Ogbonnia Okoronkwo

Browns’ Joe Flacco, Za’Darius Smith To Test Free Agency

Despite a slew of injury troubles at the quarterback position (among others), the Browns managed to post a record of 11-6 and qualify for the postseason. Joe Flacco was a major part in that success, and he plans on playing through the 2025 campaign.

The 39-year-old may not be in Cleveland for the next chapter of his career, however. Flacco is expected to test free agency in March, Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com reports. In the wake of losing Deshaun Watson for the rest of the season, the Browns added Flacco as a depth quarterback option; he ultimately took over the starting role to close out the regular season, averaging 323 passing yards per game.

While turnover issues presented themselves in the wild-card round in particular, the former Super Bowl MVP earned Comeback Player of the Year honors for his surprise resurgence. The Browns are open to retaining him, but a new Cleveland deal would come with the understanding he would back up Watson. For that reason, Flacco’s desire to gauge his value on a potential deal sending him elsewhere is certainly reasonable.

A number of veteran QBs are set to reach free agency, and Flacco would be one of many available as a bridge starter or high-end backup. As Cabot notes, his preference would an opportunity to at least compete for the No. 1 role with his next team. In the event he were to depart, the Browns would move forward with Watson and 2023 fifth-rounder Dorian Thompson-Robinson atop the depth chart.

One of several front seven additions the Browns made last offseason was the acquisition of edge rusher Za’Darius SmithThe three-time Pro Bowler was tasked with serving as a complement to Myles Garrett, and he finished second on the team with 5.5 sacks. Cabot notes that Smith, like Flacco, will test the market before deciding on his future.

Likewise, the Browns’ preference would be to retain Smith at the right cost. Cleveland has Garrett under contract through 2026, but the team also added Ogbonnia Okoronkwo in free agency last offseason. The latter is signed for the next two seasons, and he would be in line for an increased workload in the event Smith were to depart. Now 31, Smith has managed to play 16 games in each of the past two seasons but his 15 total sacks in that span could lead to lukewarm interest on the market.

The Browns are currently over the 2024 cap by a margin of $7.76MM. That figure will change dramatically once Watson’s pact is inevitably restructured, but the team will still have other priorities beyond retaining Flacco and Smith. It will be worth watching to see how much interest both veterans generate and if Cleveland will be able to match any offers from outside suitors.

Browns Place LB Anthony Walker On IR

After going week to week with Anthony Walker, the Browns will give his roster spot to someone else. Out for the past three games following arthroscopic knee surgery, Walker is now on IR.

Barring the Browns making their first Super Bowl appearance in franchise history, the veteran linebacker is done for the season. Although Walker has missed time already, his IR clock — mandating a four-game absence — begins in Week 18. The Browns signed defensive end Sam Kamara from their practice squad to fill Walker’s roster spot.

Knee scopes have offered players the chance to return after short- or medium-term hiatuses for a while, but the team evidently deemed Walker’s return timetable as lengthy enough a playoff comeback was not guaranteed. Walker started all 12 games he played for the Browns this season, his third with the team.

Walker joins Grant DelpitRodney McLeod and Maurice Hurst Jr. as Browns defensive regulars on IR. Offensively, Cleveland has dealt with far more obstacles. Nick Chubb, Deshaun Watson, Jack Conklin, Jedrick Wills and Dawand Jones are on the Browns’ injured list. Delpit has a chance to return in the playoffs, but the rest of this lot will not come suit up again before September.

This is familiar territory for Walker, who ended last season on IR as well. The former Colts draftee suffered a torn quad tendon in September 2022. As part of a decent linebacker-retention effort, the Browns re-signed Walker on a one-year, $1.23MM deal. Cleveland also brought back Sione Takitaki, who has seen more playing time alongside Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah since Walker’s latest injury. Walker posted 113 tackles for the Browns in 2021; he heads to IR with 44 stops, four passes defensed and two fumble recoveries this season. Pro Football Focus rates Walker 31st among linebacker regulars.

