HEADLINES

Martavis Bryant

AFC Notes: Haden, Fins, Bryant, Pats, Titans

March 18th, 2016 at 10:16pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Browns cornerback Joe Haden underwent left ankle surgery Wednesday and “should be ready for the start of the 2016 regular season,” the club announced via press release. Haden suffered the injury in Week 8 of last season, but it only began causing him pain recently, Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com writes. The two-time Pro Bowler played just five games in 2015 because of various injuries, including a concussion. Prior to that, he sat out most of training camp with a hamstring injury and, given his ankle issues, could once again miss some portion of camp this summer.

Here’s more from the AFC:

  • Prior to re-signing with Arizona on Thursday, running back Chris Johnson met with the Dolphins, and he says they made it tough for him to stay with the Cardinals. “The visit went real great. It was a real, real close decision,” he told Alex Marvez and Gil Brandt of SiriusXM. “I liked everything they had going on there. But my heart was with Arizona” (Twitter links).
  • Wide receiver Martavis Bryant‘s contract will toll during his lengthy suspension, tweets Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. That means the Steelers won’t lose a year of control over Bryant. He’ll remain two years away from free agency after the league reinstates him – if it does. He’s eligible for reinstatement after next season.
  • The Patriots have named Brian Flores their linebackers coach, according to Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com (Twitter link). Flores has been a Pats employee since 2004, most recently serving as their safeties coach. Taking over Flores’ previous position will be Steve Belichick, the son of Bill Belichick, per Reiss (on Twitter). Steve Belichick was a defensive assistant with the club in his prior role.
  • Titans offensive lineman Byron Bell lined up at three positions – left tackle, left guard and right tackle – last season, but it doesn’t sound as if he’ll do that much shuffling this year. “He’ll probably play right tackle for us now, but he is a guy that has versatility,’’ general manager Jon Robinson said (link via Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com). The Titans agreed to re-sign Bell on Thursday.
  • The Dolphins have hired Jim Washburn as a senior defensive assistant/pass-rush specialist, a league source tells Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald (Twitter link). The Dolphins are Washburn’s fourth NFL employer since he broke into the league as Tennessee’s defensive line coach in 1999. He was Detroit’s assistant D-line coach from 2013-15.

Extra Points: Rams, M. Bryant, Bills, D. Jackson

March 15th, 2016 at 10:51am CST by Zachary Links

Over the weekend, it was reported that the NFLPA had concerns about player contracts with the Rams in light of their move from Missouri to California. That issue, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes, has been sorted out.

“The team’s legal move to California coincides with the start of the offseason program on April 18,” Rams executive V.P. of football operations and COO Kevin Demoff said via email. “As such, all contracts are still subject to Missouri law at time of signing. We were able to work with agents on a simple fix saying the contracts will transfer to California law once the team move is official.”

The union was concerned that players would be forced to pay California taxes, which are higher than Missouri taxes, on salaries incurred before the move. Now, it appears that they will be able to save some money on any paychecks processed before April 18th.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the NFL:

  • In the wake of Martavis Bryant‘s year-long suspension becoming official on Monday, the Steelers issued a statement (via Steelers PR man Burt Lauten, on Twitter): “We are very disappointed that Martavis Bryant has put himself in this current situation of being suspended by the League. He is at a crossroads of his professional life, and he needs to understand significant changes need to occur in his personal life if he wants to regain his career as a Pittsburgh Steeler. We are hopeful that Martavis will take the necessary steps to develop the discipline in his personal life to become a successful player and a good teammate.”
  • The Bills officially announced multiple changes to their defensive coaching staff, including the hiring of a new defensive line coach, John Blake. Buffalo had recently parted ways with 2015’s DL coach, Karl Dunbar.
  • Colts linebacker D’Qwell Jackson was found guilty of simple assault in a court room on Monday, Mike Wells of ESPN.com writes. The case stemmed from a February 2015 altercation with a delivery driver. Jackson could face a maximum of 180 days in jail, and while that seems unlikely, discipline from the NFL is possible once the case wraps up. The linebacker’s sentencing is scheduled to take place on April 6th. The Colts released the following statement on the matter: “We’re disappointed to read reports of D’Qwell Jackson’s misdemeanor verdict in Washington, D.C. We’ve not had an opportunity to review any of the evidence or testimony from the trial and have not made any determination as to any action we might take as a result.”
  • After re-signing with the Bengals last week, offensive tackle Eric Winston will seek a second term as president of the NFL Players Association, writes Tom Pelissero of USA Today. The current expectation is that Winston will run unopposed.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Martavis Bryant Suspended For 2016 Season

