The Browns quickly stuffed a hole in their backfield with Carlos Hyde.

Cleveland reached a contract agreement with the free agent running back http://www.steelersfootballauthentics.com/diontae-johnson-jersey-authentic , who will replace Isaiah Crowell and give the Browns a bruising runner to complement Duke Johnson, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Wednesday. The team is expected to announce the deal after 4 p.m., when teams are permitted to finalize contracts negotiated during the NFL’s two-day “legal tampering period, said the person who spoke on condition of anonymity for that reason.NFL Network reported the Browns will give Hyde a three-year, $15 million deal.The 27-year-old Hyde, who played at Ohio State, spent the past four seasons with the San Francisco 49ers. He’s started 36 games, rushed for 2,729 yards, averaged 4.2 yards per carry and scored 21 touchdowns. Hyde also has 109 catches for 634 yards and three TDs.Hyde has rushed for over 900 yards the past two seasons, and his addition will offset the probable loss of Crowell Justin Layne Jersey , who has been in talks with the New York Jets.The Browns are also exploring a long-term contract with the versatile Johnson, who was their best offensive player last season when they went 0-16.With the signing of Hyde, it’s unlikely the Browns will use either the No. 1 or No. 4 overall picks in this year’s draft on Penn State’s Saquon Barkley, considered the top running back in this year’s class.Browns general manager John Dorsey has spotted quality running backs deeper in the draft. Just last year with Kansas City, he selected Kareem Hunt in the third round and the speedy Hunt rushed for 1,327 yards as a rookie. FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Jarrett Stidham doesn’t have time to listen to the talk about him being a possible successor for a Hall of Fame-bound quarterback.For the Patriots‘ rookie, every day of the team’s offseason program is simply another opportunity for self-improvement.“Every single day I wake up and I say, I’ve got to get better at something today,” said Stidham, the Patriots’ fourth-round draft pick http://www.steelersfootballauthentics.com/benny-snell-jr.-jersey-authentic , after Wednesday’s mandatory minicamp practice.“And as I go throughout my day, I try to take in everything as it comes and try to retain as much information as possible, and continue to get better.”The former Auburn QB was the 133rd selection in the April draft, and could be the eventual replacement for six-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady, who will be 42 in August yet is showing no obvious signs of decline.Brady stayed away from voluntary workouts, but is present at the mandatory minicamp at Gillette Stadium, giving Stidham his first opportunity to work with him.“Obviously he’s a great player, a great person, and honestly, it’s just been great just to see him operate,” Stidham said. “He’s been doing it for so long Zach Gentry Jersey , and obviously he has a lot of knowledge, so I’m just trying to sit back and watch how he works, and soak in as much as possible.”For the second straight day, Stidham took all the snaps with the third-string offensive unit, which may already put him ahead of second-year veteran Danny Etling on the Patriots’ depth chart. But the journey has just started, with another organized team activity period to follow this minicamp, and training camp next in late July.“I’m just trying to get better,” Stidham said. “Every little facet of my game, whether it’s learning the offense, cleaning up mechanics, whatever it is L.J. Collier Jersey , I’m just trying to improve each day and not take a step back.”Stidham’s football journey began as a youngster growing up in Richmond, Kentucky. One of his teammates from that peewee team is also an incoming rookie with the Patriots this year, running back Damien Harris of Alabama, a third-round draft pick.“Life comes full-circle,” said Stidham, who moved to Stephenville, Texas, as a teenager but maintained his friendship with Harris over the years. “Damien and I were lucky enough to both get drafted by the Patriots and now we’re both here, hanging out on the weekends like old times, like we were 8 years old.”Enjoyable as it may be for Stidham to remember simpler times, his life is now one adjustment after another as he adapts to the demands of joining of one of the NFL’s most successful franchises.“I think you can tell the difference as soon as you get here for rookie minicamp http://www.seahawksfootballauthentics.com/marquise-blair-jersey-authentic ,” Stidham said. “But now that I’ve been here for almost a month now, you really start to see the differences. You’ve got to take it and run with it, and there’s no shortcut to figuring it out. You’ve just got to continue to get after it each day.“Just being in the day-to-day operations of the Patriots and that sort of thing, the culture as a whole, you don’t really know what it’s like until you’re there,” he said. “Obviously, it’s a great organization and a lot of fun to be a part of.”