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P.J. Walker

QB P.J. Walker Lands CFL Deal

October 10th, 2024 at 6:19pm CST by Adam La Rose

P.J. Walker briefly spent time with the Seahawks this summer, but he did not land a roster spot. Now, the journeyman quarterback has turned his attention north of the border.

Walker signed with the CFL’s Calgary Stampeders this week, per a team announcement. The 29-year-old has experience outside the NFL, having played with the XFL’s Houston Roughnecks in 2020, but this will be his first endeavor in Canada. Walker is open to any future NFL offers, but for the time being his attention will be turned to a potential starting role in Calgary.

“As long as the opportunities presented themselves in the NFL, I was always going to take those opportunities and — not saying they still can’t present themselves — but I really do want to play, I really do want to go out there and try to help the team win and contribute as much as I can,” Walker said (via John Hodge of 3 Down Nation). “I think that took a lot of the decision-making for me to come down here.”

The Temple product reunited with Matt Rhule by joining the Panthers in 2020 after the XFL folded. He made 15 appearances and seven starts across his three years in Carolina, throwing more than twice as many interceptions as touchdowns. Walker made a pair of starts last year with the Browns but his touchdown-to-interception ratio (1:5) remained poor. He is now positioned to have a brief audition period with Calgary in a bid to boost his value in either league.

The Toronto Argonauts originally held Walker’s negotiating rights and made a contract offer, Hodge reports. That was turned down given the presence of Chad Kelly, Toronto’s starter and reigning CFL Most Outstanding Player. Stampeders head coach and general manager Dave Dickenson said Calgary recently traded for Walker’s rights, setting up this signing as a potential commitment beyond the current campaign.

Three weeks remain in the CFL’s regular season, and the 4-10-1 Stampeders have been eliminated from playoff contention. Jake Maier – who entered the year as the team’s starter but who has been benched on multiple occasions – is a pending free agent, meaning a 2025 roster spot could be available to Walker if he impresses over the coming weeks. The former UDFA is currently on Calgary’s practice squad, and Dickinson did not make any assurances with respect to playing time once he acclimates to his new team. If Walker does manage to see the field, though, he could play his way into a gig for next season.

Seahawks Sign QB P.J. Walker

June 13th, 2024 at 1:55pm CST by Adam La Rose

JUNE 13: Walker received a $20K roster bonus as part of his Seahawks agreement, Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 notes. The deal (which calls for $1.15MM in total compensation) qualifies for the veteran salary benefit, and it carries a cap charge of $985K.

JUNE 6: Seattle is set to add depth in the quarterback room. The Seahawks have a deal in place with P.J. Walker, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Geno Smith is atop the depth chart for at least one more season, but the team will have a new backup in 2024. Seattle traded for Sam Howell to serve as Drew Lock‘s replacement at the QB2 spot. Entering Thursday, Smith and Howell were the only signal-callers on the Seahawks’ offseason roster, so Walker will at least provide depth for the immediate future.

The latter has seen NFL action for each of the past four seasons, including a three-year run in Carolina. Walker made seven starts with the Panthers (including five in 2022), but the ex-XFLer was not retained last offseason. He briefly spent time with the Bears before signing with the Browns. Walker did not survive initial roster cuts, but he was retained on Cleveland’s practice squad.

The 29-year-old was eventually moved to the active roster and he started a pair of games in place of the injured Deshaun Watson. Walker only completed 48.6% of his attempts across six Cleveland appearances, though, throwing five interceptions and just one touchdown pass. Cleveland moved on to Dorian Thompson-Robinson and later Joe Flacco to close out the campaign, with other passers being brought in this spring.

With the bulk of the league’s QB movement well in the rearview, Walker remained on the market deep into the offseason. He will now get an opportunity in Seattle, though, to carve out a roster spot. NFL teams will be able to elevate practice squad passers for the emergency third QB role an unlimited amount of times in 2024, something which could help players like Walker stay on at least a taxi squad for extended periods. It will be interesting to see if today’s deal allows him to find a spot on Seattle’s roster through the coming campaign.

