Browns Hire Chad O’Shea As WR Coach; Latest On OC/DC Search
The Browns have hired former Dolphins OC Chad O’Shea as their new WR coach and passing game coordinator, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports. O’Shea lasted one year in Miami and drew some criticism for installing an overly complex offense, and he was recently fired in favor of spread offense guru Chan Gailey.
But despite the talent limitations on Miami’s offense, the team did perform reasonably well down the stretch and actually ranked in the top-10 in passing offense and top-15 in scoring offense after Ryan Fitzpatrick reentered the starting lineup in Week 7. As such, O’Shea’s dismissal came as something of a surprise, though recent reports indicated that, while he is an excellent receivers coach, he is not a great coordinator.
O’Shea spent 10 years as the Patriots’ WR coach, so he comes to Cleveland with plenty of experience. He will also have a great deal of talent to work with, and he will be tasked with continuing to get the most out of Jarvis Landry while also helping Odell Beckham Jr. return to prominence. As passing game coordinator, he will also help develop game plans for Baker Mayfield, who struggled in his sophomore campaign but who still has plenty of potential.
As for the Browns’ vacant offensive coordinator post, Rapoport says the team has interest in 49ers passing game coordinator Mike LaFleur and run game coordinator Mike McDaniel. Cleveland had some interest in both men for their head coaching post but never requested interviews with them. The Browns may not request OC interviews either, because San Francisco is unlikely to grant such requests. The Browns may also go without an official OC given new head coach Kevin Stefanski‘s offensive prowess.
Unlike LaFleur and McDaniel, 49ers passing game coordinator/defensive backs coach Joe Woods is not under contract through 2020, so he can join the Browns if he so chooses. We recently heard that Cleveland had narrowed its defensive coordinator search to Woods and incumbent Steve Wilks, though Rapoport says Wade Phillips remains a possibility as well.
Packers Activate S Raven Greene From IR
The Packers made one final transaction before Sunday’s NFC Championship matchup against the 49ers. Green Bay activated safety Raven Greene from the injured reserve, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN. Greene was placed on injured reserve after hurting his ankle in a Week 2 matchup against the Vikings. The Packers had one open spot remaining on their 53-man roster so no corresponding move was necessary.
It is unclear whether Greene will play a prominent role in his first game since Week 2, but he will give defensive coordinator Mike Pettine another option to deploy against the 49ers potent offense. Prior to the injury, Greene had played a hybrid safety/linebacker and had received starter’s reps. In fact, he did start in Green Bay’s first game of the season before coming off the bench in Week 2.
In just his second professional season, Greene has appeared in 10 games amassing 12 tackles, one for loss, two passes defended, one sack, one quarterback hit, and one forced fumble.
Fine Updates: Simmons, Fisher, Williams, Bosa
The NFL will not fine Titans defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons for conduct during Tennessee’s 28-12 victory in the divisional playoff round, according to Jamison Hensley of ESPN. After the contest, Ravens offensive guard Marshal Yanda accused Simmons of spitting on him during the contest. Per Hensley, the NFL found no evidence to substantiate those claims.
For what it’s worth, Simmons did not deny spitting on Yanda when he was asked about it on Wednesday. Had the NFL prooved that Simmons had indeed spit in his opponent’s face, he would have been subject to an unsportsmanlike conduct fine of $14,037.
A few other players were unable to avoid hits to their checkbooks:
- Chiefs offensive tackle Eric Fisher went viral online after he celebrated by pouring beer over himself during Kansas City’s divisional round victory over the Texans. While the NFL shared Fisher’s celebration on its official Twitter account, it appears the NFL’s marketers and executors of the codes of conduct are not on the same page. Fisher was fined $14,037 by the league on Saturday, when the league announced this week’s round of fines, according to Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk.
- Fisher was not the lone Chiefs player to receive a fine for a celebration, running back Damien Williams received a $10,527 fine for taunting, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com. After he scored his third touchdown in last week’s game, he placed the ball directly in front of a Texan defensive lineman, which cost the team a fifteen-yard penalty and now will cost Williams more than ten thousand dollars.
- Defensive end Nick Bosa was fined $28,025 for an illegal blindside block in the 49ers 27-10 victory over the Vikings in last week’s divisional round, according to Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. Normally a defensive player would not be subject to such a fine, but after his defensive teammate, Richard Sherman, intercepted one of Kirk Cousins passes, Bosa got overzealous in a block on offensive tackle Brian O’Neill that forced O’Neill to leave the game for a couple of series.
NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/15/20
Today’s reserve/futures deals:
Baltimore Ravens
- LB Aaron Adeoye
- CB Terrell Bonds
- G/T Will Holden
- G/T R.J. Prince
- DE Ufomba Kamalu
- DE Michael Onuoha
- WR Sean Modster
- WR Antoine Wesley
- TE Charles Scarff
Denver Broncos
- OT Tyler Jones
Green Bay Packers
- DB DaShaun Amos
Houston Texans
- LB Davin Bellamy
- LB Nate Hall
- CB Anthony Chesley
- WR Chad Hansen
- RB Karan Higdon
- OT Rick Leonard
- OT Kyle Murphy
- S Shalom Luani
- S Jonathan Owens
- QB Alex McGough
Minnesota Vikings
- RB Tony Brooks-James
- QB Jake Browning
- WR Davion Davis
- WR Dillon Mitchell
- TE Brandon Dillon
- CB Mark Fields
- CB Kemon Hall
San Francisco 49ers
Seattle Seahawks
- CB Brian Allen
- WR Penny Hart
- WR Cody Thompson
- LB Sutton Smith
- LB Pita Taumoepenu
- DT Shakir Soto
49ers Add T Leonard Wester On Reserve/Futures Deal
Leonard Wester agreed to a Jaguars deal in April but did not end up playing this season. The veteran tackle will have a chance to return to action in 2020. The 49ers signed him to a reserve/futures deal Tuesday.
