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Minor NFL Transactions: 9/10/24

September 10th, 2024 at 4:19pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Tuesday’s minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns

New York Giants

Pittsburgh Steelers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Free Agent

Not long after being a 49ers cut as the NFC champions pared set their initial 53-man roster, Parker secured another opportunity. The 49ers carried Parker on their roster this offseason and brought him back shortly after releasing him. A 33-game starter with the Raiders, Parker joins a Falcons roster housing Storm Norton as the swingman behind Jake Matthews and Kaleb McGary.

Isaac went to camp with the Bucs but caught on with the Panthers, via their barrage of waiver claims, after being waived. The Panthers waived Isaac before their Week 1 game. Isaac initially signed with the Bucs as a 2023 UDFA and played in two games last season.

Hatten incurred a five-game suspension today. A Seahawks UDFA this year, Hatten did not make the team’s 53-man roster. At the same time, the NFL lifted the suspensions of the other three free agents, Jackson, Muhammad, and Thomas.

David Njoku Facing Potential Absence; Browns Line Up TE Workouts

September 10th, 2024 at 11:49am CST by Adam La Rose

David Njoku exited the Browns’ Week 1 loss due to an ankle injury, and he could be sidelined for a stretch as a result. The Pro Bowl tight end is believed to be have suffered a high ankle sprain, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Njoku was in a walking boot after the team’s season opener, Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com adds. No firm timeline for his recovery is in place, but head coach Kevin Stefanski called him week-to-week. Losing Njoku for any period of time would deal a blow to a Browns passing attack which struggled on Sunday.

The 28-year-old set career highs in receptions (81), yards (882) and touchdowns (six) last season. Njoku faces expectations to remain a key member of Cleveland’s offense moving forward, and before being injured he recorded four catches for 44 yards. The former first-rounder is on the books for two more seasons as he continues to play out his $54.75MM deal.

With Njoku in line to miss time, Cleveland signed wideout Kadarius Toney to the practice squad. The former first-rounder recently visited the Browns, and he will aim to carve out a role amongst the likes of Amari Cooper, Jerry Jeudy, Elijah Moore and Cedric Tillman. At the tight end position, though, the team is in the process of seeking out an addition.

Cleveland hosted Geoff Swaim on a workout today, Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 reports. In addition, the team has visits lined up with Irv Smith and Tommy Sweeney, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler adds. Swain has the most experience in the group as a veteran of 102 combined regular and postseason games. The 30-year-old played out his rookie contract with the Cowboys before spending time in Jacksonville, Tennessee and Arizona. Swaim’s best campaign (in terms of catches and touchdowns) came with the Titans in 2021 when he posted a 31-210-3 statline.

Smith flashed potential during his Vikings tenure, but the 26-year-old has struggled with injuries in his career. Smith did not have an impactful one-year stint with the Bengals last season, and he failed to survive roster cuts with the Chiefs last month. Sweeney, 29, missed all of last season while spending the campaign on the Giants’ NFI list. He landed a deal with the Bears in free agency, but he too was released ahead of the cutdown deadline. Sweeney is a veteran of 24 games played with the Bills from 2019-22 in a depth and special teams capacity.

After restructuring Deshaun Watson‘s contract once again, the Browns have over $48MM in cap space. A short-term addition to replace Njoku will therefore be feasible, and it will be interesting to see if any of these visits produce an agreement.

Extra Points: Hill, Watson, Prescott

September 9th, 2024 at 9:12pm CST by Ben Levine

Following Tyreek Hill‘s detainment before yesterday’ game, Andy Slater of Fox Sports 640 South Florida released the bodycam footage from Miami-Dade Police. The release of the video follows a statement by the Miami-Dade Police earlier today in which they said that Hill was not immediately cooperative with officers (per Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com).

The video shows that Hill was initially pulled over for speeding while approaching Hard Rock Stadium. After the Dolphins wide receiver was pulled over, he was asked to keep his window down. As ESPN’s Marcel Louis-Jacques and Xuan Thai detail, the “incident escalated when Hill didn’t comply.”

