HEADLINES

Month: November 2024

Browns Sign Malik McDowell

May 3rd, 2021 at 3:50pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Browns made an intriguing addition on Monday. Cleveland has signed defensive tackle Malik McDowell to a contract, the team announced.

McDowell was drafted 35th overall by the Seahawks in 2017, but has never played in an NFL game. A serious ATV accident that summer landed him on the NFI list for the whole season, and he was arrested a couple of times for DUI and disorderly conduct. The Seahawks waived him in July of 2018 with a non-football injury designation, and there were questions about whether he would ever be medically cleared to play football again.

He was arrested a couple of more times in 2019, and eventually sentenced to 11 months in prison. He worked out for the Dolphins in October of last year, and his representatives say he has been fully medically cleared. At the time of his imprisonment, McDowell said “I’m doing everything I need to do, seeing all the doctors I need to, working out…doing everything I can to get back to where I was, back to the NFL.”

Browns GM Andrew Berry issued a statement on the signing, which you can read courtesy of this tweet from Tony Grossi of ESPN. “We are certainly aware of Malik’s past, as we have done extensive work on him for the last two months. He is accountable for his actions and has had to live with the consequences for decisions earlier in his life,” Berry said.

“We believe Malik is in a good place, personally & medically. He has taken the necessary steps to get on a healthy path, & has learned from his experiences. Malik understands the expectations we have of him as he attempts to make our football team. He is committed to taking advantage of the support network in place to become the best version of himself—both on and off the field—and we will support him as he attempts to make his return to football.” 

McDowell obviously has a ton of theoretical potential, as he was considered a first-round talent back in the day. Although it’s been years since he played on a team, he’s still only 24. It’s a low-risk flyer for the Browns that could pay dividends down the line. They could use some defensive tackle depth after cutting Sheldon Richardson earlier this offseason.

Broncos Release Jeff Driskel

May 3rd, 2021 at 3:39pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

After adding Teddy Bridgewater in a trade, the Broncos are making some space in the quarterbacks room. Denver is releasing veteran backup Jeff Driskel, Mike Klis of Denver 9 News tweets. He made $2.5MM last year and was scheduled to make the same in 2021, which the Broncos had no reason to pay.

Denver will move forward with Bridgewater, Drew Lock, and Brett Rypien as their quarterbacks. Driskel was the top quarterback recruit in the country coming out of high school, but had a bumpy college career that ended at Louisiana Tech. The 49ers drafted him in the sixth-round in 2016, but he was waived at final cuts.

The Bengals claimed him off waivers, and he spent the next few seasons in Cincy. He ended up starting five games in 2018 in place of an injured Andy Dalton. He had six touchdowns and only two interceptions, but averaged just 5.7 yards per attempt. He latched on with the Lions in 2019, and started three games for them that year.

He was once again mediocre. He achieved journeyman status by signing with the Broncos last year, and played well in relief as he nearly led them to a come from behind victory against the Steelers. He started the following week, his lone start for Denver, and collapsed against the Buccaneers. He turned 28 last month.

Titans’ Rashad Weaver Charged With Assault

May 3rd, 2021 at 2:30pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Rashad Weaver‘s pro career isn’t getting off to the best start. The Titans rookie has been charged with simple assault, Emily Proud of WKRN Nashville tweets.

The incident apparently happened on April 18th with the report getting filed on April 30th, the day before Weaver was drafted in the fourth-round. Tennessee took the edge rusher from Pittsburgh 135th overall. According to proud, Weaver is accused of punching a woman in the head. While the report says an officer on the scene “observed no injury consistent with a punch to the head,” the report also says that “before leaving he (Weaver) stated to other officers on scene that he had no problem hitting a female if they needed it.”

The woman says she was later diagnosed with a concussion, and that she was pregnant at the time of the incident. Obviously, it’s a serious situation. Depending on how the investigation plays out, Weaver could very well be looking at a suspension before he ever suits up for an NFL game.

His attorney Dennis M. Blackwell issued a statement, which you can read in full courtesy of this tweet from Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. He calls the allegations “completely false and reckless,” and says that “without question and without hesitation, we deny Rashad punched anyone, especially a woman.”

Weaver missed the entire 2019 season with a torn ACL, then returned last year and had 7.5 sacks and 14 tackles for loss in nine games. The Titans had one of the worst pass-rushes in the league last year and Weaver was the only edge rusher they picked in the 2021 draft, but it’s unclear now if they’re going to be able to count on him this season.

Meanwhile, Tennessee issued a brief statement Monday afternoon, which you can read via this tweet from beat writer Paul Kuharsky. The Titans say they were only made aware of the incident this morning and that they’re “gathering details.”

Patriots Pick Up Isaiah Wynn’s Option

May 3rd, 2021 at 1:58pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

As we continue to inch closer to the deadline, another player just locked in a big payday for 2022. The Patriots are picking up the fifth-year option on Isaiah Wynn‘s contract, a source told Albert Breer of SI.com (Twitter link).

Wynn will now earn a guaranteed $10.413MM in 2022. Wynn is the 22nd player from the 2018 draft class to get his option picked up, Breer tweets. Interestingly, many assumed that fewer options would get picked up since they’re fully guaranteed for the first time under the new CBA, but that hasn’t been the case. Breer writes that 22 is the second-most that have been picked up since the option system went into place.

Wynn was the 23rd overall pick in that draft out of Georgia. He devastatingly tore an Achilles in his first preseason and missed his entire rookie campaign, and has also struggled with injuries the past two seasons. He’s never played in more than 10 games, but those health issues weren’t enough to scare Bill Belichick away.

Wynn has played well when on the field, starting all 18 games that he’s appeared in. He’s mostly played left tackle but has also played a bit of guard.

