The Browns faced the possibility of some troublesome injury news on the final day of their minicamp, when cornerback Denzel Ward left the field with a foot injury. The latest update on his condition is encouraging, however.
As detailed by Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon Journal, there was “no structural damage” to the foot caused by the injury Ward suffered on Thursday. As a result, he is expected to be healthy in time for training camp next month. That will be welcomed news for the Browns, considering their recent financial investment in the 25-yerar-old.
Cleveland briefly made Ward the highest-paid corner in league history in April, signing him to a five-year extension worth $20.1MM per season. While his annual compensation now ranks second in the NFL at his position, the deal also included a new watermark in guaranteed money at $44.5MM. Any significant injury suffered before that pact kicks in starting next season would, of course, set the Browns back significantly.
The No. 4 pick in 2018, Ward has lived up to his draft status as one of the most impactful and consistent members of Cleveland’s defense. In 2021, he matched his career high with three interceptions, earning himself a second Pro Bowl nod along the way. The Ohio State alum will go into 2022 atop the team’s CB depth chart, which also features Greedy Williamsand Greg Newsome.
On a related note, Easterling adds that Williams spent minicamp dealing with a sprained ankle, another injury which “isn’t expected to be a long-term issue.” Those positive updates will allow for the continued optimism surrounding the Browns’ defense heading into the season, a unit which, in all likelihood, will be heavily leaned upon if the team is to contend in the AFC.
Kareem Hunt would like to stick around Cleveland. The running back told Mary Kay Cabot that he’s hoping for an extension from the Browns (Twitter link).
“Right now I’m just taking it day by day,”Hunt said. “I’m going to see what they want to do with me. I’m just taking it day by day. Hopefully I can be here long term.
“I was born and raised here. I’d love to finish my career here and just keep playing the game with [Nick] Chubb longer and with the great guys on this great team.”
Hunt, who was born in Lorain, Ohio and attended Toledo, joined his hometown team in 2019 after getting released by the Chiefs amid assault allegations. The subsequent NFL investigation resulted in an eight-game ban for Hunt, and while he managed to get into each of the Browns’ next eight contests, he didn’t play a major role on offense.
During the 2020 offseason, Hunt signed the second-round restricted free agent tender before inking a separate two-year, $13.25MM extension. He can earn up to $6.25MM in 2022 before hitting free agency next offseason. He outplayed his contract in 2020; despite only starting five games, Hunt managed to finish the year with 1,145 yards from scrimmage and 11 touchdowns. He was limited to only eight games in 2021 but managed to tie a career-high with 4.9 yards per carry.
If Hunt is willing to take a hometown discount, the Browns would surely consider an extension. However, if Hunt is looking to be paid like a starting-caliber RB, he may be hard pressed to get that contract in Cleveland. The team inked Chubb to a new deal last July, and there’s little chance the front office would want to pay significant money to two RBs.
Although two more women have filed civil lawsuits against Deshaun Watson since the Browns traded for him, the NFL was on the homestretch of its lengthy investigation prior to those suits emerging. Watson’s camp is expecting a “significant” suspension, according to Mark Maske of the Washington Post.
While careful not to predict a precise punishment, a source informed Maske the NFL will likely seek a year-long suspension. A league presentation on the case to the NFLPA and Watson’s representatives has led the union to expect a lengthy ban. The NFL’s punishment may indeed be near, with Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk noting the NFLPA is bracing for an “unprecedented” ban in this case. The steady stream of Watson news to emerge since the trade has become a concern for NFL higher-ups, per Florio, who adds some in the league office do not believe Watson should be cleared to play until these issues are resolved.
The prospect of Watson being sidelined throughout the course of the civil suits does not seem realistic, based on Roger Goodell‘s comments this spring and his handling of the situation since the lawsuits began to emerge in March 2021. The NFL did not place Watson on the commissioner’s exempt list last year, relying on the Texans to deactivate their former starter for all 17 games. Watson’s 2021 trade request and the Texans’ rebuilding approach last season also contributed to the team’s decision to deactivate the Pro Bowler.
