HEADLINES

Month: November 2024

Latest On Josh Gordon’s Roster Designation

August 7th, 2018 at 5:50pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Although the Browns had planned to move wide receiver Josh Gordon from the did not report list to the non-football injury list in order to preserve his 2019 free agent status, a closer inspection of league rules revealed Cleveland didn’t need make any sort of Gordon-related transaction, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).

Based on a general reading of the rule, Gordon’s contract should have tolled this week because he didn’t report to the Browns 30 days prior to the start of the regular season. In order to prevent that mechanism, Cleveland was set to transfer him to the NFI list in something of a goodwill gesture.

However, the NFL’s rule regarding the NFI list contains an exception for players who have not reported due to “hardship or illness,” per Rapoport. Therefore, Gordon will accrue a season toward free agency regardless of when he shows up.

Because of various league-imposed suspensions, Gordon is still only on schedule to become a restricted free agent following the 2018 campaign (despite the fact that he originally entered the league in 2012). Cleveland will have the option to tender him as a RFA next spring, either at the first-, second-, or original-round level.

The Browns have been vague about the schedule for Gordon’s return, but fellow Cleveland wideout Rashard Higgins says Gordon is in “good spirits.” Gordon, who has dealt with alcohol and drug problems in the past, is reportedly working through mental health issues.

Browns WR Antonio Callaway Cited For Marijuana Possession

August 7th, 2018 at 5:20pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Rookie Browns receiver Antonio Callaway was cited for marijuana possession early Sunday morning, according to Tony Grossi of ESPN.com.

Callaway allegedly failed to yield to oncoming traffic near Strongsville, Ohio and was subsequently pulled over by police at 2:59am. Officers found “a small amount” of marijuana under Callway’s driver seat, which will only result in a minor misdemeanor thanks to Ohio law.

For his part, Callaway says he recently had his car shipped from Florida to Ohio and wasn’t aware there was marijuana in the vehicle, per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. Callaway is also facing a citation for a driving on a suspended license.

Although Callaway seems unlikely to face any serious legal consequences as the result of his citation, he could be subject to an NFL-imposed suspension, either during the upcoming season or in 2019. It’s worth noting that Callaway tested positive for marijuana at the scouting combine in April, and had previously been charged with felonies related to a credit card scam that resulted in his suspension from Florida’s football team.

The Browns traded up in the draft in order to select Callaway with the 105th overall pick, and he’d just been promoted into the club’s starting lineup following the trade of fellow wideout Corey Coleman. Cleveland can ill afford any more depletions to its wide receiver corps, as Josh Gordon is currently away from the team as he deals with off-field issues of his own.

Patriots Formally Release Jordan Matthews

August 7th, 2018 at 4:51pm CST by Zachary Links

Jordan Matthews is officially a free agent. The Patriots released the wide receiver from IR on Tuesday with an injury settlement, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. Once Matthews is back to full health, he’ll be free to seek a new team. 

The severity of Matthews’ latest setback is unclear, so no one knows exactly when he’ll be able to audition for teams. It could be a matter of weeks or months before Matthews is able to consider offers.

Matthews is no stranger to the injury bug. He was limited to just ten games with the Bills last year and looked like a shell of his former self in those contests. He finished out with just 25 catches for 282 yards and one score in those games.

Before that down year with Buffalo, however, Matthews averaged 75 receptions for 891 yards and six touchdowns per season for the Eagles from 2014-16. Statistically, his best year came in 2015 when he had 85 grabs for 997 yards and eight touchdowns.

If the former second-round pick can get healthy, he could be an impact addition for another club this year. In the meantime, he’ll be alright financially thanks to the partial payout he received from the Patriots.

Browns Interested In WR Brandon LaFell?

August 7th, 2018 at 4:28pm CST by Zachary Links

The Browns may have renewed interest in Brandon LaFell, Tony Grossi of ESPN.com (on Twitter) hears. The wide receiver was released by the Bengals last week, freeing him up to sign with any club. 

LaFell was the Bengals’ No. 2 WR for the last two years, but his production tailed off a bit last season. After compiling 64 catches for 862 yards and six touchdowns in 2016, LaFell had just 52 grabs for 548 yards and three scores in 2017. Then, this summer, he started “feeling the heat” from other wideouts in camp this summer, according to coach Marvin Lewis. With other options to consider, including speedy 2017 first-round pick John Ross, the Bengals no longer had any use for LaFell.

LaFell had a tremendous 2014 season with the Patriots as he set career highs with 74 receptions, 953 yards, and seven touchdowns. He added another two TDs in the postseason, including one in the Super Bowl.

Few are expecting LaFell to reprise that kind of production in 2018, but he could be an option for the Browns as they sort out Josh Gordon‘s situation. The Browns could also use some additional depth following the trade of former first-round pick Corey Coleman.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/7/18

August 7th, 2018 at 3:59pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor moves:

Carolina Panthers

Green Bay Packers

Kansas City Chiefs

  • Claimed off waivers: G Ethan Cooper
  • Waived with left squad designation: C Jack Allen

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Redskins

Patriots Work Out Bashaud Breeland

August 7th, 2018 at 2:59pm CST by Zachary Links

The Patriots are still considering additions to their secondary. With that in mind, they worked out free agent cornerback Bashaud Breeland on Tuesday (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com).

Breeland stands as one of the top defenders still on the market, and he’s garnered previous interest from the Jets, Raiders, Chiefs, Ravens, Browns and Colts. He thought he had a deal with the Panthers back in March, but his three-year deal was voided after he failed his physical. Now that he’s healthy, interest is picking up once again, though it seems unlikely that he’ll match the length of that would-be Carolina contract or the average annual value of $8MM.

