HEADLINES

Month: October 2024

Significant Ban Expected For Browns’ Deshaun Watson On Appeal; NFL Trying To Keep QB Off Field In Preseason

August 10th, 2022 at 3:29pm CST by Sam Robinson

3:29pm: Barring an indefinite suspension that takes Watson off the field immediately, the Browns announced they do plan to start their big-ticket acquisition Friday.

12:50pm: Roger Goodell took a public stance on the Deshaun Watson matter, saying disciplinary officer Sue Robinson’s report indicated the Browns quarterback committed multiple violations of the NFL’s personal conduct policy. Appeals appointee Peter Harvey’s ruling could well come down week, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com notes.

With Robinson determining Watson violated the policy, the NFL appealed. The league’s appeal is expected to produce a much longer ban than six games. One league source called it a “slam dunk” Harvey will enforce the league’s preferred one-year ban, Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com notes, and others would be surprised if the sixth-year QB’s ban is not significantly lengthened.

“We’ve seen the evidence,” Goodell said, via ESPN.com’s Jeff Legwold. “[Robinson] was very clear about the evidence, should we enforce the evidence. That there was multiple violations here, and they were egregious, and it was predatory behavior.”

The league is trying to move on this appeal ruling before the Browns begin their preseason slate, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, who tweets the NFL has indeed asked for an indefinite suspension that keeps the controversial QB off the field for Cleveland’s preseason as well. The NFLPA said a ruling Friday could indeed shelve Watson for the Browns’ preseason opener against the Jaguars.

Preseason competition is not exactly consequential in this grand scheme, but the league would avoid additional PR backlash by keeping Watson sidelined before his suspension starts. If a suspension does not prevent it, the Browns would like to give Watson some game action Friday, cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot tweets.

Watson, who has not taken the field since Week 17 of the 2020 season, cannot return to action until at least Week 7 of this season. The NFLPA not appealing Robinson’s decision takes Watson off the field for the Browns’ first six games. This matter becoming a courtroom drama — which is the expectation — would only affect Watson’s availability for Week 7 and beyond.

The sides have discussed a settlement off and on for several weeks, but Peter King of NBC Sports adds a resolution between the NFL and NFLPA before Harvey’s ruling is unlikely. A union move to settle would make more sense at this point, with the league having a clear opportunity to see its long-held hope — a 17-game ban — come to fruition via Harvey. Absent a full-season suspension, the NFL has sought a heavy fine — in the $8MM range — that helps account for the wildly unpopular contract the Browns authorized.

The contract structure has not only irked the NFL, but King adds the deal, which dropped Watson’s 2022 base salary to the league minimum to protect him against a suspension, has not sat well with the other 31 teams as well. Multiple owners also expressed to ESPN.com’s Ed Werder that Robinson’s ruling was too light (Twitter link). If Harvey’s suspension sidelines Watson throughout the 2022 season, his contract tolls to 2023. The QB’s deal would, then, run from 2023-27. Watson playing in 2022 keeps him signed through 2026.

Poll: Who Will Make Most Seahawks QB Starts In 2022?

August 10th, 2022 at 2:33pm CST by Sam Robinson

While Russell Wilson did not enter his first offseason as a lock to start, and Tarvaris Jackson did bridge the 2011 gap between Matt Hasselbeck and Wilson, the Seahawks have not exactly experienced much late-summer quarterback uncertainty in the 21st century. Even going back to the late 1990s, Jon Kitna ended his Seattle run as the team’s unquestioned starter for multiple seasons.

This run of stability stopped when the team dealt Wilson to Denver in March. Although the Seahawks were connected to both Baker Mayfield — whose early destination prediction was Seattle — and rookie prospects, they have stayed the course. The Geno Smith–Drew Lock battle is unfolding in earnest at training camp. Will this be how the team replaces Wilson?

