Category: Latest Browns News

J.T. Hassell promoted from Browns practice squad to active roster

Hassell was a big hitter and special teams ace in preseason

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The Browns stayed within the building to replace injured safety Morgan Burnett. Instead of signing a free agent from outside, GM John Dorsey and the Browns chose to promote safety J.T. Hassell from the practice squad on Wednesday.

Hassell is an undrafted rookie from Florida Tech who made his mark as a hard-hitting thumper in the preseason. He’s a converted collegiate linebacker, which gives him a similar skillset to the one Burnett brought as a downhill safety in Steve Wilks’ defense.

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Hassell has spent the entire season on the Browns’ practice squad. In addition to promoting Hassell, Cleveland signed safety A.J. Howard to the practice squad to replace him. Howard is in his second NFL season and has bounced around several teams, most recently the Philadelphia Eagles.

Larry Ogunjobi loses his suspension appeal, will miss Week 12

Browns DT Larry Ogunjobi lost his appeal and will remain suspended for the Week 12 matchup with the Miami Dolphins

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Browns defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi had his appellate hearing on Monday with the NFL league office. Ogunjobi was appealing his one-game suspension for his role in the Thursday Night Football brawl at the end of the Browns’ win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The league upheld the suspension, meaning Ogunjobi will miss the Week 12 matchup with the Miami Dolphins. His $10,500 fine was rescinded, however.

Ogunjobi pushed Steelers QB Mason Rudolph to the ground after the infamous Myles Garrett helmet attack. He was penalized during the game and ejected for his action.

Garrett’s appeal was heard on Wednesday. No decision has been made yet.

Browns cannot shy away from physical play despite Myles Garrett incident

If the Cleveland Browns want to keep winning they cannot shy away from physical play despite Myles Garrett/Mason Rudolph incident

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The Cleveland Browns and Head Coach Freddie Kitchens face a dilemma. Having lacked an identity for the first six games of the 2019 season, they found a physical edge against the Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers. They went out and dominated Pittsburgh even before “the incident” at the end of the game.

Undisciplined, inexperienced, immature and emotional will be the words used to describe Kitchen’s team, while wins & losses will ultimately be what decides his fate. He has to find a way to keep that edge while avoiding incidents like what occurred on Thursday Night. He has to limit penalties while maintaining the physicality that helped them dominate the Pittsburgh.

The truth is that the Steelers and Ravens have won this way for years in the AFC North. 

The Browns being the physical aggressor is a role reversal of sorts and presents Kitchens with the Identity he has been looking for. Of course, this sort of approach has taken on a different light considering what happened with Myles Garrett. Still it should not deter the Browns from buying-in on their physical style of play. Below is a chart of how often the Ravens and the Steelers have finished in the NFL’s top ten for unnecessary roughness penalties since 2012 (via NFLPenalties.com).

Are the Ravens and Steelers considered dirty teams? I don’t know. Do they do a good deal of winning? Most definitely.

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Browns reveal 1st unofficial depth chart without Myles Garrett

Garrett and Ogunjobi are suspended, Morgan Burnett on IR and that leaves some holes on the D

There’s a big change on the unofficial depth chart for the Cleveland Browns this week. With defensive end Myles Garrett out with his indefinite suspension, the defensive line is missing its best player.

Chad Thomas is listed as the starter in Garrett’s old spot opposite fellow EDGE Olivier Vernon, who remains listed as a starter but is designated with an injury. Vernon has missed the last two games with a knee injury.

Devaroe Lawrence takes over one of the starting DT roles for the suspended Larry Ogunjobi on the inside. Eli Ankou is now the only reserve tackle on the defensive roster.

There are also just three healthy safeties after Morgan Burnett was placed on I.R. with his torn Achilles. The Browns do have some open roster spots to help fill out the depth.

