Team news: Cleveland Browns | Page 5

Did Thursday’s final mandatory minicamp practice provide a subtle — or maybe even not-so-subtle — sign that Deshaun Watson is feeling better? At the risk of making too much out of the last of the team’s 13 instruction-based spring practice sessions, we’ll stick with maybe.

“I’ve said it before (that) I’ve gotten to see him throw throughout the course of this rehab,” HC Kevin Stefanski said. “I don’t know (exactly) when it was, but a while back, he looked very normal to me. So that looked normal to me.”

Related Players: Jameis Winston, Dorian Thompson-Robinson

Assuming there are no future hiccups with Watson's rehabbing, he should be fully cleared well ahead of Week 1. He is currently ranked as 4for4's QB22 as he attempts to string together his first full season since 2020.

The Browns receiver was not in attendance for Cleveland's Tuesday session and is subject to fines.

Head coach Kevin Stefanski said Cooper's absence was not excused.

"These situations, I understand that they do come up," Stefanski said. "I'll really leave all of that between Amari, Amari's agent and AB (general manager Andrew Berry) and those type of conversations. Again, as you guys know, we focus on guys that are here. We'll get some good work in and really keep it at that."

Related Players: Elijah Moore, Jerry Jeudy, Jamari Thrash

At 30 years old, there aren't many reasons for Cooper to miss time this season, so we assume this will be hashed out sooner rather than later. The Browns offense as a whole has plenty to prove this year, not least of all is their receiving room.

The Browns have a new offensive coordinator in Ken Dorsey, a new running backs coach in Duce Staley and two new veteran running backs in the group, Nyheim Hines and D’Onta Foreman. Jerome Ford, who became the lead back in Chubb’s absence last year, has been first in line through the first three weeks of spring practice and presumably will keep that spot until Chubb returns.

The article goes on to mention, "Hines is also trying to come back from a torn ACL, and Chubb said he and Hines have spent plenty of time together with the team’s medical staff." We can surmise that the current 1-2 punch as it stands is Ford-Foreman, which should put the latter on our radar as a final-round dart throw.

The Cleveland Browns running back, who is attempting yet another comeback from a vicious knee injury, doesn't know exactly when he'll return to the field. He still has a long way to go in his rehabilitation. But Chubb said he's nonetheless happy with the progress he has made so far following his season-ending Week 2 injury last year.

Related Players: Jerome Ford, Nyheim Hines, D'Onta Foreman

There remains some doubt that he will be ready for Week 1. This makes considering the rest of the backfield a tricky situation in current best ball drafts. Cleveland currently has seven backs on its roster, including the offseason additions of Hines and Foreman. Ford should be considered the most likely option to lead the backfield in touches in Chubb's steed.

We will keep an eye on news for further updates on Chubb's status.

The Browns and star RB Nick Chubb have agreed on a reworked contract for 2024 to lower his base of $11.775M, with a chance to earn it back in incentives.

Chubb is working his way back from a serious knee injury, but isn’t going anywhere.

Related Players: Jerome Ford, Nyheim Hines, D'Onta Foreman

We still haven't had any concrete timetable about Chubb's return, so there remains some doubt that he will be ready for Week 1. This makes considering the rest of the backfield a tricky situation in current best ball drafts. We should feel pretty confident that the team will not be looking for reinforcements through the NFL Draft, as they currently have six backs on their roster, including the recent additions of Hines and Foreman.

We will keep an eye on news for further updates on Chubb's status.

More depth in Cleveland: The Browns are signing former Bears RB D’Onta Foreman.

Related Players: Nick Chubb, Jerome Ford

This gives the team a little bit of breathing room if Nick Chubb isn't fully back up to speed by the beginning of the season. Chubb will be the locked-in RB1 whenever he's up to 100% and this signing will muddy the waters for Jerome Ford, who performed well in a breakout 2023 that saw him break 1,000 total scrimmage yards.

The full trade compensation:
-- Eagles get QB Kenny Pickett and the Steelers original 4th round pick (120 overall) in 2024.
-- Steelers get Eagles 3rd round comp pick (98 overall) and the Eagles highest two 7th round draft picks in 2025.

Related Players: Russell Wilson

This clears the runway for Russell Wilson to take over the starting role throughout the offseason. Pickett will be in pole position to backup Jalen Hurts.

Nine-time Pro-Bowl QB and former Super-Bowl champ Russell Wilson plans to sign with the Pittsburgh Steelers, per league sources. Wilson will sign a team-friendly, one-year deal in which the Broncos will wind up paying $38 million of his salary while Wilson wears the black and yellow.

Related Players: Kenny Pickett

The new pairing of Wilson and OC Arthur Smith is a clear upgrade on the last two seasons of Matt Canada/Kenny Pickett/Mason Rudolph. Though Wilson himself is unlikely to be a weekly starter in typical 1QB leagues, Diontae Johnson, George Pickens, and even Pat Freiermuth should all get a tick upwards.

Smith should form a gameplan that will include play action and middle-of-the-field targets that were missing from the offense in 2023.

Trade: Broncos and Browns agreed to a deal today that will send WR Jerry Jeudy to Cleveland in exchange for two draft picks, sources tell ESPN.

Cleveland made a run at Jeudy at last season’s trade deadline. Now the Browns finally will get him once trade is processed this week.

The two picks are 2024 5th- and 6th-round picks, per source.

The former first-round draft pick will be competing for the WR3 spot in Cleveland on a historically run-heavy offense. We shouldn't get too excited about Jeudy's potential heading into 2024 and consider him in fantasy WR4 territory.

After playing well in Saturday’s victory over the Bengals, Mason Rudolph is once again in line to start for the Steelers in Week 17.

But head coach Mike Tomlin stopped short of saying Rudolph will definitely start on New Year’s Eve against the Seahawks.

Related players: Kenny Pickett

Via Brooke Pryor of ESPN, Tomlin said Pickett — who’s recovering from ankle surgery — is still in the same position as he was last week. Rudolph will get the starter’s reps at the start of the practice week and the club will see where Pickett’s mobility is as the week continues, the story went on to say.