Has the Browns’ annual WR trade target emerged?

The Browns are in need of a receiver. Could they give the Niners a call?

Joining in with the likes of Amari Cooper and Jerry Jeudy, could the Cleveland Browns target another veteran wide receiver in Deebo Samuel from the San Francisco 49ers this offseason?

According to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, Samuel could be on the trade market this offseason. With Samuel entering the final year of his contract, San Francisco may look to move him after drafting a receiver in the first round of the NFL draft last season and recently extending Brandon Aiyuk, their younger, more traditional receiver. That situation makes Samuel an intriguing option for teams in need of skill players—including the Browns.

Samuel would theoretically give the Browns a true yards-after-catch monster and a legitimate big-play weapon. His ability to line up all over the field would make it very easy to slide into Kevin Stefanski’s offense, which values creativity and mismatches.

The Browns’ salary cap situation is difficult to navigate, with the team currently $30 million over the cap limit. This can be easily solved with a handful of restructures and cuts made to their current roster and is not a massive detriment. Given Samuel’s contract situation as well, the Niners will likely have to eat a portion of the deal to get a meaningful asset in return.

The Browns should be monitoring closely. If Deebo is available, Cleveland may not find a better opportunity to add a proven needle mover this season.

Could they hit the jackpot with Samuel like they did on Cooper and Jeudy in past trades?

PFF: Jets are best-landing spot for Lions’ Carlton Davis III in free agency

PFF: Jets are best-landing spot for Lions’ Carlton Davis III in free agency

The connection is clear, but despite that, the football analytical folks at Pro Football Focus are still taking that route as it relates to Calton Davis III.

Fresh off a positive season under Aaron Glenn as his defensive coordinator with the Lions, PFF suggests that Davis should follow the coach to the Jets.

Davis, an upcoming free agent, ranks as PFF’s 21st best in the entire NFL.

In 13 games played in 2024, Davis had 56 tackles, including two for loss, with two interceptions and 11 passes defended.

PFF’s breakdown on Davis to the Jets can be found below:

Before a broken jaw in Week 15 cut his season short, Davis was a standout in the Lions secondary. Through 15 weeks, his 11 forced incompletions ranked ninth in the NFL, highlighting his ability to disrupt opposing passing attacks.

Reuniting with former defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, now the Jets’ head coach, could be the perfect move for Davis. Glenn’s aggressive schemes, which often rely on press coverage, play to Davis’ strengths. He allowed only seven open targets in press situations despite playing a significant number of press snaps, showcasing his ability to thrive in a physical, one-on-one role.

ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky: Bills must make two moves to reach Super Bowl (video)

ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky: Bills must make two moves to reach Super Bowl (video)

As the Buffalo Bills prepare to enter the 2025 NFL offseason, GM Brandon Beane and company will look for ways to improve the roster.

Analyst and former pro signal caller Dan Orlovsky has some insights on where to do just that.

Reaching the AFC championship with a retooled and younger roster in 2024 offers some promise regarding what could be accomplished in the club’s 2025 campaign.

During an appearance on One Bills Live, Orlovsky pointed out where he sees the greatest areas of need for Buffalo to get “over the hump” in such games to reach the Super Bowl.

The former QB has enjoyed a successful second career as an on-air analyst and has indicated on social media an interest in someday returning to the sidelines as a coach.

Here is the full clip breaking down those needs on both sides of the ball:

 

PFF tabs a Vikings player on offense to breakout in 2025

The team at PFF recently identified one player from each team as a breakout candidate in 2025. Their choice for the Vikings is no surprise.

Every season is filled with players who come out of nowhere to have stellar seasons and become “breakout” stars. This season, one of those players was none other than Minnesota Vikings‘ quarterback Sam Darnold. Darnold came from draft bust and relegated backup to having a career season and leading the Vikings to the playoffs.

Every year, the NFL is littered with stories like Darnold’s, and next season is likely to be no exception. There are a number of great candidates for “breakout” performer for next season, and the team at PFF have their eyes on one player in particular for the Vikings.

It should come as no surprise that that player is none other than quarterback J.J. McCarthy. The former first-round pick didn’t see any action in his rookie season thanks to a pre-season knee injury, but he’s likely to be the team’s starter in 2025, unless they decide to bring Darnold back for another run — which seems unlikely after the collapse he had to end the season.

All the parts are in place for McCarthy to succeed in much the same fashion that Darnold did this season. Minnesota still has star wide receiver Justin Jefferson in the fold. They still have an All-Pro caliber tight end in T.J. Hockenson, who will be well removed from his knee injury by the start of 2025.

