Tag: Cleveland Browns

Browns expect LT Jedrick Wills to be ready by training camp after season-ending knee injury

The Browns are expecting their starting left tackle to be ready to roll by training camp

The Cleveland Browns saw the season end for their left tackle Jedrick Wills after a knee injury suffered in November of last year. After eight months of recovery after knee surgery, the Browns are now expecting Wills to be ready to roll when training camp arrives next month.

Browns insider and Cleveland dot com’s Mary Kay Cabot provided an update on Wills and his fellow offensive tackles (all three who suffered season-ending injuries in 2023):

“The Browns were hoping Wills would be able to participate in minicamp, but the surgically-repaired knee (torn MCL) wasn’t ready yet. The goal now is for him to be ready for training camp, even if he’s limited at the beginning. Jack Conklin is still recovering from his torn ACL and MCL, but Dawand Jones was back on the field in OTAs and minicamp, and will be ready to roll.”

Wills enters the last year of his rookie contract, and it is no sure thing he will be given the opportunity of a contract extension. He is entering a crucial point in his NFL career and a make-or-break season. Can he finally rebound and put it all together to live up to the hype of the top 10 pick that he was?

Browns CB Martin Emerson Jr. named one of NFL’s most underappreciated

The Cleveland Browns found a gem in cornerback Martin Emerson Jr.

The Cleveland Browns combine for one of the most dominant cornerback rooms in the NFL, headlined by Denzel Ward, Martin Emerson Jr., and Greg Newsome II.

However, it is the youngest of the bunch, Emerson Jr., who has seen praise heaped upon him this offseason. NFL.com’s Gennaro Filice is the latest to give the third-year cornerback his flowers. Naming Emerson Jr. the Browns’ most underappreciated player, here is what Filice has to say on the future Pro Bowler:

“A third-round pick out of Mississippi State in 2022, Emerson has emerged as a press-man savant, thanks in large part to his pterodactyl wingspan. Standing a smidge under 6-foot-2, Emerson’s tall for a corner, but it’s his extraordinary arm length (33 1/2 inches) that really allows him to stymie receivers at the line of scrimmage and clog passing lanes down the field.”

As the Browns look to continue their dominant ways defensively, they will continue to rely upon the services of Emerson Jr. and his running mates Ward and Newsome II.

Steelers DT Cam Heyward comes to terms that he could finish his career elsewhere

Cam Heyward seems open to the idea of finishing his career with another team, even the Browns.

Earlier in the offseason, Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Cam Heyward said he wants to be a one-helmet player meaning he starts and finishes his career with the Steelers.

But at this point, Heyward might be changing his tune. As contract negotiations linger, Heyward acknowledged he might finish his career playing elsewhere, even considering Cleveland.

“I have talked to my wife, and we know the reality & she said it could be fun to play somewhere else,” Heyward said. “If that is what is needed to be done, then so be it.”

https://twitter.com/_MLFootball/status/1802414660244873717

Heyward struggled through 2023 with a shoulder injury that limited him for much of the year. This, along with his age is certainly part of the reason the Steelers have some hesitancy with wanting to pay him a final big contract extension. Nevertheless, Heyward is a Steeler and if that means the team must pay a little more to keep him in a Steelers uniform then I think most fans would be fine with it.

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Former Browns QB Bernie Kosar files lawsuit against local media network

The former QB is alleging breach of contract, patterns of abuse, and being forced to wrongfully place a bet that cost him his job with the team

During the 2022 season, former Cleveland Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar lost his media job with the team after he placed a bet on them to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Now, that bet is the centerpiece of a lawsuit between Kosar and digital media company BIGPLAY. Kosar is alleging that he was forced by the media company, who Kosar had a contract with to provide services for, to place that $19,000 bet against his will and with his own money instead of with the company’s cash.

Kosar claims that he was to appear in two events quarterly for Big Play, but they were to be mutually agreed upon. The former quarterback states that instead of these mutual agreements, BIGPLAY and owner Kendall Myles would force him into events as well.

As Kosar continued to express conflicts of interest, as the events were not mutually agreed upon, the quarterback alleges verbal assault from Myles, including a threat to fight him. Kosar also alleges that Myles tried to strongarm him into signing a “Mutual Termination Agreement” and when he declined to do so, he was terminated with cause.

Kosar is seeking $850,000 in damages from BIGPLAY.

WATCH: Browns rookie DT Mike Hall Jr. puts his freak athleticism on full display

Mike Hall Jr. is already catching eyes.