March 14th, 2016 at 1:11pm CST by Sam Robinson

MARCH 14, 1:11pm: As confirmed by the Steelers, Bryant will indeed face a suspension of at least a year, reports Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter links). Sources tell Wilson that Bryant is no longer appealing his ban because it was “unwinnable.” The Steelers wideout will be eligible for reinstatement next winter, and could return for the 2017 season.

MARCH 12, 3:29pm: Bryant will check into rehab for depression issues, agent Brian Fettner tells Tom Pelissero of USA Today. Bryant’s ban stems from multiple missed drug tests, Fettner told Pelissero, and that a successful appeal of the penalty looms a “long shot.” Multiple missed tests appear to have vaulted Bryant past the 10-game suspension stage in the substance-abuse protocol, according to Pelissero.

Fettner also told Pelissero that Bryant has a marijuana problem.

1:08pm: Martavis Bryant could be set for another suspension, with this one set to shelve him for the entire 2016 season. The third-year Steelers wideout faces a year-long ban for violating the NFL’s substance-abuse policy, Dejan Kovacevic and Jason Mackey of DKPittsburghsports.com report.

Ian Rapoport of NFL.com confirms Bryant is facing another and far more significant suspension (Twitter link).

Bryant has appealed the suspension, Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette tweets.

Should this penalty hold, Bryant would land in the same area Josh Gordon and Justin Blackmon have in recent years, with the opportunity to apply for reinstatement after one calendar year, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports.

The 24-year-old rising talent missed Pittsburgh’s first four games last season due to multiple violations of the substance-abuse policy, with marijuana usage being at the root of the penalty. Upon return, he quickly re-emerged as the Steelers’ No. 2 wide receiver and formed arguably the NFL’s No. 1 wide-receiving corps along with Antonio Brown and Markus Wheaton.

Bryant caught 50 passes for 765 yards and six touchdowns in 2015 and added 183 yards and a score in Pittsburgh’s two playoff games.

The mercurial wideout underwent three weeks of counseling in Houston last September before returning from his ban.

A 6-foot-4 target out of Clemson, Bryant began his career midway through the 2014 season due to a separated shoulder but immediately developed a rapport with Ben Roethlisberger, becoming Pittsburgh’s latest receiving find. He has 16 career touchdowns in 24 games, counting three playoff contests.

The Steelers could be forced to turn to second-year wideout Sammie Coates in the event Bryant’s longest slated absence to date goes into effect.

Photo courtesy USA Today Sports Images

North Notes: Wallace, Hicks, Bryant, Vikings

March 12th, 2016 at 8:14pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Even after being released by the Vikings earlier this week, Mike Wallace still might return to Minnesota, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link), who says that the possibility of Wallace re-signing with the Vikings is “on the table.” Wallace hasn’t been the same player since leaving the Steelers after 2012, as he’s averaged just 755 yards and six touchdowns with the Dolphins and Vikings in the three years since. But he’s not yet 30 years old, and given the crop of free agent wideouts, he should be able to find a nice landing spot.

Wallace was set to count $11.5MM against the cap in 2016, so if Minnesota does want to re-sign him, it will obviously be for far less than that total. The Ravens will reportedly have Wallace in for a visit, and while it’s just my speculation, I wonder if the Steelers would be interested in a reunion given that Martavis Bryant is facing a yearlong suspension.

Let’s take a look at some more notes from the NFL’s two North divisions…

  • Free agent defensive lineman Akiem Hicks is in Chicago deciding his next move, and no resolution is expected to be announced today, reports Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times (Twitter link). The Bears are still in the hunt for Hicks, per Finley, while the Lions have also expressed interest.
  • The Steelers have known about Bryant’s suspension since before the combine, tweets Albert Breer of NFL.com, so today’s news didn’t come as a major surprise.
  • Two Vikings‘ linebackers — Travis Lewis and Audie Cole — received one-year, minimum salary benefit deals, according to Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com and Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (Twitter links). Lewis received a $50K signing bonus, per Rothstein, while Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reported (via Twitter) a few days ago that Cole received a $40K bonus.