The full unofficial depth chart for Week 12 against the Miami Dolphins:

Joe Schobert earns the highest PFF grade of any defender in Week 11

Nobody does it better than Joe Schobert in Week 11

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Joe Schobert put on quite a show in the Cleveland Browns’ 21-7 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 11. Schobert made plays all over the field from his off-ball linebacker position, including two interceptions and a sack.

His theme song for the week comes from the underrated James Bond flick “The Spy Who Loved Me”: Nobody does it better.

According to Pro Football Focus and their player grading, Carly Simon was singing directly about Schobert,

Nobody does it better
Makes me feel sad for the rest
Nobody does it half as good as you
Baby, you’re the best

Schobert logged the highest grade of any defensive player who participated in at least 25 percent of his team’s snaps in Week 11. His 93.3 grade made Schobert the only linebacker to score above 87. Rams tackle Aaron Donald matched the 93.3 score but did it in fewer snaps.

One big reason for the lofty score was Schobert’s work in pass coverage. He allowed four reception on seven targets, but those ceded just 20 yards. Pair those with his two INTs and a PD on the other incompletion and it’s about as good of a performance as a linebacker can pull off in coverage. And that doesn’t count his sack or three QB pressures in just seven pass rush reps.

And nobody does it better
Though sometimes I wish someone could
Nobody does it quite the way you do
Why’d you have to be so good?

Browns officially place Morgan Burnett on injured reserve

Browns officially place Morgan Burnett on injured reserve with his torn Achilles suffered in Week 11

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Morgan Burnett’s 2019 season with the Cleveland Browns is now officially over. The Browns placed the starting safety on injured reserve on Tuesday with his torn Achilles tendon.

Burnett suffered the injury in the second quarter of Thursday night’s 21-7 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was having a great game against his former team, notching an interception and a tackle for loss among his five total stops.

His first season in Cleveland ends with 41 total tackles, two sacks, one interception and four TFLs. He has one year remaining on the 2-year, $7.5 million contract he signed as a free agent this offseason.

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Sheldon Richardson wonders why Mason Rudolph didn’t get suspended

Browns DT Sheldon Richardson wonders why Mason Rudolph didn’t get suspended and he also defends Maurkice Pouncey

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Count Browns defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson among those who cannot believe Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph escaped suspension for his role in the Thursday night brawl. Richardson remains stunned that the QB got off without missing any time.

“Very surprised,’’ Richardson replied after Monday’s practice when asked his thoughts on Rudolph. “It’s on camera what (he’s) doing. There’s no hiding it no matter what he says in the media. It is what it is.”

Richardson was clear that he thought teammate Myles Garrett deserved a lengthy suspension for hitting Rudolph over the head with his own helmet. The stunning strike came with just seconds left in the Browns’ 21-7 win over the Steelers in FirstEnergy Stadium. But he doesn’t believe Rudolph should escape responsibility for his significant role in the action.

“If you’re going to suspend (Garrett) indefinitely, I don’t know, a game or two. A game [for Rudolph]?’’ said Richardson. “Make it sound like you just can’t be a quarterback and do as you please in this league. Have some type of consequences for your actions as well.”

Richardson also defended Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey, who got three games for attacking Garrett after the helmet strike.

“I don’t blame Pouncey for protecting his quarterback,” Richardson continued. “I’d go overboard for my guys, too. So nobody’s knocking him for that. That’s what football is. No matter how you try to hide it, it’s still going to be football.”

Garrett’s appeal hearing is scheduled for Wednesday.

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Bryan Cox Jr.: What the Browns are getting in their new DE

A scouting report on new Browns EDGE Bryan Cox Jr., who will play a bigger role with Myles Garrett suspended

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By now you have probably heard that Myles Garrett is suspended and it appears it is going to be a long time before he dresses on Sundays again. Last week the Cleveland Browns signed Bryan Cox Jr. and despite being a pure reserve acquisition, it appears the young man may be thrust into duty and forced to see meaningful minutes. Garrett is an elite end, but below is a bit of what Cox can provide.