Right now, Smith — Wilson’s three-year backup — is in the lead, per Pete Carroll. The 10th-year passer will start the Seahawks’ first preseason game Saturday. This marks the second straight year Lock will begin the preseason as a backup. He did so behind Teddy Bridgewater last year, and that status turned out to be indicative of the Broncos’ 2021 plans for the former second-round pick.

Smith, 31, has taken most of the snaps behind Seattle’s first-string offensive line during camp, Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times notes, but Lock, 25, outperformed him in the team’s mock scrimmage recently, Gregg Bell of the Tacoma News-Tribune tweets. The Mizzou product led multiple scoring drives despite helming the second-team offense against Seattle’s first-team defense. Lock will likely move into the starting lineup at least once during the Seahawks’ three-game preseason slate. Lock limiting his turnovers at Seahawks camp has impressed Carroll as well, per Condotta.

The Seahawks know what they have in Smith, who has gone from being a multiyear Jets starter to a player that has sat exclusively behind durable QB1s. The infamous IK Enemkpali locker-room punch thrust Ryan Fitzpatrick into a Jets starting role in 2015, and Smith played behind Fitz in 2016 as well. Smith’s 2017 Giants deal did produce one start, when then-HC Ben McAdoo benched Eli Manning. That move led ownership to can McAdoo and GM Jerry Reese. Smith’s Chargers accord did not lead to any starts, with Philip Rivers well into his start streak in 2018, and Wilson’s start streak hummed into October 2021. Smith completed 68.4% of his passes, throwing five TDs to one INT, and averaged 7.4 yards per attempt in his three-plus-game cameo last season.

A Lock rookie-year hand injury kept him sidelined behind Joe Flacco and Brandon Allen, but he finished that year with five Broncos starts. Denver did not bring in any competition for Lock in 2020, but the strong-armed QB’s sophomore season began his path out of town. The streaky passer led the NFL in INTs (15), doing so despite missing three starts and failing to finish another. Even as Bridgewater battled multiple injuries in 2021, he continued to start over Lock. Bridgewater’s second 2021 concussion, which came in Week 15, led Lock back to work. While Lock again enjoyed moments, he finished with a 23.4 QBR in limited action. The Broncos lost each of his three season-ending starts.

It would seem the Seahawks have a floor-vs.-ceiling decision to make, with Smith representing the safer option. But a clear upgrade should be available soon. The 49ers want to avoid releasing Jimmy Garoppolo early, keeping him away from the division rival with a quarterback need. But with Garoppolo’s $24.2MM base salary becoming guaranteed just ahead of Week 1, the Seahawks lurk. They have done homework on the four-plus-year San Francisco starter, and while no trade is likely here, Seattle could obtain Garoppolo on a much cheaper salary if/when he is cut.

Will the Seahawks be the team that ends up with Garoppolo? Or will their months-long Lock-Smith competition produce a winner worthy of sticking around as Wilson’s successor? Vote in PFR’s latest poll and weigh in with your thoughts in the comments section.

CB Rumors: Hill, Sutton, Pats, Colts, Lions

August 10th, 2022 at 11:41am CST by Sam Robinson

After seeing Troy Hill join the Browns in free agency last year, the Rams entered the 2022 league year eyeing Cleveland’s cornerback decisions. The Rams began discussing the idea of reacquiring Hill in early March, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic notes, and the team monitored the Browns’ draft to determine if it was a realistic move (subscription required). If the Browns drafted a cornerback on either Day 1 or Day 2, Rodrigue adds the Rams planned to make a move for Hill. Martin Emerson‘s third-round Cleveland arrival led to L.A. brass bringing back the veteran slot cornerback. The Rams, who had lost Darious Williams in free agency, sent a 2023 fifth-rounder to the Browns for Hill. Although Hill spent time in Youngstown, Ohio, growing up, the 30-year-old defender wants to stay with the Rams beyond his current contract — a two-year, $9MM deal that expires after the 2022 season.

