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CB Notes: Bills, Bradberry, Giants, Gardner, Texans, Jets, Jaguars, Browns, Ward

April 20th, 2022 at 6:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

Losing Levi Wallace in free agency, the Bills have a cornerback need a week away from the draft. The two-time defending AFC East champions will be linked to corners early, but they are still looking into the veteran market. Brandon Beane confirmed the team has spoken with free agent corners, via The Athletic’s Joe Buscaglia (on Twitter). While Stephon Gilmore is now off the board, several other accomplished vets remain available. The player Gilmore is set to replace in Indianapolis, Xavier Rhodes, is a free agent. So is Joe Haden, whom the Steelers appear to have replaced with Wallace. Buffalo has Taron Johnson as its slot cornerback, so boundary players would seemingly be the focus on the veteran front. Jackrabbit Jenkins‘ Titans contract expired, and Trae Waynes and Kyle Fuller loom as potential bounce-back candidates. Richard Sherman is set to turn 34 this year, but he has a career’s worth of high-end zone production.

Here is the latest from the cornerback scene:

  • Lovie Smith indicated his team needs cornerback help, and it might even come at No. 3 overall. Several teams believe Ahmad Gardner could be the Texans‘ choice at 3, The Athletic’s Dane Brugler tweets. Houston has also done extensive work on LSU’s Derek Stingley. Given where they are in the rebuilding process, the Texans make sense as a true best-player-available team. That would seemingly point to a tackle choice — be it Evan Neal or Ikem Ekwonu — but corner buzz has followed this team for a bit now.
  • Stingley played just 10 games between the 2020 and ’21 seasons, seeing injuries slow his momentum after a dominant freshman season. But the LSU product is creeping into the top-10 picture, with ESPN.com’s Matt Miller noting Stingley and Gardner are looking likely to each be top-10 selections (Twitter link). The 6-foot defender, per one evaluator who spoke to NBC Sports’ Peter King, has “the best feet of any corner I’ve ever seen.” Mel Kiper Jr.’s most recent ESPN.com mock draft has Gardner going fourth to the Jets and Stingley going 12th to the Vikings. The Jaguars and Jets hosted Stingley on visits this week, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
  • The Washington Huskies could see two corners go in the first round. With Trent McDuffie positioning himself as the draft’s third-best corner, Miller adds a few teams do not expect Kyler Gordon to reach Day 2 of the draft (Twitter link). ESPN ranks Gordon 31st overall, though Todd McShay has him going 42nd in he and Kiper’s latest mock. The 5-foot-11 defender played four seasons at Washington, but only two (2019 and ’21) involved more than three games.
  • New Giants GM Joe Schoen said a scenario exists where the Giants retain James Bradberry, via SNY’s Ralph Vacchiano (on Twitter). Entering the final year of his contract, Bradberry has long expected to be dealt. The Giants have discussed their No. 1 corner with teams, and while they have said an extension for the Dave Gettleman-era signee is possible, Bradberry’s $21.9MM cap number sits second on Big Blue’s payroll. The Giants ($6MM-plus in cap space) would save more than $11MM by designating Bradberry as a post-June 1 cut, if no team offers a draft pick to take on the veteran cover man’s $13.4MM base salary.
  • Denzel Ward‘s five-year, $100.5MM Browns extension includes $44.5MM fully guaranteed, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk notes. That figure also leads all corners. In addition to his signing bonus, the Browns fully guaranteed Ward’s 2022 and ’23 base salaries ($1MM, $4MM, respectively). Ward’s 2024 base ($15.3MM) shifts from an injury guarantee to a full guarantee on Day 3 of the 2023 league year. That same structure is present for 2025, with that base salary ($13.5MM) already being guaranteed for injury. It becomes fully guaranteed on Day 3 of the 2024 league year.

Browns Sign Isaac Rochell, Javon Wims

April 20th, 2022 at 1:58pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Browns have made a depth addition on each side of the ball. The team announced Wednesday the signings of defensive end Isaac Rochell and receiver Javon Wims. 

Rochell, who will turn 27 later this week, began his career with the Chargers. In four years there, he rarely started, but played a notable role in the team’s defensive front. His best season came in 2018, when he registered 29 tackles and five of his 9.5 career sacks.

