Tag: Rashard Higgins

Browns mock draft watch: PFF slates Ohio State WR to Cleveland

Browns Mock Draft Watch: PFF has #Browns selecting #GoBucks star

The Cleveland Browns season is not over, but it’s kind of over. Cleveland is officially eliminated from the playoffs and Baker Mayfield’s season is ending due to surgery. This off-season will feel all too familiar with questions surrounding the quarterback and head coach and feeling like there is a steep mountain to climb.

Honestly, I am not that depressed. The 2020 Browns defied expectations and their success should not have set a standard so high in fans’ minds, but they shouldn’t have been this miserable to watch either. This Cleveland roster still has a few gaping weaknesses and I do not think a drastic change is in the works nor should it be. It does appear though that PFF has some great ideas in their most recent mock.

Browns Vs Chargers highlight: Mayfield to Higgins touchdown

Keeping you updated with all Browns highlights against the Chargers in Week 5. Hollywood Higgins finds the endzone for the first time this season:

The Cleveland Browns face off with the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 5 of the NFL season. Both teams enter the week with a 3 – 1 record but the Browns go on the road with a lot of injuries impacting both sides of the ball.

The Chargers, on the other hand, are mostly healthy and playing some very good football early in the year.

After a great start to the drive with Anthony Schwartz’s return and David Njoku’s long tight-end screen reception, two penalties on the Chargers on third down kept the Cleveland drive alive. Baker Mayfield then found Rashard Higgins wide open for a touchdown:

The Browns take back the lead at 10 – 7 early in the second quarter. Down a few starters, the Cleveland offense has scored on both of their initial drives. Mayfield looks sharp, currently 5 for 5 passing for 81 yards and a touchdown.

The defense is also missing starters and needs to keep the Chargers from answering.

OBJ in, Landry out: Who does what in Week 3?

OBJ is back but he will be missing his friend Jarvis. Who does what for the Browns pass game with one in and the other out?

The Cleveland Browns got bad news shortly before getting good news. The bad news came when wide receiver Jarvis Landry was placed on the injured reserve following a knee injury in Week 2. The good news came later in the week when Odell Beckham Jr. was cleared to play in Week 3.

Best friends, Landry and Beckham were excited to come together this season with some stability for the first time as teammates. Their first year together in Cleveland was a struggle with Freddie Kitchens while the entire offense struggled to get on the same page in the first half of 2020 under Kevin Stefanski before Beckham got hurt.

Unfortunately, the players (and the Browns) will have to wait a few weeks for Landry to return and get up to speed before seeing an optimized version of the LSU pair.

The return of Beckham and the loss of Landry will draw eyes to the passing game under quarterback Baker Mayfield. It is also important to note that Landry has been a great blocker for the run game as well.

With Landry out, Beckham should not be expected to replace him. While Landry is far less explosive, his role in the Cleveland offense is vital. The former Miami Dolphin is a high volume, sure-handed receiver first down machine while the former New York Giant is a big play, yards after the catch magician.

In Week 3, Beckham is likely to be limited in both his route tree and number of snaps. While Stefanski may design a play to get him an open look, the Browns may use the threat of a big play from him to open up looks for others.

Training camp star Donovan Peoples-Jones has been on the field a ton in the first two games of the season but only has two catches to show for it. Rookie Anthony Schwartz had a very good first week but caused a Mayfield interception in the second week.

Neither are perfectly skilled to replace what Landry does but could get chances to shine in Week 3.

Replacing Landry may fall primarily on the tight end group. As indicated by Jordan Franks being added to the active roster for the game, Stefanski may have plans that involve using this group more in Landry’s absence. Primarily, Austin Hooper fits a lot of what the former LSU star did for the team. Hooper’s routes are strong, methodical and he has shown good hands throughout his career.

Running back Demetric Felton will be discussed as Landry’s replacement in the slot but the rookie plays the position far differently than Landry. Felton’s gifts are speed and shiftiness while Landry is a power player at the slot position.

