Austin Howard - Pro Football Rumors

AFC Notes: Brady, Maclin, Bowman, Jets

January 19th, 2018 at 7:53pm CST by GregGoldstein

Tom Brady suffered a “painful” thumb injury during a practice that took place at the beginning of the week, reports Tom Curran of NBC Sports Boston. According to Curran, the 40-year-old quarterback cut his thumb badly when a running back smashed it while the team was running a play at practice. However, Curran notes that Brady can throw, but doesn’t know exactly just how much it will affect the Patriots gameplan this Sunday.

As always, Curran notes that the team is not letting much information out to the press or public at this time. It’s highly unlikely that Brady will not play in the AFC Championship game, but it is a story that people should keep track of as the game time approaches over the weekend. Perhaps the biggest development that Curran has to offer is that Brady is “not taking snaps from under center”.

The team has listed Brady as questionable on the most recent injury report, but the impact of the injury could have a major effect on Bill Belichick‘s gameplan even though nobody expects the five-time Super Bowl winner to miss such a big game.

Here are more stories coming out of the AFC:

The Ravens have a few players that could be cut in order to create some more cap space for potential offseason moves. Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun listed some of the veterans that could be on their way out. These names included: Lardarius Webb, Danny Woodhead, Brandon Carr, Austin Howard, Breshad Perriman and Albert McClellan. However, the most interesting player on his list could be wide receiver Jeremy Maclin. The Ravens thought Maclin would be a key addition after he has cut by the Chiefs last offseason, but it was mostly a pedestrian year for 29-year-old pass catcher. Baltimore needs a makeover at the receiver position and could make room for new targets for Joe Flacco by cutting Maclin and letting the likes of Mike Wallace and Michael Campanaro walk in free agency.
While the addition of NaVorro Bowman could not stop the bleeding of a disappointing 2017 Raiders season, that doesn’t necessarily mean that new defensive coordinator Paul Guenther doesn’t want the veteran linebacker back in the fold in 2018, reports Scott Bair of NBC Sports. “NaVorro is a prototype middle linebacker, really,” said Guenther. “The thing that impressed me most with NaVorro is that they got him here midseason and by the end of the year, it appeared to me that he was kind of the leader of the unit, making a lot of calls. You can see that on tape. It looks like he is a smart guy that understands the game. I love smart guys that love playing football. Hopefully we can get him back in the fold and keep him a Raider.”
Jets wide receiver Robby Anderson was arrested on a number of charges earlier this morning. Connor Hughes of NJ.com has more details about what occurred to bring this type of discipline. According to a police report that NJ.com obtained, Hughes reports that Anderson”rapidly accelerated” past cops at 105 mph after he saw them on the side of the road. As the cops followed behind Anderson, the report states that Anderson was “all over the road”, and seemingly “failed to maintain a single lane on numerous occasions.” Anderson did eventually stop the car and was arrested, but not until make a number of threats to the police officer’s wife. These details spell more bad news for Anderson who already was arrested back in May while he was at a festival in Miami. The wideout may face discipline from the NFL, but the league still must do their due diligence investigating the incidents until any punishments will be handed down to the 24-year-old.

AFC Notes: Bolts, Ravens, Jets, Steelers

August 8th, 2017 at 9:04pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Chargers first-round wide receiver Mike Williams, who has been dealing with a back injury since May, is “running” and “doing well,” head coach Anthony Lynn told reporters, including Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com. Lynn suggested last week that Williams might not play at all this year, which came after the Chargers announced that the ex-Clemson star will miss all of training camp. However, they continue to hold out hope he’ll be healthy in time for the regular season, writes Eric Williams.

