Six teams drafted a center over the NFL draft this past weekend, with the Cleveland Browns being one of those six teams, selecting Alabama center Parker Brailsford.

Brailsford happens to be the lightest center drafted by 10 pounds, but Browns general manager Andrew Berry said, “If you didn’t know, you wouldn’t be able to tell with his play.”

The Browns selected him in the fifth round with the 146th overall pick, with the hopes that he will be the team’s center for the future.

“But really the bigger thing is, and you could see it when we had J.C. [Tretter] here, when we had Nick Harris when he was healthy, and then in Baltimore when they had Tyler Linderbaum, the centers that can pull and work at the second level and get to the perimeter because of their athleticism and speed, they give you a lot of optionality in the run game,” Berry adding, “And that’s something that Parker does very, very well. We’re excited about that part of his profile.”

Brailsford competed in track and field in high school, throwing the shot put and discus, showing his athleticism.

After spending his freshman season at Washington, he decided to follow head coach Kalen DeBoer to Alabama.

Following his first season at Alabama, Brailsford was honored with captain status and was named to the Third-Team All-SEC.

Kevin Stefanski‘s only Pro Bowl quarterback during his time with the Cleveland Browns will be Shedeur Sanders. As announced on Monday, the rookie quarterback will replace Drake Maye in the Pro Bowl games.

This comes as a major shock, as Sanders only played in eight games and didn’t even have average stats. Sanders totalled 1,400 passing yards, eight total touchdowns, and 10 interceptions while having an 18.9 quarterback rating. Sanders went 3-4 and completed just 56.6% of his passes.

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Sanders took over for fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel when he suffered a concussion, giving the starting job to Sanders. Sanders becomes the first fifth-round pick since Puka Nacua to make the Pro Bowl.

The original Pro Bowl selections were Maye, Justin Herbert and Josh Allen, but because Maye made the Super Bowl, he will be unable to attend the Pro Bowl.

The Pro Bowl has declined every year as players no longer view it as an honor. The game is now flag football, switching from playing a real game to flag in 2023. The Pro Bowl has also been moved to the week of the Super Bowl and will be held in San Francisco. The game will be played on February 3.

Sanders saw himself fall during the draft after being the offensive player of the year in the Big 12 during his final season at Colorado. The son of Deion Sanders was not expected to fall to round five, as many expected his name to be called much earlier.

With Deshaun Watson expected to be back next season for the Browns, it is up in the air whether or not Sanders will be the starting quarterback for the franchise next season. The Browns are still looking for a head coach for next season.

Sanders had a rookie season to forget, but he will join an exclusive club of rookies to make the Pro Bowl.

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk is still on the trade block, but the team has reportedly not yet received an acceptable offer. The Browns and Patriots are both considered contenders to acquire Aiyuk, while several reports claim that the Steelers and Commanders have prepared offers as well.

The relationship between Aiyuk and the 49ers has become somewhat icy in recent months, as the wide receiver has tried but failed to negotiate a considerable contract extension. Aiyuk, who will make $14 million in 2024, wants a multi-year deal on par with other star receivers like Amon-Ra St. Brown, but San Francisco has hesitated to meet these requests. As a result, the receiver has requested to be sent elsewhere.

In Aiyuk’s trade request, several insiders reported that he approved of being sent to four teams. The Commanders have not yet made a serious offer. The Browns reportedly considered a deal that involved star receiver Amari Cooper, while the Patriots made an offer involving Kendrick Bourne. Neither conversation has resulted in a finalized trade.

Pittsburgh, who originally abandoned talks, stepped back in this week as a new suitor. The Steelers’ original issue was price, as the team did not seem willing to include a player in their offer. Instead, the team wished to use draft picks to acquire the star. It is unclear whether that stance has softened in new talks, but reports have surfaced that San Francisco may be seeking at least two first round picks in such an arrangement.

The 49ers’ offense remains stacked with or without Aiyuk, which is likely a motivating factor in the team’s decision to deny his contract demands. Deebo Samuel and Jauan Jennings figure to get more targets down the sidelines, while tight end George Kittle remains a key threat as well. Meanwhile, running back Christian McCaffrey leads the offense from the backfield as the NFL’s top rusher.

Aiyuk finished the 2023 season with 75 receptions for 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns, cementing him as one of the best at his position. The 49ers’ future seems secure, but with less than a month until the 2024 season begins, the path forward for Aiyuk is anything but.

The Cleveland Browns started Day 1 of their summer training camp this week and got their first look at their new quarterback Deshaun Watson for the first time at camp. But, the jury is still out on whether or not Watson will be their starting quarterback come September.

