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FB Dan Vitale To Retire

June 6th, 2021 at 10:39am CST by Rory Parks

Fullback Dan Vitale is ending his playing career. In a post to his LinkedIn page (via NESN’s Doug Kyed on Twitter), Vitale said, “I feel like my body is just ready to move on. I’m looking for a new role and would appreciate your support.”

Vitale, 27, entered the league as a sixth-round pick of the Buccaneers in 2016. He did not survive final cutdowns following his first career training camp, but he ended up back on Tampa’s taxi squad. The Browns poached him off the p-squad in October 2016, and over the 2016-17 campaigns, Vitale would appear in 24 games (nine starts) for Cleveland.

The Northwestern product caught on with the Packers’ practice squad in October 2018. He spent two seasons in Green Bay, playing in 20 games (five starts) for the Pack. His 2019 season with the club saw him post career highs in offensive snaps (170), catches (seven), and receiving yards (97). He also registered the only carry of his career, a three-yard tote.

Obviously, he was known more for his blocking and special teams acumen, and he signed a one-year deal with the Patriots in March 2020. The Pats knew that longtime stalwart James Develin was about to retire, and given the club’s usage of fullbacks and Develin’s impending departure, it seemed Vitale had found a good landing spot.

But he opted out of the 2020 season due to COVID-19, and the Patriots cut him last month. Instead of trying to play for another NFL club, he will now turn his attention to other endeavors.

In his LinkedIn post, Vitale noted that he graduated from Northwestern with an economics degree, and that he minored in business institutions and integrated marketing communications.

We at PFR wish Vitale the best in the next stage of his life.

Browns Sign Round 2 LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah

June 4th, 2021 at 6:25pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Browns stopped Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah‘s draft-weekend slide, selecting him in the second round. More than a month later, the linebacker prospect signed his four-year rookie deal.

A reported heart issue is believed to have contributed to Osuwu-Koramoah’s fall to No. 52, but concerns appear to have been overblown. The former Notre Dame standout has been medically cleared and will be expected to play a major role on a retooled Cleveland defense to start his career.

Last season’s Butkus Award winner, Osusu-Koramoah entered the draft as Scouts Inc.’s No. 12 overall prospect. He came in ahead of No. 12 overall pick Micah Parsons here, but it took a second-round trade from the Browns — when they moved up seven spots — before the 221-pound defender heard his name called in Cleveland.

In addition to racking up 142 tackles between his junior and senior seasons, Owusu-Koramoah was a frequent presence in Fighting Irish opponents’ backfields. He totaled 24.5 tackles for loss in his final two seasons in South Bend. With Owusu-Koramoah signed, only two 2021 Browns draftees — first-rounder Greg Newsome and third-rounder Anthony Schwartz — have yet to ink their rookie contracts.

The Browns had previously invested significantly at the off-ball linebacker spots, giving Jamie Collins and Christian Kirksey top-market money while current GM Andrew Berry was on staff. Neither deal worked out, and the team passed on a big-ticket Joe Schobert extension. Cleveland has rebooted at linebacker and continued to retool this offseason, signing former Colts starter Anthony Walker before drafting Owusu-Koramoah. Those two may well become the team’s three-down ‘backers this season.

Titans CB Kevin Johnson To Retire

June 4th, 2021 at 4:04pm CST by Sam Robinson

Despite landing a one-year deal in free agency for a third straight offseason, Kevin Johnson will opt to step away from football. The Titans cornerback is retiring, according to the team.

Tennessee signed Johnson in March, giving him a one-year deal worth $2.25MM. The 28-year-old cornerback will wrap his career after six seasons. Injuries, unfortunately, played a significant part in the former first-round pick’s NFL run.

The Texans selected Johnson 16th overall in 2015 out of Wake Forest. He started 10 games as a rookie but was unable to stay on the field in subsequent years, shortening his time in Houston. Though Johnson bounced back to carve out roles in Buffalo and Cleveland, he will finish his career with one interception.

