2019 August - Pro Football Rumors

Jets Auditioning K Blair Walsh

August 10th, 2019 at 11:04am CST by Ben Levine

Chandler Catanzaro‘s hold on the Jets kicking gig is on shaky ground. Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News writes that the team will be auditioning a number of kickers today, including former All-Pro Blair Walsh. Chris Blewitt will also work out for the team.

Walsh broke onto the scene as a rookie with the Vikings in 2012, setting an NFL single-season record with 10 field goals made from at least 50 yards. However, the kicker had shaky seasons in 2014 and 2016, leading to his release from Minnesota. He caught on with Seattle during the 2017 season, connecting on 21 of his 29 field goal attempts. He also missed a crucial field goal during that season’s wild card round, and he subsequently sat out the 2018 campaign.

After playing for the Jets in 2017, Catanzaro signed with the team again this past March. The veteran had an inconsistent 2018 campaign that was split between the Panthers and Buccaneers, and Mehta writes that Catanzaro had been shaky throughout camp. He struggled a bit during the Jets’ preseason opener, missing a pair of extra points. That caught the eye of head coach Adam Gase, who talked about the possibility of adding competition.

“I don’t think there’s ever a downside to creating competition,” Gase said. “Where we’re at right now going through the spring, there’s been some really good moments where there’s been some consistency there. We just need to kind of get back to our rhythm with the snapper, holder, kicker.”

Cardinals DL Darius Philon Arrested

August 10th, 2019 at 9:40am CST by Ben Levine

Cardinals defensive lineman Darius Philon was arrested for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon stemming from an incident in May, according to a report on TMZ.com (and passed along by Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com). The 25-year-old was taken to Maricopa County Jail this morning.

Philon allegedly pointed a gun and threatened to shoot a woman outside of a strip club on May 17th. The police report says the player pointed the gun at the victim, who was with another female, twice before she returned to the club, asking at one point “which one of you wants a bullet?” Philon drove away following the incident.

After playing four years for the Chargers organization, Philon joined the Cardinals on a two-year, $10MM ($5MM guaranteed). The defensive lineman has appeared in 54 career games (19 starts) with 80 tackles, 9.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles.

Lions Sign QB Josh Johnson

August 10th, 2019 at 9:17am CST by Ben Levine

The Lions worked out a pair of quarterbacks this morning, and they’ll be adding one to the roster. Detroit has signed veteran Josh Johnson, reports NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo (via Twitter).

The Lions’ current backup Tom Savage left Thursday’s preseason game after his head hit the turf, necessitating this move. Savage has a history of concussion issues, so there’s a chance he’ll be sidelined for a while. While the Lions are rostering David Fales, the team wanted another healthy quarterback to play behind Matthew Stafford. We learned yesterday that the Lions were auditioning both Johnson and Landry Jones.

The 33-year-old Johnson has spent time with 12 different NFL teams during his career. He made an appearance late last season with the Redskins, appearing in four games with three starts. He completed 52 of his 91 pass attempts for 590 yards, three touchdowns, and four interceptions. He also ran for 120 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries.

Johnson recently turned down a contract from the Ravens as he apparently felt he wasn’t going to be anything more than a short-term camp arm. It sounds like the situation is different in Detroit, where Johnson could stick around for the regular season.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/9/19

August 9th, 2019 at 9:29pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Today’s minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Signed: LB Chase Middleton
Waived: DB Hamp Cheevers

Cleveland Browns

Signed: DT Brandin Bryant, OT Travis Vornkahl

Denver Broncos

Signed: OT Adam Bisnowaty
Placed on IR: TE Austin Fort

Detroit Lions

Signed: TE Brandon Barnes
Waived: CB Isaiah Langley

Houston Texans

Waived/injured: DE Ira Lewis

Jacksonville Jaguars

Signed: WR Quadree Henderson, LB Davis Tull
Waived/injured: WR Marcus Simms (concussion)

Raiders Expect Antonio Brown To Report Back Soon

August 9th, 2019 at 8:45pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Fortunately Antonio Brown hasn’t filed his retirement papers yet. The Raiders’ star receiver threatened to hang up his cleats over a dispute about what helmet he’ll wear this season, but things appear to be deescalating.

Brown “is expected to rejoin the club at its training camp headquarters in the near future,” a team official told Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Brown has been staying away from the team’s practices the past couple weeks. His absences were originally thought to be due to his frostbitten feet, but it was revealed today it’s actually about the helmet.

Gehlken reports that a ruling from the arbitrator is expected sometime next week on whether or not Brown can wear his current helmet. All equipment must be approved by the National Operating Committee for Standards and Athletic Equipment, and they apparently refuse to test Brown’s model because it is more than ten years old. Brown’s wasn’t among the helmets that were banned this offseason, his just wasn’t even included in the NOCSAE’s study because it was more than a decade old. Since that model wasn’t specifically banned for not being safe, his appeal could have some hope.

Gehklen notes that the team next practices on Monday, and whether or not he’s present will go a long way in determining what kind of story this is going to be moving forward. Of course this is Brown we’re talking about, so while things seem to be heading in the right direction for now, that can change at any moment. We’ll keep you updated as we hear more.

Lions To Workout QBs Josh Johnson, Landry Jones

August 9th, 2019 at 8:15pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Lions are looking for quarterback depth behind Matthew Stafford. The team is bringing in veterans Josh Johnson and Landry Jones for workouts, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network (Twitter link).

As Garafolo points out, current backup Tom Savage left yesterday’s preseason game after his head hit the turf, necessitating this move. Savage has a history of concussion issues, so it’s possible he’ll be sidelined for a while. Former Bears and Dolphins third-stringer David Fales is currently the only healthy quarterback on the roster behind Stafford.

