Tag: Andrew Billings

Former Brown Andrew Billings clears waivers, signing with Miami

No one claimed Billings but he seems to have found a new home quickly:

The Cleveland Browns need to move forward from their terrible play in Week 10. Prior to the game, the team made a variety of moves to change the roster including waiving defensive tackle Andrew Billings.

Billings was literally and financially a big release for the team. The big interior defensive lineman was expected to take up space and use his strength to push the line of scrimmage for the Cleveland defense. Billings $3.5 million salary for the season counts against the team’s cap despite his release.

In nine possible games, the Browns only had Billings active for six with only one tackle credited to his name during that time. He played in only 11% of the team’s defensive snaps (72 snaps) and less than 5% of Cleveland’s special teams snaps (12 snaps).

After being waived, Billings was not claimed by anyone placing the remainder of his salary as dead money on the Browns salary cap. He has quickly found another team, however:

Billings has struggled in 2021 after taking 2020 off due to COVID-19 concerns. Miami has struggled this year despite playoff aspirations. Perhaps the pairing can help each other rebound.

Dolphins are signing former Browns DT Andrew Billings to their practice squad

He’ll reportedly start on the practice squad and move up eventually.

The Miami Dolphins are always looking for ways to improve their roster. This time they’re doing so by adding another player to the practice squad.

According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Dolphins are signing defensive tackle Andrew Billings to the practice squad after he cleared waivers on Monday. Rapoport also reported that he is expected to “move up quickly” to the active roster.

Billings signed with the Browns back in 2020 but opted out due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This season, he’s gotten 72 defensive snaps in six games.

Prior to joining the Browns, Billings was a fourth-round pick of the Bengals back in 2016 out of Baylor. His rookie season was stopped before it even began when he suffered a torn meniscus in practice. In his three remaining seasons, he became a starting defensive tackle for the Bengals, eventually playing a career-high 61% of snaps in 2019.

As a nose tackle in 2021, Billings will likely be used as run-stuffing depth. We’ve yet to get an injury report this week, but there haven’t been any injuries to the big guys in the middle recently. He’ll join a pretty talented group of players if they’re all healthy.

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Browns activate 2 from IR, waive Andrew Billings in flurry of roster moves

Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah and M.J. Stewart are back, while Andrew Billings hits the waiver wire

The Cleveland Browns kept the recording secretary at the NFL’s transaction wire busy on Saturday. The Browns activated two players from injured reserve and waived DT Andrew Billings in the flurry of activity.

Linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah and cornerback M.J. Stewart have rejoined the active 53-man roster from the team’s IR. Both had been designated to return earlier by Cleveland and are now healthy enough to help the team.

To make room for Owusu-Koramoah and Stewart, the Browns waived veteran DT Andrew Billings. The other spot was still open from the departure of WR Odell Beckham Jr. earlier in the week.

Cleveland also elevated four players from the practice squad to help cover for the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak afflicting the team. Those elevated:

RB Brian Hill

CB Herb Miller

WR Jojo Natson

FB Johnny Stanton

Hill is designated a standard elevation, while the other three are COVID-19 promotions that will not count against the number of times they can be elevated. Hill just recently joined the Browns and now could be in line to get legit carries with three RBs all sidelined on the COVID-19 list.

Billings will be subject to waiver claims. He played just 72 snaps in six games and recorded one tackle.

Touchdown Wire would like to see Andrew Billings on the move from the Browns

The Browns are more likely to be buyers than sellers but could move on from one defender. Where could Billings to shipped off to and why?

The Cleveland Browns have a few important days bunched together around Halloween. First, the team welcomes in their AFC North rivals on Sunday for a rematch of the Browns first playoff victory in decades. The loser of that game will sit in the basement of the division, the winner strengthens their hopes for a run to the playoffs, once again.

Then, two days later, the NFL trade deadline comes up. Here at Browns Wire, we have heard rumblings of GM Andrew Berry being highly involved in a number of trade discussions primarily around areas of injury concern: wide receiver, cornerback and offensive line. Defensive line reinforcements have also been discussed.