While Cleveland Browns second round pick Mike Hall Jr. has yet to sign his contract, that did not stop him from getting his work in during mandatory minicamp. And in individual sessions, Hall Jr. caught the eye of many by putting his freak athleticism on full display during an agility drill.

Watch Hall blaze through the drill, showing off his explosiveness and flexibility, with his veteran teammates looking on:

Hall has been well known for his athleticism, running a burning 4.789 40-yard dash at his pro day at 299 pounds (with 10-yard and 20-yard splits in the 92nd and 95th percentile respectively). He also leaped to a 33-inch vertical (93rd percentile) and a 9-foot-5 broad jump at his pro day as well.

No, it is not normal for a big man to move like this. Hall Jr. is a freak who is going to force himself onto the field on passing downs very early in his career.

Browns HC Kevin Stefanski shrugs off Myles Garrett injury scare

No cause for alarm after an apparent hamstring injury

Cleveland Browns fans received a bit of a scare on Thursday during the team’s final practice of mandatory minicamp after superstar defensive end Myles Garrett pulled up with a tweaked hamstring. The reigning Defensive Player of the Year sat out the rest of practice, but it seems that was just out of caution.

During his media availability afterward, head coach Kevin Stefanski was asked about Garrett and responded, “he will be fine, yeah.” That will ease the minds of Browns fans with the team’s best defensive player out of the woods injury-wise with offseason workouts over.

The team is now on break until training camp at the Greenbrier, which kicks off next month. The dates have yet to be made official.

For now, overall, the Browns avoided any significant injuries during the offseason workout activities and can focus on prepping for training camp on the most anticipated Browns season in recent memory, which kicks off against the Cowboys.

Browns: Playoff loss to Texans still on the forefront of Myles Garrett’s mind

The loss to the Texans will continue to motivate the Browns star

What a year it was for Myles Garrett and the Cleveland Browns defense, as he finally got his first Defensive Player of the Year award. The Browns’ pass rush was downright fantastic last year, and it made several quarterbacks look terrible.

But things didn’t go well for the defense in the playoffs as the Houston Texans and rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud carved them up in a decisive blowout. That loss will motivate and drive Garrett, who talked about it after practice on Wednesday.

“It’s definitely at the forefront of my mind always. That’s the last taste of football that we all had. I plan to make that apparent to everyone and continue to keep it as motivation for myself. We stepped out. We didn’t get the job done. We didn’t execute, and we fell short of our goals”

Jim Schwartz’s defense has to be less predictable in 2024, or the better quarterbacks will continue to carve them up. He said all the right things earlier this offseason and agreed they need more changeups. Hopefully, he means it.

Browns CB Denzel Ward says the playbook has ‘new wrinkles’ vs. last year

The Browns’ star confirms changeups are coming

A couple of weeks ago, Cleveland Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz talked about the team’s need to evolve as a defense. He talked about how good the team’s fastball is but also the need to develop “change-ups.” Now, Pro Bowl cornerback Denzel Ward is echoing that sentiment.

At times, the Browns’ defense was predictable, and the better offensive minds and quarterbacks were able to take advantage of it. On Wednesday, Ward confirmed those changes are on the way as the team looks to build off its success last season.

“We already got our playbook in from last year, but he added a few more wrinkles in there, a few more plays, and just playing off things that we already do out there. And I think it’s going to be some good additions to our team that I think is going to help us out there on the defensive side of the ball.”

Cleveland has the talent to be one of the league’s best, and a second year in a great system should yield good results. If Schwartz can mix things up coverage-wise, especially zone coverage and in the red zone, 2024 could be a lot of fun.

All 32 NFL teams (including Denzel Ward, Martin Emerson Jr., and the Browns) ranked by their cornerbacks

The Browns have a dynamic trio of cornerbacks, but where do they rank among the rest of the league?

Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz came in and transformed the defense of the Cleveland Browns into the top unit in the NFL in just one season. And a big reason for that is due to the trust he can put into Denzel Ward, Martin Emerson Jr., and the rest of the secondary to line up and do their job.

The Browns run more cover-1 than any team in the NFL, and they can do that because Ward and Emerson are not afraid to line up at the line of scrimmage and punch the man across from them in the face. They even have another first round pick in Greg Newsome II patrolling the nickel, giving them a formidable alliance of cornerbacks to put their trust in. This allows for pass rushers to get home as well.