On a more positive note, Kevin Stefanski said Ogbo Okoronkwo could return to action despite suffering what was initially believed to be a season-ending pectoral injury. The rotational edge rusher has missed the past three games, but after additional testing, the Browns did not place the free agency pickup on IR. Okoronkwo has tallied 4.5 sacks and a career-high 12 tackles for loss during his first season in Cleveland.

AFC North Notes: Burrow, Browns, Ravens

The Bengals have grown accustomed to Joe Burrow missing considerable practice time. ACL rehab (2021), an appendectomy (2022) and this summer’s calf strain have kept the star quarterback off the field during extended portions of training camp. More of the same could be coming in 2024. Burrow is on the shelf for the season’s remainder due to a wrist injury, one the Cincinnati Enquirer’s Kelsey Conway notes is a tear in the scapholunate ligament. This injury will call for a four- to six-month recovery timetable.

Burrow going down in mid-November will put his availability for the team’s offseason program up in the air. It has not yet been determined if Burrow will throw during OTAs or minicamp, per Conway, who adds the injury damaged a ligament in the middle of his right wrist. Burrow underwent surgery on Nov. 27 in Pennsylvania. Given Burrow’s history of offseason setbacks, it would not surprise to see the Bengals keep the NFL’s highest-paid player on the shelf until training camp.

While Zac Taylor will be back for a sixth season as head coach, the next Bengals offseason program could feature a new offensive coordinator given the NFL’s demand for offense-oriented coaches and fifth-year OC Brian Callahan‘s role in Jake Browning’s early work replacing Burrow. Here is the latest from the AFC North:

  • The Ravens already came to terms on an extension with Broderick Washington, but ascending defensive lineman Justin Madubuike is also believed to be in the team’s plans. Baltimore has an extensive history letting front-seven players walk in free agency and pocketing compensatory picks. Matt Judon, C.J. Mosley and Pernell McPhee are among the more recent examples here, but The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec offers that the fourth-year D-lineman is playing too well for the team to consider letting him go (subscription required). With the team looking for an interior rush presence for a while, Zrebiec points to a new deal or a franchise tag for the former third-round pick. Madubuike’s team-leading 12 sacks have bolstered a Ravens pass rush that again entered a season with questions. The Ravens, who did tag Judon before letting him walk a year later, would need to pony up at least $19.5MM to tag Madubuike.
  • On the subject of interior D-linemen, two of the Ravens’ AFC North rivals attempted to claim fourth-year DT Teair Tart this week. The Bengals and Browns submitted unsuccessful claims for the veteran nose tackle, ESPN.com’s Field Yates tweets. The Texans claimed Tart, who follows Derek Barnett as a Houston D-lineman claim this season. Although the Texans are 8-6, the Bengals are positioned in the playoffs presently due to tiebreakers. That worked in Houston’s favor on the wire.
  • A recent report pegged Ogbo Okoronkwo as being out for the season with a torn pectoral muscle, but the Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Mary Kay Cabot notes the Browns edge rusher has sought a second opinion and is not yet certain to be shut down. The Browns have not yet placed Okoronkwo on IR, pointing to a potential re-emergence. Although this season has featured three notable comebacks from pectoral tears (Avonte Maddox, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, DaQuan Jones), Okoronkwo suffering a tear, which Cabot indicates he has, would likely shut him down due to the timing of the injury. Maddox and Gardner-Johnson rehabbed from Week 2 maladies; Jones suffered his injury in Week 5. Okoronkwo avoiding a season-ending injury would obviously boost the Browns, who have seen a number of key performers go down with major injuries this year.

Browns Place S Grant Delpit On IR; DE Ogbo Okoronkwo Out For Season

Grant Delpit will become the latest Browns starter set to miss significant time due to injury. Hours after agreeing to an extension, Grant Delpit sustained a groin injury. That will lead the Browns to make a roster move.

