He was hurt in 2015...McCourty came off the injury last year...There are said to be 7 or 8 teams interested... McCourty, 29, spent his first eight seasons in the league with Tennessee. He has 13 career interceptions in 108 career games. He started 14 games a year ago with the Titans. He intercepted two passes and recovered a fumble. The Browns lost a cornerback over the weekend when fourth round draft pick Howard Wilson suffered a broken kneecap during Friday's rookie minicamp practice. Wilson, who will undergo surgery for the injury, wasn't ruled out for the season by head coach Hue Jackson, but any significant contributions, even if he were able to return, are unlikely.
This surprises nobody....One of the greatest wasted talents of all time IMO. http://www.tmz.com/2017/05/16/josh-gordon-reportedly-desperate-for-cash/
Here you go SAS...A really solid read on one of our biggest concerns. https://nflspinzone.com/2017/05/16/cleveland-browns-free-safety-anonymous-position-battle/ it really is hard to believe that the Browns only took one defensive back in the entire draft...aaand of course, in typical fashion, he's already out. I think McCourty is a pretty good band-aid....they need to get that done.
The Browns and veteran cornerback Jason McCourty agreed to a two-year contract on Tuesday, his agent, Andy Simms, confirmed in a phone interview with the Beacon Journal. Simms said he expects McCourty to sign the deal Tuesday night. Simms declined to disclose the financial terms. NFL Network first reported McCourty was expected to sign with the Browns, adding he had dinner with the coaches Monday night and took a physical for the team Tuesday during a free-agent visit to its headquarters. The Browns need help at cornerback after fourth-round draft pick Howard Wilson suffered a fractured kneecap Friday during the first practice of rookie minicamp. Wilson is in jeopardy of missing the entire 2017 season because the injury requires surgery. They also might be looking for an upgrade at free safety, a position to which the versatile McCourty could move. McCourty, 29, started every game in which he appeared for the Tennessee Titans the past six seasons. He played for new Browns defensive coordinator Gregg Williams in 2013, when Williams held the title of senior assistant/defense with the Titans. The Titans cut McCourty, 6-foot and 193 pounds, last month after the two sides couldn't reach an agreement on a restructured contract. He was scheduled to make $7 million in 2017, the last season on a five-year contract extension he signed in 2012. McCourty was the Titans' longest-tenured player and a captain. Last season, he appeared in 14 of 16 games and compiled 69 tackles, 12 passes defensed and two interceptions. He missed the final two games with a sprained shoulder and chest contusion. Of the 111 cornerbacks ProFootballFocus.com ranked last season, McCourty finished 55th on the list. By comparison, this is how PFF ranked the Browns' top three cornerbacks in 2016: Joe Haden 85th, Jamar Taylor 19th and Briean Boddy-Calhoun 71st. In 2015, McCourty missed 12 of 16 games because of groin injuries and two surgeries. He had played in all but one game the previous four seasons. A sixth-round pick out of Rutgers in 2009, McCourty has racked up 505 tackles, 73 passes defensed and 13 interceptions in eight NFL seasons. His twin brother, Devin, is the starting free safety of the New England Patriots.
Thanks for the read, [notify]TopDawg[/notify]. Time will telll, but Wilson may come back and develop into a starting cornerback, who knows. Injuries happen and that's a tough break for him, but we'll see how he recovers and contributes. The other guy (Peppers) is the one to really watch. Here's a good metrics re-cap of the Browns' draft. I also checked out the Colts for the breakdown on Hooker, and the data review on him is not good. Could very well be that the numbers took over the film with that decision. Peppers' Athleticism: He compares almost exactly to Sean Taylor, which is a pretty awesome mark. Peppers' Production: Obviously a glaring issue around interceptions. The author compares him to a better T.J. Ward. If he can find a way to come away with the football at the next level, he could offer Eric Berry type production. Today, we're looking at Donte Whitner type production.
I think that's exactly the plan...New England converted his identical twin brother to one, so it seems like a natural fit....McCourty is probably gonna be our FS.
I don't think that was one of my quotes, but anyway...Who knew we had a top 20 ranked Cornerback last year? *DONT_KNOW* I'm pretty sure that's news to everyone...Is that Chris Collinsworth's rankings? It's just hard for me to believe we had a top 20 ranked anything last year, other than Left Tackle, and possibly a recently departed receiver....