Here is the latest from the cornerback scene across the league:

  • Cameron Sutton is going into the final year of his second Steelers contract and, with Joe Haden out of the picture, will go into the season as the team’s top cornerback. Sutton expects to go into the season without a new deal, but the now-Omar Khan-led Steelers have extended three contract-year players — Minkah Fitzpatrick, Chris Boswell, Diontae Johnson — in recent weeks. Sutton has confirmed he and the team have not discussed an extension, via Mark Kaboly of The Athletic. The sixth-year corner also is expected to spend most of his time in the slot this season, lining up on the outside in base sets and moving inside — with Levi Wallace and Ahkello Witherspoon outside — in sub-packages.
  • The Patriots have primarily used Jonathan Jones as a slot cornerback. His 2019 extension came as a result of slot play, and Pro Football Focus graded him as a top-tier cover man in 2020. But New England has been using Jones on the outside in recent days at camp, Doug Kyed of PFF notes, with third-round rookie Marcus Jones working in the slot. The Pats have been searching for an outside corner alongside Jalen Mills, and the recently unretired Malcolm Butler has yet to seize that gig. Marcus Jones is also viewed as the likely Pats punt returner, per Kyed.
  • Will Harris has worked as a safety during his first three seasons, but the fourth-year Lions defender is now battling former No. 3 overall pick Jeff Okudah for an outside cornerback spot, Eric Woodyard of ESPN.com notes. Harris started all 17 games for the Lions last season, but in addition to re-signing Tracy Walker, Detroit added ex-Baltimore safety DeShon Elliott. Okudah losing this competition would be a massive disappointment, given his draft slot, but ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler adds the Ohio State product is not being restricted by his 2021 Achilles rupture and is firmly in the Lions’ plans. Detroit’s first “unofficial” depth chart has Harris ahead of Okudah, alongside corners Amani Oruwariye and slot A.J. Parker.
  • The Colts may be ready to declare a winner in the battle to determine their third primary cornerback. Veteran addition Brandon Facyson is likely to play alongside Kenny Moore and Stephon Gilmore, Joel Erickson of the Indianapolis Star notes. Facyson, a Gus Bradley-system vet who has been with the new Colts DC with the Chargers and Raiders, appears to be beating out 2020 sixth-round pick Isaiah Rodgers. Largely a backup before starting nine Raiders games last year, Facyson signed a one-year, $3.84MM deal this offseason.
  • Darqueze Dennard spent 2021 with four teams — the Cardinals, Colts, Giants and 49ers — and played in just two games. But the 49ers, with K’Waun Williams now a Bronco, have Dennard in pole position to be their slot corner, Matt Barrows of The Athletic notes. A former first-round pick, Dennard spent years as the Bengals’ primary slot. The 31-year-old defender is attempting to fend off rookies Samuel Womack and Qwuantrezz Knight.

Colts Targeting August Quenton Nelson Extension; Kenny Moore Deal Tabled To 2023?

August 10th, 2022 at 10:32am CST by Sam Robinson

Ryan Kelly and Braden Smith each signed their extensions during Colts training camp, the former in September 2020 and the latter in July of last year. The team is hoping to have Quenton Nelson follow that path.

The Colts’ goal is to have Nelson signed by the end of this month, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com. All other extension business is on hold. This includes Kenny Moore, who lobbied for a new contract this offseason, and Bobby Okereke, whom Fowler adds has emerged on the team’s extension radar. A 2019 third-round pick, Okereke is entering a contract year.

Nelson, who is 4-for-4 in Pro Bowl nods to start his career, is going into his fifth-year option season ($13.75MM). Neither Kelly nor Smith played a game on an expiring contract, with the former signing ahead of his fifth season and the latter before his fourth. This trio forms the core of what has been one of the NFL’s best offensive lines, and Nelson’s looming extension has undoubtedly influenced other Colts moves up front. Eric Fisher is gone, and the team also did not bring back four-year guard starter Mark Glowinski. Low-cost players are now in place at left tackle and right guard, respectively.

