HEADLINES

Month: November 2024

AFC Notes: Browns, Pats, McCourty

August 12th, 2018 at 9:34pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Browns were seemingly dealt a big blow last week when receiver Antonio Callaway was arrested. News of the arrest came right after the team had traded away Corey Coleman to the Bills, and not too long after Josh Gordon left the team for an indefinite period of time. Callaway seemed poised to start as a rookie, but his arrest clouded the whole situation.

Callaway apparently did not inform the team of his arrest, and the Browns only found out through media reports. Many speculated the Browns would discipline him internally for failing to tell the team about the incident, but it appears no suspension will be forthcoming. Coach Hue Jackson said after practice today that the team’s punishment for Callaway was playing him nearly the entire game in the preseason opener, according to Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal (Twitter link). It seems like Callaway dodged a bullet, as many organizations would’ve been a lot more displeased with his failure to inform them of his situation.

Here’s more from the AFC:

  • The Patriots may have traded for cornerback Jason McCourty back in March, but that doesn’t mean he’s a lock to make the team. McCourty is on the “roster bubble” according to Mike Reiss of ESPN, who writes that New England currently has a logjam at corner. Reiss thinks McCourty’s lack of special teams contributions could cost him the opportunity to suit up on the same team as his twin brother Devin McCourty, a safety for the Patriots.
  • Speaking of AFC East roster bubbles, tight end Nick O’Leary is a “surprise cut candidate” for the Bills, according to Joe Buscaglia of Buffalo 7. Buscaglia writes that O’Leary was “once thought of as a shoe-in for the 53-man roster”, but has now been demoted to the third-team offense in practice and very well may find himself cut. The 2015 sixth-rounder caught 22 passes for 322 yards and two touchdowns last season.
  • As a result of Jalen Ramsey‘s suspension by the Jaguars, the guarantees in his contract could void writes former NFL agent and current CBS Sports analyst Joel Corry (Twitter link). Although it shouldn’t end up mattering for a player of Ramsey’s caliber, it’s a fascinating look into how quickly all the guarantees in a player’s contract can go out the window in the NFL.

Chargers Notes: Gates, Jones, Smith, Nwosu

August 12th, 2018 at 7:24pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

After Hunter Henry was lost for the season with a torn ACL, it was immediately speculated that the Chargers might look to bring back Antonio Gates. Gates’ NFL career appeared to be over after the Chargers indicated they were moving on, but Henry’s injury threw him a lifeline.

Gates isn’t interested in playing for any other team, and the two sides had talks right after Henry went down. Despite there still being no deal in place with the preseason already underway, Chargers coach Anthony Lynn said “we’re still talking with him” after the Chargers’ game against the Cardinals, according to Eric D. Williams of ESPN. Williams points out that the Chargers tight ends accounted for five drops in the preseason opener, and Lynn said “we need to make more plays at the tight end position.” It all sounds like eventually something will get done with Gates.

Here’s more from Los Angeles:

  • In the race to be Philip Rivers‘ backup between Geno Smith and Cardale Jones, Smith “appeared to seize control of the competition” with his strong performance in the first week of the preseason, Williams writes. Smith threw for over 200 yards while Jones, who started the game, threw for only 50 on 12 attempts.
  • Williams writes that rookie linebacker Uchenna Nwosu could start right away for the team. Nwosu, the 48th overall pick in this year’s draft from USC, had a sack and two quarterback hits in his professional debut.
  • In case you missed it, we took a look at the Chargers’ situation at guard as Forrest Lamp continues to rehab from a knee injury.

Jaguars Suspend Jalen Ramsey, Dante Fowler

August 12th, 2018 at 6:20pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Jaguars suspended star cornerback Jalen Ramsey for a week, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link). Michael DiRocco of ESPN soon posted in a follow-up tweet that defensive end Dante Fowler was being suspended as well (Twitter link). 

According to Rapoport, Ramsey’s suspension was for “going after local media for what he believes is unfair treatment of his teammates especially Dante Fowler.” Adam Schefter of ESPN soon added in a tweet that the official reasoning was “violating team rules and conduct unbecoming of a Jaguars’ football player.”

The suspension seems to stem from a series of tweets that Ramsey posted earlier, attacking media members for their criticism of Fowler. Fowler’s suspension was apparently unrelated, as he was suspended for “fighting and violation of team rules” according to Schefter (Twitter link).

With the suspensions, Ramsey and Fowler will miss the next week of practices and the team’s second preseason game on Saturday against the Vikings. While they won’t miss any regular season time, it’s still a big deal. It’s very rare to see a team suspend one of it’s top players like this, and it’ll be interesting to see how the locker room responds.

