Kareem Hunt

Browns GM On OBJ, Hunt, Free Agency

February 5th, 2020 at 11:43am CST by Zachary Links

On Wednesday, the Browns formally introduced old friend and new GM Andrew Berry to the media. Here’s a look at some of the highlights from his presser:

It sounds like running back Kareem Hunt will have an opportunity to move forward with the Browns, despite his latest misstep. “With Kareem, we’ve communicated our expectations for him moving forward,” Berry said (via Jeff Risdon of USA Today). “We want guys who are going to be smart, tough, and accountable on and off the field. Kareem understands that.” Hunt, who was cut by the Chiefs after a video showed him shoving and kicking a woman at a Cleveland hotel, was recently found with marijuana and vodka after being pulled over by cops. The Browns can retain Hunt via the restricted free agent tender or negotiate a new deal with him, but it seems unlikely that they’ll want to make a long-term commitment to him at this time.
Berry offered similar thoughts regarding Odell Beckham Jr., though he noted that both he and Hunt will have to fit into the Browns’ “culture in terms of being smart, tough and accountable.” The GM says that both he and head coach Kevin Stefanski have chatted with Beckham, an indication that they’re all on the same page. OBJ reportedly wanted out of Cleveland towards the end of the season, but we recently heard that the Browns’ new regime has every intention of keeping him. OBJ had “just” 1,035 yards in a down year, but the Browns believe that he can get back to his old form in short order.
Berry says the Browns plan to “aggressively add talent” this offseason (via 92.3 The Fan). With roughly $50MM in available cap room, the GM will have opportunities to spend in March before he makes his pick at No. 10 overall in April.

Latest On Browns RB Kareem Hunt

January 27th, 2020 at 7:39pm CST by Rory Parks

Browns running back Kareem Hunt found himself in a spot of bother with police late last week, as he was pulled over for speeding but was found to have marijuana in his vehicle. TMZ has since posted a video of the traffic stop, which revealed a few more critical details. For instance, in addition to the marijuana, Hunt had an open bottle of vodka in the vehicle and admitted to the officer who pulled him over that he would have failed a drug test in that moment.

Not too long ago, Hunt looked like one of the league’s brightest stars as a member of the Chiefs. But after a video showed the former rushing champion shoving and kicking a woman at a Cleveland hotel in 2018, Kansas City parted ways with him.

The Browns took a chance on him last February, knowing that he would likely be hit with a lengthy suspension. Hunt was banned for the first eight games of the 2019 campaign, but he played reasonably well when he returned. As a complementary back to starter Nick Chubb, Hunt averaged nearly 60 yards from scrimmage per game and posted a 4.2 YPC mark.

Cleveland can retain Hunt via a restricted free agent tender, which seems much more likely than a long-term pact at this point. Although the Browns now have a new power structure, it stands to reason that the club would want Hunt back. He will be just 25 when the regular season opens, and with unrestricted free agency looming in 2021, he could be especially motivated to put his ugly off-field incidents further behind him and prove to the rest of the league that he can still be a top-flight starter.

But the traffic stop could give the Browns — and all 31 other clubs — some pause. Though he has not (yet) been cited for anything other than speeding, the fact that he used drugs not long before getting behind the wheel is troubling, and he was very emotional throughout his interaction with the officer.

“Man, I’ve been through a lot,” Hunt said. “I lost everything already, sir. I’m just trying to be in my hometown and chill.”

He certainly lost a slam dunk chance at a massive contract, and he has also missed a chance to win a title with the Chiefs this year, which clearly still upsets him.

“It hurts my soul,” he stated. “You don’t even understand. I’ve been fighting a lot of s*** lately. It still hurts me to this day.”

In order to give himself the best shot at regaining his former status, Hunt needs to stay squeaky clean, and this incident isn’t helping matters. It will be interesting to see how new GM Andrew Berry handles the Hunt situation in the coming weeks.

Browns Notes: Hunt, Brown, Woods, Staff

January 24th, 2020 at 3:36pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Browns’ scrutinized gamble on Kareem Hunt went fairly smoothly this season, with the running back playing in eight games after serving his suspension for his actions during his Chiefs run. But Hunt ran into some more off-field trouble this week. Rocky River (Ohio) Police pulled him over for speeding and found small amounts of marijuana in three locations in the vehicle, Kaylee Remington of the Cleveland Plain Dealer notes. Hunt was placed in the backseat of a police cruiser but only charged for speeding. The NFL is aware of the incident, per a statement. This would mean far less were it not for Hunt’s history. A video showed the former rushing champion shoving and kicking a woman at a Cleveland hotel in 2018, leading to Hunt’s Chiefs departure. Hunt signed a one-year Browns contract but can be retained via RFA tender. However, with John Dorsey out of the picture, the talented back’s standing with the Browns may be less certain.

