HEADLINES

Month: October 2024

Dolphins, Stephen Ross Not Punished For Tanking Allegations

August 2nd, 2022 at 12:29pm CST by Sam Robinson

While Tuesday morning’s news will significantly alter the Dolphins’ draft plans, the allegations of tanking brought forth by former head coach Brian Flores are now in the team’s rear-view mirror. The NFL cleared the organization of wrongdoing here.

The Dolphins did not intentionally lose games, nor did Stephen Ross instruct Flores to do so to improve the team’s draft slot, per the investigation (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). Flores accused Ross of offering him $100K per loss in 2019. The NFL is not disputing Flores’ claim about the $100K offer but determined Ross’ proposal for losses was not to be interpreted as serious.

“Even if made in jest and not intended to be taken seriously, comments suggesting that draft position is more important than winning can be misunderstood and carry with them an unnecessary potential risk to the integrity of the game,” Roger Goodell said in a statement. “The comments made by Mr. Ross did not affect Coach Flores’ commitment to win and the Dolphins competed to win every game. Coach Flores is to be commended for not allowing any comment about the relative importance of draft position to affect his commitment to win throughout the season.”

[RELATED: Dolphins Docked First-, Third-Round Picks For Tampering]

Flores, whose tampering accusations led to punishment for Ross and the Dolphins, said he wrote a letter to Dolphins executives indicating concern about the owner’s offer. Flores had also alleged that GM Chris Grier informed him Ross was mad when the team’s wins down the stretch that season compromised its 2020 draft position.

Although Ross will be tied to the tampering charge, the investigation’s other interviews did not lend support to Flores’ account he was given a serious offer to lose games for draft positioning. Such an offer, even coming in jest, acknowledged as fact does not look great for Ross — who is having a rather eventful day — but the longtime Dolphins owner nevertheless avoided a multi-penalty morning.

“I am thankful that the NFL’s investigator found my factual allegations against Stephen Ross are true,” Flores said in a statement. “At the same time, I am disappointed to learn that the investigator minimized Mr. Ross’s offers and pressure to tank games, especially when I wrote and submitted a letter at the time to Dolphins executives documenting my serious concerns regarding this subject at the time, which the investigator has in her possession. While the investigator found that the Dolphins had engaged in impermissible tampering of ‘unprecedented scope and severity,’ Mr. Ross will avoid any meaningful consequence.”

Pertaining to the tanking accusation, the NFL determined the 2019 Dolphins — who had gutted their roster to begin a rebuild that year — “tried hard to win every game, including at the end of the year when they beat Cincinnati and New England, despite worsening Miami’s position in the 2020 draft.”

The Flores-led team’s upset wins late that season dropped Miami’s top 2020 draft choice to No. 5, when Tua Tagovailoa went off the board. The Dolphins were interested in packaging all three picks for Joe Burrow, but the Bengals were uninterested in that swap.

“The independent investigation cleared our organization on any issues related to tanking and all of Brian Flores other allegations,” Ross said in a statement. “As I have said all along, these allegations were false, malicious and defamatory, and this issue is now put to rest.”

The Dolphins’ roster purge led the likes of Ryan Tannehill, Laremy Tunsil, Minkah Fitzpatrick and others off the roster in 2019. Given the product the team was putting on the field to start that season, one that began with a 59-10 loss to the Ravens, Flores helming that Dolphins iteration to a 5-11 record made for a major surprise. It also prevented the Dolphins from securing the Burrow draft slot. The three-year Dolphins HC certainly did not accuse players or his staff of trying to lose games, making the upset over the Patriots moot with regards to his accusation Ross offered him bonuses for losses. But Tuesday’s report including that as evidence is nonetheless interesting.

Flores has also sued the Dolphins, along with other teams and the NFL, for racial discrimination during their hiring processes. Steve Wilks and Ray Horton have joined that class-action lawsuit. That matter remains ongoing, but the $100K-per-loss saga is now behind the Dolphins, who will deal with the consequences from the tampering penalties in the coming years.

