Derek Newton - Pro Football Rumors

Texans Rumors: Watson, Martin, Mathieu

April 12th, 2018 at 6:16pm CST by Sam Robinson

Despite tearing an ACL in November, Deshaun Watson looks like he’ll have some involvement in the Texans‘ offseason program. The one-time offensive rookie of the year favorite is ahead of schedule in his recovery process, just as Bill O’Brien anticipated he would be coming into the offseason program, James Palmer of NFL.com reports (video link). Watson will be throwing some during the offseason. Although Watson is currently working out in a brace on the injured knee, Palmer notes the second-year quarterback may not have to wear a brace once he returns to game action. The former national championship-winning passer will not participate in the team portions of the Texans’ OTAs but will throw during the seven-on-seven and passing portions of the workouts, per Palmer.

Here’s the latest out of Houston.

The Texans are considering moving center Nick Martin to guard, Palmer reports. The third-year player started in 14 Texans games at center last season, his first as a healthy NFLer after he missed all of his would-be rookie year due to injury. Having reached an agreement with another former Chiefs offensive lineman in Zach Fulton, it’s possible the Texans could slide Martin to guard and Fulton to center — where he played at times in Kansas City. O’Brien said as many as four new starters could be set to block for Watson this coming season. Senio Kelemete and Seantrel Henderson are now in the fold as well. Houston’s highest-paid lineman remains Jeff Allen, who has not lived up to the $7MM-per-year deal he signed in 2016. Martin’s brother, Zack, of course, is arguably the best guard in the game.
Tyrann Mathieu may be gradually pushed into a versatile position with his new team. Palmer notes the Texans plan to initially just play him at safety but do want him working at cornerback and as a blitzer. This hybrid job description helped Mathieu to an All-Pro perch in 2015 and a then-record safety contract before another injury sidetracked him and eventually re-routed him to Houston.
Joe Webb will make $915K in base salary and will carry a $720K cap figure this season, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports. The wide receiver/quarterback received a $90K signing bonus.
Defensive lineman Christian Covington has been fully cleared after his torn biceps injury in October ended his 2017 season, per Wilson. Covington started two games last season and played in seven, doing so after making five starts in 2016.
The Texans released right tackle Derek Newton earlier on Thursday and did so with a failed physical designation, Wilson tweets. Newton had not played since October 2016, when he sustained two severe knee injuries on one play.

Texans Release OT Derek Newton

April 12th, 2018 at 10:30am CST by Zachary Links

The Texans have informed right tackle Derek Newton that he is being released, Mike Jones of USA Today tweets. His business with Houston isn’t necessarily finished, however, as he’ll be filing a grievance to recoup his roster bonus.

Per the terms of his deal, Newton was due to receive a $500K roster bonus from the team on April 1. For now, Houston is refusing to pay that out, even though a second opinion from Dr. James Andrews ruled that he could take part in next week’s workouts.

Newton started in all 16 games for Houston in in 2013, 2014, and 2015 before tearing both patellar tendons in 2016 and missing all of 2017. Newton wasn’t rated favorably by Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required) during his first two years as a starter, but his stats improved as he turned a corner in 2014. He was PFF’s top-ranked right tackle in run blocking in 2014 and went on to crack the top-25 in pass blocking in 2015.

From 2012-2016, Newton played on 4,473 snaps for the Texans. That was good for the second-most in Houston over that span, second only to left tackle Duane Brown.

Texans’ Derek Newton Accepts Pay Cut

May 23rd, 2017 at 1:21pm CST by Zachary Links

Texans offensive tackle Derek Newton has restructured his contract, as Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle writes. Newton has already been ruled out for 2017 thanks to torn patellar tendons suffered during the 2016 season. Now, he’ll remain with the team at an adjusted rate while he rehabs.

The deal will lower Newton’s base salaries in each of the next three seasons. Newton was originally due $4.75MM in base salaries each year, but he’ll now get a base of just $1.75MM this year (guaranteed) and $2.25MM (non-guaranteed) in 2018 and 2019.

for 2018, 2018 and 2019. Newton is now due a guaranteed $1.75 million base salary this year and non-guaranteed base salaries of $2.25 million and $2 million in 2018 and 2019. Newton is now looking at a three-year, $10MM deal over the next three years the rest of the way in a modification of his original five-year, $26.5MM deal inked in 2015. If the contract plays out in full, he’ll carry salary cap figures of $3MM in 2017, $5.5MM in 2018, and $3.75MM in 2019.

