HEADLINES

Month: December 2024

Josh Allen Caught In Twitter Controversy

April 26th, 2018 at 9:34am CST by Zachary Links

Two years ago, Ole Miss offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil slid down the draft board after a video of him smoking from a gas mask bong surfaced on Twitter. This year, it’s possible that another Twitter controversy could affect Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen. Multiple tweets from 2012 and 2013 have been unearthed in which Allen uses racially insensitive language, as detailed by Ryan Young of Yahoo Sports. 

There’s also a questionable tweet from 2013 in which Allen responds to a question asked of him by AskFM. When asked “Why are you so white?,” Allen responds, “If it ain’t white, it ain’t right!” Allen has since told teams that the tweets in question were in reference to TV shows, movies, and songs.

Allen spoke with ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith late Wednesday night to apologize for the tweets, saying that he was young and dumb. It remains to be seen how the tweets will affect Allen on draft night, but a team with a top-five draft pick told ESPN’s Adam Schefter that it knew nothing about the tweets and that it had “never heard anything but positives” about the QB.

Allen has been projected to go as high as No. 1 to the Browns in recent days and it was widely expected that he would be selected no later than No. 5. Now, everything appears to be in flux for the talented passer.

Buccaneers Re-Sign RB Charles Sims

April 26th, 2018 at 9:06am CST by Zachary Links

The Buccaneers have agreed to re-sign running back Charles Sims, as Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. It’s a one-year deal for the veteran. 

Last summer, there were whispers that Sims would miss the Bucs’ final cut coming out of camp, even though starter Doug Martin was suspended for the start of the 2017 season. Sims stayed on the roster, but he did not see a ton of carries. Appearing in all 16 games, Sims totaled just 21 rushing attempts for 95 yards. He did add 35 catches for 249 yards and one score, however.

Given that Sims had less rushing yards than Jameis Winston – who isn’t exactly fleet-footed – he might not have a huge rule in store in 2018. Last year’s leading rusher, Peyton Barber, is back in the fold and so is Jacquizz Rodgers. The Bucs may also bolster the RB depth chart in this week’s draft.

Browns To Select Baker Mayfield No. 1?

April 26th, 2018 at 8:51am CST by Zachary Links

With hours to go before the NFL Draft, the identity of the No. 1 pick remains unclear. There is increasing chatter from head coaches and GMs that the Browns will select Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. This comes after weeks of reports identifying USC’s Sam Darnold and Wyoming’s Josh Allen as the only real candidates for the selection. 

Mayfield won the Heisman Trophy in 2017 and led the Football Bowl Subdivision in completion rate by connecting on 70.5% of his throws. He also set a single-season record by averaging 11.5 yards per pass and threw for 43 touchdowns against six interceptions. Still, questions persist about his build and character. For his part, Browns GM John Dorsey has shrugged off questions about Mayfield’s height and his behavioral red flags.

Mayfield going No. 1 would be a surprise, but there is no real consensus on any of this year’s top quarterbacks. Darnold and Josh Rosen were long touted as the best QBs in this year’s crop, but both players are coming off of rocky seasons that potentially exposed their flaws. Allen, meanwhile, doesn’t have a great on-field track record to match the hype of his arm strength.

So far, Dorsey has kept the identity of the draft pick close to the vest. It’s possible that we won’t know the identity of the No. 1 overall pick until it is read by Roger Goodell on Thursday night, and that will make for some serious drama.

Extra Points: Bridgewater, Gronk, Browns, Vikings

April 25th, 2018 at 10:01pm CST by Ben Levine

It’s been assumed that Jets quarterbacks Christian Hackenberg and Bryce Petty are trade/release candidates, especially since the team is eyeing a signal-caller with their first-round pick. However, Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com says another Jets quarterback could be at risk of losing their job.

Williams reports that Teddy Bridgewater isn’t a lock to make the Jets roster, “at least until he shows he’s healthy.” The 25-year-old has played less than 10 combined snaps over the past two seasons, but he still earned a one-year deal worth $500K in guaranteed money. During his last season as a starter in 2015, Bridgewater completed 65.3-percent of his passes for 3,231 yards, 14 touchdowns, and nine interceptions.