Dolphins Owner Stephen Ross Suspended; Team Docked Draft Picks For Tampering

August 2nd, 2022 at 10:55am CST by Adam La Rose

The tampering allegations faced by the Dolphins have led to serious consequences for the organization. Owner Stephen Ross has been suspended for the beginning of the 2022 season, and the team has been docked two draft picks (Twitter link via NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero). ESPN’s Jeff Darlington notes that the decision is final, and there is no appeals process (Twitter link).

Ross will be suspended through October 17 of this year. He is also banned from all league committees and is not allowed to attend league meetings until March 2023. In addition, he has been fined $1.5MM. The draft picks the team is forfeiting are a first-round selection in 2023, as well as a third-rounder in 2024. Dolphins vice chairman Bruce Beal, who is also a TB12 board member (per Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times), has also been suspended and fined $500K.

The full findings of the league’s investigations into the team’s attempts to acquire quarterback Tom Brady and head coach Sean Payton include “tampering violations of unprecedented scope and severity,” per commissioner Roger Goodell. The league has found that the Dolphins engaged in “impermissible communications” with Brady dating back to 2019-20, when he was with the Patriots (Twitter link via ESPN’s Adam Schefter).

Miami likewise held illegal talks with Brady while he was a member of the Buccaneers, pertaining to a potential ownership stake, Schefter adds. As for Payton, the league has found that the Dolphins’ initial talks with him took place before before his decision to step away from the Saints in January, and that permission was still not granted by the Saints after that decision (Twitter links).

“With regards to tampering, I strongly disagree with the conclusions and the punishment,” Ross said in a statement. “However, I will accept the outcome because the most important thing is that there be no distractions for our team as we begin an exciting and winning season. I will not allow anything to get in the way of that.”

Reports surfaced early in the offseason of repeated attempts by Ross to bring Brady (who has a well-known personal relationship with Ross and Beal) to Miami as the team’s quarterback and/or minority owner. The move was expected to represent a package deal with Payton, but fell through in the wake of Brian Flores’ racial discrimination lawsuit against, among others, the team. Much of the story was first detailed by PFT’s Mike Florio, but was later corroborated by a number of outlets; today’s new confirms what many had already suspected based on that reporting.

The punishment handed down to Ross, Beal and the organization is meant to “deter future violations and safeguard the integrity of the game,” per the league’s ruling. While it remains to be seen if it will have the intended effect in future cases of the sort, the Dolphins certainly face a steep price for their actions.

Latest On Dolphins WR Preston Williams

August 2nd, 2022 at 10:12am CST by Adam La Rose

The Dolphins have been one of the most aggressive teams this offseason with respect to offensive additions. Their receiving corps has been augmented both via trade and free agency, leaving one of their incumbent wideouts unhappy with his projected role. 

Preston Williams took to Twitter last night to state that he “just want[s] [an] opportunity” (link). His largest workload came in his rookie season, when he started seven of the eight games he played in. He turned 32 catches into 428 yards and three touchdowns that year. His appearance and start totals remained the same in 2020, but his playing time, targets and receptions all dropped off significantly.

This past season, Williams saw the field for a career-low 32% of the Dolphins’ offensive snaps. The limited role, along with an historic rookie campaign by Jaylen Waddle, led to the six-foot-five, 220-pounder recording just six catches. It came as little surprise when the Dolphins declined to tender the former UDFA, but they still brought him back on a one-year deal this offseason.

This season, the Colorado State alum faces a long list of competitors for targets in Miami’s offense. Waddle will be joined as a starter by Tyreek Hill and Cedrick Wilson at the position. Franchise-tagged tight end Mike Gesicki has also established himself as a dependable option in the passing game, so Williams is likely in store for a repeat of 2021 in terms of usage. His age (25), size and efficiency (14.1 yards per catch average) could, on the other hand, make him an intriguing target for outside teams either via trade this year of free agency next spring.

Latest On Deshaun Watson Suspension

August 1st, 2022 at 10:22pm CST by Sam Robinson

Sue Robinson’s long-awaited ruling came down Monday, but that may well only be part of this saga instead of a conclusion. The NFL and NFLPA have 8am CT Thursday to file appeals, via ESPN.com’s Jake Trotter (on Twitter).

