Tag: Olivier Vernon

Who have the Dolphins used the franchise tag on before?

Here are all nine players the Dolphins have tagged in the past.

The 2024 NFL season is still months away, but the first step in getting there begins on Tuesday, as the window for franchising a player officially opens.

The NFL introduced the franchise and transition tags back in 1993 in their collective bargaining agreement. They allowed teams to retain players on one-year deals who were expected to hit the free-agent market when the league year opened.

This year, the Dolphins have a few candidates, including defensive lineman Christian Wilkins.

What does history tell us about what Miami could do? Let’s take a look at the nine players that the Dolphins have used one of the tags on since 1993.

54 days until Browns season opener: 5 players to wear 54 in Cleveland

With rookies set to report to camp on the 19th of July the regular season is just Ogbo Okoronkwo days away.

The NFL season is right around the corner as rookies are set to report for training camp tomorrow, July 19th, with veterans reporting a couple of days later for the Cleveland Browns. There have been a total of 28 different players to wear the number 54 for the Browns, including linebacker Deion Jones last season after a trade from Atlanta. New Browns pass rusher Ogbo Okoronkwo is set to wear the number for the team in 2023.

The number was first worn by John Rokisky during the 1946 season.  With the team set to start training camp this weekend football is nearly here as we take a trip down memory lane to look at some players who have worn the number 54 in Cleveland.

Olivier Vernon returning to NFL in 2022, could interest the Browns

After missing a year due to his injury, could Vernon help answer a big need for the Browns in 2022?

The Cleveland Browns need on the defensive line is clear. Only one certain starting-level defensive lineman is under contract for 2022 and certain to be on the team. Obviously, Myles Garrett is a great starting point but with Jadeveon Clowney’s free agency, Takk McKinley’s injury and free agency and Malik McDowell’s off-field issue, Cleveland is quite thin at a very important place.

While the team is interested in bringing back Clowney, he has made it clear that money will be the biggest part of his decision.

The big need on the line is one of the reasons that wide receiver is not a slam dunk pick for the team with their top selection in the upcoming NFL draft. While it seems headed in that direction, the lack of a threat outside of Garrett could be a problem.

One solution could be an old friend of the team. Olivier Vernon, who tore his Achilles at the end of the 2020 season, much like McKinley’s tear in 2021, is coming back to the NFL in 2022:

Vernon was acquired along with Odell Beckham Jr. in a trade with the New York Giants. In his two years with the team, Vernon had 12.5 sacks including nine in 2020. His injury kept him out all of 2021.

Familiarity with the Browns and the team’s dire need could lead to a reunion. While it may take him a little bit of time to knock the rust off, the 31-year-old could be a productive piece of a rotation in Cleveland.

Where did they go? Keeping up with ex-Browns around the league

Keeping track of what happened with some former Cleveland Browns players this offseason as they moved around the NFL

Now that the 53-man rosters are set around the league, it’s time to keep up with where some former Browns players from the 2020 season or the 2021 preseason wound up.

Colby Gossett: Another player claimed off waivers after the Browns cut the offensive lineman earlier this week, Gossett is now in Atlanta. There are some projections where Gossett could get immediate playing time for the Falcons, who have some injury issues on the OL.

KhaDarel Hodge: The popular wideout and special teams star was claimed off waivers by the Detroit Lions. Former Browns GM John Dorsey, who brought Hodge to Cleveland, is part of the Lions front office now too.

Karl Joseph: A starting safety in Cleveland last year, Joseph was cut by the Las Vegas Raiders. He is now on the Pittsburgh Steelers practice squad, and there is ample speculation he will be elevated quickly to the Steelers’ active roster once he clears COVID-19 protocols.

Terrance Mitchell: “Money” Mitchell is one of the starting cornerbacks for the Houston Texans. Mitchell signed in Houston as a free agent after three seasons in Cleveland.

Larry Ogunjobi: Ogunjobi defected from the Browns to the rival Bengals. The defensive tackle signed a one-year early in free agency. Ogunjobi is one of the Bengals top defensive starters.

Sheldrick Redwine: The young safety signed with the New York Jets right after being waived by the Browns. The Jets seem pretty excited to have Redwine in their secondary, too.

Sheldon Richardson: The versatile defensive lineman returns to Minnesota, where he played before coming to Cleveland in 2019. Richardson will start for the revamped Vikings defense.

Kyle Lauletta: Cleveland’s No. 3 QB dating back to last season was among the final cuts. He quickly signed in Jacksonville on the Jaguars’ practice squad.

Kendall Lamm: Lamm is playing the same role for the Tennessee Titans that he did in two years in Cleveland. He’s the top reserve offensive tackle. The Titans currently have COVID-19 issues that would have Lamm starting if the season began today.

Tavierre Thomas: The CB is in Houston, doing what he does best – making things happen on special teams. He is also Mitchell’s backup at outside CB on the Texans depth chart.

B.J. Goodson: Cleveland’s leading tackler in 2020, Goodson is still a free agent. The veteran linebacker remains unsigned.

Tae Davis: The LB and special teams fixture from 2019-2020 landed on injured reserve with the Houston Texans. He just recently had foot surgery.