Here is the latest out of Cleveland:

Joe Woods is expected to become the next Browns defensive coordinator, though the 49ers have not given up on keeping him. The Browns are not expected to have a finalized agreement with Woods until after Super Bowl LIV and are holding off on making some hires to their defensive staff, Mary Kay Cabot of the Plain Dealer adds. Woods becoming Cleveland’s next DC would stand to result in the ex-Denver DC and current San Francisco DBs coach bringing him some handpicked staffers.
On the subject of Browns staffers, Kevin Stefanski is bringing in one of his former Vikings coworkers. Six-year Minnesota staffer Drew Petzing will become the Browns’ new tight ends coach, Cabot reports. Petzing coached quarterbacks, wide receivers and running backs in Minnesota. The 32-year-old coach worked under then-quarterbacks coach Stefanski in 2018 and moved from assistant QBs coach to wideouts coach last year. Prior to his Vikings stay, however, Petzing spent the 2013 season as a Browns intern.
Fired less than two seasons into the radical rebuild Jimmy Haslam green-lit, Sashi Brown expressed concern about the Browns’ constant turnover. Currently working with the Washington Wizards, Brown hopes the next Browns GM will have a chance to build something. “I hope they get the time to do it and that there’s true alignment throughout the building and some conviction and what I would say the organizational faith that maybe hasn’t been there across some of the rash of change that’s been spinning around here for the better part of the last decade,” Brown said, via the Akron Beacon Journal’s Marla Ridenour. The Browns have moved on from a staggering five regimes since Haslam took over in 2012, and the instability has shown no signs of slowing down. GM frontrunner George Paton withdrew his name from consideration for the job Friday afternoon.

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.

AFC North Notes: Tomlin, Green, Browns

November 10th, 2019 at 11:22am CST by Rory Parks

There may be plenty of Steelers fans unhappy with head coach Mike Tomlin, but he has navigated his team through some turbulent waters over the last couple of seasons, and after starting the 2019 campaign 0-3 and losing Ben Roethlisberger to injury, Pittsburgh is now 4-4 and is back in the AFC playoff picture. As Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com writes, Steelers players believe Tomlin is in the midst of one of his finest coaching performances, and that should go a long way towards quieting outside criticism. Thanks to an (admittedly unusual) one-year extension that he signed in July, Tomlin is under contract through 2021, and his standing within the organization seems strong.

Now for more from the AFC North:

Bengals WR A.J. Green will miss Sunday’s game against the Ravens after it was initially reported that he would be making his 2019 debut against Baltimore, and Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic believes the sudden turn of events could suggest that Green is preparing to sit out for the remainder of the season (which may be what he wanted all along). However, Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network observed that Green was working out on the field Sunday morning and says his ankle will be reassessed this week (Twitter link). As of right now, the team is not planning on shutting Green down for the year.
In addition to Green, the Bengals have been without LT Cordy Glenn all year. As Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets, Glenn is still taking scout-team reps in practice, and it’s unclear whether he will be activated at all in 2019. Of course, Glenn and the Bengals are at odds over the team’s handling of his concussion, so it’s possible Glenn has already played his last snap for Cincinnati.
Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports says the Browns‘ analytics department believed Vikings OC Kevin Stefanski, not Freddie Kitchens, was the right man for Cleveland’s head coaching job. Of course, the Browns went against that recommendation, but given the club’s disappointing 2019 season, the team could be back in the market for an HC in 2020, and if that happens, Stefanski — who was reportedly the runner-up to Kitchens — should be on the short list of potential replacements.
Browns RB Kareem Hunt will make his Cleveland debut against the Bills on Sunday after serving an eight-game suspension, and La Canfora says Hunt is expected to be a major part of the team’s offense right away. Even more importantly, Hunt has not only fulfilled all of the league’s requirements for reinstatement, but he has taken on a number of non-mandatory responsibilities. Per La Canfora, Hunt meets with women’s groups, participates in community service, and continues to speak to a counselor regularly.

Browns’ Kareem Hunt Returns To Practice

October 21st, 2019 at 10:13am CST by Zachary Links

Browns running back Kareem Hunt will return to practice on Monday, per a club announcement. Hunt must still serve two more games on his eight-game suspension, but he is apparently healthy enough to scrimmage.

Hunt spent the early part of the season recovering from sports hernia surgery, which overlapped with the first six games of his eight-game ban. The suspension stemmed from an ugly recording in which Hunt threw a woman to the ground in a hotel corridor. Despite the controversy around Hunt, the Browns picked up the ex-Chiefs running back with the belief that he would change his ways and improve their running game.

