Redskins Acquire QB Kevin Hogan
The Browns have traded away another quarterback, sending Kevin Hogan and a sixth-round pick (No. 205 overall)to the Redskins for a sixth-round pick (No. 188 overall), with both teams announcing the deal. The Browns had acquired the sixth-round pick used in the deal from the Patriots in exchange for Jason McCourty
Hogan, 25, is the third quarterback to be traded from the Browns this offseason. They also sent Cody Kessler to the Jaguars and DeShone Kizer to the Packers. They received a conditional seventh-round pick for Kessler and cornerback Damarious Randall in exchange for Kizer.
The Browns also added Tyrod Taylor, who coach Hue Jackson said will enter the season as the starter, and long-time backup quarterback Drew Stanton. They’re set to take a quarterback with either the first or fourth overall picks of the upcoming draft as well.
Hogan joins a Redskins quarterback contingent that includes Colt McCoy and Stephen Morris behind newly-acquired Alex Smith. The Stanford alum had received permission from the Browns on Thursday to allow his agent to seek out a trade with another team.
The Chiefs drafted Hogan in the fifth round of the 2016 draft and he was cut prior to the regular season. He signed with the Browns shortly after and has appeared in eight games, including a start, over the last two seasons in Cleveland. The start came last year and it came in a losing effort to the Texans in Week 6.
NFL Draft Rumors: Broncos, Darnold, Vea
The Broncos sent GM John Elway, coach Vance Joseph, and other top executives to watch Sam Darnold work out in Los Angeles on Friday morning, Mike Klis of 9News tweets. Darnold, the youngest of this year’s top quarterback prospects, appears to be a strong candidate to go No. 1 overall. It could be a longshot for the Broncos to land him at No. 5, but stranger things have happened and there’s also the possibility of Denver moving up in the order. As a redshirt sophomore, the USC product completed 63.1% of his passes for 4,143 yards and 26 touchdowns.
Here’s more NFL Draft news:
- The Redskins will meet with USC running back Ronald Jones on Monday, John Keim of ESPN.com tweets. Team president Bruce Allen attended Jones’ pro day earlier this week and apparently came away impressed. Most believe that the Redskins will target a defensive player at No. 13 overall, so Jones might not be in the cards for Washington unless they trade down or acquire an additional pick in the back half of the first round. Jones, who has garnered comparisons to Jamaal Charles for his running style, is among this year’s top players at the position.
- LSU cornerback Donte Jackson has upcoming visits with the Broncos, Bills, Buccaneers, Panthers, and Packers (Twitter link via Jared Tokarz). Jackson ranks 28th on the top 50 list of NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah and impressed with a 4.32 second 40-yard-dash at the draft combine.
- Washington defensive tackle Vita Vea will visit with the Bengals on Sunday, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
Redskins Notes: Draft, Payne, Vea
The Redskins are expected to target secondary help in the NFL draft, but they’ll have to balance that with other needs. The good news for Washington is that there are late-round safeties such as West Virginia’s Kyzir White, Penn State’s Marcus Allen and Northwestern’s Godwin Igwebuike that the Redskins can target, as Kareem Copeland of The Washington Post writes.
“Depending upon whether you view them as cornerbacks or safeties,” ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper said recently. “Kyzir White, West Virginia, he could go third or fourth round. Marcus Allen, Penn State, could go fourth or fifth round. Godwin Igwebuike from Northwestern could go four to six, in that area. “There’s going to be some guys that drop down a little bit at that spot that have a lot of ability. Igwebuike tested off the charts at the combine.”
The Redskins’ pass defense ranked No. 9 in the NFL last year, but they’ve since traded Kendall Fuller while fellow cornerback Bashaud Breeland continues to float in free agency. Meanwhile, Washington still needs safety depth behind starters D.J. Swearinger and Deshazor Everett.
The Redskins have a history of targeting secondary help on Day 3 of the draft. Last year, they took UCLA corner Fabian Moreau in the third round, Michigan State safety Montae Nicholson in the fourth round, and Auburn cornerback Joshua Holsey in the seventh round.
Here’s more out of D.C.:
- With the No. 13 pick, Rich Tandler of NBC Sports Washington sees Alabama defensive lineman Da’Ron Payne as the odds-on favorite to be the Redskins’ first draft pick. Others likely to be in the mix, in Tandler’s estimation, include University of Washington defensive lineman Vita Vea and Georgia linebacker Roquan Smith. He also doesn’t discount the possibility of FSU safety Derwin James landing in D.C. if he has an unexpected slip down the board. Alabama cornerback Minkah Fitzpatrick and LSU running back Derrius Guice also garner mentions here.