Perhaps most importantly, McCarthy still has head coach Kevin O’Connell, who recently signed an extension with the team and took home Coach of the Year honors. O’Connell has gained a reputation for being a quarterback-friendly coach, so it’s no surprise that people are expecting big things from the former Wolverines quarterback when he does finally make it to the field.

What does the Liam Coen extension mean for the future of Todd Bowles?

Whenever an assistant is asked to stay with a team and is rewarded with an extension, questions can arise.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers pulled off what was seen by many as a shocking move when they were able to keep Liam Coen in Tampa Bay. The Bucs offensive coordinator was favored to land the Jaguars head coaching vacancy, but an extension will keep Coen in Tampa Bay for 2025.

Questions can arise whenever an assistant is asked to stay with a team and is rewarded with an extension. In the case of Coen, the question now begs to be asked, “What does this mean for Todd Bowles?”

The veteran head coach is in his second stint leading an NFL team with the Bucs after taking over for a retiring Bruce Arians in 2021. Bowles has found success with four straight division titles, but that success has seemingly ended when the regular season does.

Bowles’ Bucs squads are 1-3 in the playoffs, with their lone win coming in 2023. This brings us back to Liam Coen.

Under his direction, the Bucs’ offense exploded in 2024. They saw significant gains in plenty of offensive categories, but most impressive was their rise from last in the league in rushing to third this past season. Baker Mayfield also set career highs under his direction, so the side of the ball that Coen is in charge of is producing.

Meanwhile, Bowles, who is a defensive-minded head coach, has seen his side of the ball be inconsistent over the years. In the last four years, the Bucs’ defense has finished as the 5th, 13th, 7th, and 16th. Some called for Bowles to be replaced after this year’s early playoff exit, but Jason Licht has decided to stick with his head coach for 2025.

What can be insinuated with the Coen extension is that Bowles may be on borrowed time. While there has been no report of  Coen agreeing to a deal where he is the head coach in waiting, the NFL is catching onto what the Bucs have on their coaching staff.

Baker Mayfield has two years left on his deal, and if he keeps playing the way he has, he will be in Tampa Bay for the long haul. At this point, both Mayfield and Coen seem tied to each other in the best way possible, they get positive results. If the team decides to move on from Bowles after a disappointing 2025 season in one way or another, Coen makes the most sense for the team to move into the future with.

Assets exist to pull Browns out of Deshaun Watson-sized rut

PFF sees a pathway for the Browns to get out of the grave they dug themselves.

There is no doubt about it that the decision made by the Cleveland Browns to trade for and extend quarterback Deshaun Watson blew up in their face.

Not only did they guarantee him $230 million over five years, but they traded more than three first round picks to acquire him. Now on the tail end of the Watson era in Cleveland after he re-ruptured his Achilles, the Browns have to dig themselves out of the grave they willingly jumped into.

One analyst, however, thinks they’ve got the assets to do so.

PFF’s Timo Riske has outlined where all 32 teams sit in the amount of assets they have this offseason, and the Browns are nowhere near the bottom of the list. In fact, they sit in the top half of the league in assets at their disposal.

Riske divides assets into three categories: draft picks, effective salary cap space, and restructure potential.

While the Browns have the least amount of effective cap space in the entire NFL, they do have near the top in restructure potential. This will elevate their effective cap space to work with this offseason when the new league year begins in March. The Browns also have the most draft capital of any NFL team this season with 11 picks thus far.

They could potentially land a new quarterback, Colorado’s Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter, or Penn State’s lethal pass rusher Abdul Carter with that pick. They could even trade down and land even more draft capital in both 2025 and beyond.

While the Watson era certainly made life difficult for the Browns, it will not bury them.

Bills’ Josh Allen was extremely effective under pressure vs. the Broncos

Bills’ Josh Allen was extremely effective under pressure vs. the Broncos

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen is a player you blitz at your own risk.

Allen showed that during his team’s 31-7 win in the Wild Card round against the Denver Broncos.

After a slow start from the Bills offense, Buffalo’s quarterback started to shine alongside running back James Cook against the Broncos. The QB finished the contest 20-for-26 passing with 272 yards and two touchdown passes.

Of those numbers, when Denver’s defense blitzed him, Allen made them pay.

According to The 33rd Team’s analytics, Allen had a 75 percent success rate when blitzed by the Broncos. That was one of the best outings against pressure in the NFL postseason since 2000.

