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QB Rumors: Eagles, Bills, RGIII, Browns

August 21st, 2015 at 3:13pm CST by Luke Adams

Assuming he doesn’t make any significant errors during the team’s remaining preseason games, quarterback Tim Tebow is on track to earn a spot on the Eagles‘ regular season roster, a source tells ESPN’s Dianna Russini. According to Russini, head coach Chip Kelly has been getting increasingly excited about using Tebow in two-point and short-yardage scenarios.

With Sam Bradford, Mark Sanchez, and Tebow likely to make the Eagles’ roster, it would seem to leave Matt Barkley on the outside looking in. According to Russini’s source, Barkley remains available in a potential trade.

Here’s more on a handful of unsettled quarterback situations around the NFL:

  • Bills head coach Rex Ryan sees potential big-play ability in quarterback Tyrod Taylor, and would prefer to start him over the team’s other QB options, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link). However, Cole adds that other members of the Buffalo coaching staff believe Matt Cassel would make fewer mistakes than Taylor, and is the more consistent, reliable option.
  • In a separate video at Bleacher Report, Cole also tackles the Washington quarterback situation, indicating that the decision on Robert Griffin III‘s long-term future – or lack thereof – with the team will ultimately be made by owner Daniel Snyder. Head coach Jay Gruden and his staff want RGIII in the starting lineup as much as possible this year, so that the club can get a thorough evaluation of the former second overall pick before that decision is made.
  • On the heels of Josh McCown‘s underwhelming, two-interception performance against the Bills, Browns head coach Mike Pettine stressed that he’s not looking to create a QB competition, and that McCown remains his No. 1 guy over Johnny Manziel. Still, Pettine wasn’t ready to guarantee that McCown would be the team’s starting QB in Week 1 (Twitter links via Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal).

AFC Notes: Mariota, Bowe, Manuel, Raiders

July 4th, 2015 at 4:27pm CST by Sam Robinson

Offset language continues to represent why Marcus Mariota hasn’t come to terms with the Titans on his rookie contract, the last such holdout. Whether or not Mariota would draw two salaries if cut by the Titans — a highly unlikely event considering Jake Locker finished his four-year deal in Tennessee — and signed by another team is slowing down the process, writes John Glennon of the Tennesseean.

No. 1 pick Jameis Winston‘s contract does contain offset language, which determines whether or not a second team’s payment would help the Titans offset the amount owed to 2015’s No. 2 selection in this scenario, but No. 3 choice Dante Fowler Jr.‘s does not, Glennon reports.

In a decade that’s featured far fewer first-round contract issues than the last due to the clearer structure of the new CBA on rookie salaries, the Titans have been the last team to sign their first-rounder in each of the past three seasons, with Chance Warmack and Taylor Lewan coming to terms late in the summer on their respective deals in 2013 and 2014. First-rounder Kendall Wright missed three days of training camp in 2012 after becoming the second-to-last player to sign that year.

Glennon views Mariota’s camp as holding the leverage in these talks, with the Titans coming off a 2-14 season and ready to have the face of their franchise and advertising campaign suit up.

Here are some more items being mentioned across the AFC as Independence Day winds into the afternoon. We’ll continue with a couple of quarterback assessments.

