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NFC South Notes: Winston, Brown, Olsen

December 28th, 2019 at 5:50pm CST by Marc Delucchi

Buccaneers decision makers have faced one looming question at the quarterback position this season: Is Jameis Winston their franchise quarterback? Jenna Laine of ESPN chronicles the situation and details the organization’s biggest upcoming off-season decisions. Per Laine, members of the Tampa Bay organization have gone back and fourth on their belief in Winston and just a few weeks ago, some brass were “absolutely ready to be done with Winston,” however, the enigmatic quarterback has led the Bucs on a four-game winning streak and has changed some opinions.

While Winston’s play helped make his case, it also limited Tampa’s options at finding a replacement. Top quarterback prospects Joe Burrow and Tua Tagovailoa are unlikely to be attainable for the Bucs in the draft now that they are unlikely to have a top-15 pick. There are a number of potential free agent options at the position, but Winston’s pedigree and relative youth likely means he’ll be back in Tampa.

Here’s some other notes from around the NFC South:

  • Wide receiver Antonio Brown was not alone when he arrived in New Orleans for his workout with the Saints this week, according to Mike Garafolo on Good Morning Football. The four-time all-pro was accompanied by his entourage and a camera crew during the process. Brown has been mired in controversy surrounding his locker room antics in Pittsburgh, his strange decisions with the Raiders, and multiple allegations of sexual and behavioral misconduct that led to his release from the Patriots. No one denies his talent, but it remains unlikely any team will sign him this season.
  • While the future of quarterback Cam Newton will be the biggest offseason story in Carolina, longtime Panthers tight end Greg Olsen will be deciding between retiring or returning next season. According to ESPN’s Field Yates, the former may impact the latter. Newton and Olsen made one of the best quarterback-tight end combinations from 2014-16 and Yates believes Olsen is less likely to walk away from another chance to play with Newton.

Saints To Waive CB DeShawn Shead

December 28th, 2019 at 4:32pm CST by Sam Robinson

DeShawn Shead‘s Saints tenure may not end up including a game. Four days after signing Shead, the Saints waived him, Katherine Terrell of The Athletic tweets.

The Saints also cut offensive lineman Michael Ola and promoted wide receiver Lil’Jordan Humphrey from their practice squad. Humphrey has played in four games as a rookie with New Orleans this season.

Prior to his agreement with the Saints, Shead trekked to several auditions this season. He did not catch on anywhere else, however, and has not played since the 2018 campaign. The Lions deployed the cornerback in 12 games last year, but Shead’s career has never truly recovered from the ACL tear he suffered in a January 2017 playoff game. He’d previously operated as a full-time Seahawks starter during the 2016 season. The 30-year-old defender has started one game since.

Saints To Hold Off On Antonio Brown Signing

December 27th, 2019 at 2:25pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Saints’ Antonio Brown audition doubles as one of the highest-profile occurrences in the history of the in-season workout circuit, but the mercurial superstar does not look to be set for a lengthier New Orleans stay.

Sean Payton said Friday afternoon the Saints do not plan to sign Brown at this point, adding that this morning’s summit was “due diligence.” While any meeting with Brown would exceed such a qualifier, it may be a moot point — at least for the 2019 season.

The NFL plans to place Brown on the commissioner’s exempt list if a team signs him, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (video link). Payton confirmed (via Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk) that’s the information he’s received from the league. Nevertheless, Brown’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, indicated he will continue discussions with the Saints, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter).

The investigation into the two sexual misconduct allegations against the 31-year-old All-Pro remains ongoing, with Schefter noting no end date is known at this point (Twitter link). A Brown return to the league will likely not happen until 2020, and NFL discipline could further delay his re-emergence.

Bringing Brown in without the intention of signing him soon is an interesting move, especially considering Payton indicated the team was not interested in him when he became available in September. The 14th-year Saints HC said Friday he was not being truthful when he previously claimed the team possessed no interest in the superstar talent.

Midway through last season, the Saints worked out then signed Dez Bryant. Their 2019 receiving corps looks similar to how it did at that point, with role players surrounding new single-season reception record-holder Michael Thomas. Ted Ginn, however, has stayed healthy this season. He remains New Orleans’ top Thomas sidekick. Jared Cook, however, serves as the key difference between this year’s Thomas supporting cast and last season’s, with the tight end’s 661 yards second on the team.

