HEADLINES

Month: October 2024

Patriots Rumors: Injury Updates, Zappe, Perkins

May 22nd, 2022 at 7:11pm CST by Ely Allen

The Patriots released some practice photos recently and, according to Zack Cox of NESN, some of the pictures seem to indicate the much anticipated returns of several previously-injured Patriots. These players included running back James White, cornerback Jonathan Jones, tight end Dalton Keene, linebacker Raekwon McMillan, and linebacker Anfernee Jennings.

White suffered a hip injury last year that required surgery serious enough to end his season and leave him bedridden for months. He hasn’t been fully cleared to return, but seeing him active on the field bodes well for his recovery.

Jones had surgery to repair his shoulder in October and missed the remainder of the season in recovery. McMillan tore his ACL before the season started, but impressed in his limited time before the injury. Keene and Jennings were both placed on injured reserve in August and missed the entire season as a result.

Here are a few other rumors from New England:

  • New England turned some heads on Day 3 of the Draft when they selected quarterback Bailey Zappe in the fourth round. At a point in the Draft where some teams normally address their positional needs, the Patriots selected a quarterback in the first draft after rookie passer Mac Jones led them to the playoffs. For an explanation, ESPN’s Mike Reiss pointed to a discussion with analysts Todd McShay and Louis Riddick, in which they cover “how it can be good business to draft and develop quarterbacks.” He also quotes former NFL general manger Randy Mueller who applauded the pick, saying that he would rather draft for value over need at that point in the Draft.
  • After not appearing in any regular season games last season, second-year Patriots outside linebacker Ronnie Perkins is ready to take the next step, according to Reiss. Perkins was buried on the depth chart behind Kyle Van Noy, now with the Chargers, and Jamie Collins, now a free agent. The departure of Van Noy and Collins leaves a hole opposite Pro Bowl pass rusher Matt Judon and Reiss reports that New England coaches are confident Perkins is getting ready to step up.

Glenn Cook, Catherine Raiche To Serve As Browns Assistant GMs

May 22nd, 2022 at 4:56pm CST by Adam La Rose

There is Browns news not only on the field, but in the front office as well today. The team is promoting Glenn Cook to the position of assistant general manger, which is the same title Catherine Raiche will hold (Twitter links via Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports).

[RELATED: Browns To Re-Sign Clowney]

Cook, who has been with the Browns since 2016, will remain the team’s vice president of player personnel in addition to his new duties. A well-respected executive, his promotion comes after he received interest from multiple teams during this year’s GM hiring cycle.

One of those was the Bears, who interviewed him in January. The other was the Vikings, whom Cook met with one week later; Minnesota did hire from the Browns organization, but their preference was Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. Still, Cook’s candidacy speaks to his reputation from inside and outside Cleveland, and suggests he may be in contention for a GM role in the near future.

In Raiche’s case, this news comes as little surprise. When it was reported she would be leaving the Eagles’ front office, reuniting with Andrew Berry in the process, it was widely believed she would be given the AGM position. With that being confirmed, she is well-positioned to continue her noteworthy climb up the NFL executive ladder.

As Jones notes, the Browns are putting themselves in a somewhat unique situation by employing multiple AGMs. Given the high regard both individuals are kept in, though, these moves should help the team in its attempt to become AFC contenders for both the sort- and long-term future.

Latest On Commanders Owner Dan Snyder

May 22nd, 2022 at 2:55pm CST by Adam La Rose

Dan Snyder has been involved in another controversy surrounding the Commanders this offseason, and it could affect his future in the NFL. As detailed by Jarrett Bell of USA Today, a number of other owners are considering “drastic options” in advance of this week’s league meetings. 

The latest source of angst in Washington is centered around the ongoing FTC investigation into financial wrongdoing, much of which is alleged to have taken place between the years 2010 and 2015. The team has publicly rebuked the allegations, calling them “baseless”, “false and reckless” and based on “pure speculation”.

While the investigation has yet to be completed, its very existence has left Snyder “very much on the minds of some fellow NFL owners who would go as far as trying to force [him] from their ranks”, Bell notes. As one such owner anonymously said, “there’s growing frustration about the Washington situation and not over one issue, but over how much smoke there is”, adding “I think everybody’s getting tired of it”.

Last offseason, it was announced that Snyder would not be suspended as a result of the investigation into the team’s workplace culture. Instead, his wife assumed the day-to-day duties of running the franchise, which was fined $10MM. Even before this latest investigation, Bell reports, there was an “anti-Snyder sentiment” which was “significant”.

As a result, another owner remarked that the allegations of Washington using two sets of books for the purpose of hiding league revenue, if proven to be true, would be “the nail in the coffin”. Furthermore, yet another said that “we are counting votes” – a statement which signals an intent, if sufficient support exists, to compel Snyder to sell the team.

As Bell notes, however, it is “unclear” at this point how many owners would be prepared to go that far. A three-fourths majority (that is, 24 other owners) would be required to remove the 57-year-old, who will not be in attendance at this week’s meetings.

Only Six Unsigned First-Rounders Remain; Round 2 Guarantees Rising

May 22nd, 2022 at 12:58pm CST by Sam Robinson

First-round picks are signing their rookie deals at a much quicker pace than they did last year. While the slot system implemented in 2011 has removed much of the difficulty in teams getting their top draftees signed, players are gaining some noticeable ground this year.

Twenty-six of this year’s first-round picks have signed their four-year rookie deals, which feature fifth-year options. Charles Cross (No. 9 overall, Seahawks), Kyle Hamilton (No. 14, Ravens), Zion Johnson (No. 17, Chargers), Kenny Pickett (No. 20, Steelers), Tyler Linderbaum (No. 25, Ravens) and Cole Strange (No. 29, Patriots) are the only remaining unsigned first-rounders.

At this point last year, only seven first-rounders had signed. In 2020, an offseason that featured no in-person workouts, only two had inked their rookie pacts, via CBS Sports’ Joel Corry. While most of the top 2022 draftees are moving forward with their teams’ offseason programs after having received fully guaranteed contracts, second-rounders are suddenly in the spotlight.

Only eight second-rounders have signed, with only 14 third-round picks doing so. Language in third-rounders’ deals annually causes delays, but the second-round slowdown is new. Guarantee pushes are responsible, and the Texans are complicating other teams’ blueprints. Texans safety Jalen Pitre, the 37th overall pick, received three years fully guaranteed on his slot deal ($8.95MM). John Metchie, Houston’s No. 44 overall choice, received two years fully guaranteed and 56% of his third year guaranteed, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe notes. That creates a murky range for agents representing mid-second-round picks.

Last year’s second round only featured seven players receive a partial guarantee of their Year 3 salary, Volin adds, illustrating the gains the NFLPA has made here. In 2011, only 21 first-rounders received fully guaranteed deals. Last year, 28 did. With Vikings safety Lewis Cine seeing his four-year, $11.5MM fully guaranteed, it ensured all 32 Round 1 choices would have their money locked in. When Patriots wideout Ras-I Dowling kicked off the 2011 second round, he secured only two fully guaranteed years, Volin notes. Some players in that year’s second round received just one fully guaranteed year. This year, Round 2’s final selection — Broncos edge rusher Nik Bonitto — scored two years fully guaranteed.

Browns To Re-Sign DE Jadeveon Clowney

May 22nd, 2022 at 12:13pm CST by Sam Robinson

After weeks of rumors connecting Jadeveon Clowney to a Cleveland return, that agreement has come to pass. Clowney will stay with the Browns on a one-year deal, Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports (on Twitter).

The ninth-year defensive end will stay in Cleveland on a deal worth up to $11MM, USA Today’s Josina Anderson tweets. Incentives are included in this total, making it appear similar to the one-year, $8MM pact Clowney inked with the Browns in 2021. Either way, this will ensure Myles Garrett‘s edge-rushing partner will return — something the All-Pro lobbied for — for a second season.

The sides agreed to this deal Wednesday, per NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, but needed a few more days to finalize it (Twitter link). Clowney should be expected to earn close to that $11MM total, RapSheet adds, noting that the veteran edge defender turned down multiyear deals worth more than $14MM from other teams to stay in Cleveland (Twitter links).

While this does not stop Clowney’s run of one-year agreements, it does ensure he will return to a team for the first time since his Texans rookie deal expired. Since the Texans executed a tag-and-trade sequence with the Seahawks late in the summer of 2019, Clowney has spent the past three seasons in Seattle, Tennessee and Cleveland. The Browns season marked his most successful, even if the team underwhelmed. Clowney’s nine sacks were his most since 2018, his most recent Pro Bowl year. He finished with 32 pressures (tied for 25th in the NFL) alongside Garrett, who tied T.J. Watt for a league-high 52. Garrett’s 16 sacks were also a Browns single-season record.

Cleveland used a third-round pick on defensive end Alex Wright and traded for ex-Patriots edge contributor Chase Winovich. This duo will now be positioned to be rotational rushers behind the Garrett-Clowney tandem. With the Browns having moved on from 2021 defensive tackle starters Malik Jackson and Malik McDowell, Clowney will be positioned to help as an inside rusher as well. That would allow one of the edge backups to join he and Garrett in sub-packages.

This does continue an interesting run of contracts for Clowney, who led off a talented 2014 draft. Injuries have plagued the former South Carolina super-prospect for most of his career, with knee trouble being at the forefront of his health issues. Clowney did play in 14 games last season, however. But the long-term deal packed with guarantees — along the lines of the ones 2014 classmates Aaron Donald and Khalil Mack received years ago — eluded him. Clowney, 29, played out his Texans contract but will finish his 20s on a year-to-year path.

Still, Clowney earned $15MM in 2019 (via the tag), $13MM in 2020 and $8MM (plus $750K in incentives) last year. In addition to the $30MM-plus he made in five years with the Texans, the three-time Pro Bowler has done pretty well for himself — albeit in unorthodox fashion.

Browns Optimistic On Jadeveon Clowney Return

May 22nd, 2022 at 11:34am CST by Sam Robinson

For the second time in three years, Jadeveon Clowney is without a team near the end of May. While his 2020 free agency stay did not conclude until days before the regular season began, no team had the inside track on the former No. 1 pick during that unusual offseason. Two years later, Clowney has seen a primary suitor emerge.

This offseason has frequently connected the Browns to a second Clowney deal. Mutual interest is believed to exist, and Myles Garrett is on board with his 2021 pass-rushing partner returning. The Browns are optimistic another Clowney contract will be completed, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets.

No deal is imminent, and Clowney has shown a willingness to proceed without a team deep into a summer. His initial Browns pact took place in April 2021. That contract led to a bounce-back season from the former Texans Pro Bowler, who played 14 games and recorded nine sacks — his most since his Houston days. The well-traveled edge defender finished with 32 pressures last season (tied for 25th in the league). Garrett, who matched T.J. Watt with an NFL-high 52, undoubtedly helped bolster Clowney’s value.

It will be interesting to see if a multiyear deal transpires as a result. Not much interest has emerged from beyond Cleveland, though Carolina may be on the lookout here. Due largely to injuries, Clowney has been on a year-to-year track since his rookie deal expired. The Texans completed a tag-and-trade sequence in 2019, sending Clowney to the Seahawks, who did not re-sign him. The South Carolina product then signed one-year deals with the Titans and Browns.

Cleveland’s $27MM-plus in cap space leads the NFL. The team did draft a defensive end on Day 2 (UAB’s Alex Wright, chosen 78th overall) and traded for Chase Winovich, but Clowney would be a safer bet opposite Garrett. Clowney, 29, could also help as an inside rusher at times for a team rebooting at defensive tackle. Its 2021 D-tackle starters — Malik Jackson (unsigned) and Malik McDowell (nontendered as an ERFA) — are free agents. For a team that traded for ex-Clowney teammate Deshaun Watson, signifying a genuine attempt at Super Bowl contention, bolstering a thin roster spot with an accomplished veteran certainly makes sense.

NFL Expected To Seek Second Deshaun Watson Meeting

May 22nd, 2022 at 10:41am CST by Sam Robinson

The NFL’s Deshaun Watson investigation has entered its final stages, but the league has not wrapped up one of its key prongs. The Browns quarterback met with NFL investigators this week in Houston. New information will be presented to the public soon, and the league is expected to seek a second meeting with Watson, Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Watson attorney Rusty Hardin told Cabot the NFL is aiming to end its investigation in June or July. No firm timetable exists. Several of Watson’s accusers spoke with HBO’s Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel for a piece that will air Tuesday. The women interviewed detail their allegations and reactions to Watson being given a five-year, $230MM fully guaranteed contract despite being embroiled in this controversy.

The league’s investigation will almost certainly wrap up before the 22 women who have accused Watson of sexual assault and/or sexual misconduct have concluded their depositions in his civil trial. That could set up a scenario in which the NFL levies a suspension this summer but leaves the prospect of additional punishment — similar to the league’s 2020 Antonio Brown ban, which was announced in late July of 2020 — coming to pass based on the civil cases. No second punishment occurred in Brown’s case, and he returned to play after his eight-game ban.