- An offensive player may not be in the mix for the ‘Skins at No. 13 since they have bigger fish to fry, but Tandler wonders aloud if Georgia running back Nick Chubb could be an option for the team in Round 2 or 3. Chubb suffered a serious knee injury in 2015, but he bounced back to run for nearly 2,500 yards in the next two seasons. Chubb shows good power to gut out extra yards, but the Redskins are after a running back who can also catch out of the backfield and he did very little of that in Georgia’s offense.
Raiders To Meet With Junior Galette
The Raiders are set to meet with linebacker Junior Galette, as John Keim of ESPN.com tweets. He adds that Galette has drawn interest from a “couple of teams” in free agency. 
Back in March, we heard that the Rams and Browns had interest in the Redskins free agent edge rusher. Still, he remains on the market here in April.
Galette was once a double-digit sack force with the Saints from 2013-14, but he profiles more as a rotation player due to off-field issues and injuries in recent years. After suffering torn Achilles tendons in both 2015 and 2016, Galette finally got in a full season with the Redskins in 2017, and looked strong as he played on on 37% of the team’s defensive snaps.
While he only posted three sacks, Galette managed 25 pressures and graded out the league’s No. 30 edge defender among 106 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus. Washington, at one point, working to retain Galette, but a return is no longer in the cards.
Most NFL teams are focused on younger players these days, but Jon Gruden has bucked the trend by adding several players around the age of 30 and beyond. Wide receiver Jordy Nelson, running back Doug Martin, safety Marcus Gilchrist, and cornerbacks Shareece Wright and Leon Hall have been among those to join up with Oakland this offseason.
NFL Draft Rumors: Vander Esch, Steelers, Bills
The latest NFL Draft news:
- Linked to Leighton Vander Esch for several weeks this offseason, the Steelers met with the Boise State outside linebacker on Monday night, Tony Pauline of Draft Analyst reports. Pittsburgh has used first-round picks on either inside or outside ‘backers in four of its past five drafts. Three of those players remain on the team, but only two will be able to play this season. Ryan Shazier has been declared out as he attempts to recover from his frightening spine injury. Pauline wrote in March that Vander Esch won’t get past Pittsburgh at No. 28.
- Next up for Vander Esch met the Cowboys on Wednesday morning, James Palmer of NFL.com tweets. After that, he has the Cardinals and every team picking between No. 12 to No. 24, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Aside from the aforementioned clubs, the teams picking from No. 12-24 are the Bills (twice), Redskins, Packers, Ravens, Chargers, Seahawks, Lions, Bengals, Bills, Patriots, and Panthers.
- LSU pass-rusher Arden Key met with the Saints and Lions before his pro day on Wednesday and will visit with the Bengals on Thursday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Due to injuries, key only started in eight games last year, but he still finished out with 33 tackles, 5.5 for loss, four sacks, and a forced fumble. He is widely projected to be a first round pick later this month.
Redskins To Re-Sign DT Phil Taylor
A former first-round pick, Phil Taylor has not played in a regular-season game since the 2014 season. But the Redskins remain curious to see if he can help their team.
Washington intends to re-sign the defensive tackle to a one-year deal, Liz Clarke of the Washington Post reports. Taylor will turn 30 this week and hasn’t seen game action since he was with the Browns four years ago, but Washington liked his work enough he was in position to be the 2017 Redskins’ starting nose tackle, per Clarke, prior to going down with a season-ending injury in August.
Taylor tore his left quadriceps muscle in a preseason game last year. The Redskins had signed him to a reserve/futures deal at the conclusion of their 2016 season. He went to training camp with the 2016 Broncos but didn’t make the team.
The No. 21 pick in the 2011 draft, Taylor started 42 games for the Browns from 2011-14. Injury trouble has plagued him throughout his career, though, and it would seem like he’s close to the end of the line if he cannot stay healthy after this latest opportunity.
Ziggy Hood operated as the Redskins’ primary nose tackle last season; Taylor would seem to be competing for a depth role at this juncture.
Jonathan Allen Unsure If He'll Be Ready For OTAs
The Redskins took defensive tackle Jonathan Allen in the first round of last year’s draft but he was limited to just the first five games of his rookie season due to a Lisfranc injury. The Alabama alum is hopeful to be ready for the team’s voluntary OTAs in late April but is not making any guarantees.
“I’m going to be honest, the OTAs they start like end of April, and this will be my first time, so I would like to think so, but I mean, honestly, there’s no way of telling at this point,” Allen said to Stephen Czarda of Redskins.com. “I feel like I’m going to be in a good spot come OTAs, so I’m excited for that, and right now, I’m just taking it day by day just trying to grind.”
