{"id":754229,"date":"2026-02-15T17:15:30","date_gmt":"2026-02-15T17:15:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/754229\/"},"modified":"2026-02-15T17:15:30","modified_gmt":"2026-02-15T17:15:30","slug":"february-is-a-hot-month-for-rumor-mongering","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/754229\/","title":{"rendered":"February is a Hot Month for Rumor-Mongering"},"content":{"rendered":"

CLEVELAND, OHIO (TheOBR.com<\/a>) – Good morning, Cleveland Browns fans!<\/p>\n

THE DAILY BLOVIATION<\/p>\n

Love was in the air yesterday. Or something was in the air. Maybe it was sleeping gas, because there was no real Browns activity or news to note from yesterday\u2019s events. From my personal experience, maybe everyone was at the grocery store, buying last-minute discount chocolates.<\/p>\n

Whatever the case, it\u2019s slim pickings on today\u2019s newswire, but I\u2019ve committed to bring you a Massive Morning Missive on a daily basis, so I\u2019ll scrape the bottom of the proverbial barrel. All for you. Because I\u2019m that kind of guy.<\/p>\n

The most remarkable thing about the stories I scooped up from the internet this morning is that Jim Schwartz-related weirdness seems to refuse to die. Apparently, there\u2019s an ongoing mutual admiration society between the Las Vegas Raiders and Schwartz. In fact, Pro Football Talk wrote all about it<\/a>, including spinning a theory that Schwartz could wait until the Browns assign a new defensive coordinator, then renege on his demand to quit, putting them in an awkward spot.<\/p>\n

The only problem? A couple of hours later, Adam Schefter reported that the Raiders would promote their run game coordinator\/defensive line coach, Rob Leonard<\/a>, to defensive coordinator.<\/p>\n

I guess the bottom line here is that the bad news for Browns fans is that the odds that releasing Schwartz could be tucked (unsaid, but understood) into a trade package with the Raiders, giving the Browns some value from the whole Schwartz fiasco.<\/p>\n

So, I thought the whole Schwartz thing could provide some fun and value, but it seems like it\u2019s fizzling out.<\/p>\n

IN THE NEWS…<\/p>\n

— Two OBR exclusives worth checking out: Tomorrow is decision day<\/a> for LG Joel Bitonio and This Side Up<\/a> continues to get really positive feedback. Thanks to everyone who has written us about the latter, but positive comments and upvotes on the new show are the best way to show your support.<\/p>\n

— Awful Announcing has an interesting analysis on why the NFL banning NFLPA team report cards<\/a> might backfire on the NFL\u2019s uber-rich-and-powerful owners. Of course, the theory is based on the fact that there are still sportswriters who do investigative reporting. They\u2019re outnumbered 50-1 by aggregators instantly swiping their work, but let\u2019s hope there are some still out there.<\/p>\n

— Maybe there is some hope. Washington Post reporters are still reporting from the Olympics even though they\u2019ve been laid off<\/a>. I get it.<\/p>\n

— Free agent quarterback Malik Willis continues to be a hot topic, with the Browns occasionally being mentioned as a possible destination for the Packers\u2019 backup. Mary Kay Cabot believes the Browns\u2019 interest is likely to be in the \u201cdue diligence\u201d category<\/a>, with the team unlikely to land him, which is consistent with most of the analysis-slash-guesses out there about how this will play out. Bleacher Report has him going to the Jets<\/a>, but Willis may have the opportunity to be more selective than to choose a team known for being even worse than the Browns.<\/p>\n

— Can we please stop with the “Browns might trade Denzel Ward<\/a>” rumor-mongering? This team loves their three cornerbacks, and with M.J. Emerson coming back from injury, there\u2019s no real excess of outside corners on the roster. It might make some sense from a cap or age perspective, but I just don\u2019t see it happening.<\/p>\n

— The Browns and Dolphins are projected to be the worst two teams in the NFL via Polymarket<\/a>. Fortunately for me, I don\u2019t gamble and have place no value in what Polymarket says, particularly prior to free agency and the draft.<\/p>\n

Have a good one! GO BROWNS!<\/p>\n

Newswire Bloviation Archive<\/a><\/p>\n

OBR GOODIES<\/p>\n

OBR ARTICLES<\/p>\n

Cleveland Browns News and Rumors 2\/14\/26: Happy Fake News Day, Have Some Flowers!<\/a> – Barry<\/p>\n

Cleveland Browns Have Three Choices For Their Post June 1st Cuts<\/a> – Jack<\/p>\n

FROM THE FORUMS<\/p>\n

ASK THE INSIDERS<\/a> (VIP<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Pete , do you know who Charley Taylor is ?<\/a><\/p>\n

INSIDER DISCUSSION<\/a> (VIP<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Execution vs Coaching<\/a><\/p>\n

THE WATERCOOLER<\/a><\/p>\n

50 Years ago today…<\/a><\/p>\n

OT: The Barkley Marathon<\/a><\/p>\n

Now Public: Contract Update from Jack in RC<\/a><\/p>\n

They are trying to get us used to the idea DW<\/a><\/p>\n

Travis Hunter moving to full-time CB<\/a><\/p>\n

OT – Traders Joes for flowers<\/a><\/p>\n

LiveWire Thread for 214 – Twitter, Video, Articles<\/a><\/p>\n

Myles Garrett<\/a><\/p>\n

THE LIFT<\/p>\n

Positive news from the world of sports and beyond…<\/p>\n

New Spray-on Powder Instantly Seals Life-Threatening Wounds in Battle or During Disasters<\/a><\/p>\n

This is probably a good thing, since we still engage in a lot of violence with each other, and so stopping bleeding is a thing we wind up needing. Personally, I find this a positive development because I\u2019m quite fond of my blood and opposed to mass leakage of it. <\/p>\n

WRAPPING UP<\/p>\n

When not using the last of his available pictures of Jim Schwartz, Barry McBride is the Publisher and Founder of the OBR and bloviates this nonsense every morning. You can follow him on Twitter @barrymcbride<\/a> or write him at barry@theobr.com<\/a> if you are so compelled. <\/p>\n

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