Newly signed Ravens offensive tackle Austin Howard hasn’t practiced with the team since inking a three-year, $16.5MM deal last Friday, and it’s unclear why, per Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun. Howard underwent offseason shoulder surgery, so his recovery from that procedure could be at the root of the delay, notes Zrebiec. For his part, head coach John Harbaugh is content to leave Howard’s fate “in the trainer’s hands.”
Free agent long snapper Andrew DePaola visited the Jets on Tuesday, tweets ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini, who relays that incumbent Tanner Purdum hasn’t looked great in camp. Purdum has been the Jets’ long snapper since 2010, so even though his position isn’t glamorous, it would be notable for the club to make a change there. DePaola was the Buccaneers’ long snapper for the previous three seasons. They non-tendered him in March.
Center Mike Matthews, whom the Steelers waived Tuesday, will miss four to six months with a torn patellar tendon, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (Twitter link). Matthews, the son of Hall of Fame offensive lineman Bruce Matthews, will go on injured reserve if another team doesn’t claim him via waivers.
With Cairo Santos set to miss a week-plus with a groin injury, the Chiefs worked out free agent kickers John Lunsford and Conrad Ukropina on Tuesday, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). It doesn’t appear the Chiefs will sign either, though, given that they added fellow kicker Sam Ficken after auditioning Lunsford and Ukropina.

Ravens Sign OT Austin Howard

August 4th, 2017 at 1:12pm CST by Zachary Links

The Ravens will sign former former Raiders offensive tackle Austin Howard, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Howard was released by Oakland one week ago.

It’s a three-year deal worth$16MM, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. The deal includes team options after each year with $5.5MM coming to him in the first season. At the end, Howard was down to the Ravens and Texans after also visiting Houston.

The deal marks something of a homecoming for Howard, who once was a part of the Ravens’ practice squad. He can expected to compete with James Hurst for the starting right tackle job. If he falls short, he can be used as a swingman off of the bench to bolster the depth on both the interior and exterior of the line. Then again, with a contract like this, the Ravens are probably anticipating that he’ll be with the first unit.

Howard was slowed by an ankle injury in 2016 and is coming off of a down year in terms of performance. Still, he offers far more experience than Hurst and could be a decent starter if he’s healthy. Hurst has just 16 career starts versus Howard’s 72 starts in 76 career appearances.

Overall, this hasn’t been a great offseason for the Ravens’ offensive line. The team lost right tackle Ricky Wagner to free agency, center John Urschel to retirement, and guard Nico Siragusa to a season-ending knee injury. Baltimore hopes that the addition of Howard will help offset its major losses.

Austin Howard Visiting Ravens

August 3rd, 2017 at 8:59pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Free agent offensive tackle Austin Howard is in Baltimore visiting the Ravens, according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link). The Sun’s Mike Preston first reported Baltimore’s interest in Howard last week.

Given the attrition they’ve faced up front since the end of last season, the Ravens are known to be on the lookout for offensive line help. It’s no surprise, then, that they’re pursuing Howard, one of the most accomplished blockers available. He’d somewhat help cover for the departure of right tackle Ricky Wagner, who signed a mega-deal with the Lions in free agency. Baltimore’s O-line also lost center John Urschel to retirement earlier this summer, and interior rookie Nico Siragusa suffered a season-ending knee injury this week.

For the moment, the Ravens are counting on right tackle James Hurst – he of 16 career starts – to line up opposite No. 1 left tackle Ronnie Stanley. The 30-year-old Howard brings far more experience, having notched 72 starts in 76 appearances over six seasons spread among the Eagles, Jets and Raiders.

Howard battled an ankle injury during an 11-game campaign last year in Oakland, where he started 10 times and ranked a below-average 52nd in performance among Pro Football Focus’ 77 qualified tackles. The Raiders released Howard last week, which came with two seasons remaining on the five-year, $30MM deal he signed with them in 2014.

Ravens Interested In Austin Howard

July 28th, 2017 at 9:04pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Offensive tackle Austin Howard lost his job with the Raiders on Friday, but he might not be without a team for long. The Ravens are considering adding Howard, according to Mike Preston of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link).

The 30-year-old Howard would provide an experienced right tackle option to a Baltimore team that lost former No. 1 Ricky Wagner in free agency. After Wagner started 47 games for the Ravens from 2014-16, he inked a five-year deal worth more than $45MM with the Lions.

The Ravens didn’t pick up an established tackle or a spend a draft pick on a bookend in the wake of Wagner’s departure, leaving them with James Hurst as the starter opposite LT Ronnie Stanley. Hurst did appear in all 48 of the Ravens’ games over his first three years, but he only started 16 of those contests. Just three of Hurst’s starts came last year, and his performance drew an unenthusiastic review from Pro Football Focus.