Allen tallied a sack and three tackles in five starts last season. He’s projected to start at defensive end in the team’s 3-4 scheme alongside Matthew Ioannidis, with Evander Hood at nose tackle. There are still viable defensive-line options on the free-agent market as well, including Johnathan Hankins, Bennie Logan and Charles Johnson, among others. Stacy McGee and Anthony Lanier are projected to immediately back up Allen and Ioannidis on the defensive line.
Here’s more from around the NFC East:
- Matt Lombardo of NJ Advanced Media looks at some wide receivers the Giants might target in the draft if they were to trade Odell Beckham. The team is unlikely to take a wide receiver with their No. 2 overall pick in the draft but if they were to acquire a first-round pick in a trade for Beckham, Lombardo identifies Courtland Sutton (SMU), Calvin Ridley (Alabama), D.J. Moore (Maryland) and James Washington (Oklahoma State) as potential fits.
- In his Eagles mailbag, Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ Advanced Media shot down the team potentially trying to acquire Beckham or Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski in a trade. In both instances, the Eagles available cap space would make a deal unlikely. In Beckham’s case, especially, it’s unlikely the Giants would deal Beckham to a divisional rival.
- In an interview with Mike Klis of 9News in Denver, newly-acquired Broncos defensive back Su’a Cravens continued to explain why he was optimistic about his new home compared to his time with the Redskins. “I was going through some personal issues with my family and I didn’t feel like myself,” Cravens said. “I did tell my teammates I was going to retire but I never officially retired. … The Redskins brought me in, they told me they wanted me to get checked out, make sure I was all right. I go to a doctor and he tells me I’m going through something I didn’t even know I was going through. He said this is the reason why you feel this way and you’re in no condition to be making these decisions because of this and I guarantee if you rehab and get yourself better, you won’t be feeling this way.Once I got cleared in December, it was like I was a completely different person. Looking back at myself I’m thinking, that’s crazy. I thought I was just messed up but come to find out, I was going through something I wasn’t even aware of.’’
Jordan Reed Will Miss Redskins’ OTAs
Having played in just 52 of a possible 80 regular-season games since being a Redskins 2013 draft choice, Jordan Reed remains mired in an injury battle. And it will be a bit before Washington sees him in action again.
When asked if his top tight end will be able to participate in OTAs this year, Jay Gruden replied, “Heck no.”
Gruden said (via Rich Tandler of NBC Sports Washington) Reed underwent a procedure on a toe that’s bothered him for many months. He finished last season on IR and experienced toe, foot and hamstring trouble last season, one featuring a career-low six games.
“We’ve taken the necessary steps to get him right. He’s had some procedure done on his toes and now it’s just a matter of the rehab,” Gruden said this week. “He’s been working hard at it. He’s been working on his upper body while his toes are recovering.
“Hopefully we’ll see a healthy, 100 percent Jordan by training camp.”
The soon-to-be 28-year-old pass-catcher missed the final two months of last season. He suffered a toe injury early in training camp last year, one revealed to be a fracture, but returned in time for Week 1. However, the malady ended up sidetracking Reed’s season. Reed not returning until this year’s camp will mean the toe injury and subsequent rehab will have taken up roughly a year of his career.
Reed caught 27 passes for 211 yards last season. He played in 12 games in 2016 and posted a 686-yard, six-touchdown campaign. He’s set to count $10.14MM toward Washington’s cap this year.
Contract Details: Mathieu, Pamphile, Watson, Weeden
Some details on recent free agent deals (all links via Twitter):
- Tyrann Mathieu, S (Texans): $2MM base salary in 2018. $4.5MM signing bonus, $500K worth of per-game bonus (via Mike Jurecki of ArizonaSports.com).
- Kevin Pamphile, OG (Titans): $1MM base salary, $400K guaranteed. $850K worth of incentives (via ESPN’s Cameron Wolfe).
- Ben Watson, TE (Saints): One year, $2MM. $645K signing bonus/guaranteed (via Nick Underhill of The Advocate).
- Marcus Sherels, CB/PR (Vikings): Worth $1.4MM, base salary $1.05MM. $250K signing bonus, $500K guaranteed, $100K workout bonus (via ESPN’s Ben Goessling).
NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero also has signing bonus/guarantee details on players who signed one-year deals: TE Levine Toilolo $400K (Lions), LB Pernell McPhee $350K (Redskins), QB Brandon Weeden $90K (Texans), CB Leon Hall $45K (Raiders).
Minor NFL Transcations: 3/29/18
Today’s minor moves:
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: LB Reshard Cliett
Washington Redskins
- Waived: RB LeShun Daniels