His play earned him a deal from the Colts last offseason. The value of the one-year contract outweighed what the Chargers could have paid to keep him, but his production points to letting him leave having been the right decision. In 12 games, Rochell totalled 17 tackles and no sacks. Now, he will join a Browns team which just recently signed Stephen Weatherly.

Wims, 27, is also joining a new team for the second time in his career. A seventh-round pick of the Bears in 2018, he started seven of 33 games in Chicago. He recorded 18 receptions and 186 yards in 2019, but made just 10 total catches in his other two campaigns. After being waived by the Bears, he spent 2021 on the Raiders’ practice squad.

These deals likely won’t have any significant effect on Cleveland’s cap space, meaning that reunions with the likes of Jadeveon Clowney and Jarvis Landry are still possible. In any event, these two represent depth at key positions for a team looking to seriously contend in the AFC in 2022.

Saints To Meet With WR Jarvis Landry

April 19th, 2022 at 5:53pm CST by Sam Robinson

A month into free agency, Jarvis Landry remains without a team. That could change soon. The Saints are bringing in the Pro Bowl wideout for a visit Wednesday, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets.

The Saints were connected to Landry early in free agency, but the five-time Pro Bowler soon visited the Falcons and has been continually mentioned as a candidate to return to the Browns. A Cleveland return remains in play, per Fowler. But Landry will huddle up with the Saints first. An LSU alum, Landry is a New Orleans-area native.

Having cut Emmanuel Sanders and having seen Michael Thomas‘ injury timetable pushed back to the point he missed the entire season, New Orleans featured perhaps the NFL’s worst receiving corps last season. Thomas is back in play for the Saints, who will feature a new play-caller for the first time in 16 years. Pete Carmichael’s offense could certainly use additional help at receiver, given Thomas’ issues staying healthy over the past two seasons.

New Orleans acquired a second first-round pick from Philadelphia, parting with its 2023 first-rounder to do so. A wide receiver addition would make sense for the Saints there. A Landry move before the draft, however, may change the organization’s plans. The Saints still have Marquez Callaway rostered, and they re-signed Tre’Quan Smith this offseason.

Landry, 29, spoke with Deshaun Watson about teaming up in Atlanta — before the Browns’ landscape-changing guarantee gave the Browns the win in those unusual sweepstakes — and the quarterback’s presence in Cleveland figures to matter. The Saints appear set to test the Browns’ interest level. Cleveland has a new No. 1 receiver in Amari Cooper, having cut Landry shortly after that acquisition was reported. Landry is coming off his worst season as a pro — a 570-yard, two-touchdown campaign — though Baker Mayfield‘s injuries limited the Browns’ passing attack. In Mayfield’s more successful 2020 season, Landry caught 72 passes for 840 yards. He has three 1,000-yard seasons on his resume.

Baker Mayfield Not Expected To Attend Browns’ Voluntary Offseason Program

April 19th, 2022 at 9:01am CST by Adam La Rose

While he awaits the conclusion to his separation process from the Browns, Baker Mayfield likely won’t be with the team during the early part of their offseason regiment. Pro Football Network’s Aaron Wilson reports that the quarterback isn’t expected to attend the voluntary portion of Cleveland’s program, which begins today. 

[RELATED: Panthers Favored To Acquire Mayfield?]

It comes as no surprise that the former No. 1 pick will continue working out on his own. It was reported earlier this month he would likely only be present for the mandatory portion of minicamp, which takes place in mid-June. By that time, many expect him to have been traded elsewhere, though the list of teams still in need of a 2022 starting QB has shrunk considerably in recent weeks.

On that point, Wilson writes that “no trade is imminent or developing at this time”, lessening the chances of a pre-draft swap taking place. Teams like Carolina and Seattle have been linked to the 27-year-old, but they hold the sixth- and ninth-overall picks, which could be used to add a developmental signal-caller. One of the largest roadblocks to Mayfield being moved is his fully guaranteed fifth-year option salary of more than $18MM.

