Cleveland Browns DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

Free-agent running back Nyheim Hines (leg) is signing a one-year deal worth up to $3.5 million with the Cleveland Browns, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. The 27-year-old missed the entire 2023 season with the Buffalo Bills after suffering a major leg injury during the offseason. Hines entered the league as a fourth-round pick in the 2018 NFL draft via the Indianapolis Colts, where he was utilized as a receiving back behind Jonathan Taylor late in his tenure. In 72 games for the Colts, he caught 235 passes for 1,725 yards and seven touchdowns. He was traded to the Buffalo Bills at the 2022 deadline but only logged 11 touches for 50 yards thereafter. Hines will need to get past the leg injury, but he's a dynamic kick returner and could be in the mix as a change-of-pace back in Cleveland's backfield when he's fully healthy.

Free-agent quarterback Jameis Winston is joining the Cleveland Browns on a one-year, $8.7 million deal, according to Bleacher Report's Jordan Schultz. Winston has spent the last four seasons with the New Orleans Saints, racking up 20 passing touchdowns and 11 interceptions in 21 games (10 starts). The former No. 1 overall pick passed for at least 20 touchdowns in three of his five seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but 88 interceptions over that span ultimately lost him his starting gig. He will likely begin the 2024 season as Deshaun Watson's (shoulder) backup, but there is a path to playing time considering Watson's struggles and injury issues since becoming a Brown in 2022. He should be rostered in deep Superflex and two-QB leagues next year.

The Cleveland Browns are interested in free-agent quarterback Jameis Winston as a backup to starter Deshaun Watson. Although it's unlikely, the Browns could also run it back with Joe Flacco, the 2023 Comeback Player of the Year, after he stepped in for an injured Watson last season to unexpectedly lead the Browns into the postseason. The 30-year-old Winston was his usual up-and-down self while filling in for an injured Derek Carr in seven games for the New Orleans Saints in 2023, going 25-for-47 for 264 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions. While Winston has plenty of starting experience (80 career starts in nine NFL seasons), he's proven to be a turnover-prone and inconsistent passer when thrust into action. But given Watson's track record for injuries, the Browns are clearly intent on backing him up with an experienced, veteran signal-caller like Winston or Flacco.

The Cleveland Browns are sending a 2024 fifth-pick and 2024 sixth-round pick in exchange for Denver Broncos wide receiver Jerry Jeudy, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Cleveland reportedly tried to trade for the former first-rounder at the trade deadline during the 2023 campaign, so they now get their target. After posting 972 receiving yards and six touchdowns in 2022, Jeudy regressed to 758 receiving yards and two touchdowns in 2023. He now gets a change of scenery and a chance to turn his career around. Given the struggles of quarterback Deshaun Watson, it's tough to get too excited about Jeudy's fantasy prospects, especially while sharing a field with Amari Cooper. David Njoku and Elijah Moore round out the crowded pass-catcher group. This move could mean a small boost for Watson's fantasy outlook, but it's tough to see a path toward top-24 upside for Jeudy.

The Buffalo Bills plan to release running back Nyheim Hines (knee) this week, according to a source. Hines most likely will be back for training camp this summer after injuring his ACL last summer, but he'll be doing it with a different team. Hines injured his ACL during a jet-ski accident last July and was forced to miss all of the 2023 season as a result. The 27-year-old former fourth-round pick by the Indianapolis Colts in 2018 out of North Carolina State spent the 2022 season with the Bills and Colts, carrying the ball just 24 times for 33 yards and a touchdown while adding 30 receptions for 241 yards and another score through the air in 16 games (five starts). At this stage of his career, Hines will most likely be competing for a complementary pass-catching role with whichever team he lands with next.