The Browns almost certainly would not follow suit, considering the historic compensation package they sent to the Texans for Watson and the record-shattering contract they authorized upon doing so. Citing conversations with the NFLPA, Goodell said after a second Texas grand jury did not recommend charges against Watson he would not be placed on the exempt list. That opens the door to Watson receiving punishment this year and when the civil suits eventually conclude. Cleveland’s front office structured Watson’s contract — perhaps the most divisive deal in modern NFL history — in a way to protect him from a 2022 suspension, giving him a mere $1MM salary this season.
The timeline for Watson’s civil suits also would make the prospect of Watson being banned until they are resolved unlikely. After August 1, the civil suits will pause until March 1, 2023. Both Watson’s legal team and the Tony Buzbee-led attorney for the plaintiffs agreed on that timeline. Parking Watson on paid leave until these suits are all resolved runs the risk of the embattled QB being sidelined into the 2023 season, due to the high number of women who have accused him of sexual misconduct and/or sexual assault.
Since the 24th accuser’s suit surfaced, a New York Times report added more detail and startling number to this saga. The report indicated Watson received massages from at least 66 women between fall 2019 and spring 2021. In the days since, Watson news has continued to circulate. Houston police detective Kamesha Baker said during a recent civil deposition she believed Watson committed sexual assault, USA Today’s Brent Schrotenboer notes. Ten women filed criminal complaints against Watson, but they did not lead to charges. Two of those 10 accusers are not part of the ongoing civil cases. Prior to these news items coming out, the NFL had concluded its meetings with Watson. It is possible the league had all of this information beforehand. If not, more meetings could ensue, further muddying this saga.
Independent arbitrator Sue Robinson will render the punishment, and the NFL would handle an appeal. The NFLPA would move to defend Watson during an appeal process — one Maske notes the NFL wants completed by the time the Browns report to training camp July 27. Watson has continued to deny all wrongdoing and said as much again this week from Browns minicamp, but the sixth-year veteran faces the prospect of missing back-to-back seasons.
RB Pierre Strong (fourth round, South Dakota State)
The Browns made York the highest-drafted kicker since 2016 (Roberto Aguayo, Round 2) by selecting him 124th overall. The team was eyeing Evan McPhersonin the 2021 draft, and after seeing the Bengals pounce on the talented specialist, the Browns decided to make an early move for York. LSU’s kicker for three seasons, York earned second-team All-America acclaim in 2020. York will be poised to take over Browns kicking duties, which Chase McLaughlin held last season. Cleveland has gone through a number of kickers in the past decade. The team has not featured the same primary kicker in consecutive seasons since Billy Cundiff from 2013-14.
Chosen 127th overall, Strong surpassed 1,000 yards three times during his career at the Division I-FCS program, doing so in each season not interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. He amassed a Division I-FCS-best 1,668 rushing yards last season. Strong will join a Patriots backfield that features Damien Harris, who is going into a contract year, and Rhamondre Stevenson.
With the Browns and Panthers haggling over how Baker Mayfield‘s 2022 salary will be paid, Cleveland taking back one of Carolina’s quarterbacks in a deal would not seem in step with these negotiations. But Deshaun Watson‘s status may point to the Browns looking around at emergency QB options, considering Mayfield is out of the picture for such a role.
Sam Darnold is not expected to be on such a list, and as of now, the Browns are not preparing to chase a QB upgrade as part of a Watson contingency plan. A Mayfield-for-Darnold swap is not believed to be on the Browns’ radar, according to cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot, who adds the AFC North team is confident in offseason addition Jacoby Brissett.
Carolina and Cleveland have picked up talks on Mayfield recently, with the NFC South squad displaying some urgency here. If Mayfield finally does end up being traded, the acquiring team would be wise to do it soon for the purposes of the relocating quarterback immersing himself in his new team’s playbook ahead of training camp.