[RELATED: Assessing The Colts’ 2022 Offseason]

Colts GM Chris Ballard earmarked this offseason as the point in which a Nelson extension should come to pass, but Nelson’s age (26) and early-career performance do provide some complications here. The Notre Dame product’s second contract should be well north of the current guard salary ceiling (Brandon Scherff‘s $16.5MM-per-year Jaguars deal). Nelson taking the guard market to tackle territory and past $20MM per year should be considered in play.

If the parties cannot agree on a deal this year, the Colts have the option of a 2023 franchise tag. Guards are rarely tagged, as all O-line positions are grouped together on the tag, but the Commanders used this route with Scherff in 2020 and 2021.

With the Colts’ top two skill-position players — Jonathan Taylor and Michael Pittman Jr. — going into contract years in 2023, the team’s offense could become far more expensive by next year. On defense, Moore’s deal will need to be addressed by then. Under contract for two more seasons, Moore skipped some of Indy’s voluntary offseason program. Offseason reports indicated the sides were well apart on terms. Currently tied to an $8.33MM-per-year deal, Moore should be expected to move the slot cornerback position into eight-figure-AAV territory. But he could well have to play another season on his current pact, with Ballard not expected to consider an extension until next year.

The Broncos and Patriots dealt with underpaid corners with two years of team control left in the recent past. Denver gave Chris Harris an incentive package in 2018, while New England authorized a raise for Stephon Gilmore in 2020. (The Broncos gave Harris a raise in 2019, while the Patriots stood pat with Gilmore to lead him off their roster via trade last year.) The latter is now Moore’s teammate and attached to a bigger contract. Moore, who is coming off a Pro Bowl season, has not opted to stage a hold-in measure at training camp.

Browns WR Jakeem Grant Tears Achilles

August 10th, 2022 at 9:42am CST by Adam La Rose

AUGUST 10: Grant’s MRI confirmed the team’s fears. The former Pro Bowl return man will miss the 2022 season, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

AUGUST 9: The Browns have been dealt a significant blow in their receiving corps, but also the return game. Jakeem Grant is suspected to have suffered a torn Achilles, per ESPN’s Jake Trotter (Twitter link). 

Grant, 29, has only totaled 100 receptions during his six-year career. He is best known for his effectiveness as a returner, something which earned him a significant free agent deal this offseason. Cleveland signed him to a three-year contract with a maximum value of nearly $14MM. The first campaign on that pact appears to be over before it began.

A sixth-round pick of the Dolphins, Grant registered over 1,000 all-purpose yards in 2018. That campaign included a 102-yard kick return, which was the longest in the league. He scored the only KR major the following year, and has maintained a carer average of 24.5 yards per runback on kickoffs, and over 10 yards per punt return.

A two-time Second-Team All-Pro member for his dynamic special teams play, the Texas Tech alum also received his first Pro Bowl nod last season, one which was split between the Dolphins and Bears. After his October trade to the Windy City, Grant saw a notable bump in offensive playing time, something which was likely to continue during his Browns tenure.

Cleveland has a new No. 1 wideout in Amari Cooper, but little else in the way of established veterans in their pass-catching corps. The release of Jarvis Landry opened up a starting role in the slot, which the five-foot-seven Grant was working towards earning during training camp. At a minimum, he faced the opportunity to improve upon his 29-catch, 330-yard performance in 2020, which was a career-high.

More testing will be done to confirm the injury, but Grant is likely to be sidelined for the 2022 season. In his absence, the Browns will move forward with the likes of Cooper, Donovan Peoples-Jones, Anthony Schwartz and third-round rookie David Bell in their wideout room. The team has ample cap space, so a deal to bring in a higher-profile receiver like Odell Beckham Jr. remains financially possible, but a reunion has long been considered unlikely. In addition, the Browns now need to find a replacement in their return game.