Browns Place QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson On IR, Sign P.J. Walker

December 26th, 2023 at 12:24pm CST by Adam La Rose

Joe Flacco comfortably sits atop the Browns’ quarterback depth chart, but a new backup will be in place for the foreseeable future. Dorian Thompson-Robinson has been placed on injured reserve, the team announced on Tuesday.

The fifth-round rookie is dealing with a hip injury, and it will shut him down for an extended stretch. The move guarantees at least a four-week absence for Thompson-Robinson, meaning he will not be available for the remainder of the regular season. In a corresponding move, P.J. Walker has been signed from the practice squad to the active roster.

The quarterback spot has been in flux for Cleveland, a team which has managed to win games with four different signal-callers. Thompson-Robinson has logged three starts and eight appearances with starter Deshaun Watson finding himself in and out of the lineup before undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery. The UCLA alum had been in place as Flacco’s backup during his impressive run at the helm, but the QB2 spot will now belong to Walker.

The latter has made a pair of starts in 2023, his first season with the Browns. Walker has made a total of six appearances, the most recent of which came in Week 12. The former XFLer has struggled when on the field, throwing five interceptions and just one touchdown. Those totals cost him an active roster spot to make way for the Flacco-Thompson-Robinson pairing, but he is now in position to close out the season as the team’s backup.

Flacco has been highly impressive since arriving with the Browns last month. As a result, he may be playing his way into a new Cleveland contract this offseason. The former Super Bowl MVP will be counted on through the remainder of the season and into the playoffs, but the latest injury-induced change to the quarterback depth chart will leave the Browns thin under center moving forward.

When speaking to the media on Tuesday, head coach Kevin Stefanski also announced that kicker Dustin Hopkins will miss Cleveland’s Thursday night contest against the Jets. Hopkins exited the Browns’ Week 16 win with a hamstring injury, and the team responded yesterday by signing Riley Patterson. Still in the running for the AFC’s No. 1 seed, the Browns will have a new face at the kicker position while bringing back a familiar one to fill the QB2 role.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/11/23

December 11th, 2023 at 8:18pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s practice squad moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Cleveland Browns

Indianapolis Colts

Pittsburgh Steelers

P.J. Walker has landed back on the Browns practice squad after getting cut from the active roster this past weekend. After spending the offseason with the Bears, Walker caught on with the Browns practice squad to begin the 2023 campaign. He ended up starting a pair of games for Cleveland, including a win over the 49ers. However, his one touchdown vs. five interceptions didn’t spark much optimism, and with Walker firmly behind Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Joe Flacco on the depth chart, the QB was demoted to the practice squad.

The former UDFA out of Temple spent the previous three seasons with the Panthers, starting seven of his 15 appearances. In 17 career games, Walker has completed 54.6 percent of his passes for 2,135 yards, six touchdowns, and 16 interceptions. He’s gone 5-4 in his nine career starts.

Browns WR Amari Cooper Clears Concussion Protocol

December 9th, 2023 at 12:25pm CST by Ben Levine

After being listed as questionable for Week 14 with a concussion and rib injury, Browns wideout Amari Cooper is expected to play tomorrow against the Jaguars, reports NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Cooper had to overcome a pair of hurdles to play on Sunday. Most notably, Cooper is now out of concussion protocol after receiving his final clearance from an independent neurological consultant, as Rapoport passes along.

The wide receiver has also been dealing with a rib issue. Cooper suffered the injury in Week 12, but subsequent x-rays came up negative for any damage. Cooper still managed to play last weekend against the Rams, hauling in three of his five targets for 34 yards. The wideout was limited to a season-low 23 snaps after having to exit the contest due to his head injury.

Cooper is putting up strong numbers during his second season in Cleveland. The 29-year-old receiver has collected 50 receptions for 799 yards and two touchdowns.

In addition to clearing Cooper, the Browns made a handful of additional moves ahead of tomorrow’s game. The team announced that they’ve elevated quarterback Joe Flacco as a standard gameday practice squad elevation while waiving QB P.J. Walker. The team also activated rookie cornerback Cameron Mitchell from injured reserve.

