The pedigree of Texas A&M center Mike Matthews makes him the headliner among 11 undrafted free agents with whom the Browns agreed to contract terms in recent days.
Matthews is the son of Pro Football Hall of Fame offensive lineman Bruce Matthews and the nephew of legendary Browns linebacker Clay Matthews.
His brother Jake is the Atlanta Falcons’ left tackle and the sixth overall draft pick in 2014. His brother Kevin has appeared in 17 NFL games as an offensive lineman and is a free agent.
His cousin Clay is a six-time Pro Bowl linebacker for the Green Bay Packers. His cousin Casey appeared in 64 NFL games as a linebacker and is a free agent.
The 6-foot-2, 300-pound Matthews started 36 of his 43 career games for the Aggies. He could serve as insurance for projected starting center Cameron Erving, a first-round pick last year who struggled mightily while playing guard as a rookie.
The Browns gave Matthews a signing bonus of $7,500 and guaranteed $2,500 of his salary, the Houston Chronicle reported. The money suggests other teams were vying for his services.
Before last week’s draft, NFL.com analyst Lance Zierlein wrote Matthews “is an absolute bulldog who plays with outstanding tenacity, consistency and technique. If he were bigger and stronger, we would be talking about him as one of the top-five centers in this draft, but he lacks the size NFL teams need from their centers. Matthews’ balance, body control and football IQ should get him a look in camp, but he has to add weight and keep it on to have a legitimate shot at making a team.”
Matthews was not one of the six centers drafted last week. But he is one of three centers in the 2016 class who didn’t surrender a sack in the past two seasons, per ProFootballFocus.com.
In addition to Matthews, the Browns announced Thursday they struck deals with the following 10 undrafted free agents:
Oklahoma linebacker Dominique Alexander, Maryland kicker Brad Craddock, Missouri defensive back Kenya Dennis, Sam Houston State defensive back Mikell Everette, Pittsburgh tight end J.P. Holtz, Miami defensive back Tracy Howard, Florida State defensive tackle Nile Lawrence-Stample, West Virginia defensive tackle Kyle Rose, Georgia Tech fullback Patrick Skov and Kentucky defensive back A.J. Stamps.
Of the 11, only Alexander and Lawrence-Stample received draftable grades from NFLDraftScout.com analyst Dane Brugler. In his draft guide, Brugler assigned Alexander a fourth- or fifth-round grade and Lawrence-Stample a fifth- or sixth-round grade.
The undrafted rookies are scheduled to report to rookie minicamp on May 12 along with the 14 players the Browns drafted last week. Rookie minicamp will run from May 13-15.
Vote of confidence
After the Browns elected not to draft a running back, coach Hue Jackson said they didn’t bolster the position because he’s “very happy” with the backs he inherited.
Then on Tuesday, he poured the praise on running backs Isaiah Crowell and Duke Johnson during a draft review radio show on 92.3 The Fan.
“I’ve been getting so much mail or phone calls or people saying, ‘Well, wait a minute, why don’t you guys have a running back?’ I really think that Isaiah Crowell is a really good running back,” Jackson said. “I think he’s going to have a sensational season. Duke Johnson obviously burst on the scene last year [as a rookie], and I think he’s going to have a great year as well. Those two guys are as good as I’ve seen in a while. Their talent is extreme.
“Isaiah is very explosive. He’s got quick feet. He’s fast in the hole. He runs with good pad level. Duke has suddenness and quickness, and he can go catch the ball with anybody. He does so many different things that gives your offense a boost.”
Quarterback sneak
The Browns donated $25,000 worth of Riddell helmets to North Ridgeville High School, and quarterback Robert Griffin III surprised some prep football players Tuesday while unveiling the design at the school.
After Erving announced the helmets would be donated, two students approached what appeared to be a mannequin holding a football in full uniform and were instructed to remove the helmet so they could pass it around. But the would-be mannequin startled the players by lunging toward them. The students cheered once Griffin removed his helmet to reveal he was the mystery model.
Another honor
Browns tight end Gary Barnidge was ranked 94th on NFL Network’s The Top 100 Players of 2016. Barnidge’s place on the list was revealed Wednesday night.
Barnidge played in the Pro Bowl in January after a breakout 2015 season in which he led the Browns with 79 catches, 1,043 receiving yards and nine touchdown catches.
Building camaraderie
On Wednesday night, Griffin attended Game 2 of the Cavaliers’ Eastern Conference playoffs series against the Atlanta Hawks with fellow Browns quarterbacks Josh McCown and Austin Davis. Griffin told the Associated Press he purchased tickets so he could take teammates to the game.
Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Browns blog at www.ohio.com/browns. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/NateUlrichABJ and on Facebook www.facebook.com/abj.sports.