Sean McVay Confirms Rams Extension

August 9th, 2022 at 10:24pm CST by Adam La Rose

Amidst the several headline-grabbing financial moves the Rams have made this offseason, it has been widely expected that a new deal for head coach Sean McVay was among the team’s priorities. He confirmed on Tuesday that a new contract has indeed been agreed upon (Twitter link via Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic). 

McVay made the announcement during a press conference; details on the length and value of the deal are still unknown, and likely will be for some time. He added that the team will wait to officially announce it until an extension with general manager Les Snead is finalized, tweets NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

“Les and I have always been a pair,” McVay said, via ESPN’s Sarah Barshop. “We wanted to be able to announce that when both of us [had] gotten done. Mine is done. Les is in the process of that.”

The 36-year-old recently spoke about his decision to decline a broadcasting deal and remain on the sidelines with the defending champions. The possibility of his departure loomed over their Super Bowl victory, but McVay had two years remaining on his contract before today’s news. He has also widely been expected to receive a substantial raise from the $8.5MM annual value of his old pact.

Likewise, it comes as little surprise that McVay and Snead will be re-upped simultaneously. The two signed joint extensions in 2019, and have achieved significant success together. A new contract for Snead was considered an inevitability once those of Matthew Stafford, Aaron Donald and Cooper Kupp were taken care of. McVay’s remarks point to both extensions being made official in the near future.

With much of their championship core still intact from last season, the Rams are contenders to repeat in 2022. With McVay (and, all-but assuredly, Snead) remaining at the helm for several years into the future, their intermediate future looks positive as well.

Dolphins Shopping WRs Preston Williams, Lynn Bowden Jr.

August 9th, 2022 at 9:44pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Dolphins have made a number of additions at the receiver position this offseason, leaving them with the possibility of a roster crunch at the end of the summer. In advance of potentially having to move on from some depth options, the team is looking to get any compensation it can before cutdowns. 

[RELATED: Dolphins Trade TE Shaheen To Texans]

Miami has “talked to other teams about potentially moving” Preston Williams and Lynn Bowden Jr., reports Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer. The pair were in line for rotational roles before the offseason began, but face an even steeper path to significant playing time after the Dolphins’ additions of Tyreek Hill via trade, Cedrick Wilson and Mohamed Sanu in free agency and Erik Ezukanma in the fourth round of the draft.

Williams took to Twitter last week to show his frustration with the lack of opportunity he is likely to receive if he remains in Miami. The 25-year-old flashed potential as a rookie with 428 yards and three touchdowns, but has seen his playing time decrease since. The former UDFA has intriguing size (six-foot-five, 220 pounds) and has one season remaining on his contract at a cap hit of less than $1.3MM.

Bowden came to the Dolphins in a much different fashion to Williams, but is now in a similar situation. After a unique college career at Kentucky which saw him produce as a returner, receiver and passer, he was traded from the Raiders before his rookie season began. During that campaign, he totaled 243 scoreless scrimmage yards; a hamstring injury kept sidelined for 2021. His skillset would likely be made redundant in what is expected to be a run-after-catch based offense, given the presence of not only Hill, but 2021 first-rounder Jaylen Waddle as well.

Given their lack of NFL success, the return Miami would receive for either player would be minimal. Still, they will be names to watch as the offseason continues.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/9/22

August 9th, 2022 at 8:56pm CST by Adam La Rose

Today’s minor moves around the NFL:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

  • Placed on IR: DL Bryce Rodgers

Cleveland Browns

Indianapolis Colts

  • Released via injury settlement: WR John Hurst

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

  • Signed: OL Chris Glaser
  • Released: DE Hamilcar Rashed and OL Parker Ferguson

Pittsburgh Steelers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Perry’s interesting post-draft NFL journey continues. Initially slated to join the Eagles as a UDFA, he ended up signing with the Jaguars days later. Then, in July, he was waived (with an injury designation) to make room for Sloter’s addition. Perry has obviously recovered, as the two have now swapped placed once more.

