Tag Archives: Roster Moves

Browns, Draft, NFL

Browns Sign Thomas and Callaway

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Berea— The Cleveland Browns have come to terms on contracts with two more of their 2018 NFL draft selections as DE Chad Thomas and WR Antonio Callaway have signed their rookie deals.

The team now has six of their nine draft picks under contract.

Thomas, a defensive lineman from Miami (FL), was the Browns third round pick (67 overall). He started 33 games at the U where he totaled 103 tackles, 11 sacks, and two forced fumbles in his career.

Callaway, a talented yet troubled pass catcher from Florida, was the Browns fourth round selection (105 overall). When he was on the field he showed big time playmaking ability. During his college career he caught 89 passes for just under 1400 yards and scored seven touchdowns.

The remaining unsigned players for the Browns draft class are first round picks Baker Mayfield and Denzel Ward, as well as second round running back Nick Chubb.

Browns, NFL

Taylor Dealt to Arizona

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The Cleveland Browns have traded CB Jamar Taylor to the Arizona Cardinals for a sixth-round draft pick.

Taylor, a 2013 second-round choice by the Miami Dolphins, was acquired by Cleveland in a trade that saw them deal the 223rd selection in the 2016 NFL Draft for Taylor and the 250th pick.

With the addition of the 5-foot-11, 192 pound Taylor, the Cardinals instantly gain an experienced corner to a roster in need of just that. He will likely battle to start across from perennial All-Pro CB Patrick Peterson.

Taylor, 27, started 29 games for the Browns over the last two seasons , tallying three interceptions.

With the off-season signings of cornerbacks EJ Gaines, Terrance Mitchell, and TJ Carrie, and the selection of Denzel Ward with the fourth pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, Taylor was likely the odd man out and probably would not have made the Browns final roster out of training camp.

This is the third trade made by new GM John Dorsey that saw him get value in return for a player that would have likely been cut before the season when you factor in the trades of quarterbacks Kevin Hogan and Cody Kessler to Washington and Jacksonville respectively.

Browns, NFL

Browns to be Featured on Hard Knocks

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Berea, Oh— The Cleveland Browns have been selected to be featured on the Emmy Award winning HBO show “Hard Knocks”.

A 30-person NFL Films crew will be in Browns training camp at team headquarters in Berea, Ohio shooting more than 2,000 hours of footage over the course of the series. Camera and sound crews will have unencumbered access to players’ and coaches’ meeting rooms, training rooms, living quarters and practice fields.

HARD KNOCKS: TRAINING CAMP WITH THE CLEVELAND BROWNS will be filled with interesting story lines as they follow head coach Hue Jackson and his football team as they attempt to turn around the teams misfortunes, including an 0-16 record. Other storylines will include number one overall pick Baker Mayfield adjust to the NFL, wide receiver Josh Gordon and his continued return to the NFL after missing time to drug suspensions and putting his life back together, as well as the relationship between Jackson and GM John Dorsey.

“NFL Films has always been exceptional at bringing fans closer to the game and they do an outstanding job with every show they produce, including HBO’s Hard Knocks,” said Cleveland Browns owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam.  “We have been asked multiple times about being featured on Hard Knocks, and we really felt like it was our turn this year and the timing was right. We want to be great partners in this league, and we also recognize Hard Knocks gives fans a special opportunity to learn more about our team and players. Organizationally, we are confident about where we are headed, but we have a lot of work to do in order for this franchise to earn the respect of our fans on the field. We understand winning is ultimately most important to our fans. We’re looking forward to partnering with HBO and NFL Films to show how our team is working hard at training camp to prepare for the 2018 season.”

“I’ve been a part of Hard Knocks and when you experience it first hand, you come to appreciate the inside look it really gives fans,” said head coach Hue Jackson. “We are excited about what we are building within our organization and feel good about the progress we have made this offseason. Being able to bring our fans in so they can get to know our players and our organization in a different way will be a huge positive for us. I want people to see how much our players and coaches care, how hard they work and how badly they want to win for Cleveland. This will be a great opportunity for our team.”

“Like many, I was reluctant about being the featured team on Hard Knocks but once we sat down and talked about it as an organization, I feel a lot better and understand why the time is right,”  said general manager John Dorsey.  “Hue and I both feel like this team is in a good place and that we are in the process of building something that will lead to success. Being a part of Hard Knocks will give our fans the opportunity to see how passionate the people in our building are about winning and how excited we are about getting to work and preparing for the 2018 season.”

