JULY 15 – TEE TIME – The first free agent of the 2025 NFL offseason? Let's make it Cincinnati Bengals receiver Tee Higgins, who signed his franchise tag but as Monday is the deadline for that long-term agreement to be reached ... and according to Ian Rapoport ... one is not forthcoming ...
Higgins immediately becomes the biggest non-quarterback on the early free-agent board.
This doesn't mean he can't end up back with Cincy. But for foes like the Browns? Any way to chip away at the quality of the Bengals roster is a good thing.
JULY 15 - RECEIVERS—The Cleveland Browns are just under two weeks away from the start of training camp, which, for many players, will be their final chance to impress coaches before the roster cut-down day.
The battle for spots on the 53-man roster will be particularly competitive at receiver, where the Browns have stockpiled several former draft picks, including two former third-round selections, David Bell and Cedric Tillman. Both of whom are now potentially set to battle with Elijah Moore for a spot on the roster.
Combined with the potential holdout of Amari Cooper, who has still yet to agree with the Browns on a contract extension, 92.3 The Fan's Dan Labbe has named the receivers a "storyline" to watch.
“I kind of want to see this whole receiving corps and how it shakes out, and sort of how these guys all fit in this new Ken Dorsey offense,” Labbe said.
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JULY 14 - Jacoby Jones, the former Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers receiver, has passed away, according to multiple reports. At just the young age of 40 years old, Jones reportedly passed away in his sleep.
Jones played nine seasons in the NFL, starting his career with the Houston Texans, who selected the Lane College product in the third round of the 2007 NFL Draft. After five seasons in Houston, Jones signed with the Cleveland Browns' rival, the Baltimore Ravens.
Upon his arrival in Baltimore, he enjoyed a career year, recording 406 yards and a touchdown on 30 receptions, in addition to his role as a returner, where he totaled 341 yards and a score on punt return, and 1,167 yards and two more touchdowns on kickoffs.
The first-team All-Pro and Pro Bowler helped the Ravens capture the franchise's second Lombardi Trophy. The Super Bowl champion returner played two more seasons in Baltimore before spending what would be his last season in the league, 2015, with the San Diego Chargers and Pittsburgh Steelers.
JULY 14 - MAKESHIFT - Despite the Cleveland Browns being the hometown team for the now-retired former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce when he was growing up, he was actually a fan of their AFC North rival.
In a recent interview with Nevada Sports Net, the future Pro Football Hall of Famer revealed that he grew up a Steelers rather than his hometown Browns.
"Jerome Bettis, he was my favorite player growing up,” Kelce said. "That's who I wanted to be, I wanted to be a running back and just loved watching him play. I was born in Cleveland, and I even became a makeshift Steelers fan when the Browns left to become the Ravens.
"It's like sacrilegious in Cleveland, everybody was like, 'How are you a Steelers fan now?' I'm like, 'We don't have a team anymore, this is my favorite player.'"
It may be quite a surprise from the Cleveland Heights native, and if he already wasn't liked by Browns' fans it certainly won't endear him now.
JULY 13 - RAVENS' HARBAUGH OUT? - We're not yet to the 2024 training camp, but one media outlet already thinks an AFC North head coach is on the hot seat in 2025.
Marissa Myers of The Wright Way Network predicts if Harbaugh and the Ravens falter at all in 2024, a change could be made at the top the following season.
"On the surface, this statement may seem wild especially considering that Harbaugh has a 172-109 record to go along with a Super Bowl ring," Myers wrote. "That Super Bowl win came back in the 2012 season. A lot has changed in the NFL since then, and it’s clear that Harbaugh has not correctly adjusted. Over the last 11 seasons, the Ravens under Harbaugh have won just three playoff games while losing six.
"The Ravens will continue to be a good regular season team with Harbaugh, but they’ve reached their ceiling. It’s time for the Ravens to move on and find a new head coach to fully maximize their potential."
This seems like a tremendous stretch in two ways. There's little chance the Ravens experience a significant decline in 2024, and even if they did, Harbaugh's win-loss record has most assuredly gained him some clout with owner Steve Bisciotti.
JULY 13 - RANKINGS - As we've previously written, CBS Sports recently released their head coach ranking. But there was a catch: coaches are ranked according to their success in "big games." Which obviously means the postseason.
Despite being integral to transforming the Cleveland Browns from a perennial bottomfeeder to a playoff contender, coach Kevin Stefanski was put in the "inexperienced" category. This means Stefanski, along with 17 other coaches, was not ranked. So, if Stefanski isn't ranked, what about his AFC North counterparts?
Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin is the first AFC North rival featured on the list, slotting in at No. 11. The 17-year coach was put in the rather exclusive category of "endangered champions," which, as the name suggests, are coaches who've previously won a Super Bowl but have struggled since.
Then comes Cincinnati Bengals coach Zac Taylor, who finds himself in the "lightning in the bottle" tier, which is those who were a "legitimate" title contender but only in a "small stretch." Taylor ranked just above Tomlin at No. 10.
This leaves Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh as the only other AFC North coach remaining. As you may have guessed, he is ranked inside the top five, sitting at No. 4. The 61-year-old is in the second highest tier, "forever on the doorstep," which are those who perennially make the playoffs and even advance when they reach them.
So, in reality, CBS Sports only ranked the top 14 coaches. However, if Stefanski wants to be among them in the next iteration of these rankings, then it is clear he needs to not just make the playoffs but advance in it.