If the Jets indeed select a quarterback, the depth chart will be incredibly crowded. Besides the three previously-mentioned quarterbacks, the team is also rostering projected starter Josh McCown.

Let’s take a look at some more notes from around the NFL…

  • Tight end Rob Gronkowski confirmed on Tuesday that he’ll suit up for the Patriots in 2018, and Peter King of The MMQB is curious about the timing of his announcement. It’s purely speculative from King, but he wonders if Gronk was told that he would have to make his intentions clear about playing before this weekend’s draft. The Patriots have been willing to deal star players in the past, so Gronkowski could have feared that he would have wound up in the same boat as Richard Seymour and Chandler Jones.
  • If the Browns move down from No. 4, they could target Ohio State cornerback Denzel Ward further down the board, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). The Browns have already made some additions at cornerback, but they’re looking for another starter. If they land Ward, you can expect Cleveland to trade Jamar Taylor.
  • Earlier today, reports indicated that Browns head coach Hue Jackson wasn’t sure what the organization would do with the first-overall pick. However, Steve Wyche of NFL Network tweets that Jackson is “fully in the loop” regarding Cleveland’s draft plans. Jackson, along with several coordinators, have seen the front office’s draft board.
  • Vikings GM Rick Spielman seems to have an affinity for taking players out of the ACC, as Andrew Krammer of the Star Tribune writes. The Vikings drafted Dalvin Cook, Danny Isidora, Stacy Coley, Bucky Hodges and Jack Tocho, all from the ACC, last year. Conversely, Spielman rarely takes players from the Big 12, with only two selections from that conference — Tyrus Thompson (Oklahoma) and Elijah Lee (Kansas State) — in his six drafts at the wheel.

Latest On 49ers LB Reuben Foster

April 25th, 2018 at 8:21pm CST by Ben Levine

Earlier this month, we heard that 49ers linebacker Reuben Foster is facing multiple felony charges and one misdemeanor in relation to a February domestic violence incident. However, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports that the victim has recanted her claim.

Elissa Ennis, Foster’s former girlfriend, released a statement through her attorney stating that the linebacker did not cause her injuries earlier this year. Rather, the injuries were a result of a fight with another woman. Foster intended to end their relationship after learning after the fight, and Ennis followed through in her threat to “trash his career.”

“(Foster) did not strike her, injure her or threaten her,” attorney Stephanie Rickard told Maiocco.

This doesn’t necessarily mean Foster’s off the hook. As Cam Inman of the Bay Area News Group tweets, the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s office has already said that they’d prosecute the NFL player even if the victim didn’t cooperate. As Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com notes, Foster is also facing a felony charge for possessing an assault weapon, which would seemingly be unrelated to the assault case. The NFL is conducting its own investigation, and they could ultimately choose to punish Foster.

The 49ers have already barred Foster from participating in their offseason program, and general manager John Lynch said he’d release the player if the allegations proved to be true.

“We do feel like patience is the right approach right now, that we are going to learn things through this legal process,” Lynch said (via Maiocco). “But I do want to be very clear, abundantly clear, that if these charges are proven true, that if Reuben did indeed hit this young lady, he won’t be part of our organization going forward.”

Cardinals LB Gabe Martin Ruptures Achilles

April 25th, 2018 at 6:59pm CST by Ben Levine

Gabe Martin‘s chances of making the Cardinals roster took a major hit. Mike Jurecki hears that the linebacker ruptured his Achilles during offseason workouts (Twitter link).

The 2015 undrafted free agent out of Bowling Green initially signed with Arizona as a rookie. In 2016, he compiled four tackles in eight games, but that season ended prematurely due to a knee injury. He briefly caught on with the Saints practice squad, but Arizona signed him again in November. Martin went on to appear in three games for the Cardinals this past season, collecting two tackles.

Fortunately for the Cardinals, they have plenty of depth at inside linebacker. Behind projected starters Josh Bynes and Deone Bucannon, the team is also rostering Gabe Wright, Scooby Wright, and Bryson Albright.