Narrated by Liev Schreiber, the show will debut Tuesday August 7 at 10 p.m. with new episodes debuting on subsequent Tuesdays until the finale on September 4.

Browns, Draft, NFL

Browns Sign Three Draft Picks

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On the final day of rookie minicamp in Berea, the Cleveland Browns reached terms with three of their 2018 draft picks.

Tackle Austin Corbett, a second round pick out of Nevada, wide out Damion Ratley, a sixth round selection from Texas A&M, and cornerback Simeon Thomas, a sixth rounder from Louisiana-Lafayette all signed their first NFL contracts.

Corbett’s deal is worth about $7.5 million, while the pair of sixth rounders deals will be worth about $2.5 million.

Browns, Draft, NFL

Browns Add 13 Undrafted Free Agents

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The Cleveland Browns have announced the signings of 13 undrafted free agents.

The list includes three wide outs, three offensive lineman, three defensive backs, two defensive lineman, a running back, as well as a punter.

The 13 rookies will join the rest of the teams rookies from the 2018 NFL Draft at rookie mini camp which runs from May 4-6.

The list of undrafted free agents can be found below.

Evan Berry

WR

5-11

202

11/4/95

Tennessee

Fairburn, Ga.

Elijah Campbell

DB

5-11

190

8/24/95

Northern Iowa

St. Paul, Minn.

Michael Carrizosa

P

5-10

227

9/18/95

San Jose State

Salinas, Calif.

Christian Dilauro

OL

6-6

300

11/11/94

Illinois

Uniontown, Ohio

Daniel Ekuale

DL

6-3

300

1/13/94

Washington State

Pago Pago, American Samoa

Micah Hannemann

DB

6-0

195

8/15/94

BYU

Alpine, Utah

Desmond Harrison

OL

6-6

295

10/8/93

West Georgia

Houston, Texas

Dontrell Hilliard

RB

5-11

202

2/26/95

Tulane

Baton Rouge, La.

Fred Lauina

OL

6-4

315

5/17/95

Oregon State

Nuuuli, American Samoa

Montrel Meander

DB

6-2

215

9/20/94

Grambling State

Amarillo, Texas

Da’Mari Scott

WR

6-0

205

8/8/95

Fresno State

Muskegon Heights, Mich.

Trenton Thompson

DL

6-3

288

7/27/96

Georgia

Albany, Ga.

Derrick Willies

WR

6-4

207

10/17/94

Texas Tech

San Bernadino, Calif.

Browns, NFL

Predicting the Browns 53 Man Roster

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Following a 4-0 preseason, the Browns will be faced with some tough decisions as they cut the roster from 90 players to 53 by 4 p.m. on Saturday afternoon.

Here are my predictions for each spot:

QB (3)

DeShone Kizer, Cody Kessler, Kevin Hogan

RB (3)

Isaiah Crowell, Duke Johnson, Matthew Dayes

FB (1)

Dan Vitale

WR (6)

Corey Coleman, Kenny Britt, Rashard Higgins, Ricardo Louis, Jordan Leslie, Rannel Hall. Could also see Hall or Leslie being let go in favor of a waiver wire pickup.

TE (3)

David Njoku, Seth DeValve, Randall Telfair

OLine (8)

Joe Thomas, Joel Bitonio, JC Tretter, Kevin Zeitler, Shon Coleman, John Greco, Austin Reiter, Rod Johnson

DE (5)

Myles Garrett, Emmanuel Ogbah, Tyrone Holmes, Carl Nassib, Nate Orchard

DT (5)

Danny Shelton, Jamie Meder, Larry Ogunjobi, Trevon Coley, Caleb Brantley

LB (6)

Christian Kirksey, Jamie Collins, Joe Schobert, Dominique Alexander, probably two waiver guys.

CB (5)

Jason McCourty, Jamar Taylor, Briean Boddy-Calhoun, Marcus Burley, Trey Caldwell

S (5)

Jabrill Peppers, Derrick Kindred, Ibraheim Campbell, Kai Nacua, Calvin Pryor III

Special Teams (3)

K Zane Gonzalez

P Britton Colquitt

LS Charlie Hughlett

Practice Squad players from current roster: Channing Stribling, Najee Murray, Kenneth Olugbode, BJ Bello, Karter Schult

Browns, Draft, NFL

Browns Sign Njoku

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The Cleveland Browns announced that they have  signed first-round pick TE David Njoku to his four-year rookie contract on Thursday. 