Johnson is a legendary journeyman, already having spent time with 12 different NFL teams in his long and winding career. The 33-year-old turned into one of the best stories of the 2018 NFL season when he was signed off the street by the Redskins late in the season and suddenly thrust into the starting role. He played about as well as could’ve been expected, but has remained unsigned this offseason.

Johnson recently turned down a contract from the Ravens as he apparently felt he wasn’t going to be anything more than a short-term camp arm. Jones, a 2013 fourth-round pick of the Steelers, notably spent a few seasons as Ben Roethlisberger‘s backup. He was always somewhat competent when forced into action, but Pittsburgh eventually decided they wanted to upgrade, cutting him on the eve of the 2018 season. He briefly latched on with the Jaguars but spent most of the year out of the league. He spent a couple of months with the Raiders earlier this offseason before getting released.

Titans Workout DE Ryan Delaire

August 9th, 2019 at 7:12pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Titans are sniffing around the free agent pass-rushing market. The team brought in edge rusher Ryan Delaire for a workout, a source told Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link).

Delaire originally signed with the Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent back in 2015. After a brief stint on the Redskins’ practice squad, he was signed to the Panthers’ active roster. He appeared in nine games for Carolina as a rookie, racking up 2.5 sacks in a reserve role. The Panthers thought highly enough of him to make him one of their players activated from injured reserve in 2016, and he played in six games before going down with another injury.

He couldn’t get completely healthy, and was waived with a failed physical designation in 2017. After sitting out the entire 2017 season, he signed with the Colts last year. He was quickly cut and signed to the 49ers’ practice squad. He was briefly called up to the active roster and appeared in two games for San Francisco, failing to record any statistics. If Tennessee signs him it’ll just be as depth.

Eagles Trade OT Ryan Bates To Bills For DE Eli Harold

August 9th, 2019 at 5:27pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

We’ve got a minor trade on our hands. The Eagles are sending offensive tackle Ryan Bates to the Bills for defensive end Eli Harold, the team announced on Twitter.

Bates is a rookie undrafted free agent who grew up in Philly and played his college ball at Penn State. Unfortunately, he won’t be making a regular season homecoming. It’s rare for rookie undrafted free agents to get traded, but the Bills apparently see something they like in Bates. Heading into last season, many analysts saw him as a draftable player.

The Eagles have a pretty deep group of tackles, so Bates was unlikely to make the team anyway. In return for letting him go, the Eagles will now get to take a look at some possible pass-rushing depth. Harold was originally drafted in the third round by the 49ers back in 2015, and was traded to the Lions just before the start of last season.

After spending last year in Detroit, he signed a one-year pact with Buffalo earlier this offseason. He started 24 games for the 49ers between 2016 and 2017, and he had four sacks in a rotational role with the Lions last year. All told, he has nine career sacks in 61 games and 25 starts. It’s unlikely he’ll make too big of an impact for Philly, and he’ll be battling for a roster spot these next few weeks.

Broncos FB Andy Janovich Out 6-8 Weeks

August 9th, 2019 at 4:41pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Bad news for the Broncos, as it turns out they suffered a second significant injury in their preseason game last night. Starting fullback Andy Janovich has a pec injury that will sideline him six-to-eight weeks, sources told Mike Klis of Denver 9 News.

We had heard earlier this morning that rookie tight end Austin Fort tore his ACL and would miss the entire year. Even though Janovich will miss some regular season time, the Broncos are breathing a sigh of relief. According to Klis, the team initially thought Janovich was going to be done for the season, and the team says news of the pec strain is “better than we expected.”

The only other fullback on the roster is George Aston, an undrafted rookie from Pittsburgh, and Klis seems to think the team will do something to address the position before Janovich gets back. Janovich has become a fan favorite in Denver the past few seasons, and he’s been playing a big role. Last season he played just over 22 percent of the offensive snaps, and over 61 percent of the special teams snaps.

As for Fort, Klis writes that he “had been among the Broncos’ most pleasant offseason surprises,” so it’s an especially tough blow. The Broncos played in the Hall of Fame Game last week and also suffered two serious injuries, as defensive lineman Billy Winn was lost with a season ending triceps injury and special teams standout linebacker Joe Jones will miss six-to-eight weeks with a triceps injury of his own.

Raiders’ Antonio Brown Threatens To Retire

August 9th, 2019 at 3:29pm CST by Zachary Links

The Antonio Brown saga has reached new heights. On Friday, Brown informed Raiders officials that he will not play football again, unless he is permitted to wear his old helmet again (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter).

Brown filed a grievance against the league this week in order to get permission to wear his preferred headgear. The wide receiver, who recently suffered a foot injury while receiving cryotherapy treatment, has been staying away from team practices after being barred from wearing the helmet that he has used throughout his career.

Other players – such as Packers star Aaron Rodgers – have complied with the league’s mandate to wear an updated helmet that has been cleared for safety. However, Brown is bucking the system.

Brown, one of the most talented wide receivers in the game, was an absolute headache for the Steelers in 2018. After clashing with head coach Mike Tomlin and other key figures throughout the year, the Steelers shipped him to the Raiders in March for a pair of mid-round draft picks. In an effort to keep the mercurial star happy, the Raiders also gave Brown a new deal worth $50.125MM over the next three seasons with $30.125MM in guarantees.

Brown finished last season with 104 receptions for 1,297 yards and 15 touchdowns. The campaign marked his sixth straight season with at least 1,200 receiving yards and 100 receptions.

This year, the Raiders were hoping for seven in a row. Now, they’re just hoping he’ll play.