HEADLINES

Browns Rumors

Morgan Burnett Announces Retirement

March 29th, 2021 at 5:07pm CST by Sam Robinson

Morgan Burnett did not play last season, and the veteran safety will not opt to make a comeback in 2021. Burnett announced his retirement (via Instagram) on Monday.

The former Packers third-round pick played 10 NFL seasons — with Green Bay, Pittsburgh and Cleveland — and started 112 games out of the 121 he played. The Packers traded up with the Eagles to select Burnett in 2010 and deployed him as a first-string safety for seven-plus seasons.

While never a Pro Bowler, Burnett led two playoff-bound Packers teams in tackles, with 123 in 2012 and 130 in 2014, and totaled more than 90 in three other Green Bay seasons. The Georgia Tech product intercepted 10 passes and forced eight fumbles in his NFL career.

Although Burnett’s rookie season doubled as Green Bay’s fourth Super Bowl-winning campaign, he was on IR during those playoffs. Burnett, however, started in 11 postseason games with the Packers. He intercepted two playoff passes.

The Packers gave Burnett a four-year, $24.75MM extension in 2013. He played out that contract. Burnett moved on in unrestricted free agency in 2018, signing with the Steelers. After a year in Pittsburgh, Burnett spent his final season in Cleveland. Injuries intervened during Burnett’s Steelers and Browns stays, and the Steelers did not use him as a full-time starter. While the Browns gave Burnett a two-year contract and did use him as a full-time first-stringer, they released him after he missed eight games due to injury. Despite reaching the 10-season threshold, Burnett was just 30 when he played his final NFL game.

Jadeveon Clowney Visits Browns

March 24th, 2021 at 4:02pm CST by Sam Robinson

Last year, the Browns spent months attempting to bring Jadeveon Clowney to Cleveland. They ended up doing so, on a visit at least. Clowney arranged a meeting with the Browns, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. The parties are met Wednesday, with Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal tweeting the summit has concluded.

The veteran defensive end is coming off an unremarkable season with the Titans, with injuries limiting him yet again. Despite his seven years of NFL experience, however, Clowney is just 28. And he is one of the top free agents still available. No deal is imminent, according to Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com. With Clowney not yet 100% after a 2020 knee injury, teams’ caution makes sense.

This comes at an interesting time for the Browns. They chased J.J. Watt in free agency and have been rumored to be prepared to devote notable resources to adding a bookend pass rusher opposite Myles Garrett. Olivier Vernon played that role for two seasons, but the Browns attempted to sign Clowney to replace him last year. Vernon is now a free agent and coming off an Achilles tear. And the Browns, despite being linked to several veteran sack artists, remain understaffed at the D-end spot opposite Garrett.

The Browns did add Takkarist McKinley, but they will certainly add more pieces to help on their defensive front. They agreed to terms with Malik Jackson last week as well, and although Jackson has experience playing end in a 4-3 scheme, he has mostly served as an inside rusher in his nine-year career. Clowney has experience inside as well, but he would qualify as a starter-caliber player opposite Garrett on the edge.

Clowney was not high on Cleveland last year, but his value took a hit last season. Although Clowney is not known for his sack prowess, he recorded zero in eight Titans games. Since his 2018 Pro Bowl season with the Texans — the most recent of his three Pro Bowl slates — Clowney has just three sacks. The Seahawks opted to let Clowney walk after the 2019 season, and he spent months in free agency before joining the Titans on a one-year, $13MM deal. His next team will be able to land him at a cheaper rate.

One of the league’s top run-defending edge players, Clowney has battled injuries for most of his career. The former No. 1 overall pick suffered a torn meniscus last year, and although he is expected to be ready for football work by April, he has a history of knee issues. A groin injury hampered him in Seattle.

John Johnson Turned Down More Money To Sign With Browns

March 21st, 2021 at 9:28pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Browns added a big piece to their defense when they signed safety John Johnson last week, and they apparently faced steep competition for his services.

Johnson turned down “significantly more money” from another team to sign with the Browns, his agents told Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. He was clearly very excited about the prospect of playing for this upstart Browns team that is coming off their best season in decades. It’s a sign of how much the times have changed that players are now taking less money in order to sign with the Browns as a destination in free agency.

Imagine if someone had told you that a few years ago. Johnson signed a three-year, $33.75MM pact with the Browns that included $24MM guaranteed, and was arguably the top safety on the market after guys like Justin Simmons, Marcus Maye, and Marcus Williams all got franchise tagged by their respective teams.