While the NFLPA said it would not appeal Robinson’s ruling, it would be unlikely the union stands down in the event the NFL appeals. Roger Goodell or a commissioner appointee will oversee an appeal, as outlined in the 2020 CBA. The NFLPA has been linked to taking this matter to court, should Goodell bump this ban up to a full season.

From the NFL’s side, an appeal is under consideration. Its statement indicated a review of Robinson’s ruling is ongoing (Twitter link). While the NFL did not make its push for a full-season suspension a secret, the NFLPA is still displeased with Robinson’s decision for a six-game ban, per Josina Anderson of CBS Sports (on Twitter). The union “firmly maintain[s]” Watson should not have been suspended for his alleged sexual assault and/or sexual misconduct against more than 20 women.

In her report, Robinson labeled Watson’s pattern of nonviolent sexual conduct as “more egregious than any before reviewed by the NFL.” Watson had denied all allegations of wrongdoing, but the report indicates “It is difficult to give weight to a complete denial when weighed against the credible testimony of the investigators who interviewed the therapists and other third parties.” Robinson’s ruling also prohibits Watson from seeing a non-team-approved massage therapist for the rest of his career.

Robinson sided with the NFL by stating Watson violated the personal conduct policy on all three counts (sexual assault, conduct that endangers a person’s well-being and safety, and conduct that undermines the NFL’s integrity), ESPN.com’s Jake Trotter tweets. The gray area of this being deemed nonviolent sexual conduct came into play regarding the six-game suspension, but Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk notes Robinson’s findings — including a passage that deems it is more likely than not Watson lied to NFL investigators — could point to Goodell having enough justification to increase the Browns quarterback’s suspension length.

Given the NFL’s push for a full-year ban and its effort to protect against PR backlash, it is not hard to see a scenario in which Goodell follows through with adding games to Watson’s suspension. This would open the door to an NFLPA countermeasure that moves this to court. The CBA and recent precedent would not be on the union’s side in court, but a legal process playing out could delay Watson’s ban. Tom Brady and Ezekiel Elliott were able to play under injunctions; Watson could end up doing the same. Brady and Elliott, however, did end up serving their commissioner-determined suspensions eventually.

Browns Activate OT Jack Conklin, Shuffle Receivers

August 1st, 2022 at 9:44pm CST by Ely Allen

After missing ten games last season with two separate injuries, Browns offensive tackle Jack Conklin has been activated from the physically unable to perform list, according to Nate Ulrich of USA Today. Conklin’s return to the field ensures that Cleveland will field all but one starting offensive linemen from last season. 

Conklin had two separate trips to the injured reserve list last year. He spent three weeks out with an early-November elbow injury and tore his patellar tendon in his first game back from the elbow injury, knocking him out for the remainder of the season. After missing OTAs to rehabilitate on his own, it was expected that Conklin would be limited to start training camp. The Browns confirmed as much by opening camp with Conklin on PUP.

After only eight months of recovery, though, Conklin has been cleared for practice. Cleveland likely won’t take any unnecessary risks in rushing Conklin back to full-go, but to have him back at all this early is an extremely encouraging sign for the Browns’ offensive line. He’ll return to right tackle opposite Jedrick Wills, bookending a line that returns starting guards Joel Bitonio and Wyatt Teller. With J.C. Tretter departing in free agency that leaves center as the only position filled by a different player than last year. A backup center for Cleveland over the past two seasons, Nick Harris will get his chance to start at center in camp this summer.

Cleveland also made some moves at wide receiver today, signing Derrick Dillon and waiving Isaiah Weston with an injury designation. Dillon participated in the USFL draft this past year but, after getting selected in the 15th round, never appeared in a game. He also spent time on the Giants’ practice squad after signing there as an undrafted free agent in 2020. Weston was an undrafted free agent from this year’s rookie class that was carted off the practice field with a knee injury on Saturday. Weston was a longshot to make the roster in the first place, and Dillon will replace him as a camp body this summer.