Browns Bump Joe Flacco To QB2; Dorian Thompson-Robinson Out For Week 13

December 1st, 2023 at 3:23pm CST by Sam Robinson

DECEMBER 1: The Browns’ Flacco signing will lead to a start. Cleveland has ruled out Thompson-Robinson, who remains in concussion protocol. Stefanski confirmed Friday that Flacco will start against the Rams. This will be Flacco’s 181st career start; the Browns will be the fourth team to turn to the veteran as its first-stringer.

NOVEMBER 30: Hoping to play a 16th season, Joe Flacco expressed interest in another Jets contract after the team lost Aaron Rodgers. As the Jets balked and ended up only adding Trevor Siemian in the wake of Rodgers’ Achilles tear, Flacco remained a free agent until last week. He is now on team No. 5, signing with the Browns shortly after their Week 11 game.

Some early work may be ahead for the 38-year-old passer. Although the Browns turned to P.J. Walker — their primary Deshaun Watson replacement this season — after Dorian Thompson-Robinson‘s Week 12 concussion, they have been expected to move Flacco into the backup role. That has already taken place, with Kevin Stefanski indicating Flacco has moved past Walker and into the QB2 spot for the 7-4 team.

That promotion carries more significance presently. Thompson-Robinson, who has started the past two Browns games, remains in concussion protocol following the hit he took from Broncos outside linebacker Baron Browning. Flacco was inactive for that game, having arrived in Cleveland days earlier. The Browns have seen enough to demote Walker once again. While the Browns managed to go 2-1 with Walker as their primary QB this season, he has completed fewer than 49% of his passes and left Denver with a 1-to-5 TD-INT ratio.

Thompson-Robinson did not practice Thursday, and his window to return in time for Week 13 is narrowing. If he remains in concussion protocol for the Browns’ game against the Rams, Flacco would be in line to become Cleveland’s fourth starting QB this season and 37th (h/t cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot) since the franchise rebooted in 1999. Flacco faced the Browns 21 times from 2008-22. The ex-Ravens mainstay’s most recent outing in Cleveland produced a come-from-behind Jets win — in a Week 2 game in which Flacco threw for 307 yards and four touchdowns.

Flacco has made 180 career starts. Best known for a Ravens run that lasted 12 years — during which he collected Super Bowl XLVII MVP honors — the 2008 first-rounder also made starts for the Broncos and Jets. Last season in New York, Flacco received the call to start the season in place of an injured Zach Wilson. The veteran ultimately made four starts, including Week 18. He finished the year with 1,051 yards, a 5-3 TD-INT ratio and a 57.1% completion rate — at just 5.5 yards per attempt.

This development marks yet another QB2 change for the Browns. The team re-signed Josh Dobbs to back up Watson but traded the veteran to the Cardinals, seeing enough progress from Thompson-Robinson in his first training camp. Cleveland then demoted Thompson-Robinson after a woeful first start, which came on short notice against a strong Ravens defense in Week 4, for Walker — a late-summer pickup following the Dobbs trade. The hierarchy now sits DTR-Flacco-Walker, with Thompson-Robinson having already resided in all three spots on Cleveland’s depth chart.

QB Joe Flacco Signs With Browns

November 19th, 2023 at 10:16pm CST by Ely Allen

In light of the season-ending injury to starting quarterback Deshaun Watson, the Browns have elected to add some veteran starting experience to their roster in the form of former Super Bowl MVP passer Joe Flacco. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, while Flacco is heading to Cleveland on a practice squad deal, it’s expected that he will get promoted to the active roster. The team has since announced the move.

The Browns know Flacco well. In what will now be a 16-year career, in which he’s seen time with the Ravens, Broncos, and Jets, Flacco has a career record of 18 wins and only three losses to the Browns. In the age-old debate of whether or not Flacco was ever an elite quarterback, over 21 contests, the Browns have perhaps seen the most elite football of the 38-year-old’s career.

The Browns’ newest transaction serves three-fold. First, according to Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com, Flacco is coming to Cleveland to serve as a backup to rookie fifth-round pick Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who earned his first career win over the Steelers today in his second start this season. Second, the grizzled veteran will be asked to stand as a mentor for Thompson-Robinson based on his myriad experience with three different teams and several more offensive coordinators over the years.