At the receiver position, Rashard Higgins’ connection with Mayfield can’t be denied. Higgins, like Landry, catches almost everything thrown in his direction. While Landry has been a volume contributor, Higgins’ spots have been less frequent. If the tight ends are not getting the job done, expect “Hollywood” to have a chance to shine once again in Cleveland.

Colts chosen for first-ever in-season Hard Knocks series

The Colts will be featured for the first-ever mid-season Hard Knocks series starting in November.

The Indianapolis Colts will be featured in the first-ever edition of an in-season Hard Knocks series on HBO.

While Hard Knocks is typically filmed during training camp, the Colts will be featured during the season starting in November.

The episodes are produced by NFL Films and will premiere on Nov. 17 with episodes every Wednesday night until the end of the team’s season.

It will be interesting to see what kind of content will be shown during the season. We will certainly get an inside look at the Colts during the season, which will be a fun development.

The Colts have a strong content team, especially when it comes to their offseason coverage of the NFL draft process. The series “With the Next Pick” does a fantastic job giving an inside look at how the team goes through the draft process.

The first episode will be aired on HBO between Weeks 11 and 12.

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Video: Baker Mayfield, Rashard Higgins work on familiar back shoulder throw

A familiar throw and catch from Baker Mayfield to Rashard Higgins in today’s training camp video.

As the Cleveland Browns embark on what hopes to be an exciting season, the team’s offense has played very well in training camp so far. With Baker Mayfield under control of the offense for the second year, instead of learning a new one, things have been crisp.

With Odell Beckham Jr. back in the fold, the Browns return their top offensive weapons on top of one of, if not the, best offensive lines in the NFL.

Rashard Higgins has been one of Mayfield’s most reliable targets since his arrival in the NFL. While Higgins has never been a speed receiver or a receiver who wins with size, he runs good routes, has good hands and has a connection with his quarterback.

In Monday’s training camp, we saw Mayfield and Higgins hook up on another back-shoulder throw that was reminiscent of one from last year. Late in the Browns last-second win against the Cincinnati Bengals, Mayfield hit Higgins down the seam for a 30 yard gain that put them into position to score with very little time remaining.

Today’s highlight looked similar:

 

(Credit to the Browns media staff for the video.)

The dynamic between those two players is undeniable if unexplainable. Mayfield seems to know exactly where Higgins will be and Higgins has comfort with Mayfield’s ball placement. While Higgins may never be a 1,000-yard receiver, he has made a ton of big plays for his quarterback throughout the years.

Likely we see this route and throw at least once this season.

Rashard Higgins to throw out first pitch at “Cleveland Guardians” game

Rashard Higgins will throw out the first pitch at the baseball game in Cleveland tonight, calling the team the “Guardians” in his post.

The Cleveland Browns are just a few days away from opening training camp. With a few days remaining before that happens, Rashard Higgins is going to test out his pitching arm.

With all of their rookies signed to their deals, with the final two coming this morning, and the 75th-anniversary uniform unveiled, there isn’t much left for the Browns to do but wait.

For Higgins, that wait includes a day at Progressive Field coming on the heels of the Cleveland Indians announcing they are changing their name to the Cleveland Guardians. While teh official name change won’t take place until the start of the 2022 season, “Hollywood” Higgins is ahead of the game:

 

Browns players have shown the Indians support at different times, especially when the baseball team is doing well. As one of the limited cities with a professional team in the three major sports (NFL, MLB, NBA), athletes from all three Cleveland teams have supported each other over the years.

While Higgins jokes about his “15 mph” (miles per hour) curveball, it is certain that fans will make sure to get a video of his performance tonight.

Rashard Higgins named Browns most underrated player by PFF

Browns fans know Higgins but he’s not well-known outside of Cleveland

Cleveland Browns fans know how important Rashard Higgins has been for the team. The wideout is a fan favorite for his ebullient personality and his connection with quarterback Baker Mayfield.

But outside of Browns fandom, Higgins doesn’t get a lot of acclaim. Perhaps that will change with the recent acknowledgment from Pro Football Focus, which named Higgins the Browns’ most underrated player.