The Browns placed Delpit on IR on Wednesday; this transaction will sideline the fourth-year safety for the rest of the regular season. Joining a host of starters out of the mix for the regular season’s remainder, Delpit has already undergone surgery, Jake Trotter of ESPN.com notes. Kevin Stefanski said Delpit will be in play to come back if the Browns make the playoffs.

Cleveland is already without its starting quarterback (Deshaun Watson), running back (Nick Chubb) and top three tackles (Jedrick Wills, Jack Conklin, Dawand Jones). Its defense has been a bit healthier this season, leading to a No. 1 ranking in yards allowed. But Delpit will be out of the mix for the time being. To replace him on their 53-man roster, the Browns signed safety Duron Harmon from the practice squad. The Browns now have 13 players on IR.

In addition to Delpit, the Browns’ defense will take a hit up front. Ogbonnia Okoronkwo suffered a pectoral injury that cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot indicates will knock him out for the rest of the season. The former Rams and Texans defensive end sustained a torn pec, per Cabot. Signed this offseason, Okoronkwo has been a key rotational rusher for the Browns. The fifth-year edge defender has registered 4.5 sacks coming off the bench behind Myles Garrett and Za’Darius Smith.

For Delpit, this injury makes his extension timing rather important. The LSU alum and the Browns completed a rare gameday-morning agreement Sunday, locking the fourth-year defender into a three-year, $36MM deal. Delpit will receive $14.9MM guaranteed at signing, per OverTheCap, and $23.6MM guaranteed for injury. The latter guarantee number only comes into play if Delpit cannot pass a physical once a new league year starts, but locking in nearly $15MM at signing now proves pivotal considering Jessie Bates was the only free agent safety to score a contract worth more than $8MM per year this offseason.

Okoronkwo signed a three-year, $19MM accord in March, coming to Cleveland two months before the Browns traded for Smith. On that contract, Okoronkwo collected $10.8MM fully guaranteed. Given the void years attached, Okoronkwo is prohibitive to release in 2024. With Smith set to become a free agent once again, Okoronkwo moving into the Browns’ 2024 starting lineup alongside Garrett could be in play. But he will need to complete a rehab journey first.

Behind Garrett and Smith, the Browns also have 2022 third-round pick Alex Wright, rookie fourth-rounder Isaiah McGuire and third-year UDFA Sam Kamara. No Browns player behind Garrett has collected more than five sacks. Of the healthy DE options behind the starters, only Wright has even registered one. The Browns also lost defensive tackle Maurice Hurst Jr. for the season this week, completing a rough span on the injury front for the 8-5 team.

Contract Details: Johnson, Penny, White, Okoronkwo, Lewis

Here are some more contract details on deals recently reached around the NFL:

  • Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, DE (Browns): Three years, $19MM. The deal, according to Wilson, includes a guaranteed amount of $12.49MM, $10.83MM of which is guaranteed at signing. That $10.83MM consists of a $5.5MM signing bonus, Okoronkwo’s 2023 base salary of $1.08MM, and his 2024 option bonus of $4.25MM. The remaining $1.66MM of guaranteed money is Okoronkwo’s 2024 base salary, which becomes fully guaranteed on the third league day of the 2024 league year. He also can receive a 2025 option bonus of $3.23MM. The deal includes a $3MM sack incentive and an All-Pro base salary escalator. The team built a potential out into the deal that allows them to release Okoronkwo after 2024 with $6.7MM of dead money but $17.45MM of cap savings over the following five years, four of which are void years in the contract.
  • Mike White, QB (Dolphins): Two years, $8MM. The contract, according to Doug Kyed of AtoZ Sports, includes a guaranteed amount of $4.5MM consisting of a $3.42MM signing bonus and White’s first year base salary of $1.08MM. His second year base salary is worth $3.5MM. The deal includes up to $4MM apiece in playing time and team achievement incentives that up the contract’s maximum value to $16MM.
  • Danny Johnson, CB (Commanders): Two years, $5MM. The contract, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2, includes a guaranteed amount of $2.75MM consisting of a $1.75MM signing bonus and $1MM of Johnson’s first year base salary (worth $1.25MM total). His second year base salary is worth $1.49MM. The deal includes a $1MM annual playing time incentive and a per game active roster bonus of $15,000 for a potential season total of $255,000.
  • Tyquan Lewis, DE (Colts): One year, $2.1MM. The deal, according to Wilson, includes a guaranteed amount of $500,000 from the base salary worth a total of $1.08MM. The contract includes incentives worth up to $1.25MM for sacks, playing time, and playoffs, as well as a per game active roster bonus of $60,000 for a potential season total of $1.02MM.
  • Rashaad Penny, RB (Eagles): One year, $1.35MM. The deal, according to Wilson, has a guaranteed amount of $600,000 composed of a $100,000 signing bonus and $500,000 of the base salary (worth $1.08MM total). The deal includes a rushing yards incentive worth up to $750,000 and a per game active roster bonus of $10,000 for a potential season total of $170,000.