Saints Audition Maurice Harris

December 27th, 2019 at 1:50pm CST by Zachary Links

Antonio Brown wasn’t the only wide receiver showing his stuff for the Saints on Friday. Brown and Maurice Harris were among six WRs auditioning for the team, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. 

[RELATED: Saints To Work Out Antonio Brown]

Head coach Sean Payton is aiming to update his WR list for the playoffs, in case any receivers are lost to injury, Schefter hears. That may or may not be an indicator for Brown’s chances of landing a deal. Granted, even if Brown is signed, the league office may step in and keep him off the field by placing him on the Commissioner’s List.

Harris, 27, doesn’t offer the same kind of upside as Brown, but he would come without any of the aforementioned complications. The former UDFA had his first productive pro season in 2018, though he hasn’t had a gig since getting cut by the Patriots back in August. Last year, with the Redskins, Harris caught 28 passes for 304 yards across 12 games.

It stands to reason that the Saints will sign at least one receiver in the coming days. Just this week, the club was forced to place Krishawn Hogan on injured reserve due to a hamstring injury.

Antonio Brown To Work Out For Saints

December 27th, 2019 at 8:24am CST by Zachary Links

The Saints are set to audition Antonio Brown. Brown leaked the news via his personal Instagram on Friday and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link) has confirmed the workout. 

Although Brown is a free agent, it remains to be seen whether the NFL will allow him to actually suit up for a club in 2019. Currently, the star wide receiver is in limbo. The league office started investigating Brown after he was accused of sexual abuse in a lawsuit in September. The NFL has since interviewed Brown, but there’s still no word on his status.

Teams have reportedly been interested in Brown, one of the most dominant offensive players in the modern era. But, up until today, no one has moved to bring the controversial star in for a workout.

If Brown is signed and cleared to play, the Saints would arguably boast the most lethal 1-2 WR combination in the league with Brown lining up opposite of Michael Thomas. Brown would have to get ready and learn the playbook in short order, but he could have an extra week to gear up if the Saints are able to secure a first-round bye. A combination of a Saints win over the Panthers and losses by the Packers or 49ers would give the NFC South champs an automatic pass to the divisional round.

The workout is not believed to be related to Thomas’ hand injury, which has limited him in practice this week, as Mike Triplett of ESPN.com tweets. Even though Thomas is on track to play, the Saints are thin at receiver on the whole. The Saints just placed Krishawn Hogan on IR and, besides Thomas, no Saints WR has more than 29 catches on the season.

At minimum, if Brown is signed, it could help to jumpstart the NFL disciplinary process. Many expect the league office to place Brown on the Commissioner’s Exempt list once he puts pen to paper, keeping him away from the field until his investigation is complete.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/26/19

December 26th, 2019 at 3:00pm CST by Zachary Links

We’ll keep track of today’s practice squad moves here:

Oakland Raiders

New Orleans Saints

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Saints Place Krishawn Hogan On IR

December 26th, 2019 at 8:21am CST by Zachary Links

The Saints have placed Krishawn Hogan on injured reserve. Thanks to a hamstring injury, Shead will miss the Saints’ regular season finale against the Panthers and the postseason. 

Hogan joined the Saints’ taxi squad in September and earned a promotion to the active roster in October. In eight games, he saw time on 83 offensive snaps and 77 special teams snaps. Last week against the Titans, he notched the first reception of his NFL career.

Hogan’s roster spot will be filled by veteran DeShawn Shead, who agreed to terms on Christmas Eve. The former Legion of Boomer can play cornerback and safety, a major help for New Orleans’ banged-up secondary.

Without Hogan, the Saints will move forward with Michael Thomas, Ted Ginn, Deonte Harris, and Tre’Quan Smith at wide receiver.

NFL Playoff Scenarios For Week 17

December 25th, 2019 at 10:16am CST by Zachary Links

The final week of the regular season is upon us.