Johnson’s AAV of $11.25MM has him as the eighth-highest paid safety in the NFL currently. Shortly before he signed with Cleveland we heard the Lions, Eagles, and Jaguars were pursuing him, so it’s possible it was one of those teams that offered him the bigger contract.

The Rams opted not to tag him for financial reasons, but Johnson has been a really good player since entering the league as a third-round pick in 2017. He played every snap for a Los Angeles defense that was best in the league last season, and won’t turn 26 until December. Johnson will start next to either 2020 second-round pick Grant Delpit or Ronnie Harrison in 2021.

Browns To Sign DL Malik Jackson, LB Anthony Walker

March 19th, 2021 at 7:08pm CST by Sam Robinson

After adding two members of the Rams’ starting secondary, the Browns are turning their attention to the front seven. They agreed to terms with defensive lineman Malik Jackson and linebacker Anthony Walker on Friday, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com and Yahoo’s Charles Robinson (Twitter links).

Jackson’s Broncos tenure overlapped with Joe Woods‘, with the current Browns DC having coached Denver’s secondary during Jackson’s stay. The nine-year veteran will come to Cleveland after spending two seasons in Philadelphia. A four-year vet, Walker is Ohio-bound after playing out his rookie contract in Indianapolis.

While Jackson was a starter in multiple schemes in Denver — including in Wade Phillips‘ 3-4 look that helped the Broncos win Super Bowl 50 — he has worked primarily as a 4-3 defensive tackle since joining the Jaguars in 2016. Part of the Jags’ “Sacksonville” defense that pushed the team to the Super Bowl LII precipice, Jackson made the Pro Bowl after an eight-sack season in that 2017 campaign. However, the Jags made him a cap casualty ahead of their rebuild in 2019.

The Eagles signed Jackson shortly after, but he missed the ’19 season because of an injury. Jackson registered 2.5 sacks and logged 13 QB hits for the Eagles last season, returning to play in 15 games. The soon-to-be 31-year-old D-lineman will join a Browns team that just lost Larry Ogunjobi in free agency. Jackson could be in line to team with Sheldon Richardson as a starter in Cleveland.

Walker started alongside Darius Leonard for three seasons with the Colts. Working as Indianapolis’ primary middle linebacker, Leonard’s sidekick registered 321 tackles from 2018-20 and did not miss a game. He also posted 18 tackles for loss in that span, including 10 in 2018. Pro Football Focus did not grade Walker particularly well last season, slotting him near the bottom of its linebacker hierarchy, but the former fifth-round pick brings significant experience to a Browns defense that ranked 25th in DVOA last year.

In addition to the Jackson and Walker additions, the Browns have signed John Johnson and Troy Hill this week. They also re-signed linebacker Malcolm Smith.

Titans To Sign OLB Bud Dupree

March 18th, 2021 at 9:35pm CST by Sam Robinson

Thursday, 9:35pm: Dupree got a whopping five-year deal from Titans worth $82MM, including $34MM guaranteed (via Ben Volin of the Boston Globe on Twitter).

Monday, 7:39pm: The Titans’ pursuit of Dupree will produce a contract agreement. Dupree will sign with Tennessee, Pelissero and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com report (on Twitter). While the terms are not fully known, Rapoport tweets the former Steelers sack artist will receive $16.5MM annually on a multiyear deal.

7:14pm: In need of pass-rushing help, the Titans have identified a target. They are going after longtime Steelers edge defender Dupree, with NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo and Tom Pelissero reporting (via Twitter) Tennessee is making a strong push for the five-year vet.

The edge rusher market, deeper than in recent years, is moving fast. Leonard Floyd, Matt Judon and Yannick Ngakoue have chosen teams. The Titans are trying to close out a deal to take another outside pressure artist off the board.

The Browns are also in the mix for Dupree, per Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports (on Twitter). However, some in the Steelers organization expect Dupree to end up with the Titans.

Dupree’s deal will be interesting; he is still rehabbing from the ACL tear he suffered late in the regular season. The Steelers are not expected to re-sign the former first-round pick. They used their franchise tag on Dupree last season, and he has become a key part of a pass rush that has led the NFL in sacks from 2017-20. Dupree broke through in his initial contract year, registering 11.5 sacks in 2019. The Steelers saw the Kentucky alum post eight sacks in 11 games, but the knee injury will affect his market.

Missing out on J.J. Watt, the Browns may need to strike quickly on the edge rusher front. They have been rumored for weeks to be prepared to sign a big-name bookend for Myles Garrett. While the Browns have been connected to Von Miller, with the Broncos’ option decision on the future Hall of Famer still undetermined, but the free agent group is thinning.