Texans Place Newton On Reserve/PUP List

May 12th, 2017 at 5:18pm CST by Sam Robinson

Derek Newton wasn’t expected to be ready to play by the 2017 season, and the Texans made that official on Friday. The team placed its primary right tackle starter on the Reserve/PUP list to shelve him for the entire ’17 season, according to Field Yates on ESPN.com (on Twitter). The Texans confirmed the move.

The veteran tackle suffered a brutal injury during a game in October 2016, tearing both his patellar tendons. He was unable to walk for a three-month period and will now spend this season rehabilitating in a possible effort to return to the field.

Three years remain on Newton’s five-year, $26.5MM deal. The 29-year-old started for four full seasons before suffering this rare setback, but it’s obviously uncertain as to whether the former seventh-round pick will be able to surmount this and return to his spot in Houston’s starting lineup.

The Texans still have veteran Chris Clark under contract, but in Newton’s stead last season, Clark rated as Pro Football Focus’ sixth-worst full-time tackle last season. Houston drafted Bucknell tackle Julien Davenport in the fourth round, but the small-school product profiles as more of a project than a player who could conceivably contribute quickly.

Derek Newton Unlikely To Play In 2017

February 25th, 2017 at 6:48pm CST by Dallas Robinson

After tearing patellar tendons in both legs last October, Texans right tackle Derek Newton is not expected to play during the 2017 campaign, according to Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com.

Newton, 29, was facing a lengthy recovery process that included time in a wheelchair and an inability to walk for three months. Fellow Houston offensive lineman Duane Brown said Newton is “in great spirits” and is “doing everything he can to get back as quickly as possible,” but also confessed Newton has “a long road ahead of him,” reports Barshop. At the time Newton went down, former NFL doctor David Chao described the incredibly serious nature of the veteran tackle’s injury.

“I am not aware of an NFL athlete, who came back to play at a similar level after this injury,” said Chao.. “The injury is very rare. It’s not a once-a-year injury. This is a once-every five years. This is harder to come back from than a torn ACL. To have two of them is devastating, but, yes, he should be walking in three months. There’s a big difference between walking and playing.”

Chris Clark, Newton’s replacement at right tackle, graded as the league’s sixth-worst tackle in 2016, according to Pro Football Focus, so the Texans could possibly invest in an offensive lineman with pick No. 25. Ryan Ramczyk (Wisconsin), Garett Bolles (Utah), and Cam Robinson (Alabama) are among the best tackles that could be available near the end of the draft’s first round.

Texans OT Derek Newton Undergoes Surgery

October 30th, 2016 at 10:59am CST by Dallas Robinson

SUNDAY, 10:59am: Wilson solicited the opinion of several highly-respected doctors on the severity of Newton’s injury. The entire piece is worth a read, but the upshot is that Newton should be able to resume his career and regain nearly full recovery of knee motion. Unsurprisingly, however, the injury could prevent him from reaching his former level of performance, although he should be able to at least come close to that standard.

THURSDAY, 7:50pm: After suffering a gruesome injury on Monday Night Football, Texans offensive tackle Derek Newton underwent surgery today to repair his two torn patellar tendons, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. Luckily, Newton did not tear either of his ACLs, but still faces a lengthy recovery that will include time in wheelchair. He’s unlikely to walk again for three months.

“I am not aware of an NFL athlete, who came back to play at a similar level after this injury,” said former Chargers doctor David Chao, per Wilson in a separate article. “The injury is very rare. It’s not a once-a-year injury. This is a once-every five years. This is harder to come back from than a torn ACL. To have two of them is devastating, but, yes, he should be walking in three months. There’s a big difference between walking and playing.”

Torn patellar tendons have derailed the careers of other NFLers — including defensive back Gary Baxter and wide receiver Wendell Davis — in the past, as Wilson notes. But the Texans reportedly are expressing “guarded optimism” about Newton’s ability to resume playing, thanks both to advances in injury science and Newton’s work ethic.