We have Garret inked . the days of lengthy holdout are a thing of the past . thank God for that one . Who will be our breakout player this year ? I think Nassib will take the next step although I hope its one of the 4 WR drafted last year .
The No. 1 overall pick inked his contract. The Cleveland Browns announced Friday that Myles Garrett signed his four-year, fully guaranteed rookie contract. NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reports the deal is worth $30.4 million with a $20.25 million signing bonus and includes offset language. As with all first-round picks, the deal comes with a team option for a fifth season. The consensus top prospect in the 2017 draft, Garrett compiled 31 sacks, 47 tackles for loss and forced seven fumbles during his college career at Texas A&M. The 6-foot-4, 272-pound physical specimen immediately upgrades Cleveland's pass rush. The rookie already received rave reviews from veteran Pro Bowl left tackle Joe Thomas this offseason. "I'm just impressed with his demeanor and his willingness to learn and his humbleness," Thomas said of Garrett, "but also you see that fire that's burning inside him to be great and I think those are the hallmarks of guys that have a chance to be really excellent football players." In new defensive coordinator Gregg Williams' defense, Garrett can be a game-wrecking talent for years to come in the Browns' latest rebuilding effort.
I think our breakout second year players will be Emmanuel Ogbah and Corey Coleman....Though it would be nice if Nassib got his share of the action too. The switch to Gregg William's much more aggressive scheme, and the addition of Myles Garrett, who will draw the most attention, should open things up for the other pass rushers to take advantage. Garrett is going to be great, and he will make those around him that much better...I cannot wait to see how this defense looks.
Cody Kessler. All the pressure, duress, and injuries he sustained occurred right up the middle of the line. We added JC Tretter at center and Kevin Zeitler at guard to shore that up - plus Bitonio returning. They gave him a tremendous playmaker in Njoku and kept a reliable, big-bodied, chain-mover receiver in Kenny Britt. Hue Jackson has stressed they must run the football more this season and the major talent influx to the defense (including new DC Gregg Williams) means that perhaps we won't blow so many fourth quarter leads. All this means Kessler - who graded as a Top 15 QB in efficiency, accuracy, and rating - should have the ability to grow and improve in the offense, especially coming in as the defined starter and with a year of NFL experience under his belt. Kessler, in my mind, could be poised to take a major step forward.
Browns claim former Patriot off waivers http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2017/05/19/browns-claim-chris-barker-waive-gabe-wright/
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- It's been a monumental week for Browns sixth-round defensive lineman Caleb Brantley. On Wednesday, he was cleared of wrongdoing in the battery case against him. On Friday, he signed his four-year rookie contract with the Browns. The Browns now have seven of their 10 draft picks under contract. Earlier in the day, they signed No. 1 overall pick Myles Garrett to a 4-year deal worth $30.4 million. The week began with a sworn complaint against the Florida product for allegedly punching fellow student Chelsea Austin in the face being dropped. The State Attorney's office said Brantley "had the legal right to defend himself'' by pushing away someone "who was punching and assaulting him.'' On draft night, Browns head of football operations Sashi Brown stressed that the club might not keep Brantley even if he wasn't charged. But they've opted to give him a chance to prove himself, and the contract on Friday confirmed that. "Based on our information, we understood there was a reasonable chance that the charges would be dismissed," Brown said in a statement Wednesday. "As we have previously discussed, the allegations made regarding the incident were not something we take lightly. Caleb understands that we have an expectation and standard for every member of our organization.'' Brown indicated that they'll continue to monitor him. "He's a talented young man with a great opportunity in front of him. Caleb must grow as a person from this situation. He is now able to move forward and focus on earning a spot on this roster." Brantley, who admitted during minicamp last week that he had a chip on shoulder from the accusation, said he's grateful for the ruling. "I won't take the opportunity the Browns have given me for granted and now I can shift all my focus on working hard to make this football team while also showing my teammates, coaches, the organization and this community the type of person I really am,'' he said in the release. The Browns' three remaining unsigned picks are first-rounders Jabrill Peppers and David Njoku; and second-round quarterback DeShone Kizer. The rookies will practice with the veterans in the first week of organized team activities next week.