  • This could be the typical preseason hype before any negatives come to light, a time-honored tradition across sports, but Dwayne Bowe had an interesting observation as he prepares for his first training camp with the Browns. “With Alex Mack and Joe Thomas, we’re going to have a lot of time to hit that deep ball even in the red zone,” Bowe told Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer in a piece centered on the ex-Chiefs wideout’s 17-game span without a touchdown. “I never had a quarterback like Josh (McCown) that was that tall and could see the mismatch and really go to it. He’s got my confidence level high right now.” It’s true Bowe hasn’t exactly had the best passers throwing to him in Brodie Croyle, Matt Cassel and Alex Smith, but the latter duo are 6-foot-5 and 6-4, respectively, while McCown also stands 6-4. Perhaps it’s a sign McCown has shown a penchant to take more risks than the two checkdown-based artists displayed during Bowe’s time in Kansas City.
  • In analyzing Winston, former Buccaneers Pro Bowler and current FOX analyst Ronde Barber made his presumptive stance on the Bills‘ starting quarterback battle known. “The guy that preceded (Winston) at Florida State, EJ Manuel, I did a couple of games of Buffalo over these two years that I’ve been working at FOX, and he is the other way. He’s timid. He holds the ball. He’s scared to deliver it when he needs to,” Barber told Kevin Patra of NFL.com. “This guy is the complete opposite, maybe to a detriment at times; he throws a lot of interceptions. But he has that “it,” that bravado, that gunslinger mentality, if I could use that (tired) cliché, to be a great quarterback in this league.” 
  • Elvis Dumervil collected an extra $1MM in incentive cash with his 12th sack last season, and the 10th-year pass-rusher can earn an additional $3MM by hitting that plateau again this season for the Ravens, reports Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. The two-time first-team All-Pro matched his career high with 17 sacks last season, and in doing so began a push for his contract signed before the 2013 season to inflate to its full value of $33MM over five years.
  • Behind Latavius Murray, who will receive the first chance to start and build on the momentum he showed at the end of his second season, in the Raiders backfield are Trent Richardson and Roy Helu. The latter has a clearer path to steady playing time, with a proven track record as a passing-down back, writes Steve Corkran of Raiderbeat.com. Marcel Reece, however, may not despite the seventh-year fullback coming off three consecutive Pro Bowl campaigns. As is the case in many NFL attacks today, the fullback does not make frequent cameos in Bill Musgrave‘s system.

AFC North Notes: McCown, Carter, Thomas

June 7th, 2015 at 9:43am CST by Rory Parks

Much has been made of the Browns‘ quarterback situation heading into 2015, with a great deal of the discussion revolving around second-year signal-caller Johnny Manziel. But there has been significantly less attention devoted to the man who will more than likely be under center when Week 1 rolls around, Josh McCown.

McCown, signed to a three-year, $14MM contract this offseason, is not the solution at quarterback that Cleveland fans desperately seek. He is 35, and he has largely served as a backup in his 12 seasons in the league, compiling a 17-32 record as a starter. However, head coach Mike Pettine thinks that even if McCown is not the long-term answer, he does represent the next best thing. Pettine had this to say at yesterday’s Fan Fest (from Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal):

“Until you feel you’ve found what you would call a long-term solution, I don’t think we could have done any better than bringing in a guy like Josh McCown…It’s like having another coach on the field, and it’s all genuine. That’s the thing you like the most. Despite his age, people that have been at practice agree, he can still spin it. We didn’t just look to bring in a guy who was just going to be a mentor. We wanted a guy who we think can still play a little bit if you put him in the right circumstances. He’s been more than advertised.”

As Ulrich writes, Pettine’s comments, which were echoed by GM Ray Farmer, suggest that McCown is not only the favorite to win the starting job out of training camp this season, he is a lock.

Let’s check out a couple of more links from the AFC North:

  • As we learned several weeks ago, Browns safety Tashaun Gipson is the only restricted free agent who appears demonstratively unhappy with his contract situation, as he was offered a second-round tender rather than a first-round tender. As Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com writes, the Browns should have gone the extra mile and extended the first-round offer, which would have cost the team an extra $1MM but would have set a positive tone for extension talks. Grossi believes, however, that the situation could still be resolved amicably.
  • By releasing Jacoby Jones this offseason, the Ravens left themselves a hole at kick returner. One of the early favorites for that role, Michael Campanaro, has struggled with injury in his young career, and though cornerback Lardarius Webb was an effective returner a few years ago, injuries have taken their toll on him as well, and Baltimore does not want to risk losing their No. 2 corner to a special teams injury. As Clifton Brown of CSNBaltimore.com writes, that leaves the door wide open for undrafted free agent DeAndre Carter, the diminutive receiver who showed explosive speed at Sacramento State and whose chances to stick on the 53-man roster seem to increase with each passing day.
  • Shamarko Thomas has battled injury in his first two seasons in the league, but in the wake of Troy Polamalu‘s retirement, he now has the chance to establish himself as the Steelers‘ long-term answer at strong safety. Ralph N. Paulk of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review describes the work that Thomas has put in this offseason to ensure that he capitalizes on his opportunity, work that has not gone unnoticed by Thomas’ running mate st safety, Mike Mitchell.