Matt Rhule said a trade weeks in advance of camp is not essential to a QB learningBen McAdoo‘s playbook, but the more time Mayfield would have with Carolina’s system, the better off he would be. Illustrating money’s impact in these talks, the Panthers would have hoped to acquire Mayfield before or during minicamp for acclimation purposes, Joe Person of The Athletic notes (subscription required).
Like Mayfield, Darnold is tied to a fifth-year option salary of $18.9MM. As 2018 draftees, Mayfield and Darnold are part of the first class to have their fifth-year options fully guaranteed. While trade-value purposes should be considered here, Rhule is believed to be warming to another Darnold season. Given the efforts the Panthers have made to acquire a better QB over the past two years, that would be quite the development. Mayfield would seemingly be a better option, his inconsistency notwithstanding, but his former draft classmate has been prepping in McAdoo’s system for five months.
The Browns were linked to Darnold ahead of the 2018 draft; Mayfield emerged late in the process. The two passers’ work to date suggests then-GM John Dorsey made the right decision, but Darnold — who is two years younger, at 25 — has been stationed behind below-average offensive lines throughout his career. Mayfield enjoyed a top-tier line during the second half of his Cleveland run. Darnold has not shown what Mayfield has during the latter’s highpoints, but with a new-look Panther O-line and a quality set of skill-position players, this might be the USC product’s best chance of putting together a decent season.
Signed to a one-year, $4.65MM deal this offseason, Brissett replaced Case Keenum as the Browns’ backup. The frequent fill-in starter stands to be a pivotal figure in the Browns’ season. With a lengthy Watson suspension expected, the former Patriots, Colts and Dolphins QB will be on track to make several starts for a Browns team that has seen its preferred starter encounter additional turmoil since the divisive blockbuster trade occurred.
A regular on the general manager interview circuit, Jimmy Raye III is now working in the Browns’ front office. Among other changes, the Browns announced Thursday they brought in the veteran exec.
Raye and Browns GM Andrew Berry worked together with the Colts back in the mid-2010s, when the latter was beginning his rise to the GM level. Raye, 53, began his scouting time in 1996 and has held high-ranking positions with a few AFC franchises. Much of that time came with the Chargers, his employer from 1996-2012. Raye left the Bolts after lengthy tenures as their college scouting director and director of player personnel.
Most recently, Raye worked with the Lions as a senior personnel executive. Hired during Bob Quinn‘s GM stay, Raye saw his Detroit tenure end in early 2021 — shortly after Brad Holmes took over the Lions’ front office. Prior to his time in Detroit, Raye worked as Houston’s assistant GM briefly and was Indianapolis’ VP of football ops from 2013-16. The latter two gigs led to Raye interviewing for GM jobs with the 49ers, Colts, Texans and Panthers from 2017-18. Raye, who was the Colts’ interim GM between Ryan Grigson and Chris Ballard‘s tenures, also interviewed for the Panthers’ assistant GM post last year.
The Browns also promoted Adam Al-Khayyal from assistant director of pro scouting to their pro scouting director post. Sam DeLuca will take over Al-Khayyal’s former job. Al-Khayyal and DeLuca have been with the franchise amid extensive front office overhauls, the former arriving in 2015 and the latter two years earlier. Sixth-year Browns staffer Tyler Hamblin will now serve as director of football operations.
After 10 years with the Dolphins, Chris Burford relocated to Cleveland to work as a national scout with the Browns. Burford spent the past three seasons as a southwest area scout with the AFC East franchise. The Browns are also moving Zach Ayers to the national-scout level; he spent the past six years overseeing the team’s West Coast scouting. Seventh-year Browns staffer Josh Cox will move into Ayers’ old role. Joe Dever will rise from scouting assistant to the team’s Mid-Atlantic area scout, with the team also announcing Matt Donahoe as its new southeast area scout.