The NFL is still waiting on the verdict from an independent arbitrator after a disciplinary hearing was carried out a few weeks ago. Watson is still dealing with four of the 24 lawsuits filed against him months ago alleging sexual misconduct during private massage sessions. Watson has since settled 20 out of the 24 but is still waiting on a verdict from the NFL.

The Browns allowed all three of their rostered quarterbacks to get significant reps during camp, but Browns’ head coach Kevin Stefanski said that he will split reps between Watson and newly acquired Jacoby Brissett. Brissett was signed in March following the acquisition of Watson and is available to start if he is not able to play.

“I don’t have much to add on Deshaun’s status,” Stefanski told reporters, “We have a plan, and as information becomes available, we can adjust that plan.” When asked if he constantly checks on news on Watson’s status for 2022, Stefanski answered sternly, “If you’re anxious, I can’t help you. We just deal with it. That’s our mentality. We’re going to deal with July 27, and then we get to tomorrow, we’ll deal with tomorrow. That’s kind of how we operate.”

Watson has still maintained his innocence regarding the allegations. The NFL had recommended a suspension of at least a year but recent reports have come out stating that Watson may only receive a four or six-game suspension in 2022, which would be in the Browns’ best interest. Watson is only guaranteed $1 million for the 2022 season with the rest of his $230 million guaranteed salary prorated along the next four years of his contract.

There have been major developments surrounding the 24 sexual misconduct lawsuits involving Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson. According to attorney Tony Buzbee, who is representing the women who’ve filed the suits, Watson has now settled 20 of the lawsuits leaving four that have yet to be settled.

Since March 16, 25 lawsuits have been filed against Watson, which accused him of sexual misconduct and harassment during massage sessions, however, one of the lawsuits was dropped due to discrepancies within her petition. Now 20 of the remaining suits have been settled with the paperwork still to be filed. “We are working through the paperwork related to those settlements. Once we have done so, those particular cases will be dismissed. The terms and amounts of the settlements are confidential. We won’t comment further on the settlements or those cases,” Buzbee said.

The NFL is currently deciding on whether or not Watson will be suspended. NFL Spokesman Brian McCarthy said these settlements haven’t changed anything, “today’s development has no impact on the collectively bargained disciplinary process,” he said.

Of the four lawsuits that have yet to be settled, one of them includes Ashley Solis‘s suit. Solis was the first woman to come out publicly as a plaintiff against Watson. Buzbee acknowledged her specific case and highlighted her mistreatment from Watson’s team during the case.

“The cases against Deshaun Watson started with one phone call, from one brave and strong woman. That woman was Ashley Solis,” he said. “At the time of that call, she was just one of the hundreds of calls seeking legal assistance that our firm gets weekly. Even though she was originally turned away by our screening process, my staff insisted that I personally speak with her. I’m glad she persisted. Once we took a second look, and after having contact with Watson’s original lawyer who disrespected Ashley and her profession and who arrogantly minimized the conduct of someone he referred to as an “asset,” I was convinced that our law firm should try to help her. As a result of Ashley’s lone but brave voice, soon many women who had allegedly experienced the same conduct were emboldened to step forward.”

The settlements come as a surprise since Watson and his attorney Rusty Hardin have been adamant about not making any settlement agreements and focusing on clearing Watson’s name. “I’ve been honest and I’ve been truthful about my stance,” he said. “I never forced on anyone and I never assaulted anyone. That’s what I’ve been saying since the beginning and I’ll continue to do that until all the facts come out,” Watson said in May.

ESPN Cleveland has suspended radio host Tony Grossi for using derogatory comments while describing Browns‘ quarterback Baker Mayfield. According to a statement released by the station on Tuesday, Grossi has been suspended indefinitely effective immediately.

“We are aware of Tony Grossi’s statement about Baker Mayfield. The term Tony used is a derogatory slur to describe Little People. Good Karma Brands will not tolerate derogatory language that demeans others or groups of people,” ESPN Cleveland said in a statement. “We are addressing this matter with Tony directly, and while we normally do not comment on personnel matters, we do want to share that we have made the decision to immediately and indefinitely suspend Tony Grossi. In addition, we will pursue sensitivity and inclusion training for everyone on our content teams across our company.”

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Grossi were heard on-air referring to Mayfield as a “f—ing midget.” The 24-year-old’s name popped up in conversation while Grossi was mentioning other franchise quarterbacks drafted in the first round including Deshaun Watson, Carson Wentz and Patrick Mahomes.

