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Welcome to Day 3 of free agency for the Cleveland Browns and the rest of the NFL! Day 2 brought a lot more free agents to Cleveland in the form of 1-year deals — so hopefully we have an NFL season in 2020, dang it!
This thread will act as a “live blog” of sorts, with brief but important updates about the latest rumors, signings, or trades involving Cleveland or other NFL teams. You should also use the comments section as your free agency open thread! (Newest updates will be at the top of the live blog below)
2020 Browns Free Agency Live Blog - Day 3
7:40 PM: The Browns have officially signed tight end Austin Hooper:
OFFICIAL: Welcome to Cleveland, @AustinHooper18!
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) March 20, 2020
We’ve added another offensive weapon with the signing of TE Austin Hooper » https://t.co/v12SDl0cdu pic.twitter.com/wbmO3t5UlE
Hooper said the Browns are getting an experienced player who knows what it takes to play the position, according to clevelandbrowns.com:
“The nature of the position is block someone 40 pounds heavier than you or outrun someone 40 pounds lighter than you. It’s a position that definitely takes some time but I definitely feel like I’ve gotten a lot better in terms of timing my routes and in terms of just stemming into certain routes, and finer details and points of route running. And in terms of line of scrimmage, I’ve honestly just grown into my body and just understanding leverage at a different level because some of the best athletes on the field are typically those guys on the edge. They present a good challenge week in and week out.”
7:10 PM: The Browns have officially signed right tackle Jack Conklin:
OFFICIAL: Welcome to Cleveland, @Jack_Conklin78!
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) March 20, 2020
We’ve landed major help for our offensive line with the addition of Jack Conklin » https://t.co/nvaEd3Go0l pic.twitter.com/y9z4XChoAj
Conklin, who will (thankfully) take over for Chris Hubbard on the offensive line, is pumped to be joining the Browns, he told clevelandbrowns.com:
“I’m pumped to get started and be a part of this great organization. Going through the process, Cleveland definitely became what I felt as the main suitor. To have a team like Cleveland be so excited about me, that was the biggest part for me and my family. We wanted to go somewhere where a team was super excited and that was going to be a huge key to help the team and be a big part of the community.”
6:30 PM: The Browns have officially signed linebacker B.J. Goodson:
OFFICIAL: Welcome to Cleveland, @B_Good_Son!
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) March 20, 2020
We’ve added depth at LB with the signing of B.J. Goodson » https://t.co/ahiGnPrqRn pic.twitter.com/zg2jRVv0aG
Goodson joins a linebacker group “highlighted” by second-year players Mack Wilson and Sione Takitaki and is ready to get to work, according to clevelandbrowns.com:
“I’m excited about the challenge that’s ahead. With great challenges comes great responsibility. I’m up for the task and looking forward to getting in and meeting with the staff and learning with my new teammates, getting after it and getting to work.”
2 PM: Fullback Andy Janovich passed his physical this afternoon. The Browns will now send a seventh-round selection in the 2021 NFL Draft to complete the trade, according to Nate Ulrich at The Beacon Journal:
Fullback Andy Janovich passed a physical to finalize his trade to #Browns. They agreed Tuesday to send a 2021 seventh-round draft pick to the #Broncos for Janovich.
— Nate Ulrich (@ByNateUlrich) March 20, 2020
The Browns released a comment from head coach Kevin Stefanski via the team’s website:
“I’m really excited to add Andy into our group. He’s a schematic fit to what we want to be. He has all the intangibles you think of when you think of fullbacks. He’s as tough as they come. He’s a team player through and through. Fits the mentality of what we’re trying to be.”
11:17 AM: And we have our first action of the day as the Browns have reportedly signed safety Andrew Sendejo, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network:
#Browns are signing S Andrew Sendejo, source says. It's a one-year, $2.25 million deal.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) March 20, 2020
9:30 AM: As of 9:00 AM this morning, here is an “improvement index” that Pro Football Focus has put together for all 32 teams in the NFL, thanks to free agency. The Browns rank fifth, trailing the Cardinals, Colts, Giants, and Dolphins.
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9:10 AM: Good morning, Browns fans, and welcome to Day 3 of our free agency live blog. If you missed the Day 2 action, click here. We don’t have any Browns news this morning, but here is a shot of reality: Tom Brady officially signing his contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers:
New @Buccaneers QB Tom Brady making if official. pic.twitter.com/6HKq1q9DnW
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) March 20, 2020