 

Colts Sign RB Branden Oliver

August 12th, 2018 at 5:40pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Colts have signed running back Branden Oliver, the team announced today (Twitter link). The team waived receiver Dres Anderson to make room on the roster.

Oliver was one of several veteran running backs left on the market, and his addition likely has something to do with the injury to Marlon Mack. It was reported yesterday that the Colts were looking to bring in a veteran back. Mack is expected to miss a few weeks with a hamstring strain.

Earlier this summer, it was reported that the Bills were interested in bringing in Oliver, but nothing ever materialized. Oliver came into the league as an undrafted free agent in 2014, and spent the last four seasons as a Charger.His biggest role came as a rookie, when he started seven games and carried the ball 160 times for 582 yards and three touchdowns. His role decreased significantly to being strictly a backup after that, and he missed the entire 2016 season due to injury.

The Colts let Frank Gore walk to Miami earlier this spring, and were left with a very young running back room. Oliver should provide a steady veteran presence, but isn’t a lock to make the 53-man roster. The group currently consists of Mack, rookie Nyheim Hines, Christine Michael, Robert Turbin, and Jordan Wilkins.

5 Key NFL Stories: 8/5/18 – 8/12/18

August 12th, 2018 at 4:46pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Bills acquire WR Corey Coleman. Buffalo picked up Coleman, a first-round pick in the 2016 draft, from Cleveland for next-to-nothing, as Cleveland will reap just a 2020 seventh-round pick. Coleman hadn’t done much in his first two NFL campaigns, but that’s largely due to freak injuries — a broken hand in each season — that limited his overall production. The Bills, meanwhile, were (and still are) fielding one of the league’s worst receiving corps, meaning Coleman should be favorite for first-team snaps alongside Kelvin Benjamin and Zay Jones.

Dez Bryant-to-Browns saga continues. After reports emerged that Bryant was “not seriously interested” in joining Cleveland, Browns general manager John Dorsey told reporters the veteran wideout was not returning his calls. Later that night, Bryant tweeted that he’d visit the Browns this week, and now a meeting has been set (likely for Thursday). Both Jarvis Landry and rookie wide receiver Antonio Callaway performed well in the Browns’ first preseason game, but Cleveland could use another pass-catcher after dealing Coleman/while waiting for Josh Gordon to return.

Redskins lose RB Derrius Guice. Guice, a second-round selection in this year’s draft, had been scheduled to serve as Washington’s top running back, but he’ll now wait until 2019 to get on the field after suffering a torn ACL in the Redskins’ first preseason contest. The Redskins have depth: Rob Kelley is now slated to be the club’s starter, Chris Thompson is an elite passing back, and 2017 fourth-rounder Samaje Perine is still around. But Washington could consider adding a free agent, and PFR readers think DeMarco Murray (who’d be coming out of retirement) would be the best fit.

Patriots give Tom Brady extra incentives. Brady will earn $1MM each for finishing as a top-five quarterback in five statistical categories (passing yards, touchdown passes, passer rating, yards per attempt and completion percentage). Because Brady was a top-five signal-caller in each of those categories in 2017, his new incentives are considered “likely to be earned,” meaning they’ll count on the Patriots’ salary cap immediately. New England also converted $10MM of Brady’s $14MM 2018 base salary into a signing bonus — that move will not only get Brady more cash immediately, but increase his 2019 cap charge by $5MM.

Jets open to trading Teddy Bridgewater. Bridgewater was excellent in Gang Green’s first preseason game, completing seven-of-eight passes for 85 yards and one touchdown. But third overall pick Sam Darnold was outstanding as well, and if the USC product earns the Jets’ starting quarterback job, Bridgewater would likely be the club’s third-stringer behind Josh McCown. A trade could make sense for all sides, then, although New York might wait to see if any league-wide quarterback injury causes a rival team to send a high draft choice in exchange for Bridgewater.

Cardinals Sign LB Gerald Hodges

August 12th, 2018 at 3:23pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Cardinals have signed free agent linebacker Gerald Hodges, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

Arizona likely lost fellow linebacker Jeremy Cash for the year on Saturday night, as his knee injury is believed to be season-ending. Cash wasn’t viewed as a starter for the Cardinals, but was expected to play a key role as a reserve and special-teamer, so Hodges, who worked out for Arizona in late July, will likely take over in both capacities.

Hodges, 27, could prove to be even more valuable than a generic backup, as he has plenty of experience (65 appearances, 25 starts) under his belt. A fourth-round pick in the 2013 draft, Hodges entered the NFL with the Vikings before being traded to the 49ers midway through the 2015 season.