A broken foot began Johnson’s rough luck in 2016, limiting him to six games in his second season. In 2017, a sprained MCL cost him time. While Johnson played 12 games that season, he suited up for just one in 2018 after a severe concussion sidelined him that September. The Titans cut him in 2019, backtracking on a fifth-year option commitment it made the previous spring.

Johnson played out one-year deals with the Bills and Browns the past two seasons. Working as a depth piece for the two rising teams, the 6-foot defender helped both to the playoffs. However, Johnson was part of a Browns COVID-19 outbreak late last season. As a result, Cleveland’s primary slot corner was not on the field for the franchise’s first playoff win in 26 years.

Since signing Johnson, the Titans used first- and third-round picks on corners — Caleb Farley and Elijah Molden. Tennessee invested a second-round pick in Kristian Fulton last year and also signed Janoris Jenkins this March. The Titans’ new-look cornerback contingent will not include Johnson, but the team has been active in adding cover men over the past two offseasons.

Grant Delpit Expects To Be 100% By Training Camp

May 29th, 2021 at 4:15pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Browns have devoted considerable resources to their secondary this offseason. They gave John Johnson top-10 safety money, added ex-Johnson Rams teammate Troy Hill and then spent their first-round pick on cornerback Greg Newsome. But the team has multiple high picks returning from injury.

Neither Greedy Williams nor Grant Delpit played a down last season, with injuries sidelining the LSU alums. Delpit has yet to debut for the Browns, having suffered a torn Achilles’ tendon last summer. But the 2020 second-round pick expects to be 100% by training camp, Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer notes.

While Delpit acknowledged he is still battling some pain from the injury, he indicated his rehab endpoint is near. The Browns, like 28 other teams this year, open training camp July 27.

“I’ve done a lot to come back in rehab and just do all of that right now. I’m doing sprints, cutting and all of that,” Delpit said, via Cabot. “Just on the backend of my rehab now and just trying to get rid of that annoying pain. It’s coming along, and I should be ready by training camp.”

This is a positive development for the former first-round hopeful. Delpit’s timeline appeared foggier in April, when he indicated he was a few months away from full clearance. One of the top players from LSU’s unbeaten national champion team, Delpit suffered the injury in late August last year. These injuries can prove troublesome, even post-rehab, but the recovery timetable generally ranges from nine to 12 months.

Set to return all 11 offensive starters, the Browns will have several new defensive cogs. Delpit will count toward this, despite not being a new addition. The returns of he and Williams will give the team considerable depth and help a defense that ranked 25th in DVOA last season. Cleveland lost a few role players here, with Kevin Johnson, Terrance Mitchell and Andrew Sendejo no longer on the roster. The 2019 Thorpe Award winner joins Johnson and Ronnie Harrison as Cleveland’s top safeties. Harrison’s presence figures to allow the Browns to build up Delpit after the injury.

Browns Will Not Pursue Julio Jones; Patriots’ Interest Mild?

May 28th, 2021 at 10:45pm CST by Sam Robinson

Shortly after any potential Browns-Aaron Rodgers rumors stopped in their tracks early, the ascending team will pass on the latest big name connected to a trade.

Cleveland is not interested in Julio Jones, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Mary Kay Cabot, who adds no Odell Beckham Jr.-for-Jones swap should be expected. Despite a rocky start in Ohio, which has involved trade rumblings, Beckham remains a player the Browns are high on. They are eager to see him back healthy in 2021, with Cabot adding the team has no plans to adjust its receiver room — which houses OBJ, Jarvis Landry and the recently re-signed Rashard Higgins — at this juncture.

[RELATED: First-Round Pick Offered For Julio Jones] 

While Cleveland did not profile as a Jones fit, Super Bowl aspirations notwithstanding, New England does. The Patriots have held internal discussions on the future Hall of Fame wideout, but the franchise known to make a splashy receiver trade from time to time may sit this one out. At this point, the Patriots’ interest in Jones is tepid, according to SI.com’s Albert Breer.