The Browns acquiring Deshaun Watson via trade has become one of the most controversial moves in modern NFL history. The talented quarterback’s off-field issues have intensified since he chose Cleveland as his trade destination, but that choice did go a long way toward bringing Myles Garrett‘s 2021 edge-rushing sidekick back.
Jadeveon Clowney said Thursday that Watson’s decision made a significant impact on his own, indicating (via 92.3 The Fan’s Anthony Lima; video link) he would probably have joined the Falcons had Watson selected Atlanta as his next team. Prior to Clowney’s team-hopping run of recent years, he and Watson were Texans teammates from 2017-18.
Clowney and Watson spoke during the QB’s four-team trade sweepstakes, and Jake Trotter of ESPN.com notes (via Twitter) Clowney gave Cleveland a strong endorsement. While the $230MM guaranteed the Browns came back to the table with provided the clincher for the embattled passer, Clowney offering Browns praise provides some breadcrumbs ahead of the defensive end’s own decision.
“We stayed in touch through that whole thing about coming here,” Clowney said, via Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon Journal. “If he come, then I come. I told him if he goes, I’ll follow him up here. I’ll go back. That’s what it came down to.”
Cleveland re-signed Clowney on a one-year, $10MM deal that features $9.25MM fully guaranteed. Garrett lobbied extensively to bring Clowney back. That stands to help the Browns’ defense, though the one-year commitment is interesting in this case. While Clowney’s injury history has damaged his hopes of scoring a long-term deal, Watson factoring into his free agency choice this year may provide a letdown. With the sixth-year veteran QB facing 24 civil lawsuits and counting, a lengthy suspension is expected. This Browns season stands to feature an extensive stretch in which Watson is away from the team, leading to Jacoby Brissett being favored to take many of the team’s snaps this year.
Watson potentially being ticketed to play a full season in 2023 could again influence Clowney’s next commitment. The injury-prone former No. 1 overall pick played 14 games last season, recording nine sacks. Another healthy season would increase Clowney’s market value in 2023, should he not sign a Browns extension before the next league year begins.
As the Browns and Panthers’ salary viewpoints diverged considerably during the draft, the teams’ Baker Mayfieldtalks broke down. Carolina traded into the third round for Matt Corral. Matt Rhule is warming up to the idea a Corral-Sam Darnold competition will be enough for this year’s Panthers edition, Joe Person of The Athletic notes (subscription required).
But Mayfield is still generating support from some inside the NFC South squad’s building, Person adds. This has reached the point where the Panthers have resumed discussions with the Browns on a trade for the fifth-year quarterback, Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports tweets.
Both teams begin minicamp Tuesday. Rhule said last week the Panthers would evaluate their quarterback position after minicamp but indicated a free agent at any position would not need to be acquired too long before training camp to pick up new OC Ben McAdoo‘s system. Days later, some semblance of urgency exists on the Panthers’ side on the Mayfield front, Jones adds (via Twitter). This stance would make sense, with Mayfield having a better chance to bounce back in Carolina with additional time to learn McAdoo’s offense ahead of training camp.
The Panthers having checked in on Russell Wilson and aggressively pursued Deshaun Watson — a year after making a strong offer for Matthew Stafford — makes the prospect of running it back with Darnold (31st in 2021 QBR) tough to buy. But Rhule has bolted on the team’s previous starter (Cam Newton, Teddy Bridgewater) in each of his first two offseasons. And the team did make upgrades along its offensive line, which would stand to aid Darnold in his second Panthers slate. But, through four seasons, Mayfield has been a far more viable starter than Darnold. For a coach on one of the NFL’s hottest seats, adding a quarterback at a much cheaper cost than it took to land Bridgewater or Darnold would seemingly check out.
