Browns sign Josh McCown

Josh McCown is a Cleveland Brown.
The veteran quarterback and the Browns have agreed on a contract today, the team and McCown’s agent Mike McCartney both confirmed on Twitter.
McCown was released this month after a rough first year in Tampa Bay. He previously had a very promising showing during the 2013 season while filling in for Jay Cutler in Chicago. Cleveland has to hope it’s getting the Chicago version of McCown, and not the Tampa Bay version of McCown.
Cleveland also has to hope that McCown can work well with Johnny Manziel, teaching Manziel what it takes to become an NFL quarterback but also starting for the Browns this season if Manziel isn’t ready.
The arrival of McCown in Cleveland will almost certainly mean that free agent Brian Hoyer, Cleveland’s starter for most of last season, is going to sign elsewhere.

Source: PFT
Author: Michael David Smith
Photo: Rob Foldy, Getty Images

Falcons release Steven Jackson

The man who currently sits at 16 on the all-time rushing list will have to continue his climb through the record book with a new team.
The Falcons have announced that running back Steven Jackson has been released.
After nine seasons with the Rams, Jackson joined the Falcons two years ago. Jackson gained 1,250 yards on 347 carries, scoring 12 touchdowns.
For his career, Jackson has 11,388 yards, more than Hall of Famers John Riggins and O.J. Simpson.
The Falcons won only 10 of 32 games with Jackson on the team, a slump that came after five straight winning seasons.
For Jackson, the sub-.500 seasons continue a career trend. He has never played on a team that finished the year with a winning record. As a rookie in 2004, the Rams qualified for a wild-card berth with an 8-8 record.
The move creates $3.75 million in cap space. Jackson will still count for $1.1 million based on previously-paid bonus money. He immediately becomes a free agent, able to sign with any other team.
For Jackson’s sake, here’s hoping he lands with a team that finally finishes the year with a winning record.

Source: PFT.com
Author: Mike Florio
Photo: UPI, David Tulis

Lions release Reggie Bush

The Lions are moving on from tailback Reggie Bush.
Detroit released Bush on Wednesday, Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com reported.
PFT’s Mike Florio has confirmed the Lions have parted ways with Bush, a 10th-year back from USC.
The 29-year-old Bush was slated to make $3.25 million in 2015 and $3.75 million in 2016, per NFLPA figures.
According to Twentyman, the Lions will earn salary-cap savings of more than $1.7 million by releasing Bush.
Bush was limited to 11 games in 2014, rushing for 297 yards on 76 carries and catching 40 passes for 253 yards. He turns 30 in March.
Bush could appeal to clubs looking for a pass-catching back. He could also have a market with teams seeking to add to their RB rotation.
With Bush departing, Joique Bell and Theo Riddick are the Lions’ top two backs, with George Winn in reserve.
The No. 2 overall pick in the 2006 draft, Bush has rushed for 5,465 yards and 35 touchdowns and has caught 466 passes for 3,489 yards and 18 TDs. He played his first five seasons with New Orleans (2006-2010) before moving on to Miami (2011-2012). Bush signed with Detroit as a free agent in 2013.

Source:  PFT.com
Author:  Mike Wilkening
Photo: Rick Osentoski, AP

Ozzie Newsome would be “happy for” Ray Rice if tailback earned another NFL shot

Though former Ravens tailback Ray Rice has been free to sign with any NFL club since late November, he has yet to find work in the league.
On Tuesday, Ravens General Manager Ozzie Newsome was asked if he believed Rice would get a chance with another club.
“Well, I don’t know what 31 other teams are thinking,” Newsome said. “I think we’ll find out probably before April whether Ray will get the opportunity to sign with another team.
Newsome said he had heard the 28-year-old Rice had kept himself in shape. The Ravens’ G.M. also indicated there was no ill will between him and Rice.
“If he gets that opportunity to play with another club, I’ll be happy for him,” Newsome said.
But if that opportunity is to present itself, it might have to be soon, as Newsome suggested. Free agency begins in two weeks, and the 2015 NFL Draft is a little more than two months away.
Rice publicly apologized again last week for striking his now-wife in an Atlantic City casino elevator in February 2014. The fall-out from the incident led to Rice’s release from Baltimore and his banishment from the NFL for most of last season.

Source:  PFT.com
Author:  Mike Wilkening
Photo via fantasyking.wordpress.com