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2020 NFL Draft Order As Of Week 17

December 25th, 2019 at 8:34am CST by Zachary Links

With one week remaining in the regular season, the 2020 NFL Draft order is starting to take shape. The 1-14 Bengals have locked up the No. 1 overall pick, but the rest of the board will be dependent on the outcome of Week 17’s games.

Here’s a look at where things stand:

1. Bengals: 1-14
2. Redskins: 3-12
3. Lions: 3-11-1
4. Giants: 4-11
5. Dolphins: 4-11
6. Jaguars: 5-10
7. Chargers: 5-10
8. Panthers: 5-10
9. Cardinals: 5-9-1
10: Jets: 6-9
11. Broncos: 6-9
12. Browns: 6-9
13. Falcons 6-9
14. Raiders 7-8
15. Cowboys 7-8
16. Colts 7-8
17. Buccaneers 7-8
18. Raiders (via Bears) 7-8
19. Dolphins (via Steelers) 8-7
20. Jaguars (via Rams) 8-7
21. Eagles 8-7
22. Titans 8-7
23. Bills 10-5
24. Vikings 10-5
25. Dolphins (via Texans) 10-5
26. Chiefs 11-4
27. Seahawks 11-4
28. Packers 12-3
29. Patriots 12-3
30. Saints 12-3
31. 49ers 12-3
32. Ravens 13-2

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/24/19

December 24th, 2019 at 5:00pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor moves:

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

  • Promoted: OT Quinn Bailey

Miami Dolphins

  • Signed: RB Myles Gaskin

Oakland Raiders

North Notes: OBJ, Meyer, Roman

December 22nd, 2019 at 10:20am CST by Rory Parks

Browns WR Odell Beckham Jr. recently shot down rumors of a trade demand, but the team never had any intention of trading him anyway, as Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets. Cleveland gave up a great deal to acquire OBJ last offseason, and the club fully intends to keep the mercurial wideout on board for what it hopes will be a rebound campaign in 2020.

With respect to Beckham’s potential sports hernia surgery, he has scheduled a January 13 consultation with a core specialist, and that is one of several opinions he’ll gather before deciding whether to go under the knife (Twitter link via ESPN’s Josina Anderson).

Now for more from the leagues’ north divisions:

  • Urban Meyer has been connected to the Cowboys’ and Redskins’ head coaching vacancies in recent weeks, and you can add the Browns to that list. It’s still unclear whether Cleveland will part with first-year HC Freddie Kitchens, but if it does, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports expects Meyer to get heavy consideration. Browns owner Jimmy Haslam and Meyer enjoy a strong relationship, and despite what he has said publicly, Meyer is reportedly interested in returning to the sidelines.
  • Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman has engineered one of the league’s best and most exciting offenses around MVP candidate Lamar Jackson, and La Canfora says Roman is, unsurprisingly, expected to have several head coaching interviews. Though Jackson is a transcendent talent, teams will be looking to replicate Baltimore’s approach, and Roman’s success with Jackson and other athletic QBs like Colin Kaepernick and Tyrod Taylor will have him in high demand.
  • Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press takes a look at each of the Lions‘ 16 pending UFAs and offers his take as to whether Detroit will attempt to retain them. He believes wide receiver Danny Amendola is a near-lock to return, and he thinks OL Graham Glasgow may prefer to go elsewhere.
  • We took another swing around the north yesterday, including a look at Mitchell Trubisky‘s future with the Bears.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/21/19

December 21st, 2019 at 4:21pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Saturday’s minor moves:

Carolina Panthers

  • Promoted from practice squad: OL Matt Kaskey
  • Waived: LB Ramik Wilson

Cleveland Browns

  • Promoted from practice squad: DE Robert McCray
  • Waived: Brandin Bryant

Green Bay Packers

  • Signed off Saints’ practice squad: T John Leglue
  • Placed on IR: T Yosh Nijman

Oakland Raiders

Tennessee Titans

Myles Garrett Back At Browns' Facility

December 21st, 2019 at 3:25pm CST by Sam Robinson

Both of the Browns‘ starting wide receivers may need offseason surgeries. While Odell Beckham Jr. has been battling a sports hernia injury that is not yet certain to require a corrective procedure, Jarvis Landry‘s hip problem might need to be operated on next year, Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer notes. Landry has dealt with a hip injury all season, though the malady’s severity is uncertain. Landry has not missed a game this season, but going into his third Browns campaign, it appears likely he will miss some of the team’s offseason program. With Freddie Kitchens a possible one-and-done candidate, an offseason absence could loom larger considering a new playbook may be en route.