49ers Sign DT Akeem Spence, Place DT Maurice Hurst On IR

August 1st, 2022 at 8:56pm CST by Ely Allen

San Francisco brought in some veteran depth at defensive tackle today, signing Akeem Spence to a one-year deal, according to the team’s press release this morning. Spence is set to join his ninth team after as many years in the league. 

Spence has become a bit of a journeyman over the last couple of years. After playing out his rookie contract in Tampa Bay, Spence has bounced around every year since. Spence signed a three-year contact with the Lions to leave the Buccaneers but was traded after one year to the Dolphins. Miami released him before he could play out the last year of his second contract. The 2019 season saw Spence play games for both the Eagles and Jaguars. He joined the Patriots in the middle of the 2020 season and played one game for Washington last year. After being released by Washington, Spence ended the season on Denver’s practice squad.

The 49ers don’t necessarily need Spence to return to the form he once held when he was starting games for the Buccaneers, Lions, and Dolphins, but having that veteran experience behind starters Javon Kinlaw and Arik Armstead is comforting. The addition is likely also a reaction to the season-ending injury of Maurice Hurst. San Francisco officially made the move today, assigning Hurst to injured reserve.

Panthers Activate CB Jaycee Horn Off PUP

August 1st, 2022 at 8:20pm CST by Ely Allen

Carolina got some good news today in training camp with second-year cornerback Jaycee Horn being activated from the physically unable to perform list. The team made the announcement on their website this morning, stating that the 22-year-old was cleared to practice. 

Horn missed nearly all of his rookie season last year after suffering a fractured foot in Week 3 of the season. The Panthers had to scramble using mid-season trades to acquire C.J. Henderson and Stephon Gilmore to play opposite starter Donte Jackson. With Jackson re-signed and Gilmore gone to free agency, Horn should retake his spot atop the depth chart with Jackson, with Henderson coming first off the bench. There were also indications that, if Henderson can prove his development, Jackson and Henderson could be trusted outside with Horn playing inside more at nickel.

Horn had indicated that his surgically repaired foot was sore after the Panthers’ conditioning test. As a precaution, Horn was placed on PUP to start training camp, but he should return now, concluding a seamless recovery over the past 10 months.

Defensive coordinator Phil Snow, while probably unhappy to see Horn on the PUP list in the first place, will be extremely relieved to have Horn back. Horn will be a welcome addition to a defense that ranked fourth last year in passing yards allowed.

Cowboys WR James Washington Suffers Foot Fracture

August 1st, 2022 at 7:25pm CST by Sam Robinson

7:25pm: The Cowboys will be without one of their new receiving weapons to start the season as wideout James Washington has suffered a foot injury today in training camp, according to Todd Archer of ESPN. The former second-round pick will undergo surgery tomorrow and is looking at six to ten weeks of recovery after suffering a fractured right foot.

Cowboys fans must be sick and tired at this point of fractures in their athletes’ feet. A fifth-metatarsal fracture held former star wide receiver Dez Bryant out for six weeks in 2015, and DeMarcus Lawrence for 10 games last season. If Washington is out for the minimum prediction of six weeks, that will hold him out through the first week of the season.

3:40pm: The Cowboys’ new-look receiving corps will be lighter on experience this year, and a Monday injury may push this situation more in that direction.

After being carted away from practice, James Washington is feared to have suffered a Jones fracture in his foot, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The offseason addition is going through an MRI. The exam confirming these fears would lead to a lengthy absence for Washington, who was likely to be a key contributor for the Cowboys — especially early in the season.

Jones fractures shelved both Derrick Henry and Deebo Samuel over the past two seasons. Henry missed more than two months of action because of his injury, though the Titans were careful with their All-Pro running back and held him out through their first-round bye. Samuel, who suffered his Jones fracture in mid-June 2020, did not return until early October of that season.

Although Washington had fallen out of favor in Pittsburgh, Dallas added him as part of its post-Amari Cooper mix. The team will not have recently re-signed Michael Gallup to start the season, with the fifth-year target confirming his ACL tear will not allow for a Week 1 return. The Cowboys used a third-round pick on South Alabama’s Jalen Tolbert as well. The team also returns veteran role player Noah Brown, a sixth-year contributor. CeeDee Lamb, of course, will be the team’s top target after the trade of Cooper.