Browns, OLB Obo Okoronkwo Agree To Deal

The Browns were thought to be in the market for an addition to their pass rush this offseason, and it has reportedly arrived. Cleveland is set to sign Obo Okoronkwo to a three-year deal with a base value of $19MM (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL Network).

Rapoport adds that the contract includes $12.5MM guaranteed, and can reach up to $22MM in value. That represents a notable payday for the 27-year-old, whose rookie contract is set to expire on Wednesday when the new league year begins.

Okoronkwo progressively took on a larger role in each of his three seasons with the Rams, before spending 2022 in Houston. He topped 500 snaps for the first time in his career with the rebuilding unit, and he responded with a notable increase in production. The Browns are banking on his career ascent continuing in his third NFL home.

The Oklahoma alum set new career highs in sacks (five), tackles (44) and pressures (17), among other stats. He ranked 13th in ESPN’s pass rush win rate (19%), a feat made more notable by the fact that he consistency faced double-teams as Houston’s top pass rusher. PFF has likewise noted him as one of the top available edge defenders; his 81.8 pass rush grade last season ranked 14th at the position.

Myles Garrett remains in place as the anchor of Cleveland’s edge group, but it has long been assumed that fellow veteran Jadeveon Clowney would be headed elsewhere this offseason. This news points to the latter being replaced as a starter, as the Browns add more upside as a pass rusher in particular to their new-look defense.

A deal with highly-touted defensive lineman Dre’Mont Jones is considered a strong possibility, something which would further add considerably to the Browns’ defensive line if it were to happen. Even if they are forced to turn elsewhere along the defensive interior, however, the addition of Okoronkwo will represent a notable upgrade for Cleveland on the edge.

Minor NFL Transactions: 3/15/22

We’ll keep tabs on today’s minor moves here:

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Dallas Cowboys

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Miami Dolphins

Philadelphia Eagles

Tennessee Titans

NFL COVID List Updates: 12/22/21

We’ve compiled a list of players who were placed or activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list today. In some instances (including Christian McCaffrey and Travis Etienne), players activated from the list remain on IR:

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

  • Placed on list: T Le’Raven Clark

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Washington Football Team

Rams Place LB Von Miller, Eight Others On Reserve/COVID-19 List

The Rams have placed nine more players on the reserve/COVID-19 list, including linebacker Von Miller. Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter), the following players have been sidelined:

The Rams are now up to 25 players on the reserve/COVID-19 list. While the organization will surely activate some players prior to Sunday’s game against the Seahawks, they’ll still have a long list of absences for the contest. Cornerback Jalen Ramsey and wideout Odell Beckham are among the other Rams players who were already stashed on the list.

Yesterday, commissioner Roger Goodell said the NFL wasn’t planning on postponing or cancelling any upcoming games. The Browns and WFT are among the other teams that are dealing with more than 20 players on the COVID list.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/2/21

Here is Saturday’s batch of minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Buffalo Bills

  • Promoted: CB Cam Lewis

Carolina Panthers

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans