HEADLINES

Month: October 2024

Commanders, Chargers Put In Claims For G Wes Martin

May 15th, 2022 at 12:34pm CST by Rory Parks

Guard Wes Martin, who was waived by the Giants last week, generated a fair amount of interest on the waiver wire. The Jaguars have top waiver priority due to their league-worst 3-14 record in 2021, so they were awarded the Indiana product when they put in a claim, but as ESPN’s Field Yates tweets, the Commanders and Chargers put in claims as well.

Had Washington’s claim been successful, it would have represented a reunion for player and team. The Commanders made Martin a fourth-round pick in 2019, and he started 10 games for the club over the 2019-20 seasons. He did not survive the 53-man cut in advance of the 2021 campaign, though he signed with Washington’s p-squad after clearing waivers. He was poached by the Giants in late September and ultimately appeared in seven games (one start) for Big Blue.

With the Commanders, Martin would have served as useful guard depth behind presumptive starters Andrew Norwell and Trai Turner, both of whom were signed this offseason. The Chargers likewise appear to be on the lookout for interior OL reinforcements behind Matt Feiler and first-round rookie Zion Johnson.

In Jacksonville, Martin is obviously not going to unseat the newly-acquired Brandon Scherff at right guard, though he could theoretically push 2020 fourth-rounder Ben Bartch for the starting LG gig. Bartch started 11 games for the Jags in 2021 and played well at times, though his 62.1 overall grade from Pro Football Focus is underwhelming.

Josh Lambo Sues Jaguars

May 15th, 2022 at 11:37am CST by Rory Parks

Free agent kicker Josh Lambo has filed a lawsuit against the Jaguars, as Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com writes. The suit alleges that former head coach Urban Meyer created a hostile work environment and that the organization did nothing to rectify the situation.

Lambo missed a kick in each of Jacksonville’s first two preseason games in 2021, and during a practice before the final preseason game, Lambo alleges that Meyer kicked him in the leg and said, “Hey dips—, make your f—ing kicks!” When Lambo told Meyer, “Don’t you ever f—ing kick me again!” Meyer replied by saying, “I’m the head ball coach. I’ll kick you whenever the f— I want.” The suit further avers that Lambo notified his agent, Richard Irvin, of the interaction and that Irvin made the team’s counsel aware of the matter the following day.

These allegations became public in December, and at the time, the Jaguars released a statement saying that the team immediately responded to Irvin’s query and that, “[c]ounsel offered to speak with Josh, or to assist Josh in speaking with coaching or any other football personnel, if he was comfortable with her sharing the information. Any suggestion otherwise is blatantly false.”

The day after the alleged incident, Lambo claims that Meyer approached him and said, “if you ever speak to me like that again, you’ll be out of here. You’re the first player I’ve ever let speak to me that way in my career, and if you do it again, you’re gone.” 

Though Lambo remained on the roster and operated as the Jaguars’ kicker through the first several games of the 2021 season, he missed all three of his field goal attempts and two of his seven PATs. He was released in October before catching on with the Steelers’ taxi squad. Pittsburgh dropped him a week later.

In 2019, Lambo led the NFL with a 97.1% field goal conversion rate. Then, in 2020, he lost the bulk of the year to injury, but went 5-of-5 on his FG tries while making 8-of-10 extra point attempts. His suit alleges that Meyer’s physical and verbal abuse impacted his ability to maintain his previous levels of performance, and he is seeking backpay and other damages.

Prior to the 2019 campaign, Lambo signed a four-year extension that was scheduled to run through the 2022 season. He was set to earn $4MM in 2022, but as a vested veteran, he did collect the full $3.5MM salary he was owed in 2021, and he took home $14K while on the Steelers’ p-squad.

Meyer, who was fired in December before completing one season as Jaguars’ HC, flatly denied Lambo’s allegations.

NFL Investigation Does Not Substantiate Hue Jackson’s Claims That Browns Incentivized Tanking

May 15th, 2022 at 10:53am CST by Rory Parks

The investigation into former Browns head coach Hue Jackson‘s allegations that Cleveland incentivized tanking during Jackson’s time as HC has concluded. In a statement released by the league, it was announced that the investigation — which was conducted by former U.S. Attorney and SEC Chair Mary Jo White, along with a team of lawyers from the Debevoise law firm — could not substantiate any of Jackson’s claims.

According to the statement, the investigation saw full cooperation from the Browns, including owner Jimmy Haslam and current and former members of the organization. Jackson himself originally agreed to meet with investigators but ultimately declined to do so.

Jackson, who has also claimed that the Browns set him up for failure by pitting him against an analytics-driven front office, accused the team of paying bonus money to him, current GM Andrew Berry, current chief strategy officer Paul DePodesta, and former executive VP Sashi Brown to tank during the 2016-17 seasons.

“We were paid for it,” Jackson said in February. “You’re going to see it as losing, but the way the team was built there was no chance to win at a high level. My record that year [2016] was 1-15. There was a four-year plan that was crafted, and I have documentation that any coach would cringe if he saw it, because it talked things that had nothing to do with winning. Aggregate rankings, being the youngest team, having so many draft picks — none of those things lead to winning.”

After 2016’s 1-15 campaign that Jackson referenced, the Browns finished 0-16 the following year and started the 2018 season 2-5-1 before Jackson was fired. Under interim HC Gregg Williams, Cleveland finished 2018 on a 5-3 run, which the team was quick to point out when Jackson first levied his accusations.

So while Haslam is still dealing with the PR backlash of the Deshaun Watson acquisition and the uncertainty that continues to swirl around that matter, he has at least avoided the type of fallout that would have ensued had the league substantiated Jackson’s allegations.

Jackson, meanwhile, was recently hired to be Grambling State’s head coach.

Seahawks Were High On QB Sam Howell

May 15th, 2022 at 10:20am CST by Rory Parks

New Commanders quarterback Sam Howell, whom Washington selected in the fifth round of this year’s draft, had a lot of supporters in the Seahawks organization, per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (subscription required). Seattle, which of course traded franchise icon Russell Wilson to the Broncos earlier this offseason, was connected to collegiate QBs throughout the predraft process, but the team decided against drafting a signal-caller.

Part of the reason for that is the Seahawks’ opinion of Drew Lock and Geno Smith. Head coach Pete Carroll has consistently praised Lock since acquiring him in the Wilson deal, and Smith flashed when filling in for an injured Wilson for a few games in 2021. Plus, as Fowler adds, the team wanted to improve the overall depth of its roster since it had only three selections in the 2021 draft.

The ‘Hawks are particularly high on fourth-round cornerback Coby Bryant, whom they believe only fell to the middle rounds because of injury concerns, and second-round running back Kenneth Walker III, who will pair with Rashaad Penny to create a potentially formidable 1-2 punch in the offensive backfield. Plus, since a quarterback like Howell would almost certainly be behind Lock and Smith on the 2022 depth chart, Seattle felt its draft resources would be better-utilized on immediate contributors like Bryant and Walker instead of a QB3. If the team is still in need of a signal-caller next year, the 2023 draft offers more intriguing quarterback talent than the 2022 draft did.

That is not to say, of course, that another QB addition is off the table. Although Carroll said he does not believe the Seahawks will trade for a passer (like well-documented trade candidates Baker Mayfield and Jimmy Garoppolo), injuries could always change that stance. And if Mayfield and/or Garoppolo should be released by their current clubs and become free agents, Seattle could be interested at that point.

The team is also rostering Jacob Eason and rookie UDFA Levi Lewis at the moment.

Colts Open To Veteran QB Addition

May 15th, 2022 at 9:43am CST by Rory Parks

The Colts will be deploying Matt Ryan, who will turn 37 in two days, under center in 2022 (and perhaps for several years beyond that). But as Joel A. Erickson of the Indianapolis Star writes, the club remains open to adding a veteran passer.

At the Colts’ rookie minicamp on Friday, head coach Frank Reich was asked specifically about the possibility of signing Nick Foles, who was released by the Bears at the end of April. “We’re always looking at who makes this team better, at every position,” Reich said. “Who are the available veterans? Who can we still sign? [GM] Chris [Ballard] is very methodical about that process. We’re not in a rush. There is a timing to the way things go, and the way the roster is put together, that is very intentional.” 

Of course, Reich was the Eagles’ offensive coordinator in 2017 when Foles, filling in for an injured Carson Wentz, led Philadelphia on a magical run to its first Lombardi Trophy. Foles and Reich have a strong relationship, and Foles recently said, “I learned more with [Reich] and that staff in that season in 2017 than I ever have.”

Foles’ subsequent stints with the Jaguars and Bears were eminently forgettable, but he would certainly represent a qualified backup for Ryan. And that could be critical for a team that saw firsthand in 2021 how an inexperienced QB2 can negatively impact a season.

In a close game against the Rams in Week 2 of the 2021 campaign, Jacob Eason replaced (coincidentally) Wentz, who had suffered two sprained ankles. Eason, a 2020 fourth-rounder who was seeing his first regular season action, promptly threw a crippling interception and finished the game 2-for-5 for 40 yards and the pick. He was waived a month later.

Indianapolis is high on 2021 sixth-rounder Sam Ehlinger, and it would not be surprising to see him as Ryan’s clipboard holder come Week 1. However, he has not thrown a regular season pass in the NFL, and the same can be said for James Morgan and rookie UDFA Jack Coan, who round out the current QB depth chart.

As such, Foles could be an attractive option. Aside from him, the pickings on the free agent quarterback market are pretty slim, with Cam Newton at the top of a list that also includes Ryan Fitzpatrick — who is 39 and who suffered a season-ending hip injury in the first game of the 2021 season — Mike Glennon, and A.J. McCarron.

Latest On Lawsuits Against Browns QB Deshaun Watson

May 15th, 2022 at 8:30am CST by Rory Parks

Two of the 22 women who have filed suit against Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson have amended their claims to include counts of negligence and gross negligence, as Brent Schrotenboer of USA Today reported last month. In addition to creating more grounds for financial recovery, those claims allow the plaintiffs to propound more discovery, and the gross negligence claim carries with it the possibility of punitive damages.

As Schrotenboer noted in a separate piece, almost all of the lawsuits already included counts of civil assault and infliction of emotional distress, and other suits could be amended to include the negligence-based claims as well. Essentially, those claims allege that Watson “knew of his sexual proclivities in massage settings” but did not take steps to prevent those proclivities from manifesting or to warn the plaintiffs of them.

David Ring, a Los Angeles-based attorney who has represented sexual assault victims and whom Schrotenboer consulted for his article, acknowledges that the new claims represent something of a reach (“how does a person negligently have a massage?” Ring wondered). Nonetheless, they have already helped the plaintiffs achieve an important discovery-related victory. The parties were battling over whether Watson should be compelled to list all women that gave him massages since 2019, and the court ruled that he must do just that, as such a list could be relevant to proving Watson’s alleged proclivities.

Shortly after the suits were filed against Watson, the quarterback’s attorney, Rusty Hardin, publicly released a list of 18 other therapists who had sessions with Watson but who had no issues with him. The plaintiffs, though, want to know more about those sessions, along with sessions Watson might have scheduled with women aside from the 18 therapists and 22 plaintiffs. If Watson had sexual relations with them, that could bolster the argument that he routinely scheduled massage sessions with sexual intentions, and it will make the plaintiffs’ claims more believable.

So even if the legal theory behind the amended suits is shaky, the plaintiffs might still be backing Watson into a corner, as Ring and South Texas College of Law Houston professor Kenneth Williams believe. Although plenty of harm has already been done to Watson’s reputation, he was still able to land a historic contract from Cleveland and can begin taking steps towards redemption if he settles these cases quickly and avoids further revelations of (at best) embarrassing and (at worst) predatory behavior.

Per Adam Ferrise of Cleveland.com, the trial of this matter is unlikely to take place before August 1, and the parties have agreed that no trial will be scheduled between August 1 and March 1, 2023, so as to avoid conflict with the football season. As such, if the cases ultimately proceed to trial, there will be no resolution until sometime next year.

Contract Notes: Hughes, Walker, Boyle

May 14th, 2022 at 9:31pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are some details on a deal recently reached in Houston:

  • Jerry Hughes, DT (Texans): Two-year, $10MM. The deal , reported by ESPN’s Field Yates, has a guaranteed amount of $4.5MM comprised of a $2.5MM signing bonus and Hughes’s 2022 base salary of $2MM. The contract has two different per game active bonuses for each year. In 2022, Hughes will receive a per game active bonus of $29,411 for a potential season total of $500,000. In 2023, Hughes will receive a per game active bonus of $58,823 for a potential season total of $1MM.

Here’s an interesting detail in the contract of the 2022 NFL Draft’s No. 1 overall pick:

  • Defensive end Travon Walker‘s first NFL contract currently has a detail that no other rookie contract from this year holds: the deal contains no offset language, according to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated. Offset language usually pertains to what will happen to a player’s salary if he should be cut in his first four seasons (the duration of each drafted rookie’s contract). Breer reports that it’s currently the only such deal this year. He also points out that it only occurred with two players from last year’s Draft: Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence and Jaguars running back Travis Etienne. Jacksonville has clearly started a trend of being uniquely generous to their first-round picks.

Here are some details from a contract recently restructured in Baltimore:

  • Nick Boyle, TE (Ravens): Two-year, $13MM. According to Yates, Boyle agreed to rework his contract, lowering his 2022 salary from $5MM to $1.12MM with a signing bonus of $2.63MM and possible incentives of $1.25MM. His 2023 salary was lowered $1MM with that money being converted to a roster bonus for that year. The deal creates $2.57MM of new cap space for the Ravens to work with.

NFL Workouts: Callaway, Falcons, Buggs

May 14th, 2022 at 8:03pm CST by Ely Allen

Here’s a look at some of the league’s recent tryout invitations:

  • The Colts will host former Browns wide receiver Antonio Callaway at minicamp for a tryout, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. The fourth-round pick for Cleveland in 2018 made an impact during his rookie season before running into issues with the league’s substance abuse policies and Cleveland’s team rules. The Browns waived Callaway during his sophomore season. He signed with the Tampa Bay Vipers of the XFL, but was placed on injured reserve before ever appearing in a game. He’s had short stints since then with the Dolphins and Chiefs and now has an opportunity to stick in Indianapolis.
  • Michael Rothstein of ESPN reported that the Falcons will host a trio of players for tryouts this weekend: former Packers wide receiver Geronimo Allison, quarterback Anthony Gordon, and center Evan Boehm. Allison spent the first four years of his career in Green Bay, never surpassing 303 receiving yards or two touchdowns in a season. He appeared in three games last year for the Lions. Gordon has spent time rostered in Seattle, Denver, and Kansas City after going undrafted in 2020. After getting drafted in the fourth round of 2016, Boehm has bounced around to eight different NFL squads, appearing in 55 games, starting 21.
  • Former Steelers nose tackle Isaiah Buggs will attend the Vikings minicamp for a tryout, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. The sixth-round pick from 2019 spent three seasons in Pittsburgh earning six starts last season before getting waived at the turn of the year. Buggs briefly signed to the Raiders practice squad and will now look for a new home in Minnesota.

Bengals Announce 16-Man UDFA Class

May 14th, 2022 at 6:09pm CST by Ely Allen

After adding six rookies to the team in the NFL Draft last month, the Bengals announced the addition of 16 undrafted free agents:

Continuing their focus on addressing the offensive line, Cincinnati brought in some potential depth pieces who will have an opportunity to earn playing time for the reigning conference champions.

Brown started for three seasons after redshirting his first for the Rebels, moving from right guard to center in his last collegiate season. Cochran transferred to the Yellow Jackets after four years at Vanderbilt. Even as a newcomer, the blindside tackle was selected as Georgia Tech’s weekly-Captain for five of the team’s twelve games. Noel joined the Owls after a stint at Fort Scott Community College. He started for three years on the Owls’ offensive line, taking advantage of the extra year of eligibility provided by COVID-19.

The Bengals also added some potential contributors at receiver. Heiligh was two-yards away in 2020 from posting consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons while catching a combined 17 touchdowns in his last two years with the Chanticleers. Lassiter II improved every year for the Jayhawks, averaging 11.1 yards per reception in his redshirt senior season. Pryor provides some versatility, displaying some rushing ability for the Badgers throughout his college career in addition to his duties as a receiver. Sorenson had an impressive freshman year for the RedHawks before going relatively quiet over the next two seasons. He came back with a vengeance in his final college season, exploding for 1,406 yards and 10 touchdowns.

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