The injury issues are concerning, but $10.413MM isn’t all that much for a quality starting left tackle if he can stay healthy.

Vikings Decline Mike Hughes’ Option

May 3rd, 2021 at 1:31pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Fifth-year option decisions continue to trickle in, and we’ve got another decline to pass along. The Vikings have elected not to pick up the option on cornerback Mike Hughes‘ contract, a source told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link).

This one isn’t surprising and had more or less been the expectation, since Hughes would’ve been due a guaranteed $12.643MM in 2022 under it. Given his injury history, there’s no way the Vikings were going to pay that. The 30th overall pick of the 2018 draft tore an ACL a little over a month into his rookie season.

Then he missed a couple of games in 2019 with a neck injury. In 2020 more neck issues limited him to only four games before landing on injured reserve for the rest of the season. Through three pro campaigns he’s appeared in only 24 games, making seven starts.

In those games he’s recorded 80 tackles, three forced fumbles, 13 passes defended, and two interceptions. Hughes’ role was going to be uncertain this year anyway after the team added corners Patrick Peterson and Mackensie Alexander in free agency. The UCF product will now hit free agency after this season. He’ll turn 25 next February.

Bears To Release Charles Leno

May 3rd, 2021 at 12:35pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Bears are cutting a staple of their offensive line for nearly the past decade. Chicago will be releasing veteran left tackle Charles Leno, a source told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link).

No matter what Bears fans think of Leno, he far out-performed his draft status. A seventh-round pick back in 2014, he got his first start as a rookie and became the full-time starter at left tackle in 2015. He’s been durable, starting all 16 games in each of the past five seasons for Chicago.

In a follow-up tweet Rapoport describes the cut as a purely financial decision, one which will save the Bears $9MM in cap space when they make it a post-June 1 release. Leno certainly never was a star and caught a lot of flak the past couple yeas in Chicago, but he did make the Pro Bowl in 2018.

The Bears traded up to draft Oklahoma State’s Tevin Jenkins in the second-round this weekend, and Rapoport says they plan to plug him into the left side of the offensive line immediately. The 39th overall pick will be tasked with protecting the blindsides of Justin Fields and/or Andy Dalton as a rookie.

Leno had signed a four-year, $38MM extension with the Bears in 2017. He’ll now hit free agency at 29 and could become an intriguing option for teams like the Colts, who mostly decided to punt on offensive tackle during the draft. Indy currently only has Sam Tevi set to replace Anthony Castonzo, and Colts owner Jim Irsay recently hinted they could explore other veteran options.

Cowboys Decline Leighton Vander Esch’s Option

May 3rd, 2021 at 12:12pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Another big name player is getting his option turned down. The Cowboys have informed Leighton Vander Esch‘s agent that they won’t be picking up the fifth-year option on the linebacker, Jane Slater of NFL Network tweets.

That means Vander Esch is now set to be a free agent after this season. What it doesn’t mean however is that the Cowboys no longer view the Boise State product in their future plans. Instead, Slater writes that the decision was “due to ongoing salary-cap uncertainty” and that the Cowboys “instead hope to sign Leighton to a contract extension before his current deal expires.”

Picking up the option would’ve fully guaranteed LVE $9.145MM for 2022, a steep price considering he’s missed 13 games due to injury the past two seasons. Dallas drafting Micah Parsons in the first-round this past week provided the writing on the wall for this decision, even if the team insists they still want to keep Vander Esch around.

Vander Esch was the 19th overall pick of the 2018 draft. He made the Pro Bowl and was a second-team All-Pro as a rookie, but his last two seasons have been disappointing.

As a rookie, he had 140 tackles, seven passes defended, and two interceptions. In 2020 he had only 60 tackles, a sack, a forced fumble, and no passes defended in 10 games. He only turned 25 in February, and will have the chance to secure an even bigger payday if he can have a strong 2021 campaign.

Falcons Pick Up Calvin Ridley’s Option

May 3rd, 2021 at 10:50am CST by Zachary Links

The Falcons have exercised Calvin Ridley’s fifth-year option for the 2022 season, per a club announcement. The wide receiver is now set to earn $11.116MM in his additional year. 

Atlanta said no to Hayden Hurst‘s 2022 option, but Ridley was an easy choice. Last year, Ridley set new career watermarks with 90 grabs for 1,374 yards. The former No. 26 overall pick also found pay dirt nine times. In an otherwise trying year for the Falcons, Ridley was a bright spot. All in all, he’s got 217 catches, 3,061 yards, and 26 touchdowns to his credit.

Now, Ridley could be in line for an even larger role, depending on what the Falcons do with longtime star Julio Jones. As they work their way through a tough cap situation, new GM Terry Fontenot says that he’ll “have to listen” to trade inquiries.

Steelers Decline Terrell Edmunds’ Option

May 3rd, 2021 at 10:43am CST by Zachary Links

On Monday morning, the Bills picked up Tremaine Edmunds‘ fifth-year option. However, the Steelers won’t do the same for his older bro. Pittsburgh has declined the fifth-year option for safety Terrell Edmunds (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). 

Edmunds’ fifth-year would have cost a fully-guaranteed $6.753MM. Apparently, that was too steep for the Steelers, even though Edmunds has been improving with each year. All in all, he’s suited up in 47 games for the Steelers with 43 starts. Last year, he finished with two interceptions, eight passes defensed, and one sack.

Edmunds is now the third Steeler to have his extra year turned down, following older first-rounders Jarvis Jones and Artie Burns. Meanwhile, they’ve already exercised Minkah Fitzpatrick’s option, locking him in for $10.6MM in 2022.

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