Browns Notes: GM Search, DePodesta, McCarthy, Saleh, Daboll
While the primary focus in Cleveland remains on their search for a new head coach, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, the Browns could have their eyes on a pair of front-office employees with the Seahawks for their general managerial opening. Via Garafolo’s report, Seattle’s co-directors of player personnel, Trent Kirchner and Scott Fitterer, are two well-respected executives that could emerge as leading candidates.
Here’s more notes from the Browns organization:
- NFL.com’s Ian Rapaport noted that two head coaching candidates in the Browns search that align with Kirchner and Fitterer are former Packers head coach Mike McCarthy and 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh. McCarthy’s connection to the two Seattle executives is unclear, but Saleh started his coaching career in Seattle and has built his defensive scheme upon the Seahawks 4-3 at the peak of the “Legion of Boom.”
- The Browns pushed back their interview with Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll for Cleveland’s head coaching position, according to Ian Rapaport of NFL.com. Daboll remains a candidate, but since the Bills were eliminated from the playoffs in Saturday’s overtime loss to the Texans, the team decided to delay his interview to this week so he could meet more of the team’s current front office staff.
- Browns chief strategist Paul DePodesta has been the center of a lot of coverage surrounding the power struggle in Cleveland. The onetime assistant general manager of the Oakland Athletics is spearheading the Browns head coach search, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN, but is not under contract with the team beyond next week. With that said, DePodesta is still wanted in Cleveland and the team may want to extend the executive at the same time of the team’s general manager and head coaching hires to put the organization on the same page.
Seahawks Audition Alex Collins, Roc Thomas
Even after signing Marshawn Lynch and Robert Turbin, the Seahawks’ search for running back help continues. This week, they auditioned RBs Alex Collins and Roc Thomas. 
In their season finale against the 49ers, the Seahawks eased Lynch and Turbin into their new roles. Lynch saw time on 23 snaps and Turbin played on just eight special teams snaps. Meanwhile, rookie Travis Homer carried the brunt of the load with 50 of 75 offensive snaps. The Seahawks ultimately came up short, losing 26-21 to their divisional rivals.
It’s not clear whether the Seahawks are to sign Collins and Thomas in advance of their Wild Card game, or if they’re simply keeping their emergency lists up to date. Collins, a fifth-round pick of the team back in 2016, has been out of football throughout 2019. Ditto for Thomas, who hasn’t played since his five-game stint with the Vikings last year.
The Seahawks and their new-look backfield will face the Eagles on Sunday in Philadelphia.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/31/19
We’ll keep track of today’s practice squad moves here:
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: WR Tim White
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: WR Jaylen Smith
Jadeveon Clowney To Return In Week 17
- Most of the non-Marshawn Lynch Seahawks news this week centers around the players who will not be available Sunday night, but the team will have some key players back in uniform. Jadeveon Clowney and Shaquill Griffin missed Seattle’s past two games but will be on the field in Sunday’s de facto NFC West championship game against San Francisco. Clowney is still battling the core issue that he initially played through but one that’s caused him to miss time.
Clowney Plans To Play Week 17
Jadeveon Clowney hasn’t played in two weeks, but the 26-year-old is anxious to get back on the field for the Seahawks. The defensive lineman told ESPN’s Brady Henderson that “there’s no way” he’ll miss his team’s season finale against the 49ers. Clowney also acknowledged that the two missed games will help him in the postseason.
Clowney missed Week 15 against the Panthers with the flu, and he was out for Week 16 against the Cardinals to deal with a lingering core injury. Henderson notes that Clowney was listed as limited on the Seahawks’ first injury report of the week.
NFL Playoff Scenarios For Week 17
The final week of the regular season is upon us.
Here’s the official rundown of NFL playoff scenarios as we get set for Week 17:
AFC
Clinched:
Ravens – AFC North division & home-field advantage throughout AFC playoffs
Texans – AFC South division
Chiefs – AFC West division
Patriots – AFC East division
Bills – playoff berth
Chiefs clinch a first-round bye with:
Chiefs win + Patriots loss
New England clinches a first-round bye with:
Patriots win or tie OR
Chiefs loss or tie
Raiders clinch a playoff berth with:
Raiders win + Steelers loss + Titans loss + Colts win + Raiders clinch strength-of-victory tiebreaker over Steelers*
*Raiders clinch strength-of-victory tiebreaker over Steelers if ONE of the following teams win or tie:
Bears, Lions, Chargers, or Patriots
Steelers clinch a playoff berth with:
Steelers win + Titans loss or tie OR
Steelers tie + Titans loss OR
Titans loss + Colts win + Raiders loss or tie OR
Titans loss + Colts win + Steelers tie Raiders in strength-of-victory tiebreaker*
*Steelers ties Raiders in strength-of-victory tiebreaker if ALL of the following teams win:
Vikings, Packers, Chiefs, and Dolphins
Titans clinch a playoff berth with:
Titans win OR
Titans tie + Steelers loss or tie OR
Steelers loss + Colts loss or tie
NFC
Clinched:
Packers – NFC North division
Saints – NFC South division
Vikings — playoff berth
49ers — playoff berth
Seahawks — playoff berth
Cowboys clinch NFC East division with:
Cowboys win + Eagles loss
Packers clinch a first-round bye with:
Packers win OR
Saints loss OR
Packers tie + San Francisco loss OR
Packers tie + Saints tie
Packers clinch home-field advantage throughout NFC playoffs with:
Packers win + San Francisco loss or tie OR
Packers tie +San Francisco loss + Saints loss or tie
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (12-3) (at Carolina (5-10); 1:00 PM ET, FOX)
Saints clinch a first-round bye with:
Saints win + Packers loss or tie OR
Saints win + 49ers loss or tie OR
Saints tie +Packers loss OR
Saints tie + 49ers loss OR
49ers loss +Packers win or tie
Saints clinch homefield advantage throughout NFC playoffs with:
Saints win + Packers loss or tie + 49ers loss or tie OR
Saints tie + Packers loss + 49ers loss
Eagles clinch NFC East division with:
Eagles win or tie OR
Cowboys loss or tie
49ers clinch NFC West division title with:
49ers win or tie
49ers clinch a first-round bye with:
49ers win OR
49ers tie + Packers loss or tie OR
49ers tie + Saints loss or tie
49ers clinch home-field advantage throughout NFC playoffs with:
49ers win OR
49ers tie + Packers loss or tie + Saints loss or tie
Seahawks clinch NFC West division with:
Seahawks win
Seahawks clinch a first-round bye with:
Seahawks win + Packers loss
Seahawks clinch home-field advantage throughout NFC playoffs with:
Seahawks win + Packers loss + Saints loss
Seahawks Place Carson, Prosise On IR
The Seahawks have officially placed running backs C.J. Prosise and Chris Carson on injured reserve. The move was expected after they suffered hip and arm injuries, respectively, over the weekend. 