Things are looking up for Wilson: https://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2017/05/howard_wilson_cleveland_browns.html
Kenny Britt and the Kids In the most recent college football draft, the Browns? braintrust chose to ignore two positions: Linebacker and wide receiver. Considering the move from a 3-4 look to a 4-3 scheme under new defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, it is understandable why there was no need to address the linebackers. It?s also why, because of a need to build up the front four, they selected three defensive linemen. What is not understandable is why wide receivers were given no thought whatsoever. Heading into the draft, it was the weakest position (barely beating out the offensive line) on that side of the football. In the lamentable 1-15 season last year, only Terrelle Pryor stood out among the wideouts. He was the Browns? passing offense last season. Wide receivers accounted for 2,029 of the club?s passing yardage in 2016. Pryor owned 1,007 of those yards, an astounding 49.6% of the production. And now he is gone, replaced by free-agent signee Kenny Britt, an eight-year veteran with mediocre credentials. Britt arrives on the heels of what can be considered a career year with the Los Angeles Rams, putting up similar numbers to Pryor. After slogging around the National Football League in near anonymity for seven seasons, averaging 34 catches, 555 yards and 3? touchdowns a season, he was 68-1,002 and five TD last season. It obviously caught the Browns? attention, firing up the argument as to whether this was, indeed, a career year (an aberration?) that will never be duplicated. Or maybe it was the light finally going on with still plenty of electricity left. The difference there is that Pryor made his mark last season while still learning the position after failing as a quarterback and is clearly on the rise. Britt is a career wide receiver who had classically underachieved before last season. Unless the front office sees the error of its ways with regard to wide receivers (there are 10 on the roster), it will be Kenny Britt and the Kids as the main targets of whoever winds up as the starting quarterback. And Britt is not good enough to handle being the No. 1 target with so little support. With one exception, the remaining wideouts have no more than one season of NFL experience. Four are draftees from last season: Corey Coleman, Ricardo Louis, Rashard Higgins and Jordan Payton. That quartet combined for 58 receptions for 698 yards and three touchdowns, the oft-injured Coleman leading the way with 33 of those grabs for 413 yards and the three scores. The Browns will not frighten secondaries this season. With the exception of three-year veteran James Wright (a long shot to make the team), all the others are second-year men or holdovers from the practice squad. That is it. The lack of experience is alarming. (The status of Josh Gordon, in limbo courtesy of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, is not a factor here. At least not yet. Until a final decision is rendered the commissioner, Gordon is merely an X factor.) One of the weak links of last season?s team is now even weaker with the departure of Pryor. Coach Hue Jackson again faces the same problems with less talent than 2016. It is entirely possible Jackson again will attempt to place a major emphasis on the running game, thus cutting down on the number of times his quarterbacks are forced to resort to the aerial game. Last season, Jackson indicated one of his goals was to run the ball as much as throw it. In other words, let the run set up the pass. He didn?t quite make it. Check that. He didn?t come close. The Cleveland offense ran the ball 38.2% of the time last season and heaved it 61.8%. Much of that disparity was due to a defense that bled points at a near record pace and put the team so far behind that throwing the ball became a necessity. Jackson?s goal of a well-balanced offense is anathema to the passing league the NFL has become in the last several seasons. But when you have limited talent on the offensive side of the ball, the tendency is to go with something less risky. In other words, throw the football less frequently. What was it that Woody (Three Yards and a Cloud of Dust) Hayes said all those years ago as he was becoming a coaching legend at Ohio State? ?Three things can happen when you throw the football and two of them are bad.? Jackson needs help with his wide receivers. Coaching goes only so far. Outside of Britt (and that?s an iffy situation), there are no wise heads in the wide receivers room. No veteran who can shepherd these youngsters through tough times. Teach them the ins and outs and nuances of the game while contributing themselves. They are out there, but the Browns? apparent stubbornness that accompanies their belief they are in good shape will in the end produce the same results, maybe worse, than last season. The Cleveland front office seems to be sanguine about the wide receivers. They shouldn?t be. Posted by Rich Passan
[notify]TopDawg[/notify]... [twitter=https://twitter.com/Andrew_Gribble/status/866643173493354496][/twitter]
Kessler should be given every chance to be the starter . I wouldn't have drafted a QB this year until late . I tossed my worn out Browns brick at the TV when they drafted Kizer .
Team's OTA's start Tuesday.... http://www.clevelandbrowns.com/news...rt-OTAs-/18e044af-0fc1-4449-96fc-d2274d2648da
