Jakob Johnson

East Rumors: Cowboys, Patriots, Giants

Cowboys scout Josh Brent was arrested for public intoxication on Sunday, Calvin Watkins of The Athletic reports (on Twitter). Brent became uncooperative and was tased, according to Watkins, who adds (via Twitter) he waits in a Carrollton, Texas, jail and may face further charges. This incident occurred in a Wendy’s parking lot, according to Dean Straka and Claire Cardona of the Dallas Morning News. (Video of Brent’s arrest, courtesy of WFAA’s Bradley Blackburn, can be seen here.) This may prove to be significant for Brent, who has a checkered legal history. The former Cowboys defensive lineman was convicted of intoxication manslaughter in 2012, when he was driving a vehicle that crashed, killing Cowboys teammate Jerry Brown. Brent served 180 days in jail for that crime. He has worked as a Cowboys scout since 2015. Brent, 31, also pleaded guilty to driving under the influence in 2009.

Here is the latest from the East divisions:

  • Jerod Mayo looks set for a key role on the Patriots‘ coaching staff this season, and some fellow recent acclaimed Patriot players may join him in the near future. Troy Brown, Deion Branch and Kevin Faulk helped run drills during Patriots offseason workouts, and Mike Reiss of ESPN.com notes spots are likely waiting for them on Bill Belichick‘s staff if they are ready to pursue coaching. Patriots special teams coach Joe Judge also instructs Pats wide receivers, leaving a possible role open. Both Brown and Faulk have been Boston-area media presences since their respective careers concluded. Neither played for another organization, while Branch returned to New England after being traded to Seattle in 2006.
  • Although the Patriots have 90 players on their offseason roster, they still have an open spot. Because fullback Jakob Johnson is part of the NFL’s International Pathway program, Reiss notes the Pats can carry 91 players this summer.
  • After passing on Josh Allen and to draft Daniel Jones at No. 6 overall, the Giants carry questions about their edge rusher situation going into training camp. Both Matt Longacre and Sam Acho could be low-cost fits to join the likes of Lorenzo Carter, Markus Golden and Kareem Martin, per NJ.com’s Matt Lombardo. A four-year Rams edge cog, Loncagre visited the Ravens this offseason, but they went with Shane Ray and Pernell McPhee instead. No known Acho visits have transpired since the Bears cut him in March. The Giants’ 30 sacks last season ranked 31st.
  • Also potentially on the Giants’ late-offseason to-do list: add a No. 3 wide receiver. Michael Crabtree and Dez Bryant represent the biggest names on the market, and Lombardo, citing the Giants’ No. 28-ranked 2018 red zone offense, views Crabtree as a fit for Big Blue. Fifth-round rookie Darius Slayton has impressed New York’s coaching staff thus far and appears to have a legitimate shot at commandeering the WR3 job, but the Auburn product has functioned more as a deep threat in his career.
  • It appears Daniel Snyder will have input in which quarterback opens the season as the Redskins starter.

Complete 2019 NFL International Pathway Program

Moritz Boehringer is back in the NFL. The German tight end, who became the first European player ever to be drafted without playing American college football back in 2016, has been allocated to the Bengals as part of the league’s international pathway program, per Darin Gantt of ProFootballTalk.com.

Boehringer’s assignment to the Bengals completes this year’s program. Each season, teams in two divisions get a roster exemption to develop a player from another country. The player can be the 91st man on offseason rosters, and can be an 11th player on practice squads during the regular season. Boehringer was drafted by the Vikings, but spent his rookie season on the practice squad without ever appearing in a game. He came into the league as a receiver, but has since transitioned to tight end. He was with the Bengals as part of this program last year, and will be back in Cincy in 2019.

Here’s a list of the rest of the players selected to participate:

Baltimore Ravens

  • FB Christopher Ezeala

Buffalo Bills

  • RB Christian Wade

Cleveland Browns 

  • DB Tigie Sankoh

Miami Dolphins

  • DT Durval Neto

New England Patriots

  • TE/FB Jakob Johnson

New York Jets

  • RB/WR/KR Valentine Holmes

Pittsburgh Steelers

  • TE Christian Scotland-Williamson

The AFC North participated last year, but this year the AFC East is taking the place of the NFC South. Notably, Efe Obada was a participant in the program with the Panthers last year, and he went on to make Carolina’s 53-man roster last season. He was re-signed this offseason.

Each of the players assigned to the AFC North were with those teams last year. Scotland-Williamson is a former rugby player, while Boehringer, Sankoh, and Ezeala all played American football overseas before making the leap.

All of the AFC East players are new to the program. Given the Patriots’ track record of finding hidden gems, Johnson will likely end up leading the league in receiving yards at some point. Johnson was signed from the German football league. Neto was playing football in Brazil before being added to the Dolphins. Wade and Holmes are both former prominent rugby players.