After exiting his vehicle, Hill was grabbed “by the back of the head and neck area” and forced to the pavement before being placed in handcuffs. After being walked to the sidewalk, Hill was forced to the ground again after not immediately complying to an officer’s demand to sit down, with the wideout citing recent knee surgery.

The footage also shows the police tensely interacting with tight end Jonnu Smith, who parked about 25 feet away from Hill. Smith “was ultimately given a citation.” Defensive lineman Calais Campbell can also be seen in the footage approaching police with his arms raised.

Following the release of the footage, the Miami Dolphins released a statement. While the organization lauded the release of the video and acknowledged their relationship with the Miami-Dade Police, they also requested “swift and strong action against the officers who engaged in such despicable behavior.” Per Armando Salguero of Outkick.com, the officer at the center of the video “was placed on administrative duties” and has hired a lawyer.

More notes from around the NFL…

  • Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson is facing a new civil lawsuit claiming him of sexual assault and battery during an incident in October 2020, per ESPN’s Daniel Oyefusi. Watson “sexually assaulted the woman for several minutes” before storming out of her apartment. Watson was previously accused of sexual assault and inappropriate conduct by more than two dozen women. He avoided criminal charges but was served an 11-game suspension after the league and the NFL Players Association reached a settlement. Watson settled 23 of his 24 civil lawsuits, and this latest suit joins the one remaining civil suit from 2022. An NFL spokesperson declined comment when asked about the matter, per Jonathan Jones of NFL on CBS.
  • Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com has the details on Dak Prescott‘s new contract with the Cowboys. The four-year, $240MM extension features an $80MM signing bonus and $129MM guaranteed at signing. The quarterback will have another $40MM guaranteed next March, and another $45MM will be guaranteed the following March. The deal also includes a no-trade clause, a no-franchise tag clause, and a no-transition tag clause.
  • The NFL sent a memo to more than 20 players and their respective teams before Week 1, warning the players that they could face suspensions if they violated the safety and sportsmanship policies. While the players’ identities weren’t revealed, ESPN’s Adam Schefter notes that the individuals “have been penalized and scrutinized in the past,” with all of the players having been suspended over the past two years for on-the-field incidents.

Browns Add WR Kadarius Toney To Practice Squad

September 9th, 2024 at 6:03pm CST by Ben Levine

Kadarius Toney has found his next NFL gig. The wideout has landed with the Browns, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. It’s a practice squad deal for Toney.

The receiver was cut by the Chiefs at the end of the preseason, ending an underwhelming one-plus year stint with the organization. Over the past week, he worked out with both the Seahawks and the Browns, and Week 1 developments may have convinced him to sign with Cleveland.

Per Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz, the Browns wanted to add another pass-catcher after losing tight end David Njoku to a potential high ankle sprain. Rapoport hints that Toney might not earn a promotion for Week 2, but it shouldn’t take long until he finds himself on the field for the Browns.

The former first-round pick has shown brief flashes through his first three years in the NFL, but there’s also a good reason why he’s settling for taxi squad deals. Toney had 39 receptions as a rookie with the Giants, but that number slipped to 16 catches while splitting the 2022 campaign between New York and Kansas City. There was some hope after he hauled in seven catches during the Chiefs’ 2022 Super Bowl run, and he somewhat rebounded with 27 receptions in 2023. Still, that wasn’t enough to keep his gig with the Chiefs.