Tennessee posted one of the worst third-down defensive efforts in modern NFL history last season, and GM Jon Robinson’s additions of Jadeveon Clowney and Vic Beasley failed. Dupree would represent a gamble, given his injury and inconsistency, but the Titans need to add help here to team with Harold Landry. Tennessee already agreed to terms with D-lineman Denico Autry; a Dupree add as well would help Landry and Jeffrey Simmons considerably.

Minor NFL Transactions: 3/18/21

March 18th, 2021 at 7:34pm CST by Zachary Links

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

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Rams

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Browns, CB Troy Hill Agree To Deal

March 18th, 2021 at 4:29pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Browns have now received multiple commitments from ex-Rams secondary starters this week. Following their agreement with safety John Johnson, the Browns are signing cornerback Troy Hill, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

A multiyear starter in Los Angeles, Hill will come to Cleveland on a four-year, $24MM contract. Hill will join Denzel Ward and Greedy Williams as the Browns’ top corners. Assuming the Browns pick up Ward’s fifth-year option, all three will be signed through at least 2022.

Hill, 29, has experience as a boundary and slot corner, giving the Browns options. He also stands to provide insurance after Williams missed all of last season with an injury.

The Browns brought in Kevin Johnson on a one-year deal in 2020, but the former first-round pick has not been re-signed. Born in northeast Ohio but having gone to high school in southern California, Hill will return to his home state after multiple productive seasons with the Rams.

Last season, the Rams used Hill on 95% of their defensive snaps — well up from his 2019 usage — and he graded as a top-30 corner, per Pro Football Focus. Hill intercepted three passes last season and returned two of those picks for touchdowns. In 2019, Hill allowed opposing QBs to collectively amass a 61.3 passer rating and complete just 45% of their passes when targeting him. He stands to help a Browns defense that rated 25th in DVOA last season.

The Rams turned to Hill as a key cog, with the team having traded Marcus Peters to the Ravens during the 2019 season. Hill, however, played five seasons with Los Angeles and started 39 games. He and Johnson will arrive on long-term contracts, which run counter to GM Andrew Berry‘s strategy a year ago. In 2020, Berry supplemented his rookie-deal troops with the likes of Johnson, Andrew Sendejo and Karl Joseph in the secondary. The second-year GM opted to devote more significant resources to the secondary this year.

Browns To Re-Sign WR Rashard Higgins

March 17th, 2021 at 8:26pm CST by Ben Levine

Rashard Higgins is heading back to Cleveland. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the Browns are re-signing the free agent wideout. It will be a one-year deal for Higgins.

The 2016 fifth-round pick has spent his entire career in Cleveland, appearing in 67 regular season games in parts of five seasons. The wideout had one of his best seasons in 2020, hauling in 37 receptions for 599 yards and four touchdowns.

In total, the 26-year-old has collected 113 career receptions for 1,615 yards and 11 touchdowns.

The Browns have been a bit quiet this week, but securing Higgins’ services assures that they’ll return much of the same receiving corps next season. Barring a trade, Higgins will likely slide in behind Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry on the depth chart.

Browns To Re-Sign LB Malcolm Smith

March 17th, 2021 at 3:54pm CST by Sam Robinson

Having bounced around the league in recent years, Malcolm Smith nevertheless generated some attention on the market after a notable showing in Cleveland last season. But he will stay in northeast Ohio.

The Browns are expected to re-sign the veteran linebacker, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. The Panthers also expressed interest in Smith, but he will return to the Browns.

Cleveland acquired the former Super Bowl MVP just before last season. He played 52% of the Browns’ defensive snaps — his highest usage rate since his 2016 season with the Raiders — and made 72 tackles. The 31-year-old defender will now have a full offseason to work in Joe Woods’ scheme. Pro Football Focus graded Smith as the Browns’ best linebacker in 2020, slotting he and Sione Takitaki 15th and 16th among qualified off-ball ‘backers, respectively.

Since his four-year Seahawks run ended after the 2014 season, Smith has played for the Raiders, 49ers, Cowboys, Jaguars and Browns. The Dallas and Jacksonville stays did not last long, but Smith signed lucrative deals with both Bay Area teams. He used the Cleveland stay to revive his value to some degree, and the Browns will keep the veteran in place among a young group of linebackers.

Lavonte David hovered on Cleveland’s radar, but the standout talent opted to stay in Tampa. The Browns moved on, and Smith appears to have represented a proven fallback option. The Panthers have since agreed to terms with ex-Charger Denzel Perryman.

Load More Posts