QB Notes: Tebow, Winston, McCown, Rivers

May 29th, 2015 at 8:58am CST by Ben Levine

After being away from the game for the past two years, Eagles quarterback Tim Tebow is thrilled about his new opportunity. The former Heisman winner is behind Sam Bradford, Mark Sanchez and Matt Barkley on the team’s depth chart, but the competition is far from Tebow’s mind.

“I think sometimes when things are taken away, then you don’t realize how much fun it is to come out here and play this game,” Tebow told Nate Davis of USA Today. “You can’t play it forever, so I’m going to enjoy it.”

Coach Chip Kelly had been thrilled with the 27-year-old’s performance in OTAs.

“I think he’s improved,” Kelly said. “He’s had a lot of time the last two years working at his game. (We) wanted to have a fourth quarterback here.”

Let’s check out some more notes regarding some of the league’s signal callers…

  • First-overall pick Jameis Winston is impressing the Buccaneers coaching staff during OTAs. “We have to kind of tell him when to leave,” head coach Lovie Smith told ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas. “For him, there’s been a lot of individual work, but having a chance this week to go against our best defense and things like that [has been good]. We have a long ways to go. But we like where he is right now.”
  • Browns quarterback Josh McCown has been “virtually anointed” the starting gig without a “hint” of competition, opines Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com. While teammates and coaches have supported sophomore Johnny Manziel, Grossi says the former first-rounder is struggling after a rough offseason.
  • Meanwhile, McCown says he wouldn’t have even considered visiting other teams (including the Bills and the Bears) if he had been aware of the talent on the Browns offensive line. “After being with them, 5-6 weeks, it’s like, had I known it was this good I wouldn’t even needed to take a visit (to Buffalo and Chicago),” McCown told Grossi.
  • Considering Ben Roethlisberger‘s recent extension, Jason Fitzgerald (writing for the Sporting News) believes Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers‘ next contract could surpass the total of Aaron Rodgers‘ extension. Rivers has previously been paid more than Roethlisberger, who came close to topping Rodgers’ contract’s average annual value.

AFC North Notes: Browns QBs, Whitworth

May 9th, 2015 at 8:32pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Many have already given up on Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel after a rookie season consisting of on- and off-the-field problems, but new offensive coordinator John DeFilippo still has high hopes for the 22-year-old.

“All I know is Johnny the football player, and he’s been awesome,” DeFilippo said, according to Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain-Dealer. “He’s been working hard, very hard with myself and (quarterbacks coach Kevin O’Connell), and doing what we want him to do on the field.”

DeFilippo believes there are obvious strengths to Manziel’s game, also stating that the offense will be tailored to his skillset if he beats out likely starter Josh McCown for the No. 1 job.

“I think Johnny has a lot of traits that good quarterbacks in this league have. It’s just a matter of getting better at them,” said DeFilippo. “I’m the last guy – the last guy — that’s going to take Johnny Manziel’s athleticism away from him. I will not do that.”

While DeFilippo seems bullish on Manziel, Browns coach Mike Pettine declared McCown the favorite to start earlier this week. DeFilippo is familiar with McCown from the pair’s time in Oakland in 2007 (DeFilippo was the Raiders’ quarterbacks coach). Cabot writes that McCown mainly signed with the Browns to work with DeFilippo again. As he did with Manziel, DeFilippo spoke glowingly of the 35-year-old McCown.

“Josh has been the total guy we thought he was going to be. He has taken command of this offense and he has taken command of the room,” said DeFilippo.

Here’s more on the Browns and a couple of their AFC North rivals:

  • Cleveland didn’t draft a quarterback this year because no prospects other than Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota are seen as capable of stepping in and starting by 2016, according to Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com. Grossi believes the Browns will ride out 2015 with McCown and hope to land a QB in next year’s draft, when as many as four passers could go in the first round.
  • Although the Bengals’ Andrew Whitworth has been one of the best offensive tackles in the league over the past few years, the team used its top two picks on fellow OTs Cedric Ogbuehi and Jake Fisher in last week’s draft. That didn’t sit well with Whitworth, who is a year from free agency and who has pushed for a contract extension. However, he did say that he would help his two new teammates adjust to the NFL game, and still hopes to remain with the club long term, according to an Associate Press article in USA Today.
  • Browns fourth-round pick Vince Mayle will undergo surgery to repair his broken right thumb after rookie camp, writes Cabot. Mayle, who sustained the injury at the Senior Bowl in January, should be ready to go by training camp, according to Pettine. “We wanted him to come out, just see how it was, test it,” said Pettine. “Found out real quick yesterday that there’s still some lingering pain there. So, we’re going to go ahead and get it corrected.”
  • Ravens head coach John Harbaugh says that undrafted defensive back Julian Wilson will remain with the team despite being lost for the year with a broken leg, according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).