Grossi has been critical of Mayfield in the past. In 2017, five months before the Browns drafted him, Grassi tweeted that Mayfield was “put on this planet to sucker the Browns.” In January 2018, Grossi wrote an article that contained a comparison between Johnny Manziel and Mayfield where the radio host said, “To me, Mayfield looks, sounds, acts and plays like the reincarnation of Manziel—notwithstanding Manziel’s substance abuse issues.”

In October 2020, Mayfield was asked by Grossi in a post game press conference if he was happy with a drive that didn’t end with a score. He responded, “That’s the dumbest question you could ask” before leaving the podium.

Grossi apologized for the incident in a statement posted to Twitter on Tuesday that read, “I am truly sorry for my language and choice of words in a remark I made about Baker Mayfield that was captured on our live feed on TheLandOnDemand. I sincerely apologize for using a word that is a derogatory slur. There’s no excuse for using that language in any context. It was said without malice but also without thought. It is well known that Baker and I have had our differences, and in the course of this experience, I’ve had to question my role in the erosion of the relationship. I have always endeavored to report and comment on him and the team fairly, and am shaken by these events. I will strive to be a better person and professional. I apologize to little people, Good Karma Brands, the Cleveland Browns, Baker Mayfield, to our listeners and to anyone who was offended by my remark.”

The Browns‘ catastrophic roller coaster of a season is finally over and Freddie Kitchens is out as head coach. In the postgame press conference the first year head coach sounded confident he would return next season and told the media, “We’ve got meetings scheduled through next week, and I’m looking forward to going to work tomorrow. They have not given me any indication of anything else. Mr. Jimmy and Dee, I think they want me to do my job, and that’s what I’m gonna do — until they tell me not to, if they tell me not to.”

Unfortunately for Kitchens that wasn’t the case. When the team’s jet landed in Cleveland following an inexcusable 33-23 loss to the 2-14 Bengals, owner Jimmy Haslam and general manager John Dorsey spoke with Kitchens at the team’s practice facility firing him after his first full season as head coach. The former understudy of Bill Parcells finished the season with a 6-10 record.

According to a team source, Jimmy and fellow owner Dee Haslam announced the decision while they were still in a meeting with Kitchens. “We thank Freddie for his hard work and commitment to this organization but did not see the success or opportunities for improvement to move forward with him as our head coach. Our focus is on hiring an exceptional leader for this football team and we will take a comprehensive approach to this process. We are excited about the core players we have to build around and develop and we look forward to bringing in a strong head coach that will put this group of players in the best position to succeed,” the Haslams said.

Since buying the team in 2012, the Haslams have now gone through six head coaches, including interims. In the last 20 years the franchise has had 12 different head coaches and terrible leadership. The last time Cleveland made the playoffs was in 2002.

Kitchens started his career with the Browns as a running back’s coach in 2018 before taking over for fired coach Hue Jackson last season. Kitchens went 5-3 in 2018 and was praised for helping Baker Mayfield break the rookie record for touchdown passes with 27.

However, the success didn’t last. There were too many distractions on and off the field including the infamous altercation between defensive end Myles Garrett and Steelers’ quarterback Mason Rudolph. Going into their second matchup of the season after Garrett was suspended for ripping off Rudolph’s helmet and striking him with it, Kitchens was seen wearing a t-shirt that read “Pittsburgh started it.” It was an immature act and just sums up what Cleveland is known for, dysfunction.

With high expectations going into the season Kitchens was unable to get the offense going and failed to keep Mayfield out of harm’s way. The second year quarterback finished with 21 interceptions and the offense ranked 22nd in efficiency, according to NFL Stats.

Sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter that the Browns have requested permission to meet with Patriots’ offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and Ravens’ offensive coordinator Greg Roman. If Cleveland can hire either of those guys it will surely be an upgrade over Kitchens.

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Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield revealed this week he was baffled by the New York Giants‘ decision to draft fellow signal-caller Daniel Jones as a first-round pick this year.

“Blows my mind,” Mayfield said of Jones joining the Giants in an interview with GQ published Tuesday. “Some people overthink it. That’s where people go wrong. They forget you’ve gotta win.”

“Either you have a history of winning and being that guy for your team or you don’t,” Mayfield added.

The Giants selected Jones as the sixth overall pick earlier this year. The former Duke quarterback posted a 17-19 record during his college career. Mayfield, a former Heisman Trophy winner, was the Browns’ No. 1 overall pick out of Oklahoma in 2018.