Howard didn’t garner praise from PFF in 2016, either, as he ranked 52nd among its 77 qualified tackles. However, an ankle injury may have contributed to his less-than-stellar showing over 11 games, and he did rack up 10 starts for the fifth consecutive year. In all, Howard has started in 72 in 76 appearances across six years with the Eagles, Jets and Raiders. Howard signed a five-year, $30MM contract to head to Oakland in 2014, but his next deal certainly won’t come anywhere close to that – especially considering he’s recovering from offseason shoulder surgery.

Raiders Cut OT Austin Howard

July 28th, 2017 at 8:03am CST by Zachary Links

Early Friday morning, tackle Austin Howard took to Instagram to announce that he is being cut by the Raiders. Howard’s release comes midway through a five-year, $30MM contract signed in 2014.

The Raiders signed Howard to that sizable free agent deal when he was just 26 and coming off of two consecutive 16-game seasons with the Jets. Unfortunately, Howard has missed eight games over the past two seasons and his play declined sharply in 2016. Howard graded out as the 52nd best tackle in the NFL out of 77 qualified players, according to Pro Football Focus. On the plus side, he committed only two penalties in his eleven games that resulted in a loss of yardage.

Had Howard stayed on board, he would have been relegated to a bench spot. The Raiders project to start Marshall Newhouse at right tackle, but Vadal Alexander and fourth-round rookie David Sharpe are also competing for the job.

Howard was slated to make $4.9MM in base salary in 2017. By cutting him, the Raiders will be left with $2.4MM in dead money against the cap.

Howard was hampered by an ankle injury last year and he underwent shoulder surgery this offseason, so he may want to take some time to heal up before he signs with another club.

Raiders Place Austin Howard On IR

December 19th, 2015 at 3:44pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Raiders sent their second starting left tackle this season to injured reserve, putting regular-season starter Austin Howard on the season-ending list with a knee injury, Scott Bair of CSNCalifornia.com reports (on Twitter).

In a corresponding move, the team brought safety Tevin McDonald back onto the active roster.

Howard was in the middle of a strong comeback season for a resurgent Raiders front despite not being the starter for most of the preseason. Menelik Watson‘s season-ending Achilles tear in August opened the door for Howard to take over at right tackle in Oakland.

The Raiders signed Howard to a five-year, $30MM contract in March of 2014 after the former undrafted free agent established value in three years with the Jets from 2011-13. Jack Del Rio categorized Howard as day-to-day earlier this week, but that designation means less with three games to play.

Although Howard struggled at guard last season, he returned to play tackle after Watson went down and gave the Raiders one of the top edge pairings in the league. Teaming with impending free agent Donald Penn, Howard rated as Pro Football Focus’ No. 21 tackle. Penn slots 10th on PFF’s hierarchy. Only the Browns, who start Joe Thomas and Mitchell Schwartz, have two tackles rated in the PFF top 20.

Howard has just $4.2MM in dead money left on the remaining three years of his contract, and the Raiders do possess a league-high $61MM worth of cap space if they wanted to upgrade in the offseason. But considering the holes Oakland has on defense and the 28-year-old Howard’s bounce-back campaign, standing pat here makes the most sense.

The Raiders house Khalif Barnes and Matt McCants as second-string tackles. The 33-year-old Barnes has far more experience, starting 117 games with the Jaguars and Raiders.

One of the longest-tenured Raiders, Barnes has been with Oakland since the 2010 season.

Oscillating between the 53-man roster and the practice squad all season, McDonald represents safety depth. Nate Allen won’t play in Sunday’s Week 15 contest.

Raiders Notes: Rogers, Brown, Branch

February 18th, 2015 at 6:09pm CST by Zachary Links

On Wednesday, Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie sat down with reporters for a 30 minute chat. He told the press on hand, including Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com (on Twitter) that the Raiders will let both Carlos Rogers and Tarell Brown hit the open market as they look to go younger at cornerback. Here are some of the highlights from McKenzie’s chat..