The third purpose Flacco serves could be the worst best-case scenario. During a season in which the Browns are looking to earn their first playoff berth since 2020, and their second since 2002, Flacco boasts one of the more legendary playoff records in NFL history. Despite all of his playoff experience coming in Baltimore from 2014 and earlier, Flacco has a 10-5 record in the postseason with a 25:10 touchdown to interception ratio and a Super Bowl ring. Granted, this potential benefit will only come to fruition with a worst best-case scenario in which the team is still able to make the playoffs but Thompson-Robinson either gets hurt or proves ineffective.

Flacco wasn’t the only veteran quarterback interested in the job, though, as another former Raven in Robert Griffin III recently lobbied for a tryout. While Griffin actually has experience in Cleveland, he hasn’t played in the NFL since the 2020 season. Despite Flacco not performing as a consistent starter since his first season in Denver in 2019, Flacco has managed to not only appear in a game every year since then, but he also has started in a game in each year since.

With the expectation that Flacco is coming to back up Thompson-Robinson, it opens the question of if the Browns have seen the end of the P.J. Walker-experiment. In three games of significant action this year, Walker has led the squad to two wins and a loss, but he’s been erratic with only one touchdown to five interceptions and two fumbles.

Regardless, the Browns will have three options in the quarterbacks room moving forward. Thompson-Robinson will get first dibs on the starting job, while Flacco and Walker will support from the bench. With one of the league’s best defenses, that may be just enough to get Cleveland to the postseason. And, perhaps, even more.

Latest On Browns’ Deshaun Watson

October 29th, 2023 at 12:26pm CST by Sam Robinson

OCTOBER 29: Watson is still expected to avoid an IR stint, per Schefter and Dianna Russini of The Athletic. A source tells Schefter that Watson is unlikely to be sidelined for more than two weeks, while Russini hears that Watson is “day-to-day.”

OCTOBER 25: The Browns will push back Watson’s second comeback attempt, with Kevin Stefanski ruling him out for Sunday’s Seahawks matchup. Walker, whom the Browns signed to their active roster today, will make another start. Stefanski confirmed (via NFL.com’s Andrew Siciliano) Watson has residual swelling after leaving Week 7 early but reiterated the latest MRI showed no additional structural damage.

Also, in addition to the practice squad acquisition of Jordan Wilkins yesterday, Cleveland enlisted further reinforcements at running back today, signing Nate McCrary to the practice squad, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2. With Chubb on IR and Ford doubtful for Sunday, McCrary will compete with Wilkins for a potential opportunity to be elevated and play behind Hunt and Strong in Seattle this weekend.

OCTOBER 24: Deshaun Watson‘s return to action did not last long. The high-priced quarterback left the Browns’ Week 7 game after 12 snaps. While Watson is cleared to play, he continues to experience shoulder pain.

A Tuesday MRI did not reveal any additional injuries coming out of Cleveland’s high-scoring win in Indianapolis, per NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero. Watson confirmed he is dealing with a strained rotator cuff last week, and cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot adds the seventh-year QB battling is an injury in the subscapularis muscle, the largest in the rotator cuff.

Watson continues to deal with movement limitations, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, who adds this particular injury can shelve pitchers for between four and six weeks. Doctors have informed Watson this is typically a four- to six-week injury. Watson sustained the injury against the Titans in Week 3 and missed Week 4 after a Saturday MRI revealed the extent of the malady. After Cleveland’s bye week, Watson rested again. Despite returning to practice last week, Watson remains far from 100%.

Sunday’s Seahawks matchup will mark five weeks from the initial injury, though it is unclear how much Watson set his recovery back by returning to face the Colts. The Browns have not decided on a course of action with their $230MM quarterback.

Watson, of course, enjoys unrivaled security due to his fully guaranteed contract. Rushing back would make little sense through that lens. A collision with Colts defensive lineman Dayo Odeyingbo led Watson out of the Browns’ Week 7 matchup, with Cabot adding the QB’s velocity was down due to this injury affecting his shoulder rotation. The 2022 trade acquisition entering concussion protocol came about because of the independent neurologist; he was cleared of a head injury soon after. But this shoulder problem persists.