Height: 6-3

Weight: 265 pounds

Previous Team: Carolina Panthers

Cox went undrafted after the 2017 NFL Draft, which was a bit surprising after he completed a fairly solid collegiate career at Florida. Carolina snagged the DE/OLB right up and after failing to make the final roster in 2017 was placed on their practice squad until being called up early in the same season. Cox was on the Carolina active roster for the entire 2018 season, but failed to make the final cut for 2019 and has bounced back and forth from active to practice until he was snagged by Cleveland on November 13.

It is surprising that Cox was available mid-season as he does provide unique versatility with the ability to slide down to the inside as well as provide pressure from the edge. Many of the asthma issues that hampered Cox early in his career appear to have gone away, which also makes it more surprising that he was available for the Browns to snag. At only 25 years old, Cox has a few intriguing athletic traits that show potential for a potentially high ceiling.

Cox is not an NFL starter and although he has a few intriguing traits, it is more realistic for him to develop into a situational pass-rusher only. His injury history is not clean as he has numerous issues especially with asthma specifically and although it appears that is behind him, it is not a guarantee that it won’t be an issue in the future. Cox is an inconsistent player and inconsistency is why he went undrafted and why he has spent the majority of his professional career on practice squads.

You do not want Cox to start, because he can be a liability. Despite there being a few interesting traits and more than enough boxes are checked, Cox is not a finished product and is not ready for the big show. The reality is, Cox may be forced into action due to all of the suspensions and he can thrive in certain situations in limited snaps and that will be key moving forward.

Browns-Steelers rematch in Week 13 moved to 1 p.m. kickoff

The game was scheduled for 4:25 p.m. but has been moved up

The hotly anticipated rematch between the Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 13 will kick off earlier than expected.

The Browns and the NFL announced the game in Pittsburgh on Dec. 1 will kick off at 1 p.m. ET. It was originally scheduled as a 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff. The game will remain as a CBS broadcast.

No official reason has been given for the time change. However, given the heated ending to the Week 11 Browns win in Cleveland, the earlier time slot takes away some of the prominence of the game. The NFL is likely trying to minimize the spotlight on Mason Rudolph’s rematch against a Browns team and national fan reaction that very strongly feels he instigated the chaotic violence in FirstEnergy Stadium on Thursday night.

Two AFC games remain in the late-afternoon window, with the Chargers at Denver and the Raiders playing the Chiefs in AFC West matchups in Week 13.

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How the Browns will replace Myles Garrett during his suspension

Olivier Vernon, Chad Thomas and others will need to step up

Now that Myles Garrett has been suspended indefinitely by the NFL, the Cleveland Browns will be without their top defensive lineman for the rest of the 2019 season. Replacing the NFL’s current sack leader will not be easy.

Getting Olivier Vernon back into the lineup at full strength will be the biggest help. Vernon has missed the last two games with a knee injury. Prior to that, he was consistently providing pressure off the edge opposite Garrett. In fact, he had more QB pressures on the season than Garrett did through Week 9.

Vernon has not shown the ability to finish his pressures this year, racking up three sacks. That will need to change. He is the best-suited Browns player to become the alpha pass rusher.

Chad Thomas has stepped up nicely in Vernon’s absence, but the pressure is now on the second-year EDGE to be a full-time starter. Thomas has a sack in each of the last two games and also broke up a 4th-down pass attempt (that Mason Rudolph essentially threw into him), so he is making some impact. It will be interesting to see if he can do it more consistently and eliminate the stretches where he’s too easily blocked.

Chris Smith will also need to step up. The veteran reserve has been very quiet in limited duty. Newcomer Bryan Cox Jr. is a bigger, stouter version of Genard Avery, who was traded away earlier this season.

There is still a chance the Browns could look outside the current team. Garrett’s suspension does leave a vacant spot on the 53-man roster. With no defensive linemen on the practice squad, there will probably be a move to at least add someone there.