Given that he is only under contract for one more season, however, the list of teams looking to add him may increase next year. Wilson reports that “there is definite interest in Mayfield around the league”, including from teams which would be willing to sign him as a free agent in 2023. His value on the open market at that time, of course, would be directly tied to his level of play with whichever clubs he ends up with in the coming weeks or months.

In the meantime, Mayfield will likely carry on his personal recovery from shoulder surgery; he has also spent time throwing with free agent wide receivers in Austin, Texas.

RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 4/18/22

April 18th, 2022 at 7:24pm CST by Ben Levine

Here’s a look at the latest tender decisions from around the NFL:

RFAs

Signed:

ERFAs

Signed:

Browns Sign DT Sheldon Day, DE Stephen Weatherly

April 18th, 2022 at 4:26pm CST by Sam Robinson

Sheldon Day will soon vie to keep his role as a Browns rotational defensive tackle. The veteran re-signed to stay in Cleveland on Monday, but the Browns did not stop there in adding pieces up front.

Stephen Weatherly, an edge player who was in Minnesota during part of Kevin Stefanski‘s run with the Vikings, also agreed to terms with the Browns. Weatherly, 28, finished last season with the Broncos, being part of the team’s post-Von Miller edge-rushing corps.

Cleveland has seen some upheaval on its defensive line. Jadeveon Clowney is unsigned, as is fellow 2021 starter Malik Jackson. The Browns did not extend a tender to Malik McDowell, whose off-field struggles continued with an arrest in January. The Browns also let defensive tackle Andrew Billings walk; Billings is now a Raider. This leaves the door open for others to step in, both on the edge and the interior.

Despite the presences of Jackson, McDowell and Billings, Day was a regular in the games he played. The former Jaguars, 49ers and Colts contributor did not make the Browns’ 53-man roster out of training camp but stayed on as a member of the team’s 16-man practice squad. Day, 27, eventually rose to the active roster and played in seven games, playing 46% of the Browns’ defensive snaps in those games. Day, who started for the 49ers in Super Bowl LIV, registered a sack and deflected two passes during his first Browns season.

While Day has a history with Cleveland defensive coordinator Joe Woods, from the duo’s time in San Francisco, Weatherly was with Minnesota from 2016-19. He backed up Danielle Hunter and Everson Griffen during much of that time, making seven starts. After spending the 2020 season with the Panthers, Weatherly re-signed with the Vikings last year. Minnesota traded him to Denver, where he saw more run on a Broncos edge crew that was without Miller and an injured Bradley Chubb for most of the season. Weatherly recorded 2.5 sacks and five tackles for loss in nine games with the Broncos.

Browns, Denzel Ward Finalizing Extension

April 18th, 2022 at 1:29pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Browns have made a pair of massive additions to their offense already this offseason. Today, they made another big splash, signing cornerback Denzel Ward to a lucrative second contract. Ward is inking a five-year, $100.5MM extension (Twitter link via ESPN’s Adam Schefter). 

Schefter adds that the deal includes $71.25MM in guaranteed money. That figure, along with the $20.1MM-per-year average, makes Ward the highest-paid corner in league history, putting him just ahead of Jalen Ramsey. After being the fourth-overall pick in 2018, the 24-year-old has established himself as a cornerstone of the Browns’ defense.

Ward immediately became a starter in his rookie season, recording three interceptions and 11 pass deflections. He has essentially replicated those totals throughout his four seasons in the league, earning Pro Bowl nods in 2018 and 2021. The former Buckeye has yet to surrender a completion percentage above 60.3%. He was still under contract for the upcoming campaign, scheduled to make $13.3MM on his fifth-year option. Now, he will be in the fold through 2027.

This deal makes Ward the second member of the 2018 draft class to receive an extension. The other, running back Nick Chubb, signed a $36MM extension this past July. Those two players have been integral to the team’s success, leading to their vastly different situations relative to the top pick that year, Baker Mayfield.

Ward will stay in place at the head of a CB room which also features Greedy Williams and Greg Newsome. The team doesn’t own a first-round pick as a result of the Deshaun Watson trade, but their secondary is already in solid shape without one for both the short- and long-term future.