PFF gets the importance of “Hollywood” in Cleveland,

Higgins produces over and beyond what you would expect every time he gets featured in the Cleveland Browns offense. In his two highest-volume seasons, Higgins has generated a passer rating of 122.3 and 119.2 when targeted, with the latter figure coming this past season. Baker Mayfield to Higgins is a connection that just works.

That doesn’t touch upon his solidifying presence in the locker room or on the practice field. Higgins isn’t the most talented or prolific receiver in Cleveland, but he’s an integral part of the team. He’s a great choice as the Browns’ most underrated player.

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No team has been worse at drafting WRs than the Browns

It’s a reminder of just how far the Browns have come

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One of the reasons Browns fans appreciate the newfound success under GM Andrew Berry and the current regime is because of the long-term suffering at the hands of prior regimes that just weren’t good at their jobs. Look no further than the utter ineptitude of drafting wide receivers.

From 2011 to 2020, the Browns tried several times to draft a wide receiver. Ten times, in fact. And with the blessed exception of Rashard Higgins, those picks have resulted in swings and misses.

Pro Football Focus tracked the 10-year draft success rate at each position group over the last decade. It’s not surprising to find the Browns finished dead last at wide receiver, especially when weighing the value of higher picks. The Browns finished just below the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs for the lowest valued success rate at drafting wideouts in the decade.

Swings and misses on Corey Coleman (1st round, 2016), Greg Little (2nd round, 2011) and Antonio Callaway (4th round, 2018) outweigh the positive selections of Higgins (5th round, 2016) and the promising Donovan Peoples-Jones (6th round, 2020). Two of the players, Jordan Payton (5th round, 2016) and Vince Mayle (4th round, 2015), combined for exactly one catch in brief NFL careers.

Thank goodness that dark era appears but a distant and bad memory.

Rashard Higgins turned down more money to stay with Browns

Higgins appreciates the good fit in Cleveland

Browns wide receiver Rashard Higgins kept that status despite having strong offers elsewhere to leave Cleveland. The veteran said on Friday he chose to take less money to stick with the Browns instead of jumping for the bigger check.

In his Zoom session, Higgins offered a philosophical reason for his decision.

“It’s just like going to another team, how does that really benefit me?” Higgins stated. “Obviously, for the money, you can say that, but the cap is down. To go somewhere for another million or another two million, then you start over with a whole other quarterback and then you start over with a whole new playbook. It’s just like ‘what in another team would you be looking for?’”

Higgins returned as an unrestricted free agent, signing a one-year, $2.38 million contract with the Browns. It includes a signing bonus that Higgins acknowledged might have come as a sweetener from the Browns.

“I believe they gave me a little bit more in signing bonus so that was sweet,” Higgins said. But he made it clear he wanted to stay in Cleveland.

“I definitely had other offers on the table, but this was one that was a no-brainer,’’ he said.

He knows that another strong season playing with Baker Mayfield and the Browns offense can get him paid next offseason, when the salary cap is expected to significantly raise back up.

“Obviously, a goal for me is to get paid, and that’s the reason that we do play the game is because we love it, we want to get paid and take care of our family,’’ a relaxed Higgins said. “If I have to do what I did to do it even better, why not bet on myself again? I’m willing to bet on myself every time if I have to. The cap is going up next year, better TV, more market. It will be way better next year so we will see around this time next year where we stand.”

Higgins caught 37 passes for 599 yards and four touchdowns in 13 games in 2020, including six starts.

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Browns officially sign Cody Parkey, Troy Hill, 3 others

Four of the five players are returning Browns whose re-signing were previously announced

The Cleveland Browns officially added five players to the roster on Monday. The NFL processed the transactions for the free agent signings, all of which had been previously reported.

The only newcomer added is cornerback Troy Hill, who signed a two-year contract with a couple of voidable seasons as well. Hill spent the last five seasons with the Los Angeles Rams.

Four Browns re-signed with the club:

  • Kicker Cody Parkey
  • WR Rashard Higgins
  • LB Elijah Lee
  • WR/KR Jojo Natson

No other Browns transactions were processed on Monday’s official transaction report. The actual contract figures for the new signings will be available shortly.