If Watson cannot go, the Browns would again turn to P.J. Walker, whom they bumped ahead of Week 1 backup Dorian Thompson-Robinson earlier this month. It is fairly clear this issue will linger for the foreseeable future, which could lead to more Watson absences for the 4-2 team. For Walker to play in Week 8, the Browns must sign him to the 53-man roster. The ex-Panthers backup has made the rare transition from gameday elevation to to QB1, but the team has used up his three allotted elevations this season.

Additionally, the Browns are expected to be without running back Jerome Ford for a bit. The initial Nick Chubb replacement suffered a high ankle sprain Sunday, per Schefter, who classifies this as a “low grade” sprain that is likely to sideline the second-year back a week or two. The Browns signed Kareem Hunt in the wake of Chubb’s knee injury, and they acquired Pierre Strong from the Patriots before the season. Hunt logged 10 carries (for 31 yards) last week; Strong totaled eight (for 25).

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/21/23

October 21st, 2023 at 8:30pm CST by Adam La Rose

Here are the minor moves made around the league in advance of the Week 7 slate of Sunday games:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos 

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

  • Restored to active roster (from suspension exemption): DE Charles Omenihu

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

New York Giants 

Seattle Seahawks

Washington Commanders

Dulcich already had one IR stint this season due to an aggravation of last year’s hamstring injury. The 2022 third-rounder has appeared in only two contests so far this season, and in the most recent one he suffered yet another setback. As a result, he will once again be shut down for at least four weeks.

The Giants’ decision to again promote DeVito points to starter Daniel Jones missing another game. Indeed, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports Jones is considered a “longshot” to play tomorrow against the Commanders. It will in all likelihood be Tyrod Taylor under center for New York in Week 7 while Jones continues to recover from his neck injury.

Browns Elevate QB P.J. Walker

October 14th, 2023 at 2:57pm CST by Ely Allen

Finally setting up what has been hinted at all week, the Browns announced this morning that they have officially promoted quarterback P.J. Walker from the practice squad as a standard gameday elevation. With starter Deshaun Watson still out with injury and rookie backup Dorian Thompson-Robinson struggling in a Week 4 start against the Ravens, Walker seems primed to start this Sunday under center for Cleveland.

Watson has been nursing a shoulder injury that forced him to miss the team’s fourth game of the season. He had technically been cleared to play in the divisional matchup but opted instead to rest and allow his shoulder to heal. While a timeline for Watson’s return is unclear to the public, the Browns and their 2022 trade acquisition appear to be on the same page. Time will tell when Watson gets back to the field, but for the time being, Cleveland will have to turn elsewhere for their quarterbacking needs.

Thompson-Robinson, the fifth-round rookie out of UCLA, may not be who they look to moving forward. In his lone NFL start, albeit against a stout Ravens defense, Thompson-Robinson struggled with three interceptions to zero touchdowns. After a bye week of rest and preparation, Cleveland may believe he has a better chance for success in Week 6, but it will likely have to be off the bench.

Instead, it’s become seemingly clear that the Browns will turn to Walker, the former XFL standout passer, until Watson can return. Walker started seven games for the Panthers over the last three years, going 4-3 in those starts. He struggled in his initial transition back to the NFL, throwing only two touchdowns to eight interceptions in his first two seasons back. Last year, though, in five starts, Walker showed improvement.

Walker is surely not a viable long-term option if the Browns are hoping to make a return to the playoffs. Until Watson is able to make his comeback, though, Cleveland will trust Walker’s experience and XFL success over Thompson-Robinson for now. Thompson-Robinson still showed a lot of promise in the preseason and earned a lot of faith from the coaches. He may just need a bit more time to develop his NFL game. For now, expect Walker under center.

Joining Walker as a standard gameday elevation from the practice squad will be Jaelon Darden. Darden has appeared in 23 games so far in his still young NFL career, only making eight catches for 69 yards. While he hasn’t been necessarily effective on offense, he’s averaged 9.4 yards per punt return and has experience returning kickoffs, as well.

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