Mayfield helped propel Cleveland to a 7-8-1 record last season after the team went winless (0-16) in 2017. In the GQ profile, the passer discussed many other topics related to his football career, both collegiate and professional. Mayfield talked about the time he planted Oklahooma’s flag at midfield in Ohio Stadium following the Sooners’ win over the Ohio State Buckeyes in 2017. The quarterback said he was surprised and “embarrassed” that members of the Sooners asked him to remove the flag and eventually apologized but was not sincere in his apology.

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Jones was reportedly impressive in training camp this summer, with Giants head coach Pat Shurmur saying he could get at least a few snaps during the preseason. Giants owner John Mara, however, said he was determined to make sure the rookie didn’t see the field so that Eli Manning could continue as the Giants’ starter. Manning, 38, posted one of his worst seasons last year after finishing with only 21 touchdowns and logging 11 interceptions in 16 games.

In the Giants’ preseason-opening 31-22 victory over the New York Jets on Aug. 8, Jones went 5-for-5 for 67 yards and a touchdown in his first series. Jones struggled more in last week’s 32-13 win over the Chicago Bears, where he fumbled twice despite going 11-of-14 for 161 yards and a touchdown. The Giants have not yet said whether or not Jones will play in Thursday’s game against the Bengals in Cincinnati.

After waiting for what feels like an eternity since the Super Bowl, we finally have news about Americas favorite game. The NFL on Thursday released the full 2019 season schedule to the public, letting fans know who their favorite teams will have to face.

Some teams set to rebuild got the short-end of the stick, having to face off against steep competition early on and throughout the season. Meanwhile, some playoffs teams received what seemed to be an easy route to another postseason.

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The Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins, for example, are coming off of a 7-9 record last regular season. This season has them facing off against four straight playoff teams just to start . They also play two opponents after coming off a bye week, giving the opposing team more time to rest and focus on their game-plan.

It’s Tradition

The NFL was able to connect with fans in a historic way by using tradition. In classic fashion — and to keep one of the longest-running rivalries in sports going — on opening day, the Green Bay Packers will play the Chicago Bears, as they have so many times.

The Indianapolis Colts also have a difficult season ahead of them, especially with Andrew Luck still not back to full form. For any other team, it’s always hard to start the season on the road, but the Colts are starting the year off with back-to-back away games that could possibly sink them in an early-on hole, especially since the first two teams are the Titans and Chargers — teams they’re sure to face off against for playoff position.

The biggest problem with the Colts’ schedule is the fact that all of their tough games come towards the end of the season against teams who either made the playoffs last year or are looking to this year: the San Diego Chargers, Kansas City Chiefs, Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orlean Saints.

Redemption

After a tough playoff lost last season that is still difficult to swallow for the New Orleans Saints, they come back this year hoping to dominate the same way they have in the past. Many people feel the referees missed a pass interference call, which would have led the Saints to the Super Bowl. Their schedule is filled with back to back games on the West Coast, featuring teams like the Los Angeles Rams, an eager young strong squad looking to prove themselves after last year’s Super Bowl. They also face the Seattle Seahawks and Russell Wilson the week after.

The Cleveland Browns have been in a downfall state during the past two seasons, with the team going 10-22 in the regular season and not showing any signs of improvements in players and coaches. This latest season saw the departure of head coach Mike Pettine and general manager Ray Farmer and yet another coaching search underway for the organization.

After taking blame for the dismal time the Browns have been through, owner Jimmy Haslam has reached outside of the NFL to be in agreement with an independent consulting firm to help fill the head coach and general manager positions. The consultant hired by Haslam is Jed Hughes, who used to be an assistant coach back in 1989 and now works for Korn/Ferry International. Haslam has little knowledge of the coach search since he bought the Browns in 2012 and has only dealt with two head coach changes since he has been owner, so bringing in a consultant like Hughes seems to make sense. Hughes has been the backbone in success stories with NFL teams finding the right head coach. He helped the Seahawks hire Super-Bowl winning coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider and connected the Chiefs with head coach Andy Reid.

This is the first time the Browns have used an outside consultant since the team’s return to the NFL during the 1999 season. “We’ve used Korn Ferry a lot in our other lives (at Pilot Flying J) and had gotten to know Jed,” Haslam said. During the interviews, Haslam, Hughes, and new vice president of football operations Sashi Brown will conduct the interviews with Haslam having the ultimate say in who could be the next head coach.

Photo: CLEVELAND, OH – OCTOBER 26: Team owner Jimmy Haslam of the Cleveland Browns watches from the sidelines during the second half against the Oakland Raiders at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio. The Browns defeated the Raiders 23-13. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)