The 2016 campaign was one of Hodges’ finest — Pro Football Focus graded him as the league’s No. 21 linebacker — but he garnered scant interest on the open market. He landed with the Saints in October and played mostly special teams snaps down the stretch.

Hodges is capable of playing all three linebacker positions, so he’ll add depth behind starters Haason Reddick, Deone Bucannon, and Josh Bynes. Bynes, for his part, is slated to start at middle linebacker, but he’s been primarily a special-teamer during his career and made just one start in 2017. Hodges, therefore, could conceivably earn more snaps in the middle if Bynes struggles early in the 2018 season.

Eagles To Sign QB Christian Hackenberg

August 12th, 2018 at 2:49pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Eagles have agreed to sign free agent quarterback Christian Hackenberg, a source tells Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (Twitter link). Philadelphia has since announced the move as a one-year deal and added that it’s waived/injured center Ian Park.

Philadelphia, of course, is moving starting quarterback Carson Wentz along slowly as he recovers from a torn ACL, while backup and Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles is dealing with a minor neck injury that kept him out of practice for several days. But the Eagles are reportedly high on third-stringer Nate Sudfeld, and also have Joe Callahan on their roster, so practice reps might be limited for Hackenberg.

The signing of Hackenberg does not reflect on either Wentz or Foles’ injuries, per Pelissero, who adds the Eagles simply are taking a chance to develop a still youthful quarterback, one who comes with second-round pedigree. With Wentz likely to sit out the entirety of the preseason, Hackenberg could conceivably see snaps as the exhibition season draws to a close.

The Jets selected Hackenberg with the 51st overall pick in the 2016 draft, but he never saw the field during two regular season campaigns. New York traded the now-23-year-old to the Raiders in May (adding a 2019 seventh-round pick that contained conditions that were not met), but Hackenberg lasted less than month on Oakland’s roster. He subsequently met with the Patriots, but hadn’t yet landed a new contract with any club.

Steelers Sign OT Zach Banner

August 12th, 2018 at 2:16pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Steelers have signed free agent offensive tackle Zach Banner, the club announced today. In a corresponding roster move, Pittsburgh has waived/injured offensive lineman Kyle Meadows.

Banner, an absolutely mammoth human being at 6’9″, 360 pounds, was selected by the Colts in the fourth round of the 2017 draft. However, the USC product didn’t even make it through final cutdowns in Indianapolis, and became the highest rookie draft choice to be waived last year.

Claimed off waivers by the Browns, Banner played just 27 offensive snaps in eight games for Indianapolis before going on waivers again. He was acquired by the Panthers in March, but spent only two months on Carolina’s roster before being cut in May.

At present, the Steelers don’t appear to have any room for another offensive tackle on its 53-man roster. Alejandro Villanueva and Marcus Gilbert are locked in as Pittsburgh’s starters, while Matt Feiler and third-round rookie Chukwuma Okorafor will serve as backups. Banner’s chances with the Steelers, then, likely hinge on whether the club suffers any injuries over the next few weeks.

Redskins WR Robert Davis Has Broken Leg, Out For Season

August 12th, 2018 at 12:40pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

It’s now official. Redskins wide receiver Robert Davis will miss the entire 2018 season, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link). It was reported earlier that the team was concerned Davis may have torn his ACL during their preseason opener. As it turns out, Davis broke his leg and tore his LCL, per Rapoport. Head coach Jay Gruden said that Davis will require major surgery and will be sidelined for nine to 12 months (Twitter link via John Keim of ESPN.com).

Mike Garafolo of NFL Network tweeted that the “slight silver lining here is no ACL, as they’d feared, and no nerve damage,” adding it “could’ve been worse for him.” Davis, a 2017 sixth-round pick, had reportedly been turning heads at training camp and was pushing for a spot on the team’s 53-man roster.

Davis was extremely productive in college, having played a major role during his four years at Georgia State. In his senior season, he caught 67 passes for 968 yards and five touchdowns. He finished his collegiate career with 222 catches, 3,391 yards, and 17 touchdowns. Given how impressive he was looking before going down, Davis could be back next year to compete for a job with the Redskins.

The injury is a blow to the Redskins’ depth, but it shouldn’t be too devastating. The team will move forward with Jamison Crowder, Paul Richardson, and Josh Doctson as its top three receivers. It was, though, the second brutal injury from the preseason opener, as Derrius Guice was revealed to have torn his ACL.

On the plus side, Gruden had high praise for 2016 UDFA Maurice Harris, who has seen limited action in his first two years in the league but who could be in for an increased role in 2018. Gruden said, “Mo is a great all-around receiver for us. We’re confident he can line up anywhere” (Twitter link via Keim).

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