Steelers Activate Martavis Bryant

October 13th, 2015 at 3:14pm CST by Luke Adams

The Steelers have activated wide receiver Martavis Bryant to their 53-man roster, the team announced today in a press release. Bryant had missed the first four weeks of the season while serving a suspension, and Pittsburgh, armed with a roster exemption for the wideout, chose not to activate him for Week 5. Now, he’ll be eligible to play in Week 6, taking safety Ross Ventrone‘s spot on the roster.

Bryant, 23, came on strong in the second half of his rookie season in 2014, acting as a deep threat for the Steelers’ offense. For the year, the Clemson product caught 26 balls for 549 yards, an average of 21.1 yards per reception. He also hauled in eight touchdowns. Bryant had been expected to take a step forward in 2015, but a four-game ban for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy postponed his sophomore debut.

As for Ventrone, the veteran defensive back has been with the Steelers for parts of the last three seasons, providing depth in the secondary and seeing some action on special teams. He’ll be a free agent if and when he clears waivers.

Gates, Hardy, Others Return From Suspensions

October 5th, 2015 at 8:45am CST by Luke Adams

With four weeks of the NFL season now in the books, several players – and one general manager – are eligible to return from their four-game suspensions, as Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link) notes. While Yates’ list isn’t exhaustive, he includes the most notable names who will be eligible to suit up for their teams’ next games:

In most cases, teams will be given a roster exemption for their returning players, so they won’t have to immediately make room for them on the 53-man roster today. However, teams will have to create an opening on their rosters by Thursday if they intend to activate these players, and there aren’t any players on this list that look like release candidates.

The Cowboys could get the biggest boost this week, with two of their best defensive players – Hardy and McClain – set to return. McClain’s career production has been somewhat up and down, and Hardy hasn’t played since Week 1 of the 2014 season, so it’ll be interesting to see if either player is able to make an immediate impact for Dallas.

Richardson, meanwhile, could be a candidate for additional discipline — he’ll have his pre-trial hearing on street-racing charges today, but the legal process is expected to continue for about a month, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter links). The NFL could step in and hand out another suspension for Richardson before his trial, but it’s more likely that the league will simply wait until after it concludes to make a decision.

As for Farmer, the Browns GM, who was suspended for texting coaches on the sideline during games last season, will be able to resume making roster decisions today, though Cleveland wasn’t exactly closed for business over the last four weeks — with interim GM Bill Kuharich at the helm, the team locked up quarterback Austin Davis to a two-year extension last week.

Extra Points: Cassel, Bryant, Cruz, Los Angeles

October 2nd, 2015 at 7:59pm CST by Rob DiRe

In a chat with for the Dallas Morning News, columnist Kevin Sherrington guesses that the Cowboys will dress Kellen Moore as the backup this week while Matt Cassel continues to learn the offense. He does note that if Brandon Weeden doesn’t turn things around, Cassel will eventually get the chance to start, which is key since he is doubtful Tony Romo will be ready to return as soon as he comes of the IR-DTR.

  • Sherrington also believes the Cowboys could be in the market to add a wide receiver, specifically one who could threaten to take the top off the defense. He cites the team’s inability to get the ball to any wideout other than Cole Beasley since the injuries to Romo and Dez Bryant.
  • Steelers wide receiver Martavis Bryant has had his suspension ended after the team played their fourth game last night, according to Pro Football Talk (via Twitter). The team will still have a roster exemption until Tuesday, October 13th.
  • Free agent wide receiver A.J. Cruz has been suspended for the next four games of the regular season, reports Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter). He has previous experience with the Arena Football League and was on the Bears’ 90-man roster this offseason.
  • The league office has informed teams that they will be discussing “relocation guidelines” surrounding a potential Los Angeles franchise at next week’s owners’ meeting in New York, per Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports (via Twitter). It is unclear if they will discuss relocation fees and a timetable for the move (via Twitter).