Here’s the official rundown of NFL playoff scenarios as we get set for Week 17:

AFC

Clinched:

Ravens – AFC North division & home-field advantage throughout AFC playoffs

Texans – AFC South division

Chiefs – AFC West division

Patriots – AFC East division

Bills – playoff berth

Chiefs clinch a first-round bye with:

Chiefs win + Patriots loss

New England clinches a first-round bye with:

Patriots win or tie OR
Chiefs loss or tie

Raiders clinch a playoff berth with:

Raiders win + Steelers loss + Titans loss + Colts win + Raiders clinch strength-of-victory tiebreaker over Steelers*

*Raiders clinch strength-of-victory tiebreaker over Steelers if ONE of the following teams win or tie:

Bears, Lions, Chargers, or Patriots

Steelers clinch a playoff berth with:

Steelers win + Titans loss or tie OR
Steelers tie + Titans loss OR
Titans loss + Colts win + Raiders loss or tie OR
Titans loss + Colts win + Steelers tie Raiders in strength-of-victory tiebreaker*

*Steelers ties Raiders in strength-of-victory tiebreaker if ALL of the following teams win:

Vikings, Packers, Chiefs, and Dolphins

Titans clinch a playoff berth with:

Titans win OR
Titans tie + Steelers loss or tie OR
Steelers loss + Colts loss or tie

NFC

Clinched:

Packers – NFC North division

Saints – NFC South division

Vikings — playoff berth

49ers — playoff berth

Seahawks — playoff berth

Cowboys clinch NFC East division with:

Cowboys win + Eagles loss

Packers clinch a first-round bye with:

Packers win OR
Saints loss OR
Packers tie + San Francisco loss OR
Packers tie + Saints tie

Packers clinch home-field advantage throughout NFC playoffs with:

Packers win + San Francisco loss or tie OR
Packers tie +San Francisco loss + Saints loss or tie

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (12-3) (at Carolina (5-10); 1:00 PM ET, FOX)

Saints clinch a first-round bye with:

Saints win + Packers loss or tie OR
Saints win + 49ers loss or tie OR
Saints tie +Packers loss OR
Saints tie + 49ers loss OR
49ers loss +Packers win or tie

Saints clinch homefield advantage throughout NFC playoffs with:

Saints win + Packers loss or tie + 49ers loss or tie OR
Saints tie + Packers loss + 49ers loss

Eagles clinch NFC East division with:

Eagles win or tie OR
Cowboys loss or tie

49ers clinch NFC West division title with:

49ers win or tie

49ers clinch a first-round bye with:

49ers win OR
49ers tie + Packers loss or tie OR
49ers tie + Saints loss or tie

49ers clinch home-field advantage throughout NFC playoffs with:

49ers win OR
49ers tie + Packers loss or tie + Saints loss or tie

Seahawks clinch NFC West division with:

Seahawks win

Seahawks clinch a first-round bye with:

Seahawks win + Packers loss

Seahawks clinch home-field advantage throughout NFC playoffs with:

Seahawks win + Packers loss + Saints loss

Saints Sign DB DeShawn Shead

December 24th, 2019 at 2:34pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Saints are making a late-season move for some secondary depth. New Orleans is signing veteran defensive back DeShawn Shead, a source told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link).

Shead originally signed with the Seahawks as an UDFA out of Portland State in 2012, and became a member of their vaunted ‘Legion of Boom’ secondary. He started six games for them in 2015 and 15 in 2016, also winning Super Bowl XLVIII with the team. After becoming a full-time starter in 2016 he tore his ACL in the playoffs, causing him to miss almost the entire 2017 season. In March of the following year he signed a one-year, $3.5MM deal with the Lions, and he appeared in 12 games for them.

He returned to Seattle in July of this year, but couldn’t make it out of camp with the team. Shead worked out for the Saints last week, before they ultimately signed D.J. Swearinger. He’s been making the workout rounds recently, also auditioning for Detroit, Oakland, and Jacksonville over the past couple of months.

New Orleans’ secondary is pretty banged up at the moment, so the signing makes some sense. Starting safety Von Bell has been hurt, and fellow safety Marcus Williams went down during their win over Tennessee this past week. Shead can play both corner and safety, and will be a decent depth piece.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/21/19

December 21st, 2019 at 4:21pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Saturday’s minor moves:

Carolina Panthers

  • Promoted from practice squad: OL Matt Kaskey
  • Waived: LB Ramik Wilson

Cleveland Browns

  • Promoted from practice squad: DE Robert McCray
  • Waived: Brandin Bryant

Green Bay Packers

  • Signed off Saints’ practice squad: T John Leglue
  • Placed on IR: T Yosh Nijman

Oakland Raiders

Tennessee Titans

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