Fenton was one of four Chiefs placed on the PUP list at the start of training camp. That came as little surprise at the time, but his return to practice will be a welcomed sight in Kansas City’s secondary. NFL Network’s James Palmer tweets that Fenton’s preseason availability remains a question mark, but that he is still expected to be fully recovered in time for the regular season.

Jackson was a fifth-round pick in this year’s draft at a position which has been in flux throughout the offseason in New Orleans. The 24-year-old had a highly productive final season in particular at Appalachian State, posting 119 tackles, 20 TFLs and six sacks. He will now have to wait until 2023 to carve out a depth role in the middle of the Saints’ defense.

Saints Activate DE Marcus Davenport

August 9th, 2022 at 7:19pm CST by Adam La Rose

Marcus Davenport has had an eventful offseason with respect to health in 2022, but the Saints defensive end took a significant step towards being available once again. Per a team announcement, he has been activated, and was back on the practice field Tuesday. 

“I want to say this was a good first day,” Davenport said, via Michael Hull of the team’s website. “It’s just one of those things on the process… I still have more to push through. At this point, I’m really just in the process of getting back, getting acclimated, seeing whatever comes up from actually playing football.”

It was revealed in June that the 25-year-old underwent a total of five offseason surgeries to fix knee, shoulder and finger issues. Those procedures added to the list of ailments Davenport has dealt with in his relatively brief NFL career; through four seasons in the league, he has played in no more than 13 contests in any one campaign.

Not surprisingly, the former first-rounder opened training camp on the PUP list. His return marks a positive development, though, as he looks to continue the form he showed in 2021. Despite playing only 11 games (and seeing the field for less than two-thirds of the team’s defensive snaps), he set new career-highs in sacks (nine) and tackles (39). Matching or improving upon those numbers would be crucial for the Saints’ defense.

A strong season would also, of course, do wonders for Davenport financially. He restructured his contract to help the Saints get cap compliant, but his future beyond this season is unclear. With 2022 being the final non-void year of his contract, the UTSA alum could play his way into a significant second deal in the event of a productive (but, more importantly, healthy) campaign. Today’s news is an encouraging sign that he will have the opportunity to put one together.

Chiefs To Sign DT Danny Shelton

August 9th, 2022 at 3:03pm CST by Adam La Rose

One day after working out with one of their division rivals, Danny Shelton is headed to Kansas City. The Chiefs are signing the veteran defensive tackle to a one-year deal, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter (Twitter link). 

The soon-to-be 29-year-old auditioned for the Raiders yesterday, but has landed a contract elsewhere in the AFC West. The former first-rounder had an underwhelming one-year stint with the Giants last season, where he didn’t register any starts and logged a career-low snap share of 29%.

Prior to that, he had a more true-to-form stay in Detroit, where he was a full-time starter. That came one season after he posted a career-high three sacks and 61 tackles with New England in 2019. The journeyman has established himself as a capable run defender over the course of his career, but hasn’t developed into the disruptive presence in the passing game that he was drafted to be.

Shelton – who also worked out for the Panthers this offseason – represents the second recent veteran addition to the Chiefs’ front seven. Kansas City added edge rusher Carlos Dunlap on a one-year pact worth up to $8MM less than two weeks ago. On the defensive interior, Shelton will be joined by the likes of Chris Jones and Derrick Nnadi. He figures to carry a rotational workload given the presence of Jones in particular, but he has demonstrated an ability over the course of his career to log starter’s snaps as well.

With Shelton in the fold, the Chiefs have another capable piece in place as they continue to remodel their defense. They entered the day with more than $9MM in cap space, but after Shelton’s performance in 2021, this deal shouldn’t eat too much into that figure.

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