Hunt, for his part, vowed to get back on track.

“I want to again apologize for my actions last year,” Hunt said in a statement after his suspension was announced in March. “I know that my behavior hurt a lot of people, and I again apologize to them. I respect the league’s decision on discipline, and I appreciate the time I spent with Commissioner Goodell last week. I’m grateful for my time with the Browns over the last month and thankful to all the people in the organization that have welcome me. I also appreciate all of the support I received from my union through this process. My commitment to earning the trust of the league, my teammates, the organization, and this community through my actions will continue, and I understand there is a lot of work ahead of me before I’m able to fully return to playing the game I love.”

If he’s healthy and ready to go, Hunt will be able to make his debut in Week 10 against the Bills. The third-year pro will look to build off of career totals of 2,151 yards and 15 touchdowns rushing, plus 79 catches for 833 yards and ten scores via the air.

North Notes: Hunt, Steelers, Lions, Packers

August 30th, 2019 at 8:41pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

It turns out Kareem Hunt‘s suspension won’t be as significant as it originally seemed. The Browns’ running back is suspended for the first eight games of the season, but he would’ve missed the first handful of those games anyway. Hunt underwent sports hernia surgery on Thursday, according to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. The injury will likely sideline Hunt for the next 4-6 weeks, according to a tweet from Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

The Browns announced in a tweet of their own that a “full recovery is anticipated prior to his return to action in Week 10 of the regular season.” Hunt will be eligible to return from his suspension on November 10th against the Bills. Until then Cleveland’s backfield will still be in good hands, as they have Nick Chubb holding down the fort. Once Hunt returns, the Browns will have a potentially scary one-two punch. Hunt was one of the best running backs in the league before Kansas City cut him last year, scoring 14 touchdowns in just 11 games.

Here’s more from the league’s North divisions:

Ben Roethlisberger has a new backup. Second-year player Mason Rudolph has won the competition to be the Steelers’ backup in 2019, sources told Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Pittsburgh drafted Rudolph 76th overall last year, and he spent the 2018 season as the third-string passer behind Roethlisberger and Joshua Dobbs. During the preseason Rudolph impressed by completing 65 percent of his passes while throwing four touchdowns and only one interception, and some think he’s a potential heir to Roethlisberger. He hasn’t been cut yet, but it looks like this could be the end of the line for Dobbs, a 2017 fourth-rounder, in Pittsburgh.
The Lions gave defensive tackle Damon Harrison an extension last week, and now we have the full details, courtesy of Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. In addition to getting an extra year tacked onto his deal, Harrison also received a $2MM raise for the 2019 season. He also got a $7.5MM signing bonus. His contract now runs through the 2021 season, with an option on the final year that must be exercised by the final day of the 2020 league year.
Speaking of Lions contract details, punter Sam Martin had his deal reworked, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Martin had a non-guaranteed base salary of $2.4MM for 2019, which was bumped down to a guaranteed $1.7MM. Yates adds that 2020 is now a voidable year in his contract. Martin took a pay-cut for 2019, but he’ll now get the chance to reach free agency sooner and cash in as a result of the 2020 year becoming voidable when it was previously just non-guaranteed salary.
The Packers have settled on their starting left guard. After a training camp battle between veteran Lane Taylor and rookie Elgton Jenkins, the team has opted to go with Taylor, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. “It’s going to be a competition throughout the season, but right now Lane Taylor is the starter,” head coach Matt LaFleur said. Taylor signed with Green Bay as an UDFA back in 2013 and has been with the team ever since. He’s started at least 14 games each of the past three seasons, although his play has been underwhelming at times. The Packers drafted Jenkins 44th overall out of Mississippi State back in April.

AFC North Notes: Josh Johnson, Ravens, Kareem Hunt

July 28th, 2019 at 7:51pm CST by Micah Powell

With the news that Ravens backup quarterback Robert Griffin would miss time with a fractured bone on his thumb, the team worked out free agent quarterback Josh Johnson, the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport tweeted.

A journeyman signal-caller over the last decade, Johnson has suited up in the regular season with five teams — Buccaneers, Browns, Bengals, 49ers and Redskins — but has been a part of numerous others. He received an extended look under center with Washington in 2018, when he started three games and threw for 590 yards and three touchdowns.

A mobile QB, Johnson fits Baltimore’s run-heavy attack and has worked under Harbaugh in the past. Johnson reportedly had ankle surgery in March, so assuming he receives a clean bill of health during his workout, the veteran makes plenty of sense to work under second-year signal-caller Lamar Jackson.

