HEADLINES

Stevie Brown

Workout Notes: Eagles, Giants, Jets, Saints

September 8th, 2015 at 5:25pm CST by Zachary Links

The Eagles, who parted ways with the polarizing Tim Tebow last week, auditioned a pair of quarterbacks on Tuesday, according to ESPN.com’s Field Yates (on Twitter). Josh Johnson and Thad Lewis, who were both let go by their respective teams on September 5th, both worked out for Chip Kelly & Co. Johnson, 29, made an appearance during the Jets’ final preseason game, passing for 82 yards while adding 76 yards on the ground. Lewis, a 27-year-old signal caller recently released by the Browns, didn’t appear in a game with the Texans in 2014, but he did start in five games for the Bills in 2013.

Here are the latest auditions from around the NFL..

  • The Giants worked out former Eagles quarterback/wide receiver/running back G.J. Kinne on Tuesday, according to Jordan Raanan of the Star-Ledger. The Giants also worked out punters Brandon Fields and Kasey Redfern.
  • The Jets had former Giants safety Stevie Brown in for a tryout today, according to Brian Costello of the New York Post (on Twitter).
  • Field Yates of ESPN.com reports that the Saints worked out tight ends Bear Pascoe and Gerell Robinson and wide receiver Austin Pettis (via Evan Woodbery of The Times-Picayune on Twitter).
  • Ross Scheuerman worked out for Buccaneers today, according to a league source who spoke with Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter).
  • The Patriots auditioned two players today: defensive back Floyd Raven (formerly of Texas A&M and the Bengals) and linebacker Alex Singleton (formerly of Montana State and the Seahawks), according to ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss (on Twitter).

Giants Sign Craig Dahl, Cut Stevie Brown

September 7th, 2015 at 10:32am CST by Luke Adams

The Giants continue to tweak their secondary, replacing one safety with another as they prepare for their Week 1 contest against the Cowboys. According to Jordan Raanan of NJ.com (via Twitter), the Giants have signed ex-Niner Craig Dahl, cutting Stevie Brown to create room on the roster.

Dahl, 30, began his career with the Giants in 2007, and started 40 games at safety for the Rams between 2009 and 2012, spending time with Steve Spagnuolo at both stops. However, Dahl served mostly as a special-teamer in San Francisco after joining the 49ers in 2013. The Niners have a deep group of safeties this year, which made the veteran Dahl expendable — he was released earlier this week, and also drew interest from the Raiders.

In New York, Dahl will be a reserve on defense and figures to chip in on special teams as well. He’ll replace Brown, who just re-signed with the team last week, after being cut by the Texans. Brown reportedly received interest from a handful of clubs following his release from Houston, so he could draw some attention now that he’s available again.

East Notes: Cassel, Bills, Giants, Cowboys

September 2nd, 2015 at 10:17am CST by Luke Adams

After having let go of one veteran offensive player earlier this week, the Bills may part ways with another before the season begins — albeit one that has only been on the roster for several months, rather than several years. According to Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News (Twitter links), there’s an expectation among multiple NFL personnel people that Buffalo will cut quarterback Matt Cassel and go with E.J. Manuel as Tyrod Taylor‘s backup.

As Carucci notes, Cassel is a costly bench player, with a cap hit of nearly $5MM for 2015, and the Bills need all the cap space they can get in order to extend star defensive lineman Marcell Dareus. Fred Jackson‘s cap number likely played a significant part in his Monday release as well.

Speaking of Jackson, we heard this morning that the decision to cut the veteran running back appears to have been made by general manager Doug Whaley, and Carucci points out that Manuel has “strong support” from Whaley. It may be worth keeping an eye on these sorts of roster decisions in Buffalo this year to see how the relationship between Rex Ryan and Whaley evolves, and how much influence each of them has over personnel decisions.

Here’s more from around the NFL’s two East divisions:

  • Adam Caplan of ESPN.com has the details on Stevie Brown‘s new contract with the Giants, tweeting that the safety will earn the minimum salary and will get a $40K bonus if he’s on the team’s Week 1 roster.
  • Given the Giants‘ problems at the safety position this summer, the decision not to re-sign veteran defensive back Antrel Rolle back in March looks especially bad now, writes Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News.
  • With the Cowboys‘ roster now down to 75 players, Bob Sturm of the Dallas Morning News takes a look at some position battles across the roster, predicting which players might hit the waiver wire when the club cuts down to 53.