Rob DiRe contributed to this post.

North Notes: Manziel, Erving, Barrett

May 8th, 2015 at 9:54pm CST by Sam Robinson

Johnny Manziel‘s chances of claiming the Browns‘ starting quarterback job in his second season are already starting to fade. Josh McCown will take the first-team repetitions in minicamp, and coach Mike Pettine expects him to do so in training camp, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Mary Kay Cabot.

Cabot added Manziel has little chance of pressing McCown, signed this offseason after a disappointing year with the Buccaneers, for the job in the foreseeable future. The second-year coach prefers to see Manziel work on becoming a professional quarterback, essentially. Pettine is not concerned with McCown’s 1-10 record in Tampa last year, calling it an “aberration.”

McCown completed just 56.3 percent of his passes last season, leaving the Browns with one of the league’s worst quarterback situations.

“We’re not going to start talking competition. Josh, like I said will more than likely be the starter going into camp and in the foreseeable future I don’t see that changing,” Pettine told Cabot.

Here is some other news from the North divisions.

  • Cameron Erving will begin his NFL career at right tackle, per Cabot, but will move around before the team slots him at a position. Although Erving was the No. 1 center in the draft, Cabot envisions the Florida State product starting his career on the right side, with Alex Mack locking down the snapping job this season. Mitchell Schwartz and John Greco occupy Cleveland’s top spots at right tackle and right guard, respectively.
  • Undrafted Ravens rookie safety Julian Wilson broke his leg in minicamp and will miss the season, reports Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. Aaron Wilson categorized Julian Wilson as one of the Ravens’ most heavily recruited rookies, snaring a $9K signing bonus.
  • Assigning rookie Quinten Rollins No. 24 doesn’t close the door on a Jarrett Bush return, coach Mike McCarthy told Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. The soon-to-be-31-year-old special teams stalwart remains an unrestricted free agent seemingly without a spot, considering the Packers matched Sean Richardson‘s Raiders offer to keep the younger safety in Green Bay.

Extra Points: Manziel, Collins, Jets

May 4th, 2015 at 10:00pm CST by Zachary Links

Coach Mike Pettine indicated to 92.3 The Fan that quarterback Josh McCown is the Browns‘ likely starter heading into training camp rather than Johnny Manziel, Mary Kay Cabot of The Plain Dealer writes. It’s not a guarantee that McCown opens the season as the starter, of course, but prior to the draft Pettine was reluctant to say much of anything regarding the battle. More from around the NFL..

  • La’el Collins met with police this morning, cooperated fully, and is still not considered a suspect, the Baton Rouge Police Department tells Jerit Roser of The Times-Picayune (on Twitter). Earlier tonight, we learned that Collins is meeting with Bills coach Rex Ryan in Louisiana.
  • Mike Rodak of ESPN.com (on Twitter) doesn’t expect the Bills to land Collins.
  • Meanwhile, one team personnel man told Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report (on Twitter) that the entire NFL is monitoring the situation with Collins. “We are all watching this (La’el Collins) situation closely. Every team. If he’s cleared, every team wants him.”
  • The Jets have fired director of pro personnel Brendan Prophett, sources tell Brian Costello of the New York Post (on Twitter). Prophett was with Gang Green for 14 years.
  • James Jones and Kevin Boothe are just the latest players to be purged from the Raiders‘ disappointing 2014 free agent class, Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com writes.