Here’s more from around the AFC North:

Browns owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam addressed the media about Kareem Hunt, stating that talks are still ongoing with the league and players association regarding the team’s attempt to have Hunt remain with the team through the upcoming eight-game suspension, the Akron Beacon Journal’s Nate Ulrich tweeted, Dee Haslam also noted Hunt has to work really hard to be a part of the Browns and that it’s up to him, Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot tweeted.
Sticking in Cleveland, second-year defensive end Chad Thomas gave the middle finger to a fan who heckled Thomas to hustle on Sunday, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes. Coach Freddie Kitchens addressed the incident, saying that if the two of them had a conversation it would stay between them. “Of course, Chad Thomas, as you guys see, he is very emotional, a passionate guy. I want those guys to play with passion, but he is also a young guy so he has to understand and develop a sense of when to move on. I think he will learn.” Since it was not done during a game, the Browns instead of the NFL will handle any type of punishment.
Steelers safety Sean Davis suffered a finger injury that could possibly be a dislocation, coach Mike Tomlin said [Tweet via ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler]. Davis has started 31 of a possible 32 games the past two seasons in Pittsburgh, registering four interceptions and 15 pass breakups.

AFC Notes: Gordon, Daniels, Pats, Succop

July 24th, 2019 at 8:01pm CST by Rory Parks

After rounding up some news from the NFC earlier tonight, let’s check out the AFC:

Chargers GM Tom Telesco says he did offer an extension to RB Melvin Gordon, as Eric Williams of ESPN.com tweets, but there are no reports on how much the offer was worth. Gordon is holding out from camp and was put on the reserve/did not report list.
Before the Packers cut Mike Daniels earlier today, they discussed potential trades with the Browns, Patriots, and Chiefs, per Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network (video link). Garafolo suggests those teams will continue to pursue Daniels, but at least seven clubs have already been in contact with him.
Browns GM John Dorsey confirmed that he met with Duke Johnson‘s new agent, Drew Rosenhaus, on Tuesday, but Dorsey declined to say whether Johnson is still demanding a trade (via Josina Anderson of ESPN.com on Twitter). In related news, Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reports RB Kareem Hunt will miss the start of training camp with a groin injury, though the injury is not believed to be serious.
The Patriots have placed veteran O-lineman Brian Schwenke on the reserve/retired list, per Mike Reiss of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Schwenke was taking first-team reps at left guard in the spring, but it sounds as if his career could be over.
Jets safety Marcus Maye is on the PUP list after undergoing offseason shoulder surgery, and Rich Cimini of ESPN.com says it’s not a sure thing that Maye will be ready to go by Week 1 (Twitter link). Head coach Adam Gase was non-committal when asked if Maye would miss any regular season action.
Titans K Ryan Succop had offseason knee surgery that did not go as well as planned, according to Paul Kuharsky of PaulKuharsky.com. The team has placed Succop on the PUP list, but he is expected to be ready for Week 1 at the latest.
Ravens first-round WR Marquise Brown could be getting closer to completing his comeback from a Lisfranc injury. Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com reports that Brown has passed his conditioning test and now needs to pass his physical (Twitter link). Hensley says it would not be surprising to see “Hollywood” on the field next week.

Latest On Browns RB Kareem Hunt

July 1st, 2019 at 5:33pm CST by Ben Levine

Kareem Hunt is back in the news. A video on TMZ.com showed the Browns running back talking with police following a “small argument” (via Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com). Hunt was not arrested or charged following the incident.

Per Florio, the owner of the bar where the incident took place downplayed the entire ordeal, while a witness told TMZ.com that a “physical altercation” definitely occured. As Florio notes, it’s uncertain if that “altercation” was an actual fight or just horseplay. The cops in the video can be heard telling Hunt that they “saw him push you.”

A Browns spokesperson told Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com that the team is aware of the incident, and the organization has already talked to Hunt. It’s unlikely that anything comes up this latest episode, although Florio wonders if the organization may have placed Hunt on “some sort of a one-strike arrangement” when they signed him back in February. While the recent incident seems relatively harmless, Florio notes that the Browns could “regard any controversy whatsoever involving Hunt to be enough” to terminate the contract.

The Browns stirred up some controversy up their own when they signed Hunt earlier this offseason. Hunt, 23, is under investigation for three separate 2018 events — most notably the incident captured on video that showed him shoving and kicking a woman at a Cleveland hotel/apartment complex in February of last year. The Chiefs waived Hunt following reports of the incident, but the Browns subsequently inked him to a one-year deal.

Hunt will already be sitting out the first eight games of the upcoming season. When the running back eventually returns from his suspension, he’ll be joining a talented Cleveland offense. While Hunt is out, the team can lean on 2018 second-rounder Nick Chubb and pass-catcher Duke Johnson Jr., while the passing game will revolve around quarterback Baker Mayfield and wideouts Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry.

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