Month: September 2024

Latest on Antonio Brown, 1/5/22

It’s only been three days since Buccaneers’ wide receiver Antonio Brown walked off the field mid-game to much animosity, but the numerous updates have been nearly as dramatic as his exit. 

By now, I certainly don’t need to recap the origin of this conversation, but, in case you’ve been living under a rock, you can read about how Brown left the field mid-game due to a disagreement over playing with a lingering ankle injury and how head coach Bruce Arians made his stance clear that he wanted Brown off the team, but, up to this point in time, Tampa Bay has not released him in order to keep him from joining an opposing team.

In case this soap opera was not entertaining enough, the NFL washed their hands of the matter today, according to a tweet from Tampa Bay Times reporter Rick Stroud, claiming that Brown is not subject to the league’s personal conduct policy.

In the same day, Brown appeared on the team’s injury report with the designation “Not Injury Related – Personal,” while Arians said Brown’s roster status is a management decision, making it clear that Brown is not part of the team going forward.

If this is too much drama for you, I’ve got bad news. Later in the day, Brown’s attorney, Sean Burstyn, posted a Twitter thread wherein he, on behalf of his client, accused Tampa Bay of the fairly serious acts of ordering his client to play with a known and documented injury and then attempting to cover up their malfeasances by asking Brown to take the blame off of them and to put it on mental illness. He calls out the team for disowning his client while still retaining his client’s rights and promises a future statement from Brown, which came about an hour later.

Adam Schefter, of ESPN, tweeted out the typed-up statement that details the entire confrontation, as well as its precursors and after-effects, from Brown’s point-of-view. Brown pulls no punches in the statement, doubling down on his lawyer’s accusations and painting a portrait of a domineering organization that has no regard for his physical or mental health.

There’s sure to be a rebuttal from Tampa Bay, but, usually in media, the loudest voice is the most recent. And just like he says his “business” will be next season when he’s healthy, right now, Brown’s voice is “BOOMIN!”

Washington Extends Charles Leno

Charles Leno has certainly bounced back since the Bears released him in May, as he’s agreed to a new three-year deal with the Football Team worth $37.5MM, according to tweets from NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport.

Leno was a seventh-round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft for the Bears and signed a four-year, $38MM extension in 2017. Leno was named an alternate for the 2019 Pro Bowl, but was released just two years later this past May.

After being released, the eight-year veteran signed a one-year deal with Washington worth $4MM. The prove-it contract was a worthwhile gamble as Leno’s new deal is his biggest yet in terms of annual value. Washington benefitted from the gamble, as well, as Leno earned the 3rd best pass blocking grade among all tackles in the league thus far this season, according to Pro Football Focus.

Whether Washington plans to stick with Taylor Heinicke or Ryan Fitzpatrick at quarterback next year or if they choose to draft a young star from the 2021 NFL Draft crop, the Football Team has locked down their blindside tackle for the next three years.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 1/5/22

Today’s taxi squad moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Rams

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Football Team

Minor NFL Transactions: 1/5/22

Here are Wednesday’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears 

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Cowboys Place Micah Parsons On Reserve/COVID-19 List

Micah Parsons landed on the Cowboys’ reserve/COVID-19 list Wednesday due to a positive test. With this news coming four days before the Cowboys’ recently rescheduled Week 18 matchup, Parsons’ regular season is likely over.

The NFL slid the Cowboys’ regular-season-ending Eagles matchup to Saturday. Even with the NFL’s revised protocols, Parsons will likely not be in uniform again until his team’s playoff opener. Week 18 stands to be Parsons’ first absence this season.

While the Cowboys’ Week 17 loss prevented them from vying for the NFC’s No. 1 seed, the NFC East champions could still obtain the conference’s Nos. 2 or 3 seeds. However, they would need to win and see the Rams and Buccaneers lose to move up. A win and a Rams loss to the 49ers would vault the Cowboys to the No. 3 slot. The Bucs are less likely to drop, having opened as 9.5-point home favorites against the Panthers.

As for Parsons, he has likely sewn up the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year honor. The Penn State product has been a revelation for the Cowboys, registering 13 sacks and an NFL-leading 20 tackles for loss while playing both linebacker and defensive end. No rookie has won Defensive Player of the Year acclaim since Lawrence Taylor in 1981. Oddsmakers peg sack leader T.J. Watt as the favorite for that award. Parsons, who has helped the Cowboys vault from 28th to seventh in scoring defense from 2020 to this season, has the second-best odds for the award.

The Cowboys will have a bit more help at linebacker in Philadelphia. They activated Keanu Neal from their virus list Wednesday. Neal missed Week 17 due to COVID-19.

Cincinnati CB Ahmad Gardner To Enter Draft

One of the top draft-eligible cornerbacks will indeed make himself available for teams in April. Cincinnati’s Ahmad Gardner intends to forgo his senior season and enter the draft (Instagram link).

Essential to the Bearcats’ trailblazing a Group of Five path into the College Football Playoff, Gardner sits as a top-15 draft prospect in the view of ESPN.com’s Todd McShay. The 6-foot-2 cover man exited his junior season as this draft’s No. 2 corner prospect, behind only LSU’s Derek Stingley Jr.