Giants Re-Sign Stevie Brown

August 31st, 2015 at 10:56am CST by Sam Robinson

MONDAY, 10:56am: The Giants have officially re-signed Brown, the team announced today (Twitter link). Linebacker Victor Butler was cut to create space on the roster, tweets Raanan.

SUNDAY, 9:30am: After it was first reported yesterday that Brown would work out for the Giants, we heard that he would not work out for any teams, as he had multiple offers in hand, and that Big Blue fans should not count on a reunion between Brown and the safety-starved squad. Now, though, Jordan Raanan of NJ.com writes that Brown is expected to sign with the Giants. Raanan cites two individuals with knowledge of the situation who wished to remain anonymous since the deal has not been finalized.

SATURDAY, 1:41pm: A reunion between the Giants and now-free agent safety Stevie Brown makes plenty of sense now that Brown’s former employer is the most safety-starved team in the league and Brown needs a job.

The Giants will bring in Brown, whom they decided not to re-sign this offseason after the 2010 seventh-rounder played three seasons for the team from 2012-14, for a visit early next week, according to the New York Daily News’ Ralph Vacchiano.

Released by the Texans on Friday, Brown has several teams pursuing him, according to Vacchiano. Of course, that information comes from Brown’s agent, so that may be a market-stirring maneuver. Nevertheless, with Big Blue having lost Mykkele Thompson, Bennett Jackson and Justin Currie for the season and Nat Berhe for possibly a substantial portion of it after he underwent surgery Saturday, Brown’s release came at an ideal time for the Giants.

Brown signed a one-year, $3MM contract this offseason with the Texans, but the team released him early since the coaching staff determined he wouldn’t make Houston’s 53-man roster and wanted to give him a head start in finding a landing spot. The 28-year-old’s signature NFL span remains his eight-interception 2012 slate with the Giants, but a torn ACL a year later and a substandard season in 2014 upon returning from that injury led Big Blue to allow him to leave in free agency and seek younger replacements.

With those younger talents dropping at a rapid pace, with second-rounder Landon Collins also recovering from a sprained MCL that’s not expected to keep him out of debuting in Week 1, scrap-heap free agents Brandon Merriweather and Jeromy Miles are Big Blue’s healthy bodies at the position.

With Brown entering just his sixth year and reportedly healthy, this potential NFC East reunion is a lot more plausible than Chris Cooley‘s recent push at returning to Washington.

Extra Points: Cobb, Pouncey, Okung

August 29th, 2015 at 9:27pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

A week after losing Pro Bowl receiver Jordy Nelson to a season-ending ACL injury, the Packers are hoping fellow Pro Bowl wideout Randall Cobb doesn’t join him on the shelf. Cobb suffered a right shoulder injury during the Packers’ game Saturday against Philadelphia. The severity of the ailment is currently unknown, but one injury that has been ruled out is a broken collarbone, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweeted. A serious injury to Cobb would be a devastating blow to the Packers, given that their receiving corps already lost Nelson. He and Cobb combined for a whopping 189 catches (25 of which were touchdowns) and nearly 3,000 yards last year.

More from around the NFL:

  • Dolphins center Mike Pouncey hurt his left knee during Saturday’s game against Atlanta and will have to undergo an MRI on Sunday. Pouncey, who is wearing a brace, vows not to miss any regular-season time, Omar Kelly of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports (Twitter link). Head coach Joe Philbin also expressed optimism regarding Pouncey’s injury. “We think he’ll be OK,” he said, per Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald (via Twitter).
  • Seahawks left tackle Russell Okung will probably use the five-year, $66MM extension Washington signed Trent Williams to earlier today as a benchmark for his next deal, according to CBS Sports’ Joel Corry (via Twitter). Okung, who’s in a contract year, was the sixth overall selection in the 2010 draft, going two picks after Williams. Okung has since made 59 starts and one Pro Bowl, while Williams has made 70 and three, respectively.
  • Don’t count on a reunion between the Giants and free agent safety Stevie Brown, writes Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News. The Giants are scheduled to work out Brown, but he has interest from “a number of teams,” according to his agent. Brown spent 2012-14 with the Giants before a brief stint in Houston this year.
  • The Colts scratched running back Vick Ballard from Saturday’s game in St. Louis. That doesn’t bode well for his chances of making the roster, according to Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star. Ballard has battled serious injuries over the past couple years and has played in just one game since 2012 as a result.
  • Lions running back Joique Bell, who underwent knee surgery in January, is unsure if he’ll play Week 1. “I’m not going to say I’m ready to go out there and take every play and run every down, right now, but you never know how I’ll feel in two weeks,” Bell said, according to Justin Rogers of MLive.com. The fourth-year man is coming off his most productive season (1,182 total yards, eight touchdowns).
  • Patriots fullback James Develin suffered a broken tibia in Friday’s loss to Carolina, and ESPN’s Mike Reiss tweeted that the hope is recovery from surgery will take six to eight weeks. However, David Chao – the former team doctor for the Chargers – responded that it could actually take Develin six to eight months to return (Twitter link).

