David Njoku Facing Potential Absence; Browns Line Up TE Workouts
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
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
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
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
- Elevated: WR Chris Blair, CB Kevin King
Buffalo Bills
- Elevated: OL Will Clapp, DE Kameron Cline
Chicago Bears
- Elevated: DE Byron Cowart, LS Scott Daly
Cincinnati Bengals
- Elevated: WR Kendric Pryor
Cleveland Browns
- Signed to active roster: WR Jaelon Darden
- Elevated: CB Mike Ford, T Germain Ifedi
Denver Broncos
- Elevated: FB Michael Burton, WR Lil’Jordan Humphrey
Detroit Lions
- Signed to active roster: DE Chris Smith
- Elevated: WR Tom Kennedy, DT Kyle Peko
Indianapolis Colts
- Elevated: CB Chris Lammons, K Spencer Shrader
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Elevated: S Terrell Edmunds
Las Vegas Raiders
- Elevated: CB Sam Webb
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed to active roster: TE Eric Tomlinson
- Elevated: LB Shaquille Quarterman
Los Angeles Rams
- Elevated: T AJ Arcuri
Miami Dolphins
- Elevated: WR Robbie Chosen
Minnesota Vikings
- Elevated: RB Myles Gaskin, S Bobby McCain
New England Patriots
- Elevated: DT Trysten Hill, G Michael Jordan
New Orleans Saints
- Elevated: LB Khaleke Hudson, DT Kendal Vickers
New York Giants
- Elevated: LB Carter Coughlin, LB Ty Summers
- Released: LB Curtis Bolton
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Elevated: WR Ben Skowronek
- Placed on IR: DT Logan Lee
Seattle Seahawks
- Elevated: S Marquise Blair, CB Artie Burns
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Elevated: DT C.J. Brewer, DL Mike Greene
Tennessee Titans
- Elevated: LB Luke Gifford, DL James Lynch
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
Saturday’s lone practice squad transactions in the NFL:
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: WR David Bell
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
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
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
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
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.
Browns Offered Brandon Aiyuk $30MM Per Year; Latest On 49ers’ Process
The Broncos may have overtaken the Browns in terms of Brandon Aiyuk relevance, as their decision to turn down a 49ers offer for Courtland Sutton may well have triggered a chain reaction that cost the Steelers their chance at the All-Pro wide receiver.
Weeks before Aiyuk finally accepted San Francisco’s $30MM-per-year offer, he is believed to have received the same AAV proposal from the Browns, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (video link). The Browns did not last too long as an Aiyuk suitor, but as the 49ers let the contract-seeking wideout speak with other teams to gauge his market, Cleveland’s offer outflanked Pittsburgh’s.
[RELATED: Browns Still Open To Amari Cooper Extension]
Not reported to have submitted Aiyuk an extension offer worth more than $28MM per year, the Steelers indeed checked in south of that point. They were at $27.7MM per annum, Rapoport adds. That would have placed Aiyuk behind Jaylen Waddle and ahead of D.J. Moore. When it all wrapped, Aiyuk surpassed both on a frontloaded agreement. He is now the NFL’s sixth $30MM-AAV receiver.
Browns-49ers talks occurred in early August, at the same point the player’s camp was negotiating with the Patriots and Steelers. Trade framework with both Cleveland and New England emerged. Aiyuk’s AFC negotiations still led him back to the table with the 49ers, but not before the Browns had made an interesting offer.
Cleveland is believed to have dangled Amari Cooper, along with second- and fifth-round picks, for Aiyuk. With Cooper in a contract year, the Browns were planning to have Aiyuk at $30MM per annum and Jerry Jeudy at $17.5MM a year. It will be interesting to see if Cooper’s camp, which could not secure an extension this offseason, uses this Aiyuk offer in future negotiations. With the Browns probably not eager to acquire a player who did not want to land in Cleveland, the trade ended up on the cutting-room floor; Aiyuk is believed to have shown little interest in the Browns or Patriots.
The Pats indeed offered $32MM per year, Rapoport confirms. That led the pack in terms of extension offers, and it marked a stark deviation from how the organization proceeded under Bill Belichick. But Eliot Wolf has signed off on a spree of extensions and re-signings for Belichick-era pieces this year. The team also made a strong effort to sign Calvin Ridley in free agency, only to see the Titans come out victorious. The Ridley and Aiyuk pursuits reflected where the Pats believe they are deficient, and they will go into Drake Maye‘s rookie year with an undermanned group — albeit one including second-round rookie Ja’Lynn Polk.
As for the Browns, they have made trades for Elijah Moore and Jerry Jeudy over the past two offseasons. Those two will join Cooper, whose contract issue eventually produced an incentive package. Cooper remains a 2025 free agent-to-be. The high-end route runner would have made for an interesting 49ers addition, and the sides could have worked out a contract. Though, Cooper is four years older than Aiyuk. Part of the reason the 49ers wanted to re-up the 2020 first-rounder stemmed from his prime being ahead of him. Cooper already has seven 1,000-yard seasons on his resume, but he will naturally decline earlier.
Cooper also has a superior resume to Sutton, who would have made for a different type of Brock Purdy target compared to Aiyuk. More of a jump-ball threat and possession receiver, the 28-year-old Denver wideout is coming off a 10-touchdown year. The Broncos clearly want the seventh-year pass catcher, who remains on a team-friendly deal that runs through 2025, to help the team develop Bo Nix.
None of these teams would have been relevant in the Aiyuk negotiations had the 49ers hammered out a deal early this offseason. While it is not exactly fair to penalize the NFC West club for not completing a deal before the Lions extended Amon-Ra St. Brown in April, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio adds the team’s initial offer in the $27MM-per-year neighborhood would have gotten a deal done before the Lions wideout cashed in at $30.01MM per annum.
By July, the 49ers still stood at $27MM per year. We heard the team upped its offer in early August. By August 12, it is believed the $30MM-AAV proposal was on the table. Aiyuk managed to skip two more weeks’ worth of practice, but the sides finally reached an agreement. After the comments of Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch this week, Rapoport adds the 49ers essentially gave Aiyuk an ultimatum: either agree to the team’s offer or take the Steelers trade.
San Francisco did not only contact Denver about an escape-hatch wide receiver; the team made calls to several other teams about pass catchers, Rapoport adds. It is not known if the 49ers offered a third-rounder to any other team, but the Broncos — perhaps a sign for Sutton’s potential pre-deadline availability — are the only known team to pass on being the third party in what would have essentially been a three-team trade.
The 49ers were always the favorites here, but Aiyuk having interest in Cleveland or New England would have made matters more interesting due to the extension offers both clubs made.