Gardner claimed the American Athletic Conference’s Defensive Player of the Year award, en route to All-American acclaim. He recorded three interceptions and three sacks in his third season with the Bearcats. Gardner, who intercepted three passes in both his freshman and sophomore seasons, did not allow more than 60 receiving yards in while in coverage in any game during his final two Cincy slates. He did not allow a touchdown as a junior.

Although Cincinnati could not keep pace with Alabama in the CFP semifinals, the program became the first Group of Five team to advance to college football’s final four. Bearcats quarterback Desmond Ridder could join Gardner in the first round. McShay has Ridder going in the top 20 in his initial 2022 mock draft. Either player landing in Round 1 would be significant for Cincinnati. While the school has sent the likes of Travis Kelce, Jason Kelce and Derek Wolfe to the pros, it has not seen one of its cogs chosen in the first round since defensive lineman Bob Bell in 1971.

Raiders Cut LB Will Compton

Will Compton‘s latest Raiders stint ended with a Wednesday departure. The Raiders cut the veteran linebacker, moving on after his second tenure with the team lasted nearly a month.

Las Vegas brought in Compton, a former starter for the 2019 Oakland Raiders, last month amid sudden depth issues on its defensive second level. Compton ended up playing in one game — Week 14 against the Chiefs — with the team.

A multiyear starter with Washington in the mid-2010s, Compton has now seen NFL action in nine seasons. He has yo-yo’d between the Titans and Raiders over the past four. With Tennessee in 2020, Compton played in 12 games and started one. The 32-year-old defender caught on with the Raiders on Dec. 7.

The Raiders also waived Justin March-Lillard, a linebacker who has been with three teams this year. Although March-Lillard started five games as a rookie with the Chiefs in 2016, he has been a career special-teamer. March-Lillard did not see any game action with the Raiders but was with two teams in December, playing in one game apiece with the 49ers (Week 13) and Saints (Week 16).

Darren Waller Returns To Practice

The Raiders have been without their top target since Thanksgiving. A leg injury and a positive COVID-19 test kept Darren Waller out of practice over the past five weeks, but the team received some positive news ahead of its likely do-or-die game in Week 18.

Waller was back at practice Wednesday. The Pro Bowl tight end worked out in a limited capacity, but this nevertheless represents progress. Despite Waller having not played since Week 12, the Raiders did not place him on IR. They opted to play it week-to-week, but this injury has taken some time to heal.

Expected to miss a slightly shorter period of time due to an IT band strain, Waller experienced upper-leg pain that slowed his return. The Raiders have gotten by with Foster Moreau at the tight end spot and have won their past three games to set up what will likely be a win-and-in game against the Chargers. Still, their offense certainly is not the same without Waller. Las Vegas has topped out at 23 points — against Indianapolis in Week 17 — in its five games with its two-time 1,000-yard target sidelined.

His extended absence notwithstanding, Waller remains second among Raiders with 53 catches for 643 yards this season. Hunter Renfrow has made a leap in his third year, topping 1,000 yards for the first time, but Henry Ruggs‘ departure is still affecting the Las Vegas offense. DeSean Jackson has eclipsed 50 yards in just one game since signing with the team in early November.

Broncos Place Teddy Bridgewater On IR

Teddy Bridgewater‘s season is over. On Wednesday, the Broncos announced that the quarterback has been placed on the injured reserve list, ruling him out for this week’s finale against the Chiefs. 

Bridgewater is still recovering from the concussion that sidelined — and hospitalized — him a few weeks ago. Without him, the Broncos will once again turn to Drew Lock, the third-year passer who has has come up short in starts against the Raiders and Chargers.

The Broncos fell out of playoff contention without Bridgewater, a steady veteran force who has thrown for 18 touchdowns against seven interceptions this year. Bridgewater’s first Denver season will end with 3,052 passing yards and a 66.9% completion rate, plus 30 carries for 106 yards and two rushing TDs.

This upcoming game might not mean much for the Broncos in the long-term, but it could be a deciding factor in Lock’s future.

The strong-armed Mizzou product has shown flashes at times, but he also led the NFL with 15 interceptions in 2020 — quite the feat, considering he also missed three games. One year remains on the ex-second-rounder’s contract and it’s hard to imagine him returning if he doesn’t deliver this weekend.

Bridgewater, meanwhile, agreed to truncate the three-year, $63MM deal he initially signed with the Panthers. Under the terms of his revised pact, he is now scheduled for free agency in March.

Titans Designate Derrick Henry For Return

It’s official. On Wednesday, the Titans announced that they have designated running back Derrick Henry for return from the injured reserve list. 

This was the expected news after weeks of positive updates on Henry’s surgically-repaired foot. Once thought to be a season-ender, Henry has beat his initial recovery timeline by a mile. From here, the Titans could conceivably activate Henry for this week’s game against the Texans, though they may prefer to take the cautious approach.

Henry led the league in 2019 with 1,540 rushing yards last year while notching a total of 18 touchdowns. Last year, he set a new personal watermark with 2,027 yards via the ground, 17 rushing TDs, and 21 total scores.

The Titans have managed an 11-5 record despite playing much of the year without Henry, but they’re clearly a better team with him on the field. From here, the Titans plan to ease Henry back into practice and assess whether to dress him on Sunday. If Henry can’t go, the Titans will continue to use D’Onta Foreman as their lead back, a plan that has served them well so far. Just last week, Foreman turned back the clock to rack up 132 rushing yards against the Dolphins.