Andrew Sendejo: Sendejo started 14 games for Cleveland in 2020 at safety. The veteran, who turns 34 this week, remains unsigned.

Olivier Vernon: Another veteran starter from last season, Vernon is also still unsigned.

Robert Jackson: Jackson was one of the earlier cuts for the Browns this summer. The cornerback, who primarily played special teams in Cleveland, is now on the Raiders’ practice squad.

Vincent Taylor: Taylor is climbing up the NFL ladder. A reserve defensive tackle in Cleveland, he’s now the starting “rush” tackle for the Texans.

Dontrell Hilliard: Yet another former Browns player who wound up in Houston, Hilliard was waived by the Texans and took an injury settlement. The running back is now a free agent.

Could Olivier Vernon be a late season spark for the Browns?

Could Olivier Vernon give the Browns a push late in the season?

The Cleveland Browns start training camp next week with all kinds of excitement. For the first time since he came over along with Odell Beckham Jr. in a trade from the New York Giants two years ago, Olivier Vernon won’t be the team’s starting edge rusher across from Myles Garrett.

Vernon had an interesting two years with the Browns, putting up 12.5 sacks including nine last year. He was stout against the run and pressured the quarterback regularly. While injuries limited him to 24 out of a possible 32 games for the Browns, Vernon’s steady hand on the defensive line was helpful.

With fellow veteran Sheldon Richardson cut and Vernon a free agent, the Browns brought in Malik Jackson to help field that experience void.

Unfortunately for Vernon, his season didn’t end on a high note. Tearing his Achilles in the final game of the regular season, the almost 31-year-old has a long rehab back if he wants to play this season in the NFL.

Achilles injuries are not uncommon in pro sports, as the recent Cam Akers news shows. This kind of injury can significantly impact on a player’s ability if/when he returns to the field. Cleveland is hoping Grant Delpit can return from his Achilles tear that kept him out all of his rookie season.

Vernon is rarely active on either Twitter or social media but posted a picture of him standing back in May. Perhaps he is doing well in his rehab but one picture hardly tells the story:

 

With the addition of Takk McKinley, Jadeveon Clowney and Curtis Weaver, the Browns defensive end room has filled up but there is always room for more talent there. If Vernon is looking to return this season, and beyond, Cleveland may be the best place for him to do so.

For 2021, the Browns could benefit from a late-season jolt to the defensive line but there is little certainty he will be physically ready for Week 17 or 18 and a playoff run. If he is, a return to Cleveland could fit perfectly.

Ravens’ free agent pass rushing options beginning to dwindle

The Baltimore Ravens could look to sign a veteran pass rusher in free agency. However, their options are slowly dwindling

The Baltimore Ravens lost a good amount of production from the edge position during the 2021 offseason. The team saw Matthew Judon, Yannick Ngakoue, and Jihad Ward leave in free agency, creating a huge need at pass rusher.

While the Ravens did end up re-signing edge defenders Tyus Bowser and Pernell McPhee, along with draft Odafe Oweh and Daelin Hayes, Baltimore doesn’t have a ton of pass rushing juice from the position right now. Even throwing in third-year edge Jaylon Ferguson doesn’t do much to ease some of the concerns that many have felt about the Ravens’ pass rush heading into the season.

Baltimore has explored outside options to help their ability to get to the quarterback, including visiting with former Colts edge rusher Justin Houston. However, the veteran options are slowly dwindling as players begin to find new homes after the 2021 NFL draft. Former Washington Football Team edge defender Ryan Kerrigan is the latest pass rusher to go off of the board, signing with the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday.

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With Kerrigan now officially off of the market, that leaves the Ravens with only a few veteran pass rusher options remaining, with the biggest names including Houston, Melvin Ingram, and Olivier Vernon. Baltimore could opt to not sign an outside free agent and roll with who they already have, especially if they feel confident that players like Bowser, Ferguson, and Oweh can provide better production than some people anticipate.

When looking at the statistics for the edge defenders that the Ravens currently have on their roster, the combination of Bowser, McPhee, and Ferguson have combined for 52 sacks in 15 seasons between the three. For comparison, Houston has 97.5 sacks in his 10 year career. Oweh and Hayes don’t factor into the equation because they both haven’t played in and NFL game.

Overall, the Ravens have plenty of talent at the edge position. However, despite having players who can set the edge and drop back into coverage, right now it doesn’t seem like the team has any pure pass rushers who can be 10-12 sack players. That’s not to say that the pass rushers currently on Baltimore’s roster can’t develop into a sack artist with increased snaps, but the safer option could be to add a veteran who has proven that they can get to the quarterback consistently.

Jadeveon Clowney, Olivier Vernon named free agents Giants should avoid

Veteran edge rushers Jadeveon Clowney and Olivier Vernon have been named two free agents the New York Giants should avoid.

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The New York Giants will enter free agency on the hunt for a quality edge rusher to add that little something extra to a defense that was a strength in 2020.

Luckily for the Giants, there will be plenty of potential options and because of the salary cap uncertainty, it’s possible they can land a quality player on a moderate one-year deal. However, there are also a few players Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report thinks the Giants should avoid.

