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LaVon Brazill

Audition Notes: Friday

January 16th, 2015 at 6:48pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Duron Carter is among the busier men in the NFL right now, as the CFL receiver has worked out for a litany of teams over recent weeks in an effort to secure a contract for 2015. According to Ben Goessling of ESPN.com (Twitter link), Carter has is likely finished with the audition circuit after visiting with the Browns earlier today. And despite earlier reports that the Vikings, home to Duron’s father Cris Carter for much of his career, were the favorites to land the young receiver, Goessling reports that Minnesota is the not high bidder for Carter at the moment. Here’s more workout news from around the league…

  • Carter isn’t the only CFL player making the NFL rounds, as defensive back Delvin Breaux met with both the Steelers (Twitter link via Howard Balzer) and the Jaguars (Twitter link via Adam Caplan of ESPN). Per Caplan (on Twitter), Breaux has several more visits lined up, and is scheduled to meet with the Browns, Dolphins, Falcons, and Saints, while the Eagles and Jets also maintain interest.
  • The Panthers brought in quarterback Dominique Davis for a workout, tweets Caplan. Davis, 25, was a reserve for the Falcons from 2012-13, and spent time with the Titans and Colts last season.
  • The Titans, like all teams, are aiming to fill out their offseason roster, and worked out the following players today in that vein, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link): LaVon Brazill, David Fluellen, Jacoby Ford, Clyde Gates, Phillip Hunt, Shawn Lemon, Joe Morgan, Keith Price, and Chase Rettig. Brazill is probably the most notable name among the list, as he was set to play a meaningful role in the Colts’ offense before being suspended and migrating to the CFL.
  • Before signing Mitchell Van Dyk yesterday, the Steelers also worked out fellow punters Tom Hornsey and Richie Leone, in addition to defensive tackle Kheeston Randall, per Wilson (via Twitter).
  • The Bills auditioned offensive lineman Matt Armstrong today, tweets Wilson.

Workout Notes: Saturday

January 10th, 2015 at 9:00am CST by Ben Levine

We’ll keep track of today’s workout information right here, as well as a couple of notes from the past couple of days. All of the information below is via the Baltimore Sun’s Aaron Wilson on Twitter…

  • The Chiefs worked out wide receivers John Chiles and Cordell Roberson, cornerback Aaron Hester and defensive lineman Shawn Lemon.
  • The Chiefs also brought in defensive back Jalil Carter and wide receivers LaVon Brazill, Duron Carter and Joe Morgan. Brazill, a former sixth-round pick by the Colts, showed some flashes playing with Andrew Luck early in his career. Morgan was released by the Saints earlier this season, while Carter appears to have numerous suitors (with the Vikings seen as the favorite to sign him).
  • The Seahawks also brought in Lemon for a workout, and he joined quarterback Dominique Davis and cornerback Keon Lyn at the tryout. Wilson notes that defensive back Delvin Breaux was also brought in “for a visit.”
  • The Packers worked out CFL defensive back Jalil Carter. The former Akron standout briefly spend time with the Rams and in the AFL.
  • The Giants brought in five players for workouts: linebackers Terrance Bullitt and Phillip Hunt, safety Mistral Raymond, fullback Collin Mooney and tight end Michael Flacco.
  • The Steelers worked out a trio of offensive weapons: quarterback Aaron Smetanka, running back David Fluellen and wideout L’Damian Washington.

NFL Lifts LaVon Brazill’s Suspension

November 12th, 2014 at 7:39pm CST by Zachary Links

The NFL has lifted the suspension of former Colts wide receiver LaVon Brazill, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Brazill was initially suspended for at least a year without pay for violating the league’s substances of abuse policy.

Shortly after the suspension was handed down, the Colts parted ways with the 25-year-old. However, like Browns star Josh Gordon, his year-long ban was reduced months later. During his sabbatical from the NFL, Brazill signed on to play for the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts and was released last week.

Brazill spent 2012 and 2013 with Indianapolis, hauling in 23 catches for 347 yards and three scores. He saw increased playing time after the injury to Reggie Wayne, but was unable to really make a mark even with additional reps.