The Patriots reside in the top 10 in cap space ($15MM-plus), but they have not signed their top three draft picks. That will account for a few million. Though New England could move some funds around, the Falcons having a first-rounder on the table may change the equation for the Pats. Atlanta would surely prefer to send Jones to the AFC, but if an NFC team is the only one offering a first, that may well take precedence.

New England signed Nelson Agholor and Kendrick Bourne early in free agency, with Agholor collecting more guaranteed money than all but two 2021 UFA receivers (Kenny Golladay and Corey Davis). The Patriots clearly have big plans for the ex-Eagles and Raiders wideout, even though he has been inconsistent. Jones would certainly help Cam Newton and/or Mac Jones, but he does not have a no-trade clause. He may well be sent elsewhere.

David Njoku ‘In A Good Place’ With Browns

May 24th, 2021 at 1:46pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

There’s been a lot of drama with David Njoku and the Browns over the past year. The young tight end requested a trade last July, then rescinded that request in August. In October, he once again changed his mind and asked to be traded around the deadline.

No trade materialized, with Cleveland reportedly not wanting to deal him. Just when it seemed like everything had calmed down, Njoku fanned the flames once again in February by responding very cryptically to an interviewer asking about his future with the team.

However, it seems like things have now been patched over. The Browns have “weathered the storm” and Njoku is now “in a good place with the franchise,” a source told Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

Cleveland signed Austin Hooper to a big contract and drafted Harrison Bryant, which reduced Njoku’s role and made him unhappy. The Browns drafted the Miami product 29th overall back in 2017. While he’s shown plenty of flashes of potential, he hasn’t lived up to first-round status.

In 2018 he appeared on the verge of breaking out, racking up 639 yards and four touchdowns. Injuries then limited him to only four games in 2019, and he caught only 19 passes for 213 yards and two touchdowns.

Despite all the drama, Njoku is slated to make a little over $6MM this season after Cleveland picked up his fifth-year option last year. It’ll be the final year of his rookie deal. Njoku was drafted very young so he’s still only 24, and has all the theoretical potential in the world. 2021 is shaping up to be a make or break year for him.

OBJ Set To Return By Week 1?

May 23rd, 2021 at 3:52pm CST by Sam Robinson
  • Better news may be coming out of another AFC North contender’s headquarters. Odell Beckham Jr. has resumed sprinting after suffering an ACL tear last November, and Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer expects the Pro Bowl wideout to be in the Browns‘ Week 1 lineup. Beckham’s injury may have helped keep him in Cleveland, depressing the trade market for the talented wideout who has yet to truly take off with the Browns. Trade rumors have followed Beckham in Cleveland, but he is set to return at a $14.5MM salary this season.

Browns Sign DT Tommy Togiai

May 21st, 2021 at 9:50am CST by Zachary Links

The Browns have inked fourth-round pick Tommy Togiai, per a club announcement. With the defensive tackle in the fold, the Browns now have five of their 2021 selections under contract.

Togiai, a bit undersized at 6’1″ and 300 pounds, gets to stay local after wrapping up his career at Ohio State. In his final year on campus, Togiai notched 4.5 tackles for loss and three sacks. Those numbers don’t jump off the page, but he was one of the nation’s top-ranked DTs coming out of high school, so he has potential to outperform his draft slot.

Some college grads are eager to gas up the car and move somewhere new. That’s not the case for Togiai, who already feels at home.

“It’s great,” Togiai said (via Dan Labbe of Cleveland.com). “I love the state of Ohio, my time at Ohio State and Columbus, and now I get to go to another city in Cleveland. I’m excited to get up there. When I first made that decision to go to Ohio State, I never knew this would happen. I’m just excited to just get back to Ohio and get back to work.”

The Browns have just three unsigned rookies left in first rounder cornerback Greg Newsome II, second-round linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, and third-round wide receiver Anthony Schwartz.

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/20/21

May 20th, 2021 at 3:53pm CST by Zachary Links

We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:

Atlanta Falcons

  • Waived: TE Jack Batho

Buffalo Bills

Cleveland Browns

  • Waived: TE Logan Markway

Denver Broncos

  • Waived: QB Case Cookus

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

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