The Browns have now signed nine of their 10 2017 draft picks, including DL Myles Garrett (first round), QB DeShone Kizer (second round), DL Larry Ogunjobi (third round), DB Howard Wilson (fourth round), OL Rod Johnson (fifth round), DL Caleb Brantley (sixth round), K Zane Gonzalez (seventh round) and RB Matthew Dayes (seventh round). Only first round selection Jabril Peppers remains unsigned. 

Njoku, the 29th selection overall in the 2017 NFL draft, played 26 career games at Miami (Fl) and finished his career with 1060 yards on 64 catches. He is expected to challenge for immediate playing time on the Browns offense. 

Browns, NFL

Browns, Kirksey, Agree to Extension

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The Cleveland Browns and linebacker Christian Kirksey agreed to a four-year, $38 million contract extension. The deal includes $20 million in guaranteed money. 

The move also continues the Browns strong offseason of bringing in new talent and  ensuring they keep the little talent that they already had on their roster. 

Kirksey, a former standout at Iowa, has been one of the few bright spots on th Browns defense over the past few seasons. While the Browns were just 1-15 in 2016, Kirksey had one of his best seasons as a pro recording 148 tackles and adding 2.5 sacks. 

Locking up Kirksey on a defense that has seen a tidal wave of talent come to the shores of Lake Erie should set the Browns defense up to compete in the coming years.  

Browns, Draft, NFL

Browns, Garrett Agree to Deal

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The Cleveland Browns and number one overall pick Myles Garrett have agreed to terms on a four-year rookie contract worth $30.4 million.  

As he was putting pen to paper Garrett chose to have “Kiss From a Rose” by Seal playing in the background. Hopefully, like “Kiss From a Rose”, Garrett will become a classic from the 1990’s. 

The team made a slew of other moves as well on Friday as they signed DL Caleb Brantley to four-year deal, just days after he had battery charges against him dropped. They also waived DL Gabe Wright and claimed OL Chris Barker off of waivers from the New England Patriots. 

Browns, Draft, NFL

Charges Dropped Against Rookie DT Brantley

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In April, the Cleveland Browns took a chance on talent over trouble when they selected Florida defensive tackle Caleb Brantley in the 6th round of th 2017 NFL Draft. 

On Wednesday, their chance, and his chances of making the team out of training camp, improved when the former Gator had his misdemeanor battery charge dismissed. Brantley was accused of striking a woman and allegedly knocked her unconscious. 

According to a report, the Florida state attorney’s office concluded its investigation into Brantley and determined that there was not sufficient evidence to charge him. 

Originally considered a late first to mid second round pick, Brantley’s off field issues led him to a massive slide into the sixth round. The incident cost Brantley a massive sum of money and is a black mark on his character that he will have to work extremely hard to make people move on from. 

Browns, NFL

Browns, McCourty Agree to Two-Year Deal

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The Cleveland Browns and free agent CB Jason McCourty have agreed to a two-year deal on Tuesday, according to various reports. 

McCourty, an eight-year veteran, was formerly with the Tennessee Titans. 

The addition of a veteran presence will help the Browns young and lackluster secondary as McCourty can play at cornerback or at free safety where the Browns have been searching for a starter since losing Tashaun Gipson in free agency prior to the 2016 season. 

According to NFL Network reporter Courtney Fallon, McCourty has told her that he is signing a two-year, six million dollar deal with two million guaranteed to come to Cleveland. 

Browns, Draft, NFL

Browns Get Three Rookies Under Contract

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With rookie camp set to begin tomorrow, the Cleveland Browns have gotten three of their 10 drafted rookies under contract, the team announced on Thursday.

Howard Wilson, a fourth-round pick from Houston, Rod Johnson, a fifth-round selection from Florida State, and Matthew Dayes, a seventh-round pick from North Carolina State, all agreed to terms on their first NFL contracts.

Wilson, a cornerback, was the 126th overall pick in the 2017 draft, and will have a chance to work into the mix in the secondary early in his career. Johnson, pick number 160, is a prototype tackle who needs to refine his game if he wants to stick in the NFL. Dayes, the second to last pick in the draft at 252 overall, will be thrown into the Browns crowded backfield and may have to find a spot on special teams in order to stick on the 53-man roster.