2019 September - Pro Football Rumors

Browns Promote LB Willie Harvey Jr.

September 21st, 2019 at 9:57am CST by Ben Levine

Willie Harvey Jr. has been promoted to the NFL. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the Browns have elevated the rookie linebacker from the practice squad.

The 23-year-old had a standout career at Iowa State, and some pundits projected the linebacker to be a late-round pick. However, Harvey Jr. ended up going undrafted in the 2019 draft, and he subsequently caught on with Cleveland.

The 230-pound defender had a solid preseason for the Browns, compiling 10 tackles and one pass defended, but he was waived by the team in late August. He quickly caught on with Cleveland’s practice squad.

Browns starting linebacker Christian Kirksey is seeking opinions on a torn bicep, and he’s already been ruled out for this weekend’s game against the Rams. While one of Malik Jefferson, Sione Takitaki, or Mack Wilson will likely get the first crack at the starting gig, Harvey Jr. could find himself making his NFL debut tomorrow night.

Raiders Worked Out WR Brice Butler

September 21st, 2019 at 9:20am CST by Ben Levine

Brice Butler is eyeing his next NFL gig. The free agent wideout told Jane Slater of the NFL Network that he worked out for the Raiders yesterday (Twitter link). The 29-year-old added that he’d love to return to the organization, and he’d be interested in playing alongside quarterback Derek Carr.

The Raiders selected Butler in the seventh round of the 2013 draft, and the receiver proceeded to spend his first two-plus seasons in Oakland. One of his best seasons came with the Raiders in 2014, when Butler finished with a career-high 21 receptions. The veteran later moved on to Dallas, where he spent several years as a depth piece. He actually had his best season with the Cowboys in 2017, when he hauled in 15 receptions for 317 yards and three scores.

The San Diego State product signed a two-year deal with the Cardinals during the 2018 offseason, but he was released by the team before seeing the field. He re-signed with the Cowboys but was released after a pair of appearances, and he appeared in six games for the Dolphins down the stretch. Butler was cut by Miami at the end of this past preseason.

Tyrell Williams, Ryan Grant. and JJ Nelson currently lead the Raiders depth chart, but Butler could push Hunter Renfrow, Keelan Doss, and Dwayne Harris for playing time.

NFL Won’t Stop Antonio Brown From Playing

September 20th, 2019 at 8:38pm CST by Zachary Links

The NFL won’t place embattled Antonio Brown on the Commissioner’s exempt list. At least, not while he’s a free agent. The NFL released the following statement regarding Brown on Friday night:

“Antonio Brown was released today by the New England Patriots and is currently an unrestricted free agent. Our office is presently investigating multiple allegations, some of which are the subject of pending litigation. We have as yet made no findings regarding these issues. The investigation is ongoing and will be pursued vigorously and expeditiously.

As long as Mr. Brown is a free agent, placement on the Commissioner’s exempt list is not appropriate. If he is signed by a club, such placement may become appropriate at any time depending on the status of the investigation. Upon the conclusion of the investigation, he may also be subject to discipline if the investigation finds that he has violated the law or league policies.”

At this moment, it’s hard to see Brown landing another deal in 2019. But, for what it’s worth, agent Drew Rosenhaus seems to think his client isn’t far off from playing again.

“It’s unfortunate things didn’t work out with the Patriots,” Rosenhaus said in a statement. “But Antonio is healthy and is looking forward to his next opportunity in the NFL. He wants to play the game he loves and he hopes to play for another team soon.”

Vikings Work Out Jordan Matthews

September 20th, 2019 at 6:55pm CST by Sam Robinson

After falling short of making the 49ers’ 53-man roster, Jordan Matthews is attempting to catch on elsewhere. The veteran wideout auditioned for two NFC teams this week, with the Vikings giving him a look Friday after a Tuesday Saints tryout, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.

The Vikings, who recently placed Josh Doctson on IR, also worked out receivers Deontay Burnett and Tanner Gentry, per ESPN.com’s Courtney Cronin (on Twitter).