One of them is Olivier Vernon, who actually played for the Giants from 2016-2018 before being shipped off to Cleveland as part of a double deal that also included Odell Beckham Jr.

While Vernon was productive in 2020—he logged 36 tackles and nine sacks—he also suffered a torn Achilles in the regular-season finale. This means that he likely won’t be available until late in 2021, if at all.

New York shouldn’t be looking at future contributors in a year with a diminished salary cap—not with their cap situation, anyway. The Giants need to focus on players who can help deliver a playoff berth this season, and Vernon doesn’t fit into that category.

Similarly, Knox believes the Giants should also avoid Jadeveon Clowney, who, like Vernon, suffered a serious injury last season.

The cap-strapped Giants would do well to uncover value on the open market. However, New York should not be willing to gamble on pass-rusher Jadeveon Clowney. He has struggled to be an impact player away from the Houston Texans and has produced just three sacks over the past two seasons.

With the Titans in 2020, Clowney had zero sacks in eight games and produced a mere 11 quarterback pressures.

Knox is right on both accounts. Yes, the Giants need help along the edge, but no, signing either of these two aging veterans coming off of serious injury would not be a benefit to the team.

Interestingly, Know also believes the Giants should avoid pending free agent wide receiver Corey Davis.

Davis has flashed potential during his four pro campaigns, but he has never had a 1,000-yard season. He’s never had more than five touchdowns in a season, either, and it’s hard to view him as a major upgrade over the likes of Slayton and Sterling Shepard.

It’s also unlikely that Davis would be a budget-friendly option. He’s projected to have a market value of $9.8 million annually, which simply doesn’t fit into New York’s cap situation.

There seems to be a growing sentiment that Davis will be overpriced and that may, in fact, diminish his market value. However, while his production was less than stellar in Tennessee, Davis has flashed quite a bit and may be able to find more success in a system that’s better suited for his talents. But that’s probably not Jason Garrett’s system in East Rutherford.

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The most dangerous “buyer beware” defensive free agents in 2021

With NFL free agency just around the corner, here are 11 upcoming free agents who have the “buyer beware” tag.

Throughout the history of NFL free agency, the best possible acquisitions have come when team, scheme, and player find a perfect marriage. Last year, the Panthers signed former Jets receiver Robby Anderson to a two-year, $20 million contract, expanded his route palette, and enjoyed Anderson’s status as far more than just a speed guy.

Also last season, the Dolphins signed former Browns defensive lineman Emmanuel Ogbah to a two-year, $15 million contract, unleashed him from every gap in their hyper-aggressive, Cover-0-heavy defense, and had a very good time indeed as Ogbah set career highs in sacks (9.0) and total pressures (66).

And when Bruce Arians and Tom Brady finally figured out the ideal balance between Arians’ “grip-it-and-rip-it” passing game, and Brady’s more measured approach, buttressed at it is by play-action and pre-snap motion… that worked out pretty well in the end.

Leonard Floyd with the Rams, Nelson Agholor with the Raiders… the list goes on and on regarding players who landed in the right spot. So, when coaches and talent evaluators take a close look at the 2021 free-agent class (which they’re already doing in earnest, as the new league year starts on March 17), there’s a lot of wisdom in looking at the players who best fit what you want to do on the field, as opposed to players who are scheme-nebulous and have athletic potential you think you can unlock out of nowhere.

Sometimes you can. More often, you can’t, and you wind up wasting contract dollars and cap space on players who don’t fit your team at all.

Here are 11 prominent upcoming free agents who deserve particular scrutiny as players who will not fit with every team in every scheme, have dings to be worked out, and could fall off the map in the wrong environment.

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Browns place Olivier Vernon, Nick Harris on injured reserve

Vernon had been the Browns best defender over the last 8 weeks

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Olivier Vernon’s season is officially over now. The Browns placed the starting defensive end on injured reserve with his torn Achilles tendon. Vernon suffered the injury in the Week 17 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Browns also placed rookie offensive lineman Nick Harris on the I.R. Harris has a knee injury that kept him out of Week 17 after he picked up his first career start in Week 16 at right guard.

Cleveland also placed left guard Joel Bitonio and wide receiver KhaDarel Hodge on the reserve/COVID-19 list effective on Tuesday. Both players tested positive for the coronavirus. That means they are eligible to be activated prior to the divisional round of the postseason if the Browns beat Pittsburgh on Sunday in the wild-card round.

 

Steelers face a Browns team down DE Olivier Vernon

Browns DE Olivier Vernon has been diagnosed with a torn ACL, and will not play in Pittsburgh on Sunday.

The Cleveland Browns will be without a significant piece of their defense on Sunday at Heinz Field.

Defensive back Olivier Vernon, who exited the game the Week 17 game with a lower leg injury, was diagnosed with a torn ACL on Monday.

Vernon had nine sacks on the season, including one on Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph.

Pittsburgh faced a Cleveland defense that was down five rotational defensive players, including starters at cornerback and safety, Denzel Ward and Andrew Sendejo.

It’s too early to tell who from the Browns will be back for the Wild Card matchup, but it won’t be Vernon.

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