Newton, who will be replaced at right tackle by veteran Chris Clark, signed a five-year extension prior to the 2015 season that contained $10MM in guarantees. The 28-year-old Newton has been a full-time starter for the Texans since 2012, and has 82 career appearances under his belt.

Derek Newton Tears Both Patella Tendons

October 24th, 2016 at 9:23pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

In devastating news for Derek Newton and the Texans, the right tackle tore both patella tendons Monday against the Broncos, report Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (Twitter link). Worse, that’s not the full extent of the damage, per Rapoport and Garafolo.

This will prematurely end an injury-plagued year for Newton, who was carted off the field in the first quarter in Denver. Newton missed the Texans’ win over the Colts last week with an ankle problem and sat out the preseason with a hamstring issue.

The 28-year-old Newton has long been a rock for Houston, having appeared in at least 14 games in each of his first five seasons in the NFL. The 2011 seventh-round pick came into this season with three straight 16-game campaigns under his belt and has started in all 68 of his appearances since 2012.

After Newton went down, the Texans replaced him with the experienced Chris Clark. The 31-year-old entered Monday with 36 starts, including five this season, and 86 appearances on his resume.

AFC Notes: Fins, Jones, Texans, Broncos, Colts

July 31st, 2016 at 8:31pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Dolphins have not ruled out renegotiating, or even extending, the contract of safety Reshad Jones, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Jones was planning a holdout in the hopes of landing an extension from Miami, and reportedly even mulled a season-long boycott, but eventually reported to camp in June. The 28-year-old Jones doesn’t seem very worried about his deal at this point, telling Jackson that he’s “just worried about helping [his] team win.”

Here’s more from the AFC:

Offensive tackle Chris Clark attracted interest from four teams over the offseason, and the free agent was able to use that leverage to land a two-year, $6MM deal from the Texans, as Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle writes. Clark, who will act as Houston’s swing tackle, is set to serve in an especially valuable role given that starting left tackle Duane Brown is recovering from a torn quadriceps. But Clark might needed on the right side as well, as starter Derek Newton suffered a strained hamstring today and will be sidelined for a few weeks, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
The Broncos don’t have a clear line of succession at owner, Mark Kiszla of the Denver Post details, noting that the club is currently run by president/CEO Joe Ellis. Ellis is one of three trustees who will determine which of Pat Bowlen‘s seven children will take over as the team’s primary owner as Bowlen himself deals with Alzheimer’s disease. For now, though, Ellis, along with strong leadership by GM John Elway and head coach Gary Kubiak, have the team moving a good direction.
Although Eric Fisher‘s new contract is probably an overpay, the Chiefs are both spending on future performance and working under a “fear of the unknown,” writes Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap. With fewer qualified offensive tackles entering the league due to the prevalence of the spread offense in the NCAA, Kansas City was willing to extend Fisher now rather than wade into the draft to find a risky tackle option. Plus, given that Fisher was effectively guaranteed $15.3MM over the next two seasons, his new guarantee of $22MM isn’t completely out of left field.
The Colts are working out former Panthers offensive lineman Edmund Kugbila, Mike Chappell of Fox59 tweets. The Panthers selected Kugbila in the fourth round of the 2013 draft but he has yet to play a single professional snap due to various injuries.

AFC Notes: Raiders, Pryor, Jets, Texans, Jags

August 29th, 2015 at 4:03pm CST by Ben Levine

The Raiders brought in running backs Trent Richardson and Roy Helu Jr. to backup Latavius Murray, but Josh Dubow of the Associated Press says it’s been undrafted free agent Michael Dyer who’s been making the biggest case to be the No. 2 back. The Auburn/Louisville product gained 45 yards on 12 carries in last week’s preseason game.

“I feel like I got my confidence up because I was able to get into a rhythm and up to game speed,” Dyer said. “Going from the first game to second game you try to build confidence and get the offense down. By the third game you should be able to have control of the game and play hard and fast.”

Meanwhile, despite the fact that he’s a former first-round pick, Richardson is no guarantee to make the team.

“He’s got to earn it,” coach Jack Del Rio said. “He’s got to be good enough as a backup. We’ve got to see some of the explosiveness that he had when he was a young man playing for the Crimson Tide there. He’s got to have a role on special teams and he’s got to be able to help us win on Sundays. That’s the challenge for him right now.”