The Baltimore Ravens will likely take note of that ahead of their Divisional round matchup:

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Browns could be massive benefactors if Deion Sanders lands with the Cowboys

The Cowboys have spoken to Deion Sanders. What could that mean for the Browns should he go all out to draft his son?

What implications would it carry for the Cleveland Browns if the Dallas Cowboys were to hire Deion Sanders as their next head coach?

The Cowboys recently fired their head coach, Mike McCarthy, earlier this week. Since then, rumors have grown regarding the potential hire of Colorado head coach Sanders. If this were to happen, would it impact the Browns’ plans as they approach the 2025 NFL draft?

If Sanders were to be hired as the Cowboys’ head coach, there’s little doubt about what his first move would be. His son, Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, is projected to be a top-five pick in the upcoming NFL Draft. It’s assumed that, if hired, the Cowboys would be all in on the idea of trading for a top pick and acquiring their head coach’s son as their future franchise quarterback.

Fortunately for Cleveland, they currently hold the second overall pick in this April’s draft and are likely looking for a trade partner.

There have been rumors that the Cleveland Browns will be looking to trade down by draft time in late April. Despite the lack of enthusiasm for this upcoming quarterback class, it’s easy to imagine that Deion Sanders would trade almost anything for the dream of coaching his son.

If Jerry Jones buys into the idea and hires Sanders as the Cowboys’ head coach, this will be something to monitor very closely as we approach the NFL offseason.

Bills snap counts: Depth chart breakdown vs. the Broncos

Bills snap counts: Depth chart breakdown vs. the Broncos

The Buffalo Bills won their first NFL postseason action, defeating the Denver Broncos 31-7 in the Wild Card round.

But who exactly were the ones on the field for the Bills (13-4) doing all the dirty work against the Broncos (10-7)?

More often than not, taking a look in between the lines at snap count totals for Buffalo’s players can give us some insight as to what went down in between the lines on the gridiron.

There will always be plenty to discover when looking at these finer details.

With that, here’s how the Bills’ depth chart broke down via snap counts in their win against the Broncos:

Offense

Defense

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Deion Sanders’ interest in Raiders HC job is meaningful for Browns

If Deion Sanders were to land the Vegas job, the Browns could profit greatly

Could Deion Sanders look to take over the Las Vegas Raiders? If so, that has implications for the Cleveland Browns.

Welcome to the NFL offseason.

According to a recent report from the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Sanders has reached out to the Raiders regarding their vacant head coach position.

“He has a very strong interest in the job.”

However, a wrinkle has been added to the mix regarding Coach Prime and his potential move from the University of Colorado to an NFL sideline. In a recent interview with ABC’s “Good Morning America,” Deion bluntly stated his requirement for reentering the gridiron at its highest level.

“The only way I would consider (it) is to coach my sons.”

As it just so happens, his son Shadeur, the Colorado quarterback, is being touted as one of the top options in this year’s draft class. Another of his sons, defensive back Shiloh, has also declared for 2025. In fact, in this CBS Sports mock draft, Shadeur goes second overall to the Browns.

Based on the overall opinion of NFL draft analysts, the 2025 crop of prospects does not have as many players with true first-round grades as the average class.

Because of this scarcity of top-end talent, many teams may get desperate to trade up and secure what they feel is a sure thing. The Raiders, being a team devoid of an obvious franchise trajectory, might get desperate enough to trade up to get one of Deion’s sons. It can be assumed that if they hire Deion, the Tom Brady-led hiring committee has assured him that his sons Shadeur and Shilo will be on the team come hell or high water.

The Raiders currently sit at sixth overall in the draft order, with the Browns at second overall. A trade between these two draft slots has happened before. In 2018, the Indianapolis Colts traded down from second to sixth with the New York Jets, who selected Sam Darnold. The Colts netted three second-round picks and selected guard Quenton Nelson, who went on to become an All-Pro.

Should the Browns choose to trade down, they will all but guarantee that they miss out on a top quarterback or a blue-chip impact player like Penn State’s Abdul Carter or Colorado’s Travis Hunter. However, not all is lost in a trade down to No. 6.

The Browns would still be able to get one of the remaining players with early-first-round grades such as Mason Graham, Tetairoa McMillan or Heisman runner-up Ashton Jeanty. The Browns would also be adding to an already impressive war chest of 12 draft picks, giving general manager Andrew Berry more than enough ammo to navigate the board as he sees fit.