Washington, a 2018 second-rounder who saw the Steelers continue their run of Day 2 wideout picks with Diontae Johnson (2019) and Chase Claypool (2020), has a 735-yard receiving season on his resume. The Oklahoma State product got there alongside ex-college teammate Mason Rudolph in 2019. But Johnson and Claypool surpassed him with the Steelers in subsequent years, and the team — as it does with most of its wideout talent — let him walk after his rookie deal expired.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/1/22

August 1st, 2022 at 6:40pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are the first minor moves of August:

Baltimore Ravens

Denver Broncos

  • Activated from active/PUP list: WR KJ Hamler

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Las Vegas Raiders

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

The Lions’ new running back, Jackson, has found a second home after playing out his rookie contract in Los Angeles. The former seventh-round pick out of Northwestern spent his time with the Chargers backing up starting running back Austin Ekeler, earning a few starts during Ekeler’s more injury-riddled periods. Despite not receiving many touches, Jackson has made the most of each one averaging 5.0 yards per carry during his four-year career in the NFL to total 1,040 rushing yards and four touchdowns, adding 508 yards receiving on 65 receptions. Jackson will compete with Craig Reynolds and Jermar Jefferson for the reserve positions behind the top-two backs, D’Andre Swift and Jamaal Williams.

Rams’ Van Jefferson To Undergo Surgery

August 1st, 2022 at 5:07pm CST by Rory Parks

AUGUST 1: McVay said Jefferson will undergo knee surgery Tuesday, though the sixth-year Rams HC described the procedure as minor and indicated the timetable here will be a few weeks, via CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones (on Twitter). McVay stopped short of guaranteeing Jefferson would be ready for the regular season, however.

JULY 31: Rams wide receiver Van Jefferson will see a knee specialist on Monday, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (via Twitter). The third-year pro missed practice on Saturday, and in speaking with reporters after practice, head coach Sean McVay did not explicitly say whether Jefferson’s absence was related to his knee.

“We’re figuring that out right now, working through that,” McVay said (via Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk, citing Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times). “I’ll have more information for you later — like I said, I don’t have anything right now.”

Those comments don’t shed much light on the matter, but Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic says that the coach was clearly concerned about his big-play wideout (Twitter link). McVay is not scheduled to speak with the media today, so we are unlikely to have additional information until Monday at the earliest.

Jefferson played through a knee injury late in the 2021 regular season and throughout the Rams’ postseason run to a Super Bowl title. As Rodrigue notes (via Twitter), Jefferson underwent a knee procedure in the spring, though he appeared to be in good health when training camp opened and was moving well. Per Rapoport, Jefferson could miss a few weeks, and another surgery is on the table.

The Rams selected Jefferson in the second round of the 2020 draft, and he played a key role in the club’s offensive success in 2021. Despite the knee problems, he started all 17 regular season contests, compiling 50 catches for 802 yards (good for a terrific 16.0 yards-per-reception rate) and six TDs. He also started all four postseason games, adding nine more catches for 102 yards.

Los Angeles has an enviable WR corps, with Cooper Kupp, Allen Robinson, and Jefferson as the top three players on the depth chart. The team invests heavily at the position, and if Jefferson is forced to miss time, the Rams have 2021 draftees Tutu Atwell, Jacob Harris, and Ben Skowronek waiting in the wings. An Odell Beckham reunion has consistently been rumored as a possibility, but OBJ may be unable to suit up until November, so the Jefferson situation will not necessarily impact the team’s decision to re-sign Beckham.

In better health-related news for Los Angeles, quarterback Matthew Stafford sounded mostly positive when asked how his arm is feeling after the first week of training camp. The 34-year-old passer did not throw during spring work because of a right elbow injury, but he has been throwing in camp.

“It’s coming along,” Stafford told reporters on Saturday (via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk). “I’m kind of right where I want to be and just continue to get it feeling better. Get it stronger. You just lose those reps through the offseason and [I’m] trying to gain some of those reps back at the moment.”

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