn’t needed any longer. The Seahawks had been shopping him earlier this week, and the Browns were among the interested parties.
For a rebuilding club like New York, adding a veteran piece such as Kearse doesn’t make a ton of sense, so it’s possible the Jets took on Kearse simply to help offset Richardson’s salary. Gang Green won’t take on any dead money by trading Richardson, while Seattle will incur roughly $1.83MM in dead cap during the upcoming season as a result of dealing Kearse.
Gee Scott of ESPN Radio (on Twitter) first reported that Kearse had been traded to the Jets.
49ers To Release QB Matt Barkley
The 49ers will release quarterback Matt Barkley, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link).
While Barkley was never in contention for San Francisco’s starting quarterback job given that the club also inked Brian Hoyer this spring, he was thought to be assured of the 49ers’ backup position. The 26-year-old started six games for the Bears last season, but completed only 59.7% of his passes and tossed 14 interceptions. Barkley’s two-year, $4MM deal with the Niners included $500K in guarantees, so the team will incur $250K in dead money over the next two seasons.
San Francisco will now presumably use third-round rookie C.J. Beathard as its backup signal-caller. Beathard, an Iowa product, was thought to be an overdraft on Day 2, but he’s showed relatively well during camp and the preseason. Of course, the 49ers could also look to find another quarterback via trade or waiver claim in the coming days.
Cardinals To Release RB Chris Johnson
The Cardinals will release running back Chris Johnson, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Johnson missed the majority of the 2016 campaign with injury, but had been a solid contributor for Arizona as recently as 2015, when he rushed for 814 yards and three touchdowns before giving way to David Johnson as the club’s starting running back. Having signed a one-year deal that contained $200K guaranteed earlier this year, Johnson had been viewed as a lock for the Cardinals’ roster. Now, the 31-year-old back with have to look for work elsewhere (if he plans to continue his career, that is).
The Cardinals, clearly, are set at running back with the aforementioned Johnson, who figures to handle the majority of the club’s carries. Even superstars need breathers, however, and Arizona will turn to Kerwynn Williams and Andre Ellington as Johnson’s backups. Rookie T.J. Logan, meanwhile, could return later this year after recovering from injury.
Broncos Trade Ty Sambrailo To Falcons
The Broncos have traded offensive tackle Ty Sambrailo to the Falcons for a 2018 fifth-round pick, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). 
Sambrailo is the third notable offensive tackle to be traded for a fifth-round pick this week. The Browns got the ball rolling when they sent former FSU standout Cameron Erving to the Chiefs. The next day, the Lions shipped Laken Tomlinson to the Niners for a 2019 fifth-rounder. Erving and Tomlinson were both former first-round picks. Sambrailo was a second-round choice.
Sambrailo was fighting for his roster spot this year and, apparently, he didn’t do enough in camp to prove worthy of significant playing time. This year, the Broncos spent a first-rounder on tackle Garett Bolles and added Menelik Watson on a three-year, $18.3MM deal in free agency.
Sambrailo projects to be the Falcons’ first swing tackle off the bench, ahead of August addition Austin Pasztor. Rookie Sean Harlow and second-year man Wes Schweitzer will be the primary support for starting guards for Andy Levitre and Ben Garland.
Le’Veon Bell Reports To Steelers
As expected, Le’Veon Bell reported to the Steelers on Friday morning. He’ll sign his franchise tender, meaning that he’ll play out the 2017 season for $12.12MM. 
Had Bell waited until after Saturday’s roster deadline to show up to team headquarters, he could have put his first two game checks in jeopardy. The Steelers, in theory, would have had the option to place him on the roster exempt list through Week 1, meaning that the two sides would have to negotiate his pay for that period. That was unlikely to happen, but the running back now knows for sure that he will collect his full $711K payout for each game.
Bell turned down a multi-year extension offer prior to this year’s deadline that would have paid him $60MM over a five-year term (assuming the Steelers kept him for the full span of the deal). Depending on who you ask, Bell’s camp may have agreed to the deal before 86’ing it at the last minute.
If Bell turns in another strong year, he’ll force the Steelers to tag him again for $14MM, make him a lucrative extension offer, or allow him to test the open market as an unrestricted free agent. If he falters or gets injured, he may regret turning down the $60MM deal.
Vikings To Put Teddy Bridgewater On PUP
The Vikings are expected to keep quarterback Teddy Bridgewater on the PUP list for six games, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. This means that the Vikings haven’t ruled out the possibility of him playing in 2017. 
[RELATED: Dolphins Considered Teddy Bridgewater]
If placed on PUP, Bridgewater will be shelved for the first six weeks of the season. After that point, if he’s healthy enough, he can return to the active roster as Sam Bradford‘s understudy. Even if Bradford stays healthy and productive, that could be a significant development for Bridgewater. It is believed that Bridgewater can avoid having his contract toll if he does not miss the entire 2017 season. If he does miss the year, then the Vikings will be able to keep him under contract through 2018 as a part of his rookie deal.
In May, it was reported that Bridgewater would fight a PUP designation if he believed he could pass a physical. It’s not clear if Bridgewater can get a medical green light at this point, nor do we know whether that’s still his intent.
Ezekiel Elliott Accuses NFL Of “Conspiracy”
Things just keep getting uglier in Ezekiel Elliott‘s fight with the league office. The Cowboys’ star running back has filed suit against the NFL in Texas federal court, alleging that he is the victim of a “league-orchestrated conspiracy…to hide critical information” from commissioner Roger Goodell and other key decision makers. 
Elliott’s camp argues that the league’s director of investigations, Kia Roberts, found accuser Tiffany Thompson to be “not credible” in her allegations and saw little evidence to support her claims. His team alleges that the league then kept Roberts away from meetings in which experts made recommendations to Goodell. Furthermore, Roberts chronicled her concerns about Thompson in an internal memo entitled “Tiffany Thompson Inconsistency Transcripts,” a league source told Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports.
The NFL denies any wrongdoing.
“They’re trying to create a grand conspiracy story where none exists,” league spokesman Joe Lockhart told Tom Pelissero of NFL.com.
Lockhart says there is no truth to allegations that the league kept Roberts’ concerns away from Goodell. In fact, he says the commissioner was aware of her doubts heading into the aforementioned meetings. At the same time, Lockhart says that it is not common for someone in Roberts’ role to make a disciplinary recommendation.
“In fact, at Kia’s level, she wouldn’t, and she didn’t [make a recommendation for discipline],” Lockhart said. “She made her point of view on particularly the credibility issues known in the report; they are reflected in the report. It is the commissioner and the commissioner’s sole role to decide on discipline. In fact, the union filed a grievance to force him not to delegate the decision [on disciplinary decisions].”