Browns Notes: Cole, Hartline, McCown

March 9th, 2015 at 6:24pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The latest out of Cleveland…

  • Head coach Mike Pettine said the club’s visit with free agent Trent Cole went well, and added that Cleveland is “still in play” for the edge rusher, according to Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer (Twitter link). The 32-year-old has drawn interest from a number of clubs since being released by the Eagles.
  • Similarly, Pettine thinks the Browns have a shot at receiver Brian Hartline, telling Cabot (via Twitter) the club will “see how it goes.” Per Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald (Twitter link), Hartline isn’t in a rush to sign with a team, and is hoping to find a situation with a solid quarterback.
  • Pettine also said the Browns are comfortable with Josh McCown as their starting quarterback, tweets Cabot. McCown was guaranteed more than $6MM, so he presumably has a leg up on fellow QB Johnny Manziel.

AFC North Notes: Browns, Hartline, Johnson

March 3rd, 2015 at 7:05pm CST by Luke Adams

While there are more notable wide receivers scheduled to hit free agency next week, former Dolphin Brian Hartline may be the best player currently available at the position. Hartline is getting a head start on the rest of the receiver market, according to Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk, who writes that the veteran wideout is visiting the Browns today. Cleveland certainly makes sense as a fit for Hartline — he’s from Canton and played his college ball at Ohio State, while the Browns will be without Josh Gordon for the 2015 season, and have pass catchers like Miles Austin and Jordan Cameron facing free agency.

As we wait to see if anything comes of Hartline’s meeting with the Browns, let’s check in on a few more items from across the AFC North….

  • A league source tells Mary Kay Cabot of the Northeast Ohio Media Group that the Browns are comfortable heading into the season with Josh McCown as their bridge quarterback until they find their man of the future. For his part, McCown would not divulge what Cleveland told him about the club’s plans.
  • Even though they have $50MM+ in cap room at their disposal, the Browns aren’t expected to be major players in free agency this month, writes Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com.
  • Veteran edge defender Jarret Johnson, who announced his retirement from the NFL last month, will officially do so as a Raven, after signing a one-day contract with the club, tweets Brett Hollander of WBAL Radio. Johnson, who was officially released by San Diego last week, spent the first nine years of his career with the Ravens before joining the Chargers in 2012.

AFC North Notes: Steelers, Taylor, McCown

March 1st, 2015 at 12:44pm CST by Rory Parks

The Steelers, much like the division-rival Ravens, rarely make a big splash in free agency, choosing instead to build through the draft and locking up their own premier players before they become free agents. But Pittsburgh has glaring needs in the secondary and at outside linebacker, and as Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review writes, “the Steelers will have more disposable money to use in free agency than any time in recent memory.”

The team recently bought a little breathing room by restructuring the contracts of Marcus Gilbert, Maurkice Pouncey, and Mike Mitchell, and it could create even more cap space by releasing players like Troy Polamalu and Brett Keisel. As such, the Steelers could address their most significant holes in the first wave of free agency next week. Kaboly’s colleague at the Tribune-Review, Chris Adamski, takes a look at some of the most notable names that Pittsburgh could target, and while the team will likely not go all-in for the big-ticket items, the second tier of free agents at cornerback and outside linebacker includes intriguing players that would look good in black-and-gold.

Now for a few more notes from the AFC North:

  • In his second mailbag of the weekend, Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com looks at a few Ravens-related topics, including how the team will address the cornerback position. Although the secondary was the team’s biggest weakness in 2014, Hensley does not foresee a major overhaul. Instead, the team will rely on the healthy returns of players like Jimmy Smith and Asa Jackson. Although the Ravens could target an under-the-radar free agent, they will not be major players for the big names that will sign new deals next week, and unless Marcus Peters falls in their lap, there will likely not be an opportunity to make an im,mediate upgrade in the draft.
  • Hensley also believes the Ravens will part ways with backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor and will sign a free agent to compete with last year’s sixth-round choice, Keith Wenning.
  • Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com attempts to explain why the Browns signed Josh McCown instead of making an effort to retain Brian Hoyer. Grossi writes, “It’s obvious to me that the Browns considered McCown the better fit in the role they envisioned – a potential short-term starter and real long-term mentor who will create no waves and do whatever is asked of him.” However, Grossi also feels that Cleveland may have felt threatened by Hoyer’s “smartness and his forthrightness” and did not believe his play outweighed the potential internal strife that he could create by his willingness to question the way things were being done.
  • For his part, McCown says he will do whatever he can to help embattled Browns second-year quarterback Johnny Manziel, writes Marc Sessler of NFL.com.
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