Safety Tyvon Branch has an uncertain future with the Raiders. McKenzie says that he plans to speak with his agent soon to discuss different possibilities, Bair tweets. Branch, under contract through 2017, is due a $1MM roster bonus in March. He has missed almost two entire years thanks to injury.
Even with a starter’s salary, McKenzie said it isn’t out of the question for Matt Schaub to return as a backup, Jerry McDonald of The Oakland Tribune tweets. Schaub is scheduled to earn a $5.5MM base salary and Derek Carr in place as the team’s starter. It seems likely that he could get let go if he was unwilling to restructure.
Talks are ongoing with center Stefen Wisniewski but McKenzie wouldn’t make promises either way, Williamson tweets.
Coach Jack Del Rio told reporters that Austin Howard, who struggled at guard in 2014, will compete with third-year player Menelik Watson at right tackle, according to Bill Williamson of ESPN.com. That could mean that Oakland will be shopping for a guard this offseason.
In no particular order, it seems like McKenzie will be looking at running back, wide receiver, guard, defensive end, defensive tackle, and middle linebacker, Williamson tweets.
The GM said that the Raiders could sign multiple starter quality players, Williamson tweets.

Raiders Notes: L.A., Incognito, FAs, Howard

March 24th, 2014 at 3:45pm CST by Luke Adams

With rumors about a move back to Los Angeles constantly swirling around the Raiders, owner Mark Davis didn’t exactly move to shut them down in a conversation with Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com yesterday at the owner meetings in Orlando.

“We’re not done in Oakland. We’re trying really hard, and we’ll see how that goes,” Davis said. “But Los Angeles is something that I’ve definitely thought about and haven’t pursued. There are other places as well. Until we can find out if Oakland is real, then I’m still staying in Oakland. If we can get something done in Oakland, I will stay in Oakland.”

Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post adds (via Twitter) that Davis said today Raiders fans shouldn’t be worried about a possible move to Los Angeles. But as Davis’ specific wording (“not at this time”) suggests, the Raiders owner’s comments come with an implied threat, even if it’s not laid out explicitly. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk digs deeper into that topic, and we’ll dig deeper into a few more Raiders-related items:

Free agent guard Richie Incognito has expressed interest in signing with the Raiders, and Davis didn’t rule out that possibility today, as Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com details. However, Davis also suggested asking general manager Reggie McKenzie about Incognito, and when Marc Sessler of NFL.com did exactly that, he was met with a smile and silence from the GM, as he tweets.
Speaking to Bair (Twitter links), McKenzie conveyed some disappointment in losing Jared Veldheer and Lamarr Houston in free agency, suggesting that the Raiders made fair market offers to both players. The GM also stressed that it wasn’t a case of letting Veldheer go, but rather than the offensive tackle made the decision to leave Oakland.
Austin Howard, one of the Raiders’ major free agent signings this month, was actually signed to play guard rather than right tackle, tweets Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle. According to Tafur, the team hopes 2013 second-round pick Menelik Watson can take over right tackle in 2014.

Contract Details: Howard, Hawley, Carroll

March 13th, 2014 at 10:10am CST by Luke Adams

As more signings become finalized, let’s check in on the specific terms for a few of them:

Rich Cimini of ESPN.com (Twitter link) has the financial details on Austin Howard‘s new five-year, $30MM contract with the Raiders, which includes a $5MM roster bonus due this weekend.
Joe Hawley‘s two-year contract with the Falcons includes a $2MM signing bonus, with base salaries of $1MM (2014) and $3MM (2015), tweets Tom Pelissero of USA Today.
While Nolan Carroll‘s deal with the Eagles is worth $5.25MM over two years, it can max out at around $7MM with playing time and performance bonuses, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com.
Tony McDaniel inked a two-year, $5.75MM contract with the Seahawks that includes a $1.25MM signing bonus and various other roster and incentives bonuses, says Pelissero (via Twitter).
Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link) and Pelissero (Twitter link) pass on the details for a pair of Chiefs signings from yesterday. Joe Mays‘ deal apparently included a $2MM signing bonus, which is higher than initially reported, and $3MM in guaranteed money. Jeff Linkenbach‘s base salary is $900K, with $250K guaranteed and up to $600K in incentives.
Pelissero also has the details on Leger Douzable‘s one-year pact with the Jets (Twitter link). It’s worth $1MM, with a $150K signing bonus and a $100K bonus if he makes the team’s 53-man roster.
David Johnson‘s two-year deal with the Chargers is worth $1.7MM and features a $220K signing bonus, tweets Wilson.