Within the last year or so, NFL teams have begun to move more swiftly when players are arrested, with yesterday’s release of Brandon Ivory by the Texans acting as the latest example, says Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. While cutting a player who has been arrested looks good from a public relations standpoint, it’s creating new problems — teams will often wait for the legal process to play out for more talented players, while less talented players are released immediately, even though they could eventually be cleared of those initial charges.
As Florio writes, the NFL’s decision to use the commissioner exempt list for players who are being investigated makes teams more reluctant to hang onto fringe players who are accused of a crime, since those players are essentially placed on paid leave. At some point, the league may have to find a new approach that respects labor relations and the rights of all players.
Here’s more from around the AFC South:
- In recent weeks, Kenneth Adams IV, the grandson of team founder Bud Adams, has taken on a much more visible role with the Titans, according to David Climer of The Tennessean. Crimer views the younger Adams’ increased importance within the organization as a good thing, since the 31-year-old can bring a fresh perspective to the franchise, and one of the team’s five co-owners needed to step into that role.
- Still, as Florio notes in a PFT piece, Adams only owns 11% of the Titans, and the fact that the club is divvied up among so many people likely contributes to the frequent rumors about a potential sale. If Adams emerges as a clear voice from out of the team’s ownership group, it could provide some much-needed stability for the organization.
- The last two teams to finish signing their 2015 draft picks are in the AFC South, and while the Colts just need to lock up a pair of third-rounders, the Titans have yet to sign No. 2 overall pick Marcus Mariota. As Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk observes, it’s the third consecutive year that Tennessee has been the last team in the NFL to sign its first-round pick.
- ESPN’s AFC South beat writers examine where the Jaguars have made their biggest improvements since GM David Caldwell and head coach Gus Bradley took over two and a half years ago.