Only four receivers reside on Minnesota’s active roster. The two backups are currently Chad Beebe and seventh-round rookie Olabisi Johnson. It would be logical for the Vikes to make a move at receiver before the Saturday afternoon transaction deadline.

Matthews, who topped 800 yards in each of his first three seasons, has not been able to replicate the production of his first Eagles stay. He failed to surpass 300 yards during his Bills season in 2017 and finished with exactly 300 in 14 Eagles games last season. Were Matthews to find a gig this season, it would only be his age-27 campaign.

Brown Fallout: Patriots, Contract, Seahawks

September 20th, 2019 at 6:04pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Patriots have released Antonio Brown, making them the third team to move on from the all-time receiver great in the past seven months. Here is the latest Brown fallout:

Brown practiced with the Patriots earlier Friday, but some in the organization viewed the text messages Brown is believed to have sent to the artist who accused him of sexual misconduct to have crossed a line, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports (video link). Bill Belichick said earlier today the team was “looking into” some Brown-related matters. Brown having sent those messages after becoming a member of the Patriots changed the scope of this situation for the franchise, per Reiss.
The Patriots are unlikely to have to pay Brown much money, per ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler. A representation warranty clause in Brown’s contract, which Fowler notes puts the short-term Patriot at risk of losing more guaranteed money because of not disclosing “any situations that may prevent continued availability” prior to signing with New England, stands to give the franchise cover here. Brown’s Patriots guarantees were believed to be in jeopardy after the first allegation surfaced. Instead of paying millions in guarantees, Fowler writes the Patriots are likely only to have to pay Brown his base salaries for Weeks 2 and Week 3. An NFLPA grievance could still emerge, however. Brown’s bonus payments were due in two parts — $5MM Monday and the other $4MM on Jan. 15.
After the text messages became public, the NFL ordered Brown not to have any further interactions with the unidentified artist, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports. “The NFL has assured us that regardless of Antonio Brown’s roster status, it will continue to investigate all claims regarding his behavior,” the artist’s attorney, Kendra Barkoff said in a statement. The investigation into Britney Taylor’s allegations of multiple Brown sexual assaults is ongoing, with the NFL set to conduct more interviews. Taylor met with the league for 10 hours on Tuesday.
One of the teams connected to Brown after the Raiders released him will not look into signing him now. The Seahawks are content with their wide receiver situation, Pete Carroll said (via ESPN.com’s Brady Henderson, on Twitter).

Falcons To Promote P Matt Wile

September 20th, 2019 at 5:27pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Falcons will have a new punter in Week 3. Shortly after signing Matt Wile to their practice squad, the Falcons will elevate him to their active roster.

With Matt Bosher declared out with a groin injury, Atlanta’s roster will carry two punters for the time being. Wile is set to handle the team’s punting and kickoff duties in Indianapolis and may be in line to stay in those roles for as long as Bosher is sidelined.

This will mark Wile’s second game as a Falcon, however. His first NFL game was a November 2016 assignment with the Falcons, when he also replaced Bosher. The latter has been Atlanta’s full-time punter since the 2011 season.

The Vikings waived Wile days before the regular season, opting to sign veteran Britton Colquitt. Wile was Minnesota’s punter for 16 games last season; he finished 14th in 2018 yards per punt (45.2).

49ers Sign Sam Young

September 20th, 2019 at 4:57pm CST by Zachary Links

The 49ers signed tackle Sam Young to a one-year deal, per a club announcement. In a corresponding move, they have placed wide receiver Trent Taylor on injured reserve.

Young, 32, worked out for SF earlier this week. Prior to that, he also showed his stuff for his old squad, the Dolphins. The Niners, arguably, didn’t need to see Young audition this time around after having him in camp this summer. But, after checking his back, knees, tonsils, mobility, and whatever else, they’re happily welcoming him back.