Steelers Trim Roster To 53 Players

September 5th, 2015 at 10:21am CST by Luke Adams

The Steelers have become the NFL’s first team to formally announce its roster moves to get down to 53 players in advance of this afternoon’s deadline. According to a team release, Pittsburgh has made the following moves:

Cut:

  • RB Jawon Chisholm
  • DL Matt Conrath
  • S Jordan Dangerfield
  • S Alden Darby
  • OL Reese Dismukes
  • OL B.J. Finney
  • CB Kevin Fogg
  • LB L.J. Fort
  • LB Shayon Green
  • RB Josh Harris
  • DL Ethan Hemer
  • S Gerod Holliman
  • LB Howard Jones
  • OL Doug Legursky
  • WR Shakim Phillips
  • DL Mike Thornton
  • CB B.W. Webb
  • WR Jarrod West

Waived/injured:

  • OL Kelvin Palmer
  • OL Mitchell Van Dyk

Those 20 cuts would get the Steelers down to 54 players from 75, since the team also traded punter Brad Wing yesterday. The club has also officially signed cornerback Ross Cockrell, bringing the roster count to 55. The final two moves will be to add running back Le’Veon Bell and wide receiver Martavis Bryant to the reserve/suspended list to start the year.

AFC Notes: A. Jones, Bryant, Simms, Jaguars

September 1st, 2015 at 1:22pm CST by Zachary Links

Colts defensive tackle Arthur Jones is now seeking the opinion of another foot and ankle specialist to determine his course of action and how long he might be sidelined, according to Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (via Facebook). The Colts previously sent Jones to a specialist who informed him that he would not have to go on IR. Now, he’s looking for a second opinion on the matter. Here’s more from the AFC..

  • The Steelers have known about wide receiver Martavis Bryant‘s possible four-game suspension for some time and it even impacted their approach in May’s draft, Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review writes. Coach Mike Tomlin said that the news pushed Pittsburgh to use a third-round draft choice on Sammie Coates.
  • Bills coach Rex Ryan says the “odds are probably stacked against” quarterback Matt Simms making the 53-man roster but he will “never say never,” Mike Rodak of ESPN.com tweets. Many have speculated that Simms could bump Matt Cassel from the Bills’ roster, but that sounds like something of a longshot at this time.
  • Jaguars owner Shad Khan anticipates a long-term extension to the team’s London deal, keeping the partnership going until roughly 2030, Ryan O’Halloran of The Florida Times-Union tweets. O’Halloran (link) expects that announcement to come in October when the Jaguars have their scheduled game in England.

Martavis Bryant Suspended Four Games

August 31st, 2015 at 2:42pm CST by Luke Adams

MONDAY, 2:42pm: Bryant’s four-game suspension is now official, having been confirmed by the team. Steelers GM Kevin Colbert has issued a statement on the penalty, according to Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (Twitter account).

“We are disappointed in Martavis’ actions that has led to his four-game suspension,” Colbert said. “It is a disappointment to our entire organization as well as our fans, but we will continue to support Martavis during his suspension. It is very unfortunate his actions have put our team in this situation to begin the year, but we are confident he will learn from his mistake and return in excellent shape in Week 5.”

THURSDAY, 6:08pm: Bryant’s suspension is for multiple failed marijuana tests, a source told Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Bryant’s appeal is in the latter stages.

1:45pm: Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell will miss the first two games of the 2015 regular season, and it appears he won’t be the only Pittsburgh playmaker serving a suspension. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter), wide receiver Martavis Bryant is facing a four-game ban for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy. The suspension is currently under appeal.

Bryant, 23, came on strong in the second half of his rookie season, acting as a deep threat for the Steelers’ offense. For the year, Bryant caught 26 balls for 549 yards, an average of 21.1 yards per reception. He also hauled in eight touchdowns. Bryant had been expected to take a step forward in 2015, so his absence in the early going will be a big loss for Ben Roethlisberger and the offense.

The exact nature of Bryant’s violation isn’t known, so it’s unclear if his suspension has a chance to be reduced or eliminated entirely. The NFL won’t make an official announcement on the penalty for the young wideout until the appeals process is complete.

For now though, it appears Bryant and Bell will be sidelined for at least the Steelers’ first two games, so Roethlisberger and the offense will have to get creative as they look to put up points against the Patriots and 49ers. If Bryant’s four-game ban is upheld, he’ll miss games against the Rams and Ravens as well.

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