Let’s check out some more notes from the AFC…

Terrelle Pryor‘s quest to switch from quarterback to wideout hasn’t necessarily gone as planned, as the former Ohio State standout has remained sidelined with a sore hamstring. However, Browns coach Mike Pettine told Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com that the injury doesn’t doom Pryor’s chance to make the team. “We know he’s a project. We understand that,” Pettine said. “We’re not expecting him to go out there and light it up and catch 10 balls for 150 yards and two touchdowns. Just continue to get better.”
Todd Bowles may have some tough decisions to make as he looks to trim his roster, but the Jets coach is confident in what he has. “I have a pretty good idea of what we have with the exception of about three or four guys,” Bowles told Brian Costello of the New York Post. “I have a good idea about everybody else. I understand what we can be, and I know what kind of work we have ahead of us, but I have a good idea of what we have.”
Bill O’Brien needs to cut the Texans roster from 90 players to 53 players in the next ten days, and the head coach is lamenting the inevitably tough decisions. “It’s a very difficult thing,” he told Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. “As a head coach, it’s one of the hardest parts of your job because you’ve got guys here that have really, really worked extremely hard…You want a competitive roster. You want to have tough decisions, but it’s still not an easy thing to do with guys you really care about, you really enjoy being around.”
Offensive lineman Derek Newton‘s five-year, $26M contract signed with the Texans this past offseason may prove to be a bargain, writes Wilson. “Well, we got him back here for a reason,” said offensive coordinator George Godsey. “He’s been playing some tackle for us. We’ve put him in there at guard with some of the things that we’ve had situationally. We put him over at left tackle and haven’t heard one gripe from him.”
The Jaguars may not have either Andre Branch or Sen’Derrick Marks for their preseason opener, report Mike DiRocco of ESPN.com and Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union, respectively. Branch suffered a sprained MCL and will be out a “significant” amount of time, per Gus Bradley. The pass-rusher is entering his contract year and already saw a groin injury nullify much of his third campaign. The Jags’ sack leader with 8.5 last year, Marks is still recovering from the torn ACL he sustained in Week 17 of last season. Bradley described his top defensive tackle’s quest to suit up for Week 1 as an uphill battle.

Sam Robinson contributed to this report

AFC Notes: Pouncey, Ravens, Fitzpatrick

August 28th, 2015 at 10:29am CST by Luke Adams

As Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle writes, Derek Newton‘s new five-year contract with the Texans, signed back in March, didn’t create the biggest headlines at the times, but it’s looking like one of the best moves of the team’s offseason. Although he’s penciled in as Houston’s starting right tackle, Newton has filled in at guard and left tackle as well, and offensive coordinator George Godsey praised his willingness to help out in any way he can.

“He has a ‘coach me, Coach’ attitude,” Godsey said. “Even though we coach that position, that whole group, (offensive line coach) Mike Devlin does a great job and coaches them hard. He’s come to work every day. I couldn’t ask any more from Derek this preseason.”

Here’s more from around the AFC:

While head coach Mike Tomlin and the Steelers won’t commit to a specific timeline for center Maurkice Pouncey, Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review suggests Pouncey will be back sometime after the club’s Week 11 bye. That would mean the veteran lineman will miss at least 10 games, making him a clear-cut candidate for the Steelers’ IR-DTR slot.
In his latest round-up of Ravens news and notes, Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun identifies several higher-profile players who could be on the team’s roster bubble, and writes that Dennis Pitta continues to work hard, intent on eventually returning and making an impact for the club.
Steelers kicker Shaun Suisham didn’t just tear his ACL on the play that knocked him out of action for the 2015 season. As he tells John Kryk of the Toronto Sun. Suisham also tore his medial meniscus. The veteran kicker is glad the injury happened during the preseason rather than in November or December though, since it gives him a full year to recover for the 2016 season.
As he heads into a contract year, Ryan Fitzpatrick will have an opportunity to start at quarterback for the Jets, and the veteran signal-caller tells Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News that the possibility of a breakout year, even at age 32 (33 in November) isn’t out of the question. “So much of the game for the quarterback is the mental side of it,” Fitzpatrick said. “Everybody always talks about my arm and how horrible it is. I promise… you can put on some tape (and see) that I can make all the throws that you want me to make or that I need to make. … I see myself continuing to get better rather than declining.”