[RELATED: Seahawks Sign Marshawn Lynch]
The Seahawks, of course, have already filled the void by signing one-time franchise star Marshawn Lynch and old friend Robert Turbin. Both players will be eligible for Seattle’s Week 17 finale against the 49ers, which will decide the outcome of the NFC West. If they lose, they’ll still be in as a wild card team, and they’ll have Lynch and Turbin on hand to keep the chains moving.
Rashaad Penny recently landed on injured reserve with an ACL injury, so the Seahawks are entering the playoffs with a totally new RB depth chart. Before all of this, Carson was enjoying a strong year. He finished out the season with 1,190 yards on the ground and nine total touchdowns. Penny, in a much smaller sample size, was averaging 5.7 yards per tote. Prosise averaged just 3.1 yards per carry.
Seahawks Sign Marshawn Lynch
It’s officially official. The Seahawks have announced the signing of running back Marshawn Lynch, reuniting them with their one-time superstar just before the final game of the regular season. 
Terms of the deal have not been disclosed, but we do know that it’s a one-year pact. Lynch will join the Seahawks for the Week 17 and the postseason – beyond that, no one knows what Beast Mode might do.
Lynch, 33, is no stranger to weaving in and out of retirement. This time around, however, he didn’t have to file any paperwork to return to the field. Lynch never formally retired from the NFL, he was just assumed to be done with football after completing his Raiders obligation.
Lynch made amends with Pete Carroll & Co. after their split years ago and is ready to hold down the fort following season-ending injuries to Chris Carson, C.J. Prosise, and Rashaad Penny. In addition to Beast Mode, the Seahawks also called upon Bobby Turbo (Robert Turbin, that is) to help in their pivotal game against the 49ers.
Lynch rushed for 376 yards and three touchdowns in his six games with the Raiders last year. He topped 1,200 yards in four straight seasons with the Seahawks (2011-2014) and led the league in rushing touchdowns in ’13 and ’14. Lynch lost much of the 2015 season to a hernia injury and, as he said this week, he has “unfinished business” to address in Seattle.
Seahawks Notes: Lynch, Clowney, Brown
We’re all on Beast Mode watch. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that Marshawn Lynch‘s physical “went well and as expected.” That was naturally a major hurdle as the Seahawks look to bring back the beloved veteran running back.
We learned earlier today that Lynch was set to meet with his former organization, and coach Pete Carroll was pretty candid about the team’s interest in the back.
“He’s been working really hard,” Carroll said (via ESPN’s Brady Henderson). “He’s really excited about the chance to do something helping out, and I think it’s freakin’ great if he could get out there and tote the ball for us. The circumstances rolled just at this time, and he could have four or five games left in him. Maybe that’s what we need.
“He’s had plenty of time to be working and get ready in case something came up, and I’m anxious to see him when we get him here. There’s a lot of history here that’s great history. There was nobody that ever amplified the kind of mentality and toughness that we like to play with, so if we get a chance to get the Beast back on the field, we’ll see how that works out.”
As we wait for the inevitable signing, let’s check out some more notes out of Seattle…
- With the team’s running back corps all but depleted, the Seahawks have already added one former player today: Robert Turbin. As Henderson writes, the running back’s familiarity and chemistry were major factors in his addition. In fact, Turbin was a part of Russell Wilson‘s wedding party back in 2016, and the two were road roommates during Turbin’s time in Seattle.
- Carroll expects defensive end Jadeveon Clowney to be on the field for Sunday’s showdown with the 49ers. “I think JD’s playing,” the head coach said (via The Athletic’s Michael-Shawn Dugar on Twitter). “I don’t think there’s any question he’s gonna play.” Clowney has been dealing with a core-muscle injury since Week 10, and the ailment kept him out of the lineup vs. the Cardinals. During his first season in Seattle, Clowney has compiled 20 tackles, three sacks, and four forced fumbles.
- Left tackle Duane Brown had surgery to trim his meniscus today, reports Rapoport (via Twitter). The operation generally has a two- or three-week recovery time, meaning the veteran could be back at some point during the playoffs. The 34-year-old has spent the past three seasons with the Seahawks, and he started each of his 12 games this season.
NFL Workout Updates: 12/23/19
Passing along some notable names from today’s workout circuit:
Detroit Lions
- CB Ken Crawley
Houston Texans
- RB Jeremy Cox, QB Nick Fitzgerald, TE Matt Flanagan, TE Cole Herdman, RB William Stanback
Jacksonville Jaguars
Seattle Seahawks
- DT Mike Hughes, DT Tomasi Laulile, DT Chris Nelson, DT Shakir Soto, DT Andrew Williams