Caleb Brantley - Pro Football Rumors

AFC Notes: Browns, Brantley, Charles

May 6th, 2017 at 12:13pm CST by Ben Levine

The Browns are currently rostering four quarterbacks in Cody Kessler, Brock Osweiler, DeShone Kizer, and Kevin Hogan. Despite the depth, the grouping doesn’t have a whole lot of experience, as the four signal-callers have combined for 49 career games. Despite the inexperience, the front office doesn’t anticipate adding a veteran quarterback to their roster.

“That would surprise me,” head of football operations Sashi Brown said on WKNR 850 AM (via Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com). “I’ll never say never, and we’re always out there looking for what’s available to us. But very few transactions happen around the league, maybe one or two a year that would affect the quarterback position, particularly a starting-caliber quarterback. So I would anticipate and feel really comfortable about the four guys we have going into the season.”

Let’s take a look at some other notes from around the AFC…

While appearing on ESPN’s Mike and Mike, Brown explained the logic that went behind the Browns selection of Florida defensive tackle Caleb Brantley in the sixth round. “We’ll see what the prosecutor’s office does here, but that was another thing,” Brown said (via Nate Ulrich of Ohio.com). “There was no warrant issued for his arrest. There was an allegation of what happened. So we did our diligence.” Brantley is accused of punching a woman back in April.
Brown also indicated that he wasn’t rushing to make a Brantley decision before the legal process plays itself out. “We don’t want to prematurely rush to a judgment or presume that we have all the facts, so [we’ll] wait to let the process play out and do as much work on it as we can and then make a decision,” Brown said. “With these legal processes, sometimes they take longer than anticipated. But we do anticipate in the next several weeks that some resolution will come.”
New Broncos running back Jamaal Charles recently appeared on the “Unmatched Sports with Cal Jones” podcast, and he discussed the Chiefs decision to cut bait on him and his $3.75MM contract. “I thought maybe they would give me a grace period. But I haven’t performed the last two years,” Charles said (via Nicki Jhabvala of The Denver Post). “At the same time, I know it was about business. I think it would have been cool if they came and told me about a pay cut because I think I would’ve taken that pay cut, because I think I owed it to them for allowing me to be on the team. But I felt like when I got that call, it was just like, man, it was just OK, man. If it can happen to Peyton Manning it can happen to anybody.” Charles left Kansas City as the organization’s all-time leader in rushing yards.

Browns Uncertain To Keep Caleb Brantley

April 29th, 2017 at 3:46pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Browns made one of the draft’s more controversial picks earlier today by selecting Florida defensive tackle Caleb Brantley, who has been charged with assault for an incident that occurred in Gainesville, Florida, earlier this month.

Brantley’s time with the Browns looks like it will depend on the outcome of this investigation. GM Sashi Brown (via Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com, on Twitter) said the team may be forced to part ways with the sixth-round pick. Brown added “the facts of this case may be something we can’t get comfortable with,” candidly discussing how the team could move on if this process progresses to a point the Browns can’t handle (Twitter link, via Cabot).

Viewed as a first- or second-round talent, Brantley has been charged for allegedly striking a woman in a bar and causing dental injuries after a verbal altercation. Cabot adds (Twitter link) that a source relayed a message from a Florida coach telling every team with which he spoke to stay away from Brantley.

Cleveland has not been afraid to make unconventional moves since Brown and Co. took over last year. Drafting a higher-end talent to retain his rights while a legal investigation ensues would qualify as such. The Browns visited with Brantley, but that summit came before the Gainesville incident, Nate Ulrich of Ohio.com tweets.

“It’s concerning to us and continues to be a concern,” Brown said, per Cabot (on Twitter), discussing Brantley’s case.

This makes the draft pick all the more interesting, but the Browns being a team in the early stages of a potential rebuild and being viewed as possibly years away from contention affords the franchise the opportunity to take a risk with a sixth-round pick. Brantley seeing the team that drafted him announce this stance puts his NFL career on thin ice before it’s begun.

Extra Points: Cowboys, Brantley, Steelers

April 26th, 2017 at 11:23am CST by Zachary Links

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones seems content to sit at No. 28 rather than trade up, as Drew Davison of the Star Telegram writes. “This is a real good year for staying put,” Jones said. “I don’t know if it’s because we need so many good football players or because there are some good football players there, especially in those early rounds. But in my experience, it’s wasting your time to talk about what you might do trading in the later rounds.”

Here’s more from around the NFL:

Florida defensive tackle Caleb Brantley has been approached about a potential settlement in his assault case, but he has no plans to accept the offer, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (Twitter links). Additionally, Brantley’s lawyer says a security guard present during the incident witnessed the victim punch Brantley in the mouth, while Brantley never hit the female as the police report stated (Twitter links). Clearly, it’s a very murky situation, and one that doesn’t figure to be resolved before the draft begins on Thursday night. As such, there’s no clear indication as to how NFL clubs will value Brantley and his potential baggage, but it’s difficult to see how this episode doesn’t affect his draft stock.
As part of Martavis Bryant‘s conditional reinstatement, he’s not allowed to participate in Steelers‘ practices or preseason games until he’s located a treating clinician, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. When he’s right, Bryant is one of the more dynamic wide receivers in the NFL, but the league wants to ensure that he’s heading down the correct path. Having been handed a one-year ban in 2016, Bryant will now undergo regular drug tests as he works his way back into the NFL’s — and Pittsburgh’s — good graces.
Contrary to previous reports, the Dolphins are not “locked in” on Western Kentucky offensive lineman Forrest Lamp, and are not expected to target guard help with the 22nd pick, according to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. Seemingly practitioners of positional-based drafting, the Dolphins are more likely to use their first-round selection on “defensive playmakers” such as corners and, presumably, defensive ends, a position group to which Miami has been heavily linked. Additionally, the Fins seem content with their current veteran guards, Ted Larsen and Jermon Bushrod, per Salguero.
Former Vikings center/guard Brandon Fusco is visiting the Patriots today, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets. Fusco appeared/started in 14 games for Minnesota in 2016.
The Chiefs‘ release of Jaye Howard came with a failed physical designation, as Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star writes.

Dallas Robinson contributed to this post.

Florida DT Caleb Brantley Charged With Assault

April 23rd, 2017 at 2:57pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Florida defensive lineman and 2017 draft prospect Caleb Brantley has been charged with misdemeanor assault after knocking a woman unconscious earlier this month, according to Patrick Pinak of The Alligator (Twitter link).

Two witnesses saw Brantley engaging in a verbal dispute with a female on April 13. After the woman shoved Brantley due to “crude comments” he made, Brantley struck the woman in the face, rendering her unconscious and displacing a tooth (the victim will now be forced to undergo a root canal). Per the witnesses, Brantley’s actions were borne out of retaliation and not self-defense, and his level of “force far exceeded what was reasonable or necessary.

Brantley had been viewed as a Day 2 prospect heading into the week, per Rob Rang of CBSSports.com. Following this assault charge, however, Brantley stands a chance of going undrafted, tweets Matt Miller of Bleacher Report (Twitter link). With only four days left until the draft begins, NFL clubs will be “scrambling for info” on the Brantley situation, per Miller.