AFC South Notes: Mallett, Jaguars, Brazill

November 5th, 2014 at 6:49pm CST by Rob DiRe

The Texans are going to give former Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett his first career start when the team comes back from their bye week on Sunday, November 16th. If Mallett can hold on to the job for the rest of the season, the draft pick the Texans will have to give the Patriots figures to increase from a seventh-rounder to a sixth-rounder, reports Tania Ganguli of ESPN.com. Mallett needs to play only 40% of the snaps in order to meet this threshold, meaning he needs only 350 snaps (just under 52 snaps a game).

Here are some other notes from around the AFC South:

  • The Jaguars are playing out the season conservatively, focused on not sacrificing long-term health to pad their win total in 2014, writes Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union. By protecting their better players and refusing to push them during this losing season, the team could struggle to find many more wins down the stretch, and end up with a very high draft pick.
  • While the Colts are pushing for the top overall seed in the AFC, and the Texans looking to make the playoffs, the AFC South has not one but two teams in contention for the number one overall pick. Alex Marvez of Fox Sports One wrote a reverse Power Rankings, trying to figure out which teams would have the best shot of landing that top selection. Both the Jaguars and the Titans are both projected by Marvez to pick in the top five based on their play thus far and their schedule over the rest of the season.
  • Former Colts receiver LaVon Brazill was released from the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League, reports Adam Caplan of ESPN (via Twitter).

Substance Abuse Policy Finalized, Gordon Ban Reduced To 10 Games

September 19th, 2014 at 1:59pm CST by Luke Adams

After announcing changes to the league’s PED policy earlier this week, the NFL and NFLPA have issued a joint statement indicating the substance abuse policy has been updated as well. As part of the new policy, Josh Gordon and LaVon Brazill, who is currently playing for the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts, will have their suspensions reduced to 10 games, down from a full year.

Here are the other pertinent updates to the substance abuse policy, per the press release:

  • Two discipline stages will be added for marijuana positives, as follows: a first violation will result in referral to the substance abuse program, as is the case today. Subsequent violations will result in a two-game fine, a four-game fine, a four-game suspension, a 10-game suspension, and one-year banishment. The new stages are the two-game fine and the 10-game suspension. In addition, the threshold for a positive marijuana test will be raised from 15 ng/ml to 35 ng/ml, reflecting recent actions taken by other testing organizations.
  • Discipline for DUI and related offenses will be increased. A first DUI offense, absent aggravating circumstances, will result in a two-game suspension without pay. A second offense will result in a suspension of at least eight games without pay. In either case, a more lengthy suspension may be imposed if there are aggravating circumstances.
  • Appeals of positive tests in both the substance abuse and performance enhancing drug programs (including HGH) will be heard by third-party arbitrators jointly selected appointed and retained by the NFL and NFLPA. Appeals will be processed more expeditiously under uniform rules and procedures.

Welker, Scandrick, Others To Be Reinstated

September 15th, 2014 at 4:05pm CST by Luke Adams

Broncos wideout Wes Welker and Cowboys cornerback Orlando Scandrick are among the players who will be reinstated when the term sheet for the league’s new drug policy is agreed upon, according to Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com (Facebook link). Welker and Scandrick are two of the estimated 20 players whose suspensions will be affected by the new policy once it’s approved by the NFL, which is expected to happen within the next 24 hours.

Besides Welker and Scandrick, Rams receiver Stedman Bailey, Giants offensive lineman Eric Herman, and former Vikings defensive end Spencer Nealy will also have the remaining games on their suspensions wiped out and will be reinstated immediately, according to the ESPN duo. Additionally, Browns wideout Josh Gordon and ex-Colts receiver LaVon Brazill will have their year-long bans reduced to 10 games.

That handful of players named by Schefter and Mortensen is far from the complete list of players who will be affected by the NFL’s new drug policy, but we may not get that full list of names until the agreement becomes official. In any case, it seems plenty of players who had originally been suspended through Week 3 will get the opportunity to return to their teams’ respective practices this week, and many of them could be active this coming Sunday.

Colts Cut LaVon Brazill, Sign Aaron Burks

July 11th, 2014 at 2:31pm CST by Rob DiRe

The Colts have cut wide receiver LaVon Brazill in the wake of his year-long suspension for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy, reports Adam Caplan of ESPN (via Twitter).