Latest On Panthers, Baker Mayfield

April 16th, 2022 at 3:34pm CST by Sam Robinson

Previously mentioned as being uninterested in Baker Mayfield, the Panthers look to be reversing course. Carolina now has the inside track to acquire the disgruntled quarterback from Cleveland, Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer notes.

During his much-discussed podcast appearance this week, Mayfield mentioned the Seahawks as his most likely destination. But the former No. 1 overall pick was unsure, as his offseason has now seen him drift into limbo following the Browns’ Deshaun Watson trade. A Panthers deal would be interesting. Not only has Mayfield been reported to be unenthused about playing with Carolina, Robby Anderson recently tweeted he would not be excited about such a deal. During an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport also mentioned the Panthers as the most likely Mayfield team (video link).

[RELATED: Panthers Eyeing Ikem Ekwonu, Charles Cross]

Carolina, however, makes sense as a Mayfield suitor. Matt Rhule is on the hot seat, and GM Scott Fitterer said the team will likely have to compromise its board to draft a quarterback at No. 6. Mayfield would give the Panthers an instant starter, one who would likely be an upgrade on every Panthers QB situation since before injuries derailed Cam Newton‘s career. It would also pair Mayfield with Sam Darnold, giving the Panthers an interesting setup featuring the first two QBs drafted in 2018. Like Mayfield, Darnold is tied to a fully guaranteed fifth-year option salary ($18.9MM).

While it would seem Mayfield lacks options at this point, Cabot adds the fifth-year passer has “several” interested teams. The Seahawks would seemingly be in this mix. Others certainly would if the Browns cut him, but they are not expected to do so. A trade is tentatively expected to be completed by the draft. Otherwise, Mayfield’s market could shrink further, with certain teams set to make seminal QB decisions in the first and second rounds.

The Browns hope to resolve their newly awkward QB situation soon, rather than carry Mayfield on their roster deep into the offseason. It seems he will beat Jimmy Garoppolo to the transaction wire. It will be interesting if the Panthers or another team convinces the Browns to take on part of Mayfield’s salary. The Browns doing so would stand to increase the level of trade compensation.

These Mayfield rumblings come after the Panthers completed a busy week of quarterback evaluations. They hosted six QB prospects this week, and buzz around the league is pointing to a Carolina QB choice. It would not be out of the question for Carolina to acquire Mayfield and use its first-round pick on a passer, the likelier scenario would be the team trading for Mayfield and either taking a non-QB in Round 1 or trading the pick. Lacking any picks in Rounds 2 and 3, the Panthers have discussed moving down with a few teams.

Browns Eyeing Pass Rush Additions

April 15th, 2022 at 4:15pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Browns have already made two of the most significant moves this offseason, trading for Deshaun Watson and Amari Cooper. That has led to optimism they can contend in the AFC as they hoped – but failed – to do last year. One of the biggest remaining weaknesses on the roster, though, is at the edge rusher position. 

It comes as no surprise, then, that CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora writes that Cleveland is looking to add to their edge group. Specifically, he states that the Browns “want to beef up the pass rush”, adding that he “figure[s] they will”. Finding a long-term compliment to Myles Garrett has been an ongoing process in recent years.

The latest attempt to do so, of course, was the signing of Jadeveon Clowney. Brought in on a one-year deal, he enjoyed a far more productive season than the one he spent the year prior in Tennessee. In 14 games, the former No. 1 pick registered nine sacks and a pair of forced fumbles. As a result, the team has left the door open to a return.

If Clowney isn’t brought back, Cleveland could turn to other veterans such as Trey Flowers, Jason Pierre-Paul and Melvin Ingram in free agency. As a result of the Watson trade, their top pick in this month’s draft is 44th overall; while intriguing edge options will still be available at that point, those likeliest to make an immediate impact will be off the board by that point.

The Browns still rank near the top of the league in terms of cap space, so a notable move at the position remains a distinct possibility. Regardless of how it is made, any addition could help maintain their defense’s top-ten ranking in sacks from last season, and relatively strong overall performance.

Minor NFL Transactions: 4/14/22

April 14th, 2022 at 9:29pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves, including some restricted free agents and exclusive rights free agents who signed their tenders:

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Pittsburgh Steelers

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