Zaire Franklin Cited as Browns Cut Cornelius Lucas, Raiders Unveil 2026 Staff and Texans Post Transactions
zaire franklin is not listed in the teams’ released items, but the moves announced by the Cleveland Browns, Las Vegas Raiders and Houston Texans reshaped personnel and coaching configurations that matter as the league year approaches. The Browns’ roster adjustments included veteran departures and multiple practice‑squad elevations, while the Raiders finalized a full 2026 coaching staff and the Texans published a skeletal transactions page.
Zaire Franklin and Browns' roster adjustments
The Browns terminated the contract of tackle Cornelius Lucas, who appeared in 10 games last season with five starts, and waived center Justin Osborne, who missed the entire season with a back injury. Those cuts coincided with several internal moves: tight end Sal Cannella was elevated from the practice squad, and defensive tackles Keith Cooper Jr. and Maurice Hurst II were also elevated. Guard Wyatt Teller was placed on injured reserve.
Front‑office activity extended beyond those headline items. Six players finished the 2025 season on the Browns’ practice squad, and two players—Nik Constantinou and Isaiah Wooden—had spent time in the Canadian Football League before joining the squad. The club noted that Zach Zappe has appeared in 15 career games with nine starts, and that one practice‑squad member, Green, spent the 2025 season on the Buffalo Bills’ practice squad.
Medical updates accompanied the personnel changes: Judkins underwent successful surgery on Dec. 23 to repair a fractured fibula and an ankle dislocation. The combination of the Teller injured‑reserve designation and elevations from the practice squad creates immediate gaps and short‑term solutions on both the offensive and defensive lines.
Raiders announce Klint Kubiak’s 2026 coaching staff
The Las Vegas Raiders released the full coaching staff for Head Coach Klint Kubiak for the 2026 season. The announcements highlighted a mixture of NFL veterans and recent college coaches: Holz, who previously coached for the Raiders from 2012–21, spent the last two seasons as offensive coordinator with the Tennessee Titans; Jeberaeel enters his sixth NFL season after two seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars; and Williams brings 10 years of NFL coaching experience, including five seasons as the Atlanta Falcons’ special teams coordinator.
Other staff details include Young returning to the NFL after serving as the running backs coach at the University of Iowa in 2025 and bringing six NFL seasons of experience; Dennison contributing 30 years of NFL coaching experience most recently as a run‑game coordinator and senior offensive advisor for the Seattle Seahawks in 2025; Azzanni carrying 27 years of wide‑receiver coaching experience with nine of those in the NFL; and Janocko being named offensive coordinator after serving as the Seattle Seahawks’ quarterbacks coach in 2025, bringing 12 years of NFL experience.
Additional assignments noted that Smith returns to the organization after 10 prior seasons with the team; Robinson spent the past five seasons with the Baltimore Ravens (2021–25), working with outside linebackers in 2025; and DeCamillis, a longtime special‑teams coach, spent the previous two seasons as associate head coach and special teams coordinator at South Carolina. Armed with $87. 8 million in cap space, the Raiders enter the new league year positioned to pursue offensive‑line help in free agency, a direct financial cause that should affect their roster construction strategy.
What makes this notable is the simultaneous movement on two fronts: the Browns trimming and patching their active roster while the Raiders consolidate coaching continuity and cap flexibility, compressing decisions for personnel departments across the league.
Houston Texans post transactions page without named players
The Houston Texans’ transactions post contained headings for re‑signings and releases but did not list player names in the material provided. The notice otherwise carried the franchise’s standard copyright and usage language. The blank fields in the transactions page represent an administrative entry that, for now, offers no named additions or subtractions to evaluate.
Across the three team notices, the explicit counts and dates—10 games and five starts for Lucas, a full season missed by Osborne, Dec. 23 surgery for Judkins, 15 career games with nine starts for Zappe, and $87. 8 million in cap space for the Raiders—provide measurable markers of roster health and operational capacity that will shape short‑term moves as teams enter the open‑market period.
