HEADLINES

Phil Taylor

AFC Notes: Browns, Haden, Bills, Fins, Colts

May 1st, 2014 at 2:37pm CST by Luke Adams

With this weekend’s deadline looming, head coach Mike Pettine says the Browns have yet to make a decision on whether or not to exercise the fifth-year option for defensive tackle Phil Taylor (Twitter link via Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal). For his part, Taylor expressed a desire to have that option picked up, but says he won’t let it affect his play if the team decides to turn it down (all Twitter links).

Let’s round up a couple more Browns items and check in on a few other AFC clubs…

  • Cornerback Joe Haden confirmed that extension talks with the Browns are ongoing, as Ulrich tweets. “I’d like to get it done as soon as possible, but we’re still working on it,” Haden said.
  • More from Ulrich (Twitter link): Pettine confirmed today that the Browns‘ phone has been ringing and that trade talks are happening for virtually all the teams in the top 10 of the draft.
  • Gil Brandt of NFL.com tweets that he’s hearing “a lot of chatter” about the Bills wanting to move up from the No. 9 pick, and the Dolphins wanting to trade down from No. 19, which is consistent with other whispers we’ve heard in the last week or so.
  • Free agent offensive lineman Steve Vallos had a tryout with the Colts yesterday, according to Howard Balzer of The SportsXchange (via Twitter). Vallos, who spent the 2013 season with the Broncos, left the audition without a contract.
  • The Colts, who don’t have a first-round pick in this year’s draft, are keeping their options open when it comes to moving up, GM Ryan Grigson said today (link via Mike Chappell of the Indianapolis Star). However, as Grigson acknowledges, with just five picks in hand, the Colts don’t have a ton of ammunition for trades.
  • Morgan State cornerback Joe Rankin is drawing interest from the Chargers, a source tells Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link).

AFC North Notes: Ravens, Browns, Steelers

April 24th, 2014 at 12:47pm CST by Luke Adams

In the latest installment of Over The Cap’s team-by-team breakdown of free agency, Jason Fitzgerald examines the Ravens. While Arthur Jones‘ departure leaves a big hole on defense, losing offensive tackle Eugene Monroe would’ve been a more significant blow to the team, says Fitzgerald, adding that he liked Baltimore’s pickup of Owen Daniels quite a bit. Factoring in the loss of James Ihedigbo to the Lions, Fitzgerald assigns the Ravens a grade of B- for their work over the last several weeks.

Here’s more from around the AFC North:

  • As our fifth-year option tracker shows, no decision has been announced or reported yet on the Browns‘ 2015 option for defensive tackle Phil Taylor. Speaking to Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal, Taylor suggested he’s not sure what the team plans to do with that option, but he hopes it gets picked up: “I would love to be here, but that’s not up to me. So we’re going to wait and see what [the front office] is going to do about it.”
  • South Carolina quarterback Connor Shaw is visiting the Browns today and tomorrow, and will work out for the club on Saturday, reports Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. Wilson also links several other clubs to Shaw, writing that the signal-caller has met or worked out with the Falcons, Titans, Patriots, and Buccaneers, and interviewed with the Seahawks, Packers, Raiders, and Jaguars.
  • The Steelers are hosting Boise State edge defender Demarcus Lawrence and Georgia Southern running back Jerick McKinnon for pre-draft visits today, tweets ESPN.com’s Scott Brown.
  • Cumberlands running back Terrance Cobb is visiting the Bengals today, tweets Aaron Wilson.