There are already plenty of offensive concerns in Cleveland after Deshaun Watson‘s miserable Week 1 performance. Things won’t get any easier with Njoku out of the lineup, and Toney’s addition won’t do much to turn around the team’s outlook. The team’s current WR depth chart is headlined by Amari Cooper, Jerry Jeudy, and Elijah Moore, with the likes of Jaelon Darden, 2023 third-round pick Cedric Tillman, and fifth-round rookie Jamari Thrash rounding out the receivers room. The Browns are also rostering additional WRs on the practice squad, including Michael Woods II, Lideatrick Griffin, James Proche, and David Bell.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/7/24

September 7th, 2024 at 7:42pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are all the NFL’s minor transactions for Saturday, including the gameday callups leading into the first Sunday of the 2024 season:

Atlanta Falcons

Buffalo Bills

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

With regular kicker Matt Gay listed as questionable for the season opener after hernia surgery, the Colts will call up Shrader from the practice squad as an emergency option. The 25-year-old has not made a regular season appearance in his career, but that could very well change tomorrow.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/7/24

September 7th, 2024 at 6:07pm CST by Ely Allen

Saturday’s lone practice squad transactions in the NFL:

Cleveland Browns

Bell was waived earlier this week, creating the possibility he would have been claimed by another team. That did not happen, though, leaving the 23-year-old free to remain with Cleveland via a practice squad deal. Bell will be a candidate for gameday elevations or to be re-signed to the Browns’ active roster in the event of injuries in the receiving corps.

Browns Host WR Kadarius Toney For Workout

September 6th, 2024 at 9:07pm CST by Ely Allen

Though Kadarius Toney‘s first three seasons have secured him two Super Bowl rings as a member of the Chiefs, his career thus far has been extremely disappointing for a first-round pick. The latest example saw Toney fail to make Kansas City’s 53-man roster to open the 2024 season. Now, Toney will attempt to earn a contract in Cleveland after a reported workout today, per ESPN’s Field Yates.

The Browns went relatively thin at wide receiver to start the year, only retaining six on their initial 53-man roster. Four receivers (Michael Woods, James Proche, Lideatrick Griffin and Jaelon Darden) already signed to the team’s practice squad, and third-year wideout David Bell was waived yesterday, leaving them with five currently on the active roster.

Cleveland was also recently on the losing end of the Brandon Aiyuk-sweepstakes after reportedly proposing to the star receiver a contract with an annual average value of $30MM, an amount Aiyuk would eventually accept to remain with the 49ers.

Currently, the Browns’ five on the active roster are Amari Cooper, Jerry Jeudy, Elijah Moore, Cedric Tillman, and Jamari Thrash. Tillman still has something to prove after a rookie season that contained 224 yards and zero touchdowns, and Thrash is still a fifth-round rookie himself, but Cooper, Jeudy, and Moore form what should be an extremely formidable starting three.

Cooper is the star of the group, and Moore was just okay as a WR2 in Cleveland last year but should be a pretty good WR3. Jeudy comes in as the new WR2 after four years of competing for the lead role with Courtland Sutton in Denver. The two traded success each year, and Jeudy’s lack of consistency has made it difficult to live up to his own first-round draft status. The hope is that he will be able to finally reach that potential in a new city with a new quarterback.

Toney was an electric talent with the ball in his hands in college at Florida. Since entering the NFL, that explosive big-play ability has surfaced here and there, but his inability to mature his game to an NFL-level in terms of route-running and good hands has prevented him from consistently being in a position to make those highlights as a pro. He recently met with the Seahawks, as well, in hopes of supplementing a diverse, talented corps in Seattle, but the visit didn’t culminate in a new deal.

In Cleveland, he would need to distinguish himself from Moore in terms of speed and big play ability. Moore has those same skills, but Toney has a bit more experience in terms participating in gadget plays. After Cleveland lost out on Aiyuk and waived Bell, though, Toney may be arriving at just the right time to earn a role with the Browns.

Browns Waive WR David Bell

September 5th, 2024 at 6:47pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Browns have used third-round picks on wide receivers three times under GM Andrew Berry. Two of those are now off the roster.

Chosen in the 2022 third round, David Bell made Cleveland’s initial 53-man roster. But the team informed the Purdue product Thursday he would be waived. While the Browns could bring Bell back via a practice squad agreement, the former No. 99 overall pick would need to clear waivers first.