  • Although Myles Garrett is suspended indefinitely, he is now allowed back at the Browns’ facility, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal reports. The NFL initially barred Garrett from team headquarters but has since permitted the Pro Bowl defensive end to return to the team’s Berea, Ohio, complex. However, Garrett remains ineligible to attend Browns meetings or practices. But he’s allowed to work individually with Browns training and medical personnel in the building, per Ulrich.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/19/19

December 19th, 2019 at 7:59pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s practice squad moves:

Cleveland Browns

Jacksonville Jaguars

Pittsburgh Steelers

  • Signed: WR Jamal Custis

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Browns’ OBJ: “I’m Not Going Anywhere”

December 18th, 2019 at 1:32pm CST by Zachary Links

Maybe Odell Beckham Jr. doesn’t want out, after all. On Wednesday, the mercurial wide receiver shot down rumors of a trade demand. 

[RELATED: OBJ Reportedly Tells Opposing Coaches, Players To “Come Get Me”]

“I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be here,” OBJ said (Twitter link via Mike Garafolo of NFL.com). “We’ll figure this thing out. It’s just too special to leave…We’regoing to be here. We’re going to do it again. And we’re going to be what we felt like we should’ve been.”

Earlier this month, it was reported that Beckham has been approaching opposing players and coaches with a plea to “come get” him. OBJ shrugged off those questions and jokingly said that he’s talked to the CFL’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Toronto Argonauts about playing for them.

Things haven’t gone according to plan for OBJ or first-year head coach Freddie Kitchens, but the Browns are reportedly planning to keep both of them in 2020. Realistically, the Browns have little choice, when it comes to Beckham. They sacrificed first- and third-round picks for the superstar earlier this year and he still has several seasons remaining on his five-year, $95MM contract.

For now – it sounds like OBJ is staying put. But, if anything changes, Beckham reportedly wouldn’t mind a return to New York with the Jets.

Freddie Kitchens: “I Don’t Care About My Future As Browns Coach”

December 16th, 2019 at 5:23pm CST by Rory Parks

5:23pm: Kitchens clarified his comments on Monday, as Cabot writes in a full-length piece. Kitchens said, “I care about my job. I only care, though, about getting better today. That’s what I was trying to illustrate is I’m only focused on today on getting this football team to play the best of their ability today and to increase those chances of us getting to that point on Sunday of playing the best that we can on Sunday. Everybody here is focused on that.”

4:42pm: Browns head coach Freddie Kitchens once again found himself in the headlines for the wrong reason last night. Following his team’s loss to the Cardinals, Kitchens was asked about his future with Cleveland, and Kitchens said, “I don’t care about my future as Browns coach” (Twitter link via Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com).

Surely Kitchens does, in fact, care about his job as the Browns’ head coach, and it’s likely his comments were simply made out of frustration after a bad loss and in the wake of persistent speculation about his future. But it’s obviously a bad look, and emblematic of the tone deaf manner in which Kitchens has operated throughout much of this season, his first as an HC.

Just yesterday, we heard that the Browns were inclined to retain Kitchens for the 2020 season barring a “horrific collapse or circumstance to end the season.” But the defeat at the hands of 3-9-1 Arizona — which included a brief sideline argument with receiver Jarvis Landry –coupled with the post-game comments, could be the foundation of a “horrific collapse or circumstance.”

Making matters worse, Browns running back Kareem Hunt admitted that some of his teammates gave less than maximum effort during some of the Arizona game, as Marla Ridenour of the Akron Beacon Journal writes. That admission could end up being much more damaging for Kitchens’ chances of sticking around than Kitchens’ own comments.

The Browns, 6-8, now have a less than 1% chance of making the postseason, per FiveThirtyEight.

Browns To Retain Freddie Kitchens, OBJ?

December 15th, 2019 at 8:37am CST by Rory Parks

For most of the last two decades, Browns fans would have been content to head into Week 15 with the 6-7 record they have today. But the 2019 iteration of the team entered the season with a star-studded roster and sky-high expectations, so the sub-.500 mark has left a sour taste in Cleveland’s collective mouth.

Since rookie head coach Freddie Kitchens has been unable to coax the expected results out of his club, which has often looked undisciplined and sloppy, speculation as to his future with the Browns has run rampant. It would not be a surprise to see GM John Dorsey part ways with Kitchens this offseason in favor of a more experienced head, but as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com writes, that is not the current plan.

Rapoport says the team’s 4-1 record over the past five games has gone a long way towards saving Kitchens’ job. He adds that, barring a “horrific collapse or circumstance to end the season,” the Browns will go into 2020 with Kitchens as their head coach. Team management remains supportive of Kitchens, for whom growing pains were expected, and it sounds as if Dorsey and ownership will exercise patience.

Like Kitchens, star receiver Odell Beckham Jr. has disappointed this season, and recent reports surrounding him have led some to wonder if he will be back in Cleveland next year. But as Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports writes, Beckham does not plan to request a trade this offseason. OBJ is, however, interested, to see what changes are made to the Browns’ staff and scheme, and if those changes — or lack thereof — are not to his liking, he could ask to be dealt.

If Dorsey does choose to deal Beckham, the Jets could be in play, and per Ralph Vacchiano of SNY.tv, OBJ is not afraid of returning to New York, despite his experiences with the Giants (video link). Gang Green would presumably not be Beckham’s first choice, but the market itself would not be a deterrent for him.

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