To date, Breeland has spent his four-year career with the Redskins, missing only four regular season games during his tenure. The former fourth-rounder had another productive season in 2017, finishing with 50 tackles, 19 passes defended, and one pick-six. Last season, Pro Football Focus ranked Breeland as the No. 50 cornerback among 121 qualifiers, but teams appeared to view him as a borderline CB1 when free agency began.

The Patriots don’t necessarily need Breeland, but they would surely be happy to add him to the fold at the right price. For now, the Pats plan to draw from a cornerback group that includes Stephon Gilmore, Eric Rowe, Jason McCourty, second-round pick Duke Dawson, Jonathan Jones, and seventh-round pick Keion Crossen.

Cardinals Lose A.Q. Shipley For Season

August 7th, 2018 at 2:08pm CST by Zachary Links

Cardinals center A.Q. Shipley has a torn ACL, head coach Steve Wilks told reporters on Monday. The Cardinals placed Shipley on season-ending IR on Tuesday, allowing them to add another player in his stead. 

Shipley, 32, has been with the Cardinals since 2015 and has started in every game for them over the past two seasons. The injury may lead the team to push rookie interior lineman Mason Cole into the starting job, or consider roster hopefuls Evan Boehm or Josh Allen. Alternatively, they may explore the open market, but there aren’t a ton of established centers left out there.

Shipley re-signed with Arizona on a two-year, $3.5MM deal in March of last year, meaning that he will be a free agent in the spring of 2019. Advanced metrics are a bit tricky when it comes to centers, but for what it’s worth, he graded as the league’s No. 14 center in 2016 and placed 28th last year.

Ravens TE Darren Waller Reinstated

August 7th, 2018 at 1:46pm CST by Zachary Links

Ravens tight end Darren Waller has been reinstated after serving a yearlong suspension for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. In order to bring him back on the roster, the Ravens have waived/injured wide receiver Jaelon Acklin. 

Waller, 26 in September, served a four-game substance abuse ban in 2016, so his second violation of the substance abuse policy last year resulted in a one year suspension. The tight end was forced to sit out the entire year and lost out on $615K in salary.

In 2016, Waller had ten catches for 85 yards and two touchdowns. His offensive output was minimal, but he appeared on nearly half of Baltimore’s special teams snaps.

This year, he faced an uphill battle to make the roster. The Ravens drafted two tight ends in Hayden Hurst and Mark Andrews, meaning that Nick Boyle, Maxx Williams, and Vince Mayle are competing for one or maybe two spots. For what it’s worth, it appears that the Ravens will at least give Waller an opportunity to play catchup and make the final cut.

Seahawks’ Dion Jordan To Miss Time?

August 7th, 2018 at 1:02pm CST by Zachary Links

The Seahawks could be without defensive end Dion Jordan for the start of the season, head coach Pete Carroll told reporters on Tuesday (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Brady Henderson). On the plus side, Carroll said that wide receiver Doug Baldwin likely will be ready to go for the season opener against the Broncos in Denver. 

Jordan, who is projected to start opposite of Frank Clark on the defensive line, has been on the PUP list with a stress issue in his leg. The team is hoping to get the former No. 3 overall pick out on the field for Week 1, but it’s far from a certainty at this point.

“Doug for sure [will be playing in the season opener],” Carroll told reporters. “Dion, we won’t know until we get him back out. We know exactly what’s going on with Doug. He’s going to be able to make it back barring setbacks of some kind.”

Baldwin is expected to miss most or all of the preseason as he heals up from his knee injury, but that appears to be more of a precautionary move than anything. If he does miss regular season games for some reason, the Seahawks will have to lean more heavily on Tyler Lockett. A Baldwin absence could also improve the odds of veteran Brandon Marshall making the team. Other Seahawks pass-catchers include free agent acquisition Jaron Brown, 2017 third-round pick Amara Darboh, and Marcus Johnson.

An assortment of issues prevented Jordan from doing much with the Dolphins, but the Seahawks liked what they saw out of him in a small five-game sample last year. After he tallied four sacks in 2017, the Seahawks retained him on a one-year, $1.9MM deal this offseason.

Vikings Deny Interest In Richie Incognito

August 7th, 2018 at 12:03pm CST by Zachary Links

In a recent appearance on TMZ Sports, free agent offensive lineman Richie Incognito said that he has received interest from the Vikings and Seahawks. However, Vikings coach Mike Zimmer says his team has “no interest” in signing Incognito and any report indicating that the Vikings have reached out to him is “totally false,” (Twitter link via Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press). 

“I’m mulling all options right now,” Incognito told TMZ (video link). “I’ve had calls from Minnesota, Seattle, I really just don’t want to go to training camp, so we’ll see.”

It’s easy to believe Zimmer’s side of the story given Incognito’s bizarre offseason. Earlier this year, Florida police placed Incognito in a mental hospital after he hurled weights at a gym and told officers that the government is spying on him.

On the field, Incognito has been nothing short of stellar in recent years. The veteran has earned three consecutive Pro Bowl trips and, from a talent perspective, profiles as the best interior lineman on the open market today. But, between his antics in May and the Dolphins bullying scandal of 2013, it’s not clear whether he’ll be given another opportunity in the NFL.

Incognito, 35, appears interested in continuing his career, but also indicated to TMZ that he could pursue a career in politics.

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