Bell arrived in Cleveland in between the Anthony Schwartz (2020) and Cedric Tillman (2023) third-round investments. The Browns moved on from Schwartz last September. Tillman remains on Cleveland’s 53-man roster, which houses five receivers presently. Behind starters Amari Cooper, Jerry Jeudy and Elijah Moore, Tillman and rookie fifth-rounder Jamari Thrash remain. The Browns already have four receivers (Michael Woods, James Proche, Lideatrick Griffin and Jaelon Darden) on their practice squad.

One of Aidan O’Connell‘s targets at Purdue, Bell has been unable to make a big impact with the Browns. He scored three touchdowns last season but ended the year with 14 receptions for 167 yards in 15 games. A two-time 1,000-yard receiver with the Boilermakers, Bell accumulated 214 receiving yards as a rookie.

Cleveland’s receiver room now consists of three trade acquisitions and two homegrown draftees. The Bell cut also comes less than a year after the team traded Donovan Peoples-Jones, a 2020 sixth-round pick, in his contract year. Teams have until Friday afternoon to submit claims for Bell, who has two years remaining on his rookie contract.

2024 Offseason In Review Series

September 4th, 2024 at 9:43pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are PFR’s examinations of the 32 NFL teams’ 2024 offseasons:

AFC East

AFC North

AFC South

AFC West

NFC East

NFC North

NFC South

NFC West

Browns T Jedrick Wills To Return To Practice

September 4th, 2024 at 11:01am CST by Sam Robinson

One of three Browns tackles to see their 2023 season end due to a knee injury, Jedrick Wills has been on the mend for nearly 10 months. An MCL issue led to the end of Wills’ 2023 season, and he spent all of training camp on the Browns’ active/PUP list.

Cleveland activated Wills from the PUP list last week, keeping him in play to begin his season at some point during Cleveland’s first four games. Unlike Jack Conklin and Dawand Jones, however, Wills has not yet debuted at practice. That is expected to change Wednesday. Kevin Stefanski said all players on Cleveland’s active roster will practice today.

[RELATED: Nick Chubb Stays On Browns’ PUP List]

This is a long time coming for Wills, who has missed extensive time with multiple knee issues. Stefanski said Wills went down with an MCL sprain in early November of last year; he underwent surgery in December. Beyond the high-grade MCL issue, the Akron Beacon Journal’s Chris Easterling notes Wills suffered a low-grade PCL sprain and bone bruises in his right knee.

Wills then sat out Cleveland’s offseason program and did not participate in training camp. While he is now finally on his way back, the fifth-year blocker may not be a great bet to debut in Week 1 due to the missed time. Wills passed a physical last week, Easterling adds, but did not practice Monday. This calls into question his availability for the Cowboys matchup, but the team should look forward to its longtime blindside presence being ready soon — at long last. Wills later confirmed (via Easterling) he would not start Sunday.

The Browns saw Jones, their preferred swing tackle who needed to start much of last season due to Conklin’s injury, return on time for training camp after his season-ending knee injury. Conklin did not and missed all of training camp following the ACL and MCL tears sustained in Week 1 of last season. Conklin beating Wills back to work was notable, given the severity of the veteran’s injuries, but the cliche of no two injuries being alike applies to Cleveland’s tackle situation. A 2020 first-round pick entering his fifth-year option season, Wills will need to show good form soon, as this is a contract year for a player who would stand to cash in big — either via extension or as a 2025 free agent — if he returns to full strength.

James Hudson primarily worked in Wills’ place during camp, with veterans Germain Ifedi and Hakeem Adeniji seeing time as well. Adeniji is off the Browns’ roster after an August IR placement, while Ifedi did not make the 53-man roster. The former first-rounder landed on Cleveland’s practice squad, however, with Hudson and Jones in place as the top backups. It will be interesting to see how the Browns’ O-line looks against the Cowboys, as Conklin has also barely practiced since completing his ACL rehab.

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