Taylor, a fifth-round selection from Louisiana Tech in 2017, flashed potential as a rookie by logging 43 receptions for 430 yards. The Niners were hoping that he could make a return this season following August foot surgery, but that might not be in the cards at this point. At minimum, the Niners won’t be seeing him for another two months.

Agent: Antonio Brown “Hopes To Play For Another Team Soon”

September 20th, 2019 at 4:52pm CST by Zachary Links

Will Antonio Brown find another NFL deal soon after his Friday release from the Patriots? Agent Drew Rosenhaus seems to think so.

“It’s unfortunate things didn’t work out with the Patriots,” agent Drew Rosenhaus said in a statement. “But Antonio is healthy and is looking forward to his next opportunity in the NFL. He wants to play the game he loves and he hopes to play for another team soon.”

For those of you just tuning in – Brown was cut by the Patriots following a new round of allegations from an artist who is accusing him of sexual assault (not to be confused with Brittany Taylor, the first known AB accuser). The artist – who is choosing to remain anonymous – says that Brown sent her intimidating text messages this week.

In turn, her lawyer shared screenshots of the text with reporters covering the NFL and the league office. The Patriots, less than 24 hours later, cut ties with the embattled wide receiver.

From a pure talent standpoint, the league’s 31 other teams would theoretically be interested in Brown now that he is a free agent. For obvious reasons, the Steelers and Raiders will not be suitors for him – that leaves 29. Now that Brown has been accused of four separate incidents of sexual assault by two different women, and made an apparent effort to dig up dirt on one of them, that number could very well be down to zero.

Browns Place TE David Njoku On IR

September 20th, 2019 at 4:39pm CST by Zachary Links

The Browns have placed tight end David Njoku on injured reserve, according to a team announcement. Njoku suffered a broken wrist in Monday night’s win over the Jets and doctors have determined that he will need a good amount of time to recover.

Because Njoku will not have surgery, the possibility remains that he will be able to return later on this season. Per league rules, the tight end will be forced to miss a minimum of eight weeks.

In his two games this season, Njoku registered four receptions for 37 yards and one touchdown. In 2018, he had 639 receiving yards and four touchdowns on the year. Many were anticipating another step forward in ’19, but the Browns will have to wait at least another two months before getting another look at him.

Without Njoku, the Browns will turn to Demetrius Harris, Ricky Seals-Jones, and Pharaoh Brown to fill in for the 23-year-old. It’s also likely that Baker Mayfield will look more in the direction of wide receiver Jarvis Landry now that there is one less mouth to be fed.

To take his place on the roster, the Browns have claimed defensive back Juston Burris off waivers from the Raiders. In 38 career games, Burris has 29 tackles, two picks, and seven passes defensed to his credit.

Patriots Release Antonio Brown

September 20th, 2019 at 3:24pm CST by Zachary Links

The Patriots have released Antonio Brown after just one game with the club. His release comes on the heels of a second round of allegations from his second accuser, who says that he sent her intimidating text messages.

“The New England Patriots are releasing Antonio Brown. We appreciate the hard work of many people over the past 11 days, but we feel that it is best to move in a different direction at this time,” the team said in a statement.

New England is set to pay him $5MM of his $9MM signing bonus on Monday. The entire signing bonus is guaranteed, meaning that the Patriots and Brown are likely scheduled to rumble over whether the wide receiver will collect on it.

Cash aside, it’s unlikely that Brown will find another NFL home anytime soon. Then again, we’ve seen crazier things happen in the league.

While Brown faces civil suits from both of his accusers, he does not currently face any criminal charges. Recently, the Allegheny County District Attorney announced that he would not pursue charges against Brown for two 2017 events alleged by Brittney Taylor. It’s still possible that criminal charges arise from his alleged 2018 dalliance with Taylor, or from his interactions with the second anonymous accuser, known simply to be an “artist.”

Brown’s total stay in New England lasted just eleven days. He was the 72nd player in NFL history to catch a touchdown pass from Tom Brady and that could go down as his only on-field moment of note for the Patriots.