Where does ESPN’s Mike Clay have the Browns’ cornerback room ranked among the rest of the NFL, however? We take a deep look now:

Deonte Banks, Cordale Flott, Nick McCloud, Tre Hawkins III, Andru Phillips

Sean Murphy-Bunting, Max Melton, Garrett Williams, Starling Thomas, Elijah Jones

Benjamin St-Juste, Emmanuel Forbes, Jartavius Martin, Mike Sainristil, Michael Davis

Nate Hobbs, Jack Jones, Jakorian Bennett, Brandon Facyson, Decamerion Richardson

A.J. Terrell, Clark Phillips III, Mike Hughes, Antonio Hamilton, Dee Alford

Joey Porter Jr., Donte Jackson, Josiah Scott, Darius Rush, Ryan Watts

Asante Samuel Jr., Kristian Fulton, Ja’Sir Taylor, Deane Leonard, Tarheeb Still

Byron Murphy, Shaquill Griffin, Mekhi Blackmon, Akayleb Evans, Andrew Booth Jr.

Jaycee Horn, Dane Jackson, Troy Hill, Dicaprio Bootle, D’Shawn Jamison

Tyson Campbell, Ronald Darby, Antonio Johnson, Montaric Brown, Jarrian Jones

Cam Taylor-Britt, D.J. Turner, Mike Hilton, Jalen Davis, Josh Newton

Jamel Dean, Zyon McCollum, Tavierre Thomas, Christian Izien, Bryce Hall

Kenny Moore II, Julius Brents, Dallis Flowers, Jaylon Jones, Darrell Baker Jr.

Trent McDuffie, Jaylen Watson, Joshua Williams, Nic Jones, Ekow Boye-Doe

Derek Stingley Jr., Desmond King, Kamari Lassiter, Myles Bryant, Jeff Okudah

Darious Williams, Tre’Davious White, Quentin Lake, Decobie Durant, Derion Kendrick

Patrick Surtain II, Levi Wallace, Ja’Quan McMillian, Damarri Mathis, Kris Abrams-Draine

Christian Gonzalez, Jonathan Jones, Marcus Jones, Alex Austin, Shaun Wade

Marlon Humphrey, Brandon Stephens, Arthur Maulet, Nate Wiggins, T.J. Tampa

Jaire Alexander, Eric Stokes, Keisean Nixon, Carrington Valentine, Corey Ballentine

Charvarius Ward, Deommodore Lenoir, Ambry Thomas, Renardo Green, Rock Ya-Sin

Devon Witherspoon, Tariq Woolen, Michael Jackson, Tre Brown, Artie Burns

Darius Slay, James Bradberry, Avonte Maddox, Quinyon Mitchell, Cooper DeJean

Rasul Douglas, Christian Benford, Taron Johnson, Kaiir Elam, Daequan Hardy

Marshon Lattimore, Paulson Adebo, Alontae Taylor, Kool-Aid McKinstry, Ugochukwu Amadi

Jaylon Johnson, Kyler Gordon, Tyrique Stevenson, Terell Smith, Greg Stroman

Carlton Davis, Terrion Arnold, Brian Branch, Emmanuel Moseley, Ennis Rakestraw Jr.

L’Jarius Sneed, Roger McCreary, Chidobe Awuzie, Tre Avery, Eric Garror

Trevon Diggs, DaRon Bland, Jourdan Lewis, Nahshon Wright, C.J. Goodwin

Denzel Ward, Greg Newsome II, Martin Emerson, Cameron Mitchell, Kahlef Hailassie

Jalen Ramsey, Kendall Fuller, Kader Kohou, Nik Needham, Cam Smith

Ahmad Gardner, D.J. Reed, Michael Carter II, Isaiah Oliver, Brandin Echols

Titans sign former Browns OT Geron Christian

Another former Brown is off the market.

The Cleveland Browns turned to Geron Christian down the stretch of their season after the season-ending injuries to offensive tackles Jedrick Wills, Dawand Jones, and Jack Conklin. Now, Christian has signed with the Tennessee Titans.

While Christian had his struggles with the Browns, filling in as the starting left tackle, there are not many players or teams who can prepare for their fourth and fifth-string offensive tackles to fill in successfully.

This makes the second Browns offensive tackle from a year ago to land with former Browns offensive line coach Bill Callahan and the Titans, joining LeRoy Watson (who was traded for a seventh round pick before the 2024 NFL draft).

Christian faces an uphill battle to make the final 53-man roster with the Titans, who just drafted Alabama offensive tackle JC Latham in the first round. However, the Titans do lack depth along their offensive line, so with a strong camp Christian could pull through.