NFC Notes: Griffin, Brown, Panthers

August 29th, 2015 at 3:49pm CST by Sam Robinson

Although it’s at least distracted the NFL lexicon from the drama surrounding its quarterback situation in signing Trent Williams to a record extension, Washington‘s issues with the player Williams primarily protects remain.

According to the NFL Network’s Jeff Darlington (on Twitter), Robert Griffin III does not believe he sustained a concussion last week.

This comes after NFL independent neurologist, Robert N. Kurtzke, reversed an initial ruling deeming Griffin unfit to play and leading to Jay Gruden ruling him out of tonight’s preseason game. Thursday, Washington announced Griffin was cleared to resume work. Now, the fourth-year quarterback’s timeline has been delayed by “one to two” weeks until further re-evaluation occurs.

Darlington also notes (Twitter link) that sources dispute Washington’s depiction of when Kurtzke examined Griffin before tweeting the former Heisman Trophy winner’s camp does not believe the team is using the concussion as an excuse to bench him.

Despite the team picking up Griffin’s fifth-year option, this marriage is on the verge of careening into chaos before the signal-caller begins Year 4.

Here is some other news from the NFC.

  • Washington doesn’t have many options regarding Griffin after picking up his 2016 option, writes Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap. The NFL economics expert offers that if Griffin was serious about leaving Washington he’d negotiate an Aldon Smith-type contract loaded with incentives instead of a flat $16.15MM due next year. But even in this seemingly toxic environment, would leaving $16MM+ on the table with the odds he’ll ever earn that in a season again dwindling be a prudent move? Should Griffin be open to negotiating here, Fitzgerald sees the Bills or Jets discussing a trade for the embattled quarterback, who will make $3.7MM this season.
  • Contrary to what we heard earlier regarding Stevie Brown‘s potential reunion with the Giants, Jordan Raanan of NJ.com tweets the recently released safety won’t work out for any team, as he has multiple offers in hand. Conflicting reports aside, the Giants figure to be a likely landing spot for the sixth-year defensive back.
  • Entering last season as the Packers’ No. 3 receiver, Jarrett Boykin may be on the verge of being cut in Carolina, writes Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer. Panthers coaches seem to prefer Brenton Bersin, an undrafted free agent in 2012 who made 13 receptions for 151 yards last season in Carolina, over Boykin. The Panthers signed Boykin to a one-year deal in May.

AFC Notes: Levitre, Brown, Raiders, Dolphins

August 28th, 2015 at 7:54pm CST by Rob DiRe

Big money guard Andy Levitre isn’t starting for the Titans in the preseason for the second straight week, which doesn’t bode well for his chances of making the team, writes Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (via Twitter). Cole expects the team to release him, and picks the Dolphins and Eagles as possible landing spots.

Here are some other notes from around the AFC:

  • The Texans released Stevie Brown earlier today, and Tania Ganguli of ESPN writes that the timing is interesting because it was clear he wouldn’t make the team but the early release will help him find work elsewhere (via Twitter). Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle adds that there could be better opportunities for playing time elsewhere in the league (via Twitter).
  • Speaking of Brown, the Raiders could be in play for his services, according to Bill Williamson of ESPN (via Twitter). The Raiders were in play for him in free agency, and still have a need at the position.
  • The Dolphins went all in this offseason for Ndamukong Suh, and could sacrifice buying potential in future offseasons due to the amount of money they committed to the All-Pro defensive tackle. However, the future could still be bright if they can develop their young talent, as James Walker of ESPN notes that the team is rich with under-25 talent on the roster, ranking second in the NFL by Football Outsiders (subscription required). The Cowboys are the only team with better young talent.

NFC Notes: Dill, Brown, Bell, Saints

August 28th, 2015 at 6:37pm CST by Rob DiRe

Backup Cowboys offensive tackle R.J. Dill has been suspended for the first four games of the regular season for violating the policy on performance-enhancing substances, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter).

Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram passed on a statement from Dill regarding the suspension (via Twitter). “My doctor suggested that I undergo testosterone replacement therapy, and I accepted the recommended treatment.”

Charles Robinson of Yahoo! notes that needing testosterone replacement for a 24-year-old professional athlete like Dill would be a rarity (via Twitter).

Here are some other notes from around the NFC:

  • The Texans just released Stevie Brown, and the Giants could be interested in bringing him back, given their current situation at safety, according to Dan Graziano of ESPN (via Twitter). Graziano adds that injury concerns led to the Giants passing on him in the spring, but as they have been saddled with injuries at safety (via Twitter).
  • Speaking of injured Giants safety, Jordan Raanan of NJ.com is skeptical the Giants will keep Nat Berhe on the roster this season if he will miss the first four games of the season, maybe more (via Twitter). It could be way more, as surgery could end his season.
  • Buccaneers’ fifth-round pick Kenny Bell will sit out of tomorrow’s preseason game against the Browns with a hamstring injury, and could miss the rest of the preseason, writes Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune. If he does miss the rest of the preseason, it could effect whether or not he makes the 53-man roster come Week 1.
  • As the regular season comes closer, the Evan Woodbery of NOLA.com opens his mailbag to discuss what the final roster will look like after the team is forced to cut it down first to 75 players and then 53 before Week 1. He is skeptical the Saints will keep more than four or five receivers, leaving Seantavious Jones and Willie Snead IV on the outside looking in. He also opines on which running back and defensive linemen on the bubble will find their way onto the roster for the regular season.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/28/15

August 28th, 2015 at 5:27pm CST by Rob DiRe

Today’s minor signings, cuts, and other moves..

  • The Broncos have signed tight end Dan Light, who played college football at Fordham University in New York, writes Andrew Mason of DenverBroncos.com. The team has waived Solomon Patton to clear room on the roster.
  • The Steelers have cut injured skill position player Ross Scheurman, reports Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter). Scheurman played running back in college but might have also had value as a slot receiver, before injuring his Achilles during a drill in training camp early this month.
  • Tackle Quinterrius Eatmon has been cut by the Oakland Raiders, per Wilson (via Twitter). Eatmon was a rookie free agent out of the University of South Florida.
  • The Giants have reached an injury settlement with linebacker Tony Johnson, according to James Kratch of NJ Advance Media (via Twitter). Johnson was waived/injured earlier this week after suffering a knee injury.
  • The Texans have released safety Stevie Brown, reports Tania Ganguli of ESPN (via Twitter). The former Giant gained notoriety with an eight-interception campaign in 2012, but hadn’t picked off a pass before or since.

Texans Sign Stevie Brown

May 1st, 2015 at 4:13pm CST by Luke Adams

FRIDAY, 4:13pm: The Texans have officially signed Brown, the team announced today in a press release.

WEDNESDAY, 4:57pm: It’s a one-year deal for Brown, tweets Jordan Raanan of NJ.com.

4:51pm: Former Giants safety Stevie Brown won’t be returning to New York, according to Kimberly Jones of NFL Network (Twitter link), who hears from Brown himself that the veteran free agent has agreed to terms with the Texans.

About a week and a half ago, we heard that Brown was narrowing down his options,, with the Giants, Cowboys, Falcons, and Raiders said to be among his suitors. A subsequent report suggested that the defensive back would probably re-sign with the Giants, but he paid a visit to Houston last week, and apparently liked what he saw and heard from the Texans.

Brown, 27, didn’t quite have the same impact for the Giants in 2014 that he did in 2012, when he racked up eight interceptions for a staggering 307 return yards. Still, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), he was a solid contributor in the secondary, playing well against the run despite being occasionally burned in coverage. With Antrel Rolle headed to Chicago and Quintin Demps still on the open market, it’s a little surprising the Giants didn’t re-sign Brown to help plug their hole at safety.

Like the Giants, the Texans may have a pair of new starting safeties in 2015. The team is reportedly shopping D.J. Swearinger after having watched Kendrick Lewis sign in Baltimore. Danieal Manning remains unsigned as well, but the Texans did bring in one outside free agent, snatching Rahim Moore from Denver.

Brown is the second NFC East free agent to make the move to Houston this week — former Eagles running back Chris Polk also signed with the the Texans.

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