A Division II success story out of Missouri Western, Wester caught on with the Buccaneers and played three years with the franchise in a mostly reserve capacity. The 6-foot-6 blocker started one game in 2018 and appeared in 27 from 2016-18 with the franchise.
The Jaguars cut the 27-year-old lineman after the preseason’s conclusion, doing so after the Bucs non-tendered him as a restricted free agent. Wester played a career-high 116 snaps in 2018; he caught a touchdown pass in 2017.
The 49ers have their starters in place, in Joe Staley and Mike McGlinchey, and drafted Justin Skule in the 2019 sixth round. They are also carrying second-year tackle Jaryd Jones-Smith on their practice squad. Wester retains practice squad eligibility.
Updated 2020 NFL Draft Order
The stage has been set for the conference championships. The Titans, Chiefs, 49ers, and Packers are moving on to the semifinals, while the Texans, Seahawks, Ravens, and Vikings will begin planning for the offseason ahead. Unfortunately for the Texans, their first round pick belongs to the Dolphins.
Here’s an updated look at the 2020 NFL Draft order from Nos. 1-28:
1. Bengals (2-14)
2. Redskins (3-13)
3. Lions (3-12-1)
4. Giants (4-12)
5 Dolphins (5-11)
6. Chargers (5-11)
7. Panthers (5-11)
8. Cardinals (5-10-1)
9. Jaguars (6-10)
10. Browns (6-10)
11. Jets (7-9)
12. Raiders (7-9)
13. Colts (7-9)
14. Buccaneers (7-9)
15. Broncos (7-9)
16. Falcons (7-9)
17. Cowboys (8-8)
18. Dolphins (via Steelers 8-8)
19. Raiders (via Bears 8-8)
20. Jaguars (via Rams 9-7)
21. Eagles (9-7)
22. Bills (10-6)
23. Patriots (12-4)
24. Saints (13-3)
25. Vikings (10-6)
26. Dolphins (via Texans 10-6)
27. Seahawks (11-5)
28. Ravens (14-2)
49ers Place DL Kentavius Street On IR
Kentavius Street is headed back to a familiar place, injured reserve. The 49ers announced they were shutting down the defensive lineman, in order to make room on the active roster for linebacker Kwon Alexander. 
Street was a highly regarded prospect coming out of N.C. State in 2018. Unfortunately, he tore an ACL during a private workout for the Giants, and tumbled in the draft as a result. San Francisco scooped him up in the fourth round, and he took his rookie season as a redshirt year. Knee issues plagued him again this offseason, and he was placed on IR back in August. It was looking like he was going to miss each of his first two seasons, but the 49ers activated him a few weeks ago for the stretch run.
He made his NFL debut in Week 15, and played a real role on defense over the final three weeks. In their pivotal Week 16 game against the Rams, he played 27 percent of the defensive snaps. He’ll now head into his third season as a pro with just three career appearances under his belt. He won’t necessarily be a lock for next year’s 53-man roster.
NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/9/20
The latest reserve/futures signings from around the NFL:
Kansas City Chiefs
- DE Anthony Lanier, TE Alize Mack, RB Marcus Marshall
New York Jets
- WR Jehu Chesson
Pittsburgh Steelers
- S John Battle, WR Anthony Johnson
San Francisco 49ers
49ers To Activate Kwon Alexander
The 49ers will activate Kwon Alexander for Saturday’s divisional round game against the Vikings, according to Matt Maiocco of NBCSportsBayArea.com. Still, it remains to be seen how much he’ll play.
When healthy, Alexander is an every-down linebacker for the Niners. However, he’s just nine weeks removed from pec surgery and only just returned to practice last week.
“I know Kwon will fly around,” coach Kyle Shanahan said. “He’ll hit. He’ll be energetic. He’ll get everyone going. I think everyone will feel his energy on the field. And we’ll see how it goes. We’re not going to throw him out there, just down-in and down-out. But we don’t have a plan, where it’s only going to be ‘this’ amount. He’s looked good in practice, but we’re also not laying people out in practice.”
Without Alexander in the second half of the season, the Niners used rookie Dre Greenlaw at the weakside linebacker spot. It sounds like Greenlaw will continue to see snaps, but the balance between him, Alexander, and the other LBs will be dependent on Alexander’s effectiveness.
“You got to wait to see how the tackling goes and how he feels,” Shanahan said. “(He is) someone we’ll be communicating with throughout the game.”
Alexander is undoubtedly eager to play. Even before the pec tear, the linebacker missed 14 games between the 2017 and 2018 seasons.
Latest On Dee Ford, Kwon Alexander
- 49ers linebacker Kwon Alexander has been cleared for game action, per Rapoport (video link), meaning it’s now Kyle Shanahan‘s call on whether to redeploy the high-priced defender Saturday. The 49ers used their second IR-return spot on Alexander, who is attempting to return from a midseason pectoral tear, but have not activated him yet.
- Winding down an oft-injured season, Dee Ford is back at 49ers practice and appears ready to return at a key juncture. The veteran defensive end has dealt with a few maladies, his most recent being a hamstring issue that he aggravated in December. Ford’s gone through limited practices the past two days.