The Browns have waited for the Panthers’ Darnold-Corral competition to induce them to return to the Mayfield table, but money still divides the teams sitting first and second in cap space. During the draft, the Browns were barely prepared to pay $3MM of Mayfield’s $18.9MM fully guaranteed salary. The Panthers wanted them to pick up at least $13MM. Cleveland appears to have moved closer to the latter figure, and the more the AFC North team pays, the better the draft compensation would be. Still, Carolina should not be expected to give up much for Mayfield.
The Browns would be stuck with nearly the full salary if they release Mayfield, which has long been a non-starter. The Seahawks have been monitoring this situation for months, but lately, the only Seattle-Mayfield connections pertain to a potential release. The latest reports of Panthers-Browns talks could motivate the Seahawks — amid a Geno Smith–Drew LockQB competition — to reconsider their trade stance. For now, Carolina remains the frontrunner for Mayfield.
Johnson’s deal is billed as a one-year, $2.43MM contract. The deal will have a base salary of $1.07MM with a guaranteed amount of $729,125 and a signing bonus of $151,500. It is unclear from Kyed’s breakdown if the reported guaranteed amount includes the signing bonus or if it is an additional guaranteed portion of the base salary.
Johnson will also have the ability to increase the maximum value of the contract through a number of performance-based incentives. He can earn an additional $450K if he reaches 545 rushing yards and can up that bonus to $608,250 if he can get to 670 rushing yards. Likewise, Johnson can earn an additional $450K if he reaches 700 total yards from scrimmage and can increase that bonus to $608,250 if he can total 835 yards from scrimmage. The achievement of earning any of these incentive bonuses would represent career-highs in either category for Johnson.
The Browns had placed a $2.43MM restricted free agent tender on Johnson in March. The base salary ($1.07MM), the signing bonus ($151,500), and the two maximum incentive bonuses ($608,250 each) make up that $2.43MM amount.
Due to a flurry of additions, the 2022 AFC presents a crowded competition for playoff and Super Bowl LVII access. Some of the top-tier teams addressed key weaknesses, and several middle-class squads took big swings in respective aims to improve their chances this season.
The fallout paints a picture in which barely any AFCers can be truly counted out for playoff contention. Future Hall of Famers, potential Canton inductees, and Pro Bowlers moving from the NFC — along with various intra-AFC changes — have made for one of the most captivating offseasons in modern NFL annals. While the offseason is not yet complete, most of the acquisition dominoes ahead of training camp have fallen. Which team did the best work?
With Russell Wilson joining the Broncos, the AFC West’s Wilson-Patrick Mahomes–Derek Carr–Justin Herbert quartet appears of the great quarterback armadas any division has fielded in the five-plus-decade divisional era. The Broncos gave up two first-round selections in a five-pick deal but were able to hang onto their young receivers. Denver, which moved to a younger coaching staff headed by first-time HCNathaniel Hackett and two rookie coordinators, also added defenders Randy Gregory and D.J. Jones. Going from the Teddy Bridgewater–Drew Lock combo to Wilson represents one of the top gains any team made this offseason, but Denver’s divisional competition will not make improvement easy.
Of last season’s conference kingpins, the Chiefs and Titans endured the biggest losses. Hill and Tyrann Mathieu‘s exits will test the six-time reigning AFC West champs, while last year’s No. 1 seed balked at a monster A.J. Brown extension by trading him to the Eagles for a package headlined by a 2022 first-rounder. Both teams did address some needs early in the draft, but the Bengals and Bills look to have definitively improved their rosters.
Oddsmakers do not expect the Jaguars’ moves to translate to 2022 contention, but the team did hire a former Super Bowl-winning coach in Doug Pederson and spend wildly for lineup upgrades — from Christian Kirk to Brandon Scherff to Foye Oluokun— and used two first-round picks (Travon Walker, Devin Lloyd) to further upgrade its defense. Going from Urban Meyer to Pederson should offer stability to a franchise that has lacked it, never more so than in 2021.
Are there other teams that warrant mention here? Vote in PFR’s latest poll and weigh in with your thoughts on the new-look AFC in the comments section.