Brazill, who was going into his third year in the NFL, all with the Colts, had 23 career catches but showed signs of ability in key moments last season. He saw increased playing time after the injury to Reggie Wayne, but was unable to turn that opportunity into impactful production.

The team moved on quickly, signing undrafted free agent Aaron Burks, according to Caplan (via Twitter). Burks, a wide receiver out of Boise State University, stands tall at 6’3″ and 205 pounds. The team could use him to replace Brazill’s size and add physicality to a receiver unit.

Following owner Jim Irsay’s recent indiscretions, the Colts were going to be watched closely in how they dealt with Brazill. There was some expectation that the organization would have to provide some latitude in their punishment, considering the parallel situation with their owner.

NFL Suspends Jordan, Watkins, Brazill

July 3rd, 2014 at 3:35pm CST by Luke Adams

3:35pm: Colts wideout LaVon Brazill has also been suspended and will be facing an even lengthier ban, according to Rapoport, who tweets that Brazill has been suspeneded for at least a year without pay for violating the league’s substances of abuse policy.

3:14pm: Two more NFL players will face four-game suspensions during the 2014 season for breaking league rules, according to multiple reports. Per James Walker of ESPN.com (via Twitter), Dolphins defensive end Dion Jordan has been suspended for violating the NFL’s performance-enhancing substance policy. Meanwhile, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (via Twitter) that Chiefs offensive lineman Rokevious Watkins faces a suspension for a violation of the league’s policy on substances of abuse.

Jordan represents the more significant loss for his team, as last year’s third overall pick looked poised to compete for a larger role on defense in training camp this season. It’s the second sizable blow sustained by the Dolphins recently, as Miami is also expected to be without a key piece of its offensive line to start the regular season, after Mike Pouncey underwent hip surgery. According to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald (via Twitter), Jordan admitted in a statement that he tested positive for “stimulants” and says he’s “very sorry” about the impact the suspension will have on the team.

As for Watkins, he started one game for the Chiefs last season and may have been competing for an increased role this year, due to a free agent exodus of key offensive linemen. However, now that he won’t be available for the first month of the season, Watkins isn’t necessarily a lock to make Kansas City’s 53-man roster. The Chiefs would be on the hook for just $60K in dead money if they were to cut him.

Both players will forfeit four games worth of salary due to their suspensions.

Colts Notes: Fullback, Whalen, Nixon

June 21st, 2014 at 9:33pm CST by Ben Levine

Following the Colts minicamp, coach Chuck Pagano realized how much talent he has on his squad. Pagano relayed the message to his team:

“It will be really, really difficult to get to 53 this year,” said Pagano (via Mike Chappell of IndyStar.com). “The final cutdown is going to be difficult.”

Chappell decided to give the coach a hand and give his crack at the roster. Here are some of the more interesting notes, along with two bonus tweets from the Indianapolis Star’s Stephen Holder…

  • At fullback, Chappell chose Mario Harvey over Stanley Havili. Harvey, a former linebacker, is switching to the offensive side of the ball. Havili has 218 career all-purpose yards.
  • The writer took LaVon Brazill and Da’Rick Rogers at wide receiver, but notes that Griff Whalen could beat out the duo.
  • For the final tight end spot, Chappell sided with Jack Doyle over Weslye Saunders, but adds that the team could very well carry four at the position.
  • Chappell envisions a year on the practice squad for seventh-round pick Ulrick John.
  • Jeris Pendleton earned Chappell’s final spot on the defensive line, but the writer warns that the job could be Brandon McKinney‘s if the veteran has regained form following his two knee injuries.
  • Holder tweets that former undrafted offensive tackle Xavier Nixon “is a keeper.” The 23-year-old made his NFL debut last season.
  • Holder also tweets that rookie wideout Donte Moncrief has looked good and is making coaches excited.

AFC Mailbags: Bengals, Steelers, Colts, Jags

June 1st, 2014 at 8:54pm CST by Ben Levine

ESPN’s NFL writers answered questions from their readers this weekend. Let’s take a look at some interesting notes from the AFC…

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