Browns eager to meet with Dez, but have tough questions to ask
BEREA, Ohio — Dez Bryant is going to meet with the Cleveland Browns. Depending on how things go, he could stay awhile.
The free agent wide receiver has scheduled a visit with the team Thursday, and the anticipated stopover could lead to the three-time Pro Bowler signing with a team craving more playmakers.
Bryant, who was released by the Dallas Cowboys in April after eight seasons, has shown previous interest in joining the Browns. Last week, Bryant posted on Twitter that he intended to speak with the team, and a Browns spokesman confirmed the sides will talk later this week.
But while Bryant would certainly be a talent upgrade for a team coming off a 0-16 season, Browns coach Hue Jackson said it’s vital to make sure he fits with Cleveland’s culture.
“It’s not just a given,” Jackson said following Tuesday’s practice. “I think you have to work through whatever conversations we have and feel good about it.”
Cleveland needs receiving help, and receiver Jarvis Landry and quarterback Tyrod Taylor have lobbied for Bryant, who has 531 career receptions for 7,459 yards and 73 touchdowns.
But the 29-year-old Bryant has baggage, and the Browns have to be sure he’s not only committed to them, but that he won’t be a distraction. Bryant frequently clashed with Dallas coaches and he recently went on a Twitter rant criticizing former teammates.
Jackson said the team will be prepared to ask Bryant the appropriate questions.
“We do all of our homework prior to (a visit), and you have very open and candid conversations with guys about what your locker room is, how your team is run, how we go about doing things and see if it fits,” he said. EAGLES: Quarterback Carson Wentz expects to participate in 11-on-11 drills next week, but it’s uncertain whether he’ll be ready for the season opener.
Defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia will play host to the Atlanta Falcons on Sept. 6. Wentz’s goal since having surgery in December to repair a torn ACL and LCL in his left knee has been to be ready for that game.
“It’s no secret that it’s going to be close,” Wentz said after the Eagles completed training camp Tuesday.
“We’ve seen where I’m at in camp and hopefully next week I’m doing 11-on-11s. I think, naturally, it’s going to be close. Ultimately, it won’t be my call, the coach’s call. Ultimately, it’ll be up to the doctors.”
GIANTS: From spectacular to spectator in less than 24 hours.
That’s what happened to Saquon Barkley, the Giants’ rookie running back who suffered a mild hamstring strain while making an electrifying catch down the sideline in Monday’s practice in New Jersey and was planted safely on the sideline during Tuesday’s joint workout with Detroit at their facility.
How long he’ll remain out of action remains to be seen, but the Giants seem to think it won’t be significantly long.
“He just tweaked his hamstring,” coach Pat Shurmur said. “He’s day-to-day.”
BILLS: Buffalo running back LeSean McCoy finalized eviction proceedings against his ex-girlfriend after reaching an agreement in Georgia on Tuesday.
In the meantime, McCoy took his familiar spot with the starting lineup at training camp, where Bills general manager Brandon Beane said no evidence has come to light to alter the player’s status with the team amid allegations he severely disciplined his son and beat his dog.
“Nothing’s changed, and we see LeSean here for the future,” Beane told The Associated Press in the first public comments made by a team official since McCoy’s exgirlfriend raised the allegations in a lawsuit filed in Fulton County, Ga., on Friday.
JETS: It was another eventful day Tuesday for Jets receiver Terrelle Pryor, who took flak from all sides — from the Redskins secondary to his own head coach.
On Monday, he surprised reporters by announcing he would not play in Thursday night’s preseason game against the Redskins, that he was bothered by a hip injury and that he had suffered a previously undisclosed broken ankle in May.
Asked Tuesday about how “descriptive” Pryor had been, Bowles said, “Terrelle doesn’t need to be descriptive, and I feel he should keep his mouth shut and leave the injures to me.”
Bowles is famously sensitive to players sharing injury information publicly. Asked how he would handle the matter, Bowles said, “I’ve already handled it.”
Might that include a fine? “We had a conversation,” Bowles said. “We’ll discuss our own in-house things in house.” BEARS: Roquan Smith, the team’s first-round round draft pick, was on the practice field for the first time Tuesday, 30 days after he was supposed to report with rookies for camp.
Smith settled on a four-year contract that guarantees $18.5 million and includes an $11.5 million signing bonus, a person familiar with the talks told The Associated Press. REDSKINS: Washington made a surprise move three weeks into training camp by releasing veteran cornerback Orlando Scandrick.