Watson has given several civil depositions and will give two more in late June. No depositions will take place between August 1 and March 1, according to Cabot, with both sides agreeing to not proceed during the Browns’ season.

Twenty-four women have accused Watson of these crimes, though two of the accusers are not part of the civil suit. Two Texas grand juries cleared Watson, who awaits the outcome of the civil cases and his NFL fate. The 26-year-old QB is not engaged in settlement talks, Hardin adds.

Sean McVay Still Eyeing Rams-OBJ Reunion

May 22nd, 2022 at 10:01am CST by Sam Robinson

Despite Odell Beckham Jr. free agency noise quieting in recent weeks, the Rams still have the standout wide receiver in their plans. Sean McVay wants the ninth-year veteran back in his offense.

Beckham finished his first Rams contract on a bittersweet note, tearing an ACL during a Super Bowl he helped the team win. Although the defending champions have added Allen Robinson on a $15.5MM-per-year deal and are prepared to give Cooper Kupp a raise of some sort, another OBJ deal remains the goal.

“Oh, of course. I really want Odell back on our team,” McVay said during an appearance on the Rich Eisen Show (via NFL.com) this week. “He’s a guy that, in a short amount of time, we were able to develop a really special relationship. I thought he brought a great spark to our team. I thought he played really well. He’s a great teammate.

“Without a doubt, want to get Odell back here. That’s the goal and continuing to work toward a solution of him re-signing with the Rams.”

Beckham collected $4.75MM from the Rams for a partial season of work and would have been a sought-after free agent had the ACL tear — his second in 15 months — not occurred. But the 29-year-old pass catcher is not expected to be ready to start this season. It might be until late October until OBJ can play again.

Still, he has been connected to the Patriots, Packers and even the Browns this offseason. Rams brass, however, consistently spoke of a reunion back in March. They did not draft a wideout last month. Second-round pick Tutu Atwell, who missed much of his rookie season due to injury, also remains in the picture. But a clear top four of Kupp, Robinson, Beckham and Van Jefferson would represent one of the best wideout quartets in recent memory. It will be interesting if a team needier at wide receiver steps up with a noticeably better offer, but a Beckham return would give the Rams a stacked receiver depth chart that would remind of the one they had for about a day last season — prior to Robert Woods‘ ACL tear.

OBJ alluded to wanting to stay in Los Angeles; money, as could be expected, remains an issue (Twitter links). Holding barely $5MM in cap space, the Rams are near the bottom of the league here. Though, they frequently figure out ways to fit stars onto their payroll. New deals for Kupp and Aaron Donald could carve out more space as well, as they push big cap numbers down the road.

NFL Staff Notes: Bears, Jaguars, 49ers, Raiders

May 21st, 2022 at 9:48pm CST by Ely Allen

New Bears general manager Ryan Poles announced several promotions and additions to the team’s scouting and football administration departments this week.

Breck Ackley has been promoted from area scout to assistant director of college scouting. Former pro scout Chris White is now assistant director of pro scouting. Former national scouts Sam Summerville and Francis Saint Paul have added “senior” to the their titles. Ashton Washington made a large leap going from a scouting assistant to player personnel coordinator. Fellow former scouting assistant Charles Love has been made a pro scout. In terms of area scouts, John Syty will now cover the Southwest area, Brendan Rehor will cover the Southeast area, Tom Bradway comes from the Raiders to cover the Northeast area, and former long-time Texans scout Ryan Cavanaugh comes from Ohio State to cover the Midwest area. Finally, Ryan Weese joins the staff from Montana State as a scouting assistant.

Mike Santarelli has been promoted from director of football systems to executive director of football technology. Former salary cap/pro scouting analyst James Cosh has been promoted to manager of football administration/pro scout.

Here are a few other staff hires from around the NFL:

  • According to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, former 49ers vice president Ethan Waugh has been hired by Jacksonville in the role of assistant general manager, rejoining Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke, whom he worked with from 2005-16. With Waugh out of the picture, San Francisco’s player personnel hierarchy is much clearer with assistant general manager Adam Peters and director of player personnel Ran Carthon directly under general manager John Lynch.
  • The Raiders have made an addition to their football analytics department, according to ESPN’s Seth Walder, hiring Brad Goldsberry away from Chicago to serve as director of football systems.
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