Daily Dawg Chow: Browns news (2/26/18)

Cleveland Browns:

• “What message is Joe Thomas sending?” (Pluto) - “Why is Joe Thomas turning into a lobbyist to bring Kirk Cousins to Cleveland? Thomas has been having a gleeful time with his various media appearances. So this could be an extension of that.”
• “The fantasy-relevant Cleveland Browns” (PFF) - “If they’re a step below Cousins, their peripheral pieces will still keep those weapons on the radar. The Browns have been a laughingstock for years now. In 2018? They won’t be.”
• “Vita Vea drawing comparisons to former teammate, Browns’ DL Danny Shelton” (Browns.com) - “The pair were teammates for that one year — Vea was a freshman from the San Jose area and Shelton was on the cusp of a dominating senior season.”
• “How close were Browns to winning a game in 2017?” (ESPN) - “The Browns finished with a point differential of minus-176, which means they lost by an average of 11 points. That was the worst in the league, by 34 points.”

NFL:

• “Salary cap is expected to be at least $178 million, could exceed $179 million” (PFT) - “With the new league year approaching, the NFL and NFL Players Association soon will be finalizing the salary cap number for 2018.”
• “Here’s why the Rams aren’t worried about trading for Marcus Peters” (CBS) - “The truth, of course, is that Peters’ ability on the field makes it worth putting up with everything else.”
• “Will Odell Beckham sit out Giants’ preseason games?” (NFL.com) - “Odell Beckham’s return to game action might not come until September. Or so tweets the Pro Bowl wide receiver.”
• “Oh No, Geno Smith is Dealing in Flat-Earth Nonsense” (SI.com) - “There’s a full-blown epidemic in the world of sport—a growing number of prominent athletes are lending credence to an absolutely nonsense ‘theory’ that the Earth is flat.”