While Berry being involved in those conversations gives hope to some fun moves after the conclusion of Week 8’s game, trades in the NFL aren’t as plentiful as other sports. Teams are more willing to make deals in the past but there will always be more talks than moves.

One move that has started to float to the surface is Cleveland moving a player out, Andrew Billings. The defensive tackle/nose tackle hasn’t found a solid place on the Browns defense this year but could find a home on the West Coast according to our Touchdown Wire site:

An ideal landing spot? Los Angeles with the Chargers. Brandon Staley is finding out that the combination of playing two-high and stopping the run is a bit tougher when you do not have Aaron Donald in the interior, and while Billings is not that kind of player, anything they can add to help against the run would be a huge addition.

Cleveland is unlikely to get much in return for their seldom-used defensive lineman but save a little salary and add a late pick or a player that doesn’t fit with the acquiring team.

Check out all the interesting names Touchdown Wire’s Mark Schofield would like to see on the move in his latest piece.

Malik McDowell new starter in Browns unofficial Week 2 depth chart

After not playing a game since being drafted in 2017 to starting in Week 2 of 2021… Quite a ride for the former second-round pick:

The Cleveland Browns will be moving on from their loss to the Kansas City Chiefs and preparing for the Houston Texans. The Chiefs game, while a focus all offseason, is one of seventeen for the team.

No game is more important than the next one and the next one for Cleveland is Houston coming to town on Sunday.

The team released their updated, but unofficial, depth chart this afternoon for Week 2. A vast majority of the depth chart remains the same including Odell Beckham Jr. listed as a starter despite missing Week 1’s action and Anthony Schwartz being listed behind Rashard Higgins despite getting far more snaps against the Chiefs.

The big change comes on the defensive side of the ball where Malik McDowell takes over as the starting defensive tackle for Andrew Billings. McDowell made quite an impression as one of the new additions for Cleveland in Week 1.

Against Kansas City, McDowell participated in 69% of the team’s defensive snaps (45) while Billings was in on only 17% (11). This move is not surprising but shows how much the Browns think of McDowell’s progress since his early struggles with Seattle.

Andrew Billings loses weight, keeps amazing strength

After unflattering pictures surfaced from OTAs, concerns about Billings’ weight came up. His DL coach squashed those and lauded his amazing strength.

The Cleveland Browns not only added players via free agency and had guys returning from injury but also added players to the 2021 roster who opted out of last year due to COVID-19 concerns.

The Browns had five players opt-out for 2020: DT Andrew Billings, OL Colby Gossett, OG Drew Forbes, OT Drake Dorbeck and OG Malcolm Pridgeon. Only Billings and Forbes remain on the Cleveland roster for 2021.

Forbes is expected to compete for a backup offensive line spot but Billings is expected to compete for a starting role.

When Cleveland signed Billings before the 2020 season the thought was that he would provide depth in the middle of the defensive line. Coming into 2021, expectations and need are higher. Gone are Larry Ogunjobi and Sheldon Richardson. While Malik Jackson was added in free agency, the remaining players expected to make the roster on the interior of the defensive line are very young.

Billings is now expected to step in as the team’s starting nose tackle/1-technique. His role is primarily to eat up blockers and hold the line of scrimmage while allowing other defenders to penetrate. If blocked one on one, Billings is expected to use his strength to push the pocket up the middle and blow up plays.

Following a few unflattering pictures at OTAs, some wondered if Billings was in good enough shape after sitting out last year. His line coach put some of those concerns to rest:

 

If Billings is able to hold his own in the middle of the line, it will open up a lot of things for the team’s revamped defense. His pure strength, as noted by Kiffin above, will make it tough for offenses to single block him. A double team will open up 1 on 1 blocking for the rest of the defensive line and keep the Browns linebackers free to run to ball carriers.

Updating the Browns defensive depth chart after the 2021 NFL draft

Here’s an early look at the Browns defensive depth chart after the draft

With the 2021 NFL draft in the books and the first offseason activities for the new rookie class and free agents coming very soon, it’s time to take a gander at the Cleveland Browns updated depth chart.

The offense hasn’t changed a lot, certainly not at the top of each position. Cleveland could have all 11 offensive starters returning and brings back the top reserves at several spots, too.