Browns Shopping No. 4 Pick

April 25th, 2018 at 5:32pm CST by Ben Levine

Could the Browns use the No. 4 pick as ammunition to acquire even more selections? That might be the case, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter) reports that Cleveland has shopped the pick.

Cleveland would presumably have a number of suitors, as several teams are reportedly looking to move up in the first round, including the Packers and Cardinals. There were whispers that the Bills could pull off a deal for the Giants’ second-overall selection, but reports indicated that Buffalo wouldn’t “sell out” to acquire the pick. If the Bills were indeed interested in trading for that Giants pick, they could perhaps switch their focus to the Browns’ fourth-overall pick, although that’s merely speculation on my part.

What would it take for a team to acquire the Browns’ pick? We can somewhat refer to the trade that the Jets and Colts pulled off last month. Indy ended up sending No. 3 to New York in exchange for a first-rounder (No. 6), a pair of upcoming seconds (No. 37 and No. 49), and a 2019 second-round pick. It’s uncertain if the Browns could receive a similar package for the fourth pick, although suitors may have a bit of leverage. After all, we learned last week that the Broncos would move the No. 5 pick for the right price.

The Browns originally acquired the No. 4 pick from Houston in a draft-day deal that allowed the Texans to select quarterback Deshaun Watson. Cleveland currently has five selection in the first two rounds, including the top-overall pick.

Packers Looking To Move Up In First Round

April 25th, 2018 at 4:26pm CST by Ben Levine

Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst may be looking to make a splash during his first draft. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that Green Bay is among a handful of teams that are “plotting a potential trade up…for a top-tier talent.” The team is currently armed with the No. 14 pick in the first round.

Recent reports have connected the organization with several notable defenders. We heard earlier this week that the Packers were eyeing Virginia Tech linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, although the report indicated that the team would likely have to move up to select the versatile prospect. In Daniel Jeremiah’s recent top-50 list, Edmunds was ranked sixth overall.

The team has also been connected to Georgia linebacker Roquan Smith, another player who would likely necessitate a trade. Smith was listed eighth on Jeremiah’s new top-50 rankings. While the Packers have Clay Matthews, Nick Perry, Blake Martinez, and Jake Ryan slotted in as their starting linebackers, Smith and Edmunds’ versatility could make a trade worthwhile.

Of course, considering the Packers’ depth at linebacker, they might be looking at other positions. The team could presumably be targeting defensive end Bradley Chubb if he manages to fall a bit in the draft. The could also target the top cornerback prospects, a grouping that includes Denzel Ward, Mike Hughes, and Jaire Alexander.

Including the 14th selection, the Packers have 12 picks headed into this weekend’s draft. The team doesn’t have any extra first-, second-, or third-rounders, but they do have a pair of fourth-round picks and three fifth-rounders.

Falcons Exercise Vic Beasley’s Option

April 25th, 2018 at 3:09pm CST by Zachary Links

The Falcons have exercised the fifth-year option on defensive end Vic Beasley, according to a team announcement. It was an easy call for Atlanta and GM Thomas Dimitroff told reporters back in February that he would be exercising the option.

[RELATED: PFR’s Fifth-Year Option Tracker]

Beasley is already under contract through 2018 at a $4.6MM cap number, the fourth year of his rookie contract. The option year will pay him $14.2MM in 2019, as shown on PFR’s Fifth-Year Option Tracker.

The Falcons experimented with using Beasley as an outside linebacker in the past, but he’ll return to playing defensive end full time in 2018, according to head coach Dan Quinn. Despite his up-and-down ’17, his previous work and potential made the fifth-year option decision a simple decision.

In 2016, Beasley led the league with 15.5 sacks, earning a Pro Bowl nod and a First Team All-Pro selection. Last year, he had just five sacks as his mvoe to linebacker resulted in a career-worst 55.6 overall score from Pro Football Focus.

The fifth-year option is guaranteed for injury only, so the Falcons will have an opportunity to bail if necessary.

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