Defensively, it’s a different story. Only two surefire starters return, and the depth chart across the secondary has been almost completely overhauled.

Here’s an early look at the Browns defensive depth chart entering the rookie minicamp and post-draft OTA period.

Browns Free Agency decision: DL Larry Ogunjobi – Performance, market value and Browns intentions

Ogunjobi’s market value could be too high for the Browns to afford or desire

The Cleveland Browns defensive lineman Larry Ogunjobi is prepared to take the next step in his career and become an unrestricted free agent. The Browns have no intention to try and sign Ogunjobi to an extension before free agency begins and they are fully prepared to let him test the open market.

Saying goodbye to Ogunjobi is tough because he is one of the guys that has been here for the Browns ascent from the worst in football to AFC contender. The reality though is the Browns have multiple players they need to look at extending before Ogunjobi and it’s likely that someone will offer him more than the Browns are willing to pay.

Ogunjobi did rank inside ESPN’s Top 50 free agents but failed to land of Pro Football Focuses Top 100 free agent list. According to Spotrac, Ogunjobi’s market value is about $9.3M per year(Spotrac: 3 years – $28,154,163). Ogunjobi recorded his best PFF grade in his rookie season with a 78.4, which was 28th in the league among interior defensive linemen. Since that rookie season his grades at PFF have declined each year with his worst season so far being this past season when he ended with an overall grade of 51.4 ranking him 109th overall among interior defensive lineman.

The top interior defensive lineman in this years free agent class are both New York Giants, Leonard Williams and Dalvin Tomlinson. Williams could command $20M per year while Tomlinson looks to garner a figure closer to $13M or $14M per year.

Ogunjobi finished the 2020 season with 46 tackles, 6 pressures and 2.5 sacks. He has always shown the ability to flash good athleticism and make the occasional play but his consistency has been an issue.

Spotrac’s market value estimation of $9.3M per year seems awfully high for what could be a depressed market all around due to a lower salary cap in 2021. There are free agents like the 34-year-old Ndamukong Suh (TB) who played more snaps and was more productive than Ogunjobi, along with 26-year-old Sheldon Rankins (NO) and 29-year-old Shelby Harris (DEN) who both grade out better than Ogunjobi and will likely be more sought after.

Even at that value, the Browns are likely to let him go with Andrew Billings coming back after opting out in 2020 and set to make just $3.5M per year, along with Sheldon Richardson and last year’s 3rd round pick Jordan Elliott also returning.

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Andrew Billings has opted out from playing in 2020

Billings’ one-year contract tolls to 2021

One of the Browns top free agent additions this offseason has elected to instead opt out of playing. Defensive tackle Andrew Billings was placed on the NFL’s opt-out list by the Browns on Tuesday.

Billings is the third Browns player to opt out, joining offensive linemen Drew Forbes and Drake Dorbeck. His one-year contract tolls to 2021 without penalty, per the agreement between the NFL and NFLPA that allows players to opt out in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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The 25-year-old nose tackle was expected to see extensive action along the revamped defensive line. Billings spent his first four seasons in Cincinnati, though he missed his rookie campaign with a torn knee ligament.

His departure leaves the Browns thin on the defensive interior behind starters Sheldon Richardson and Larry Ogunjobi. Rookie Jordan Elliott and seldom-used vets Daniel Ekuale and Eli Ankou represent the current depth.

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Andrew Billings ready to ‘thrive’ with the Browns

Billings is ready to thrive with something new in Cleveland

Andrew Billings revealed why he joined the Cleveland Browns as a free agent, leaving behind some strong seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals to get a new start. In the process, Billings also revealed some of his winning personality and why fans in Cleveland will quickly get over his years of playing for a rival.

“I just wanted to go somewhere where I could thrive,” Billings told Nathan Zegura of the Browns broadcast crew. “A new scene, something new … it’s looking like it’s going to be a whole different Browns team from last year.”

He said his old Bengals teammates have shown him “nothing but love” upon defecting to the other Ohio team and AFC North rival. Billings was quick with a smile and engaging while talking about playing offensive line in high school and his historic exploits in the weight room.

It’s a nice glimpse at getting to know the newest Browns defensive tackle.

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