Wednesday’s practice squad changes:
Houston Texans
Indianapolis Colts
Kansas City Chiefs
Signed: LB Deion Barnes (Twitter link via Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star)
Washington Redskins
Back in August, the NFL suspended Giants kicker Josh Brown for Week 1 as a result of a May 2015 arrest on a fourth-degree misdemeanor domestic violence charge. The NFL came under fire for issuing what many perceived as a light punishment, but the league defended itself by pointing out that Brown’s now-former wife was not willing to participate in an interview to support her claims. Brown, meanwhile, openly disagreed with the notion that he deserved the suspension.
Now, two months after the league disciplined Brown, it’s possible more trouble could be on the way for the 37-year-old. Police documents indicate that Brown admitted to physically abusing Molly Brown in emailed letters, personal journal entries and counseling exercises, reports James Kratch of NJ.com.
“I have physically, mentally, emotionally and verbally been a repulsive man,” Brown wrote in a 2013 journal entry. “I have abused my wife.”
As was previously reported, Molly Brown told police that her husband had been physically violent with her over 20 times, and that she previously had a protection order against him. Furthermore, she alleged that the violence began while she was pregnant with their daughter.
Per the latest details, Molly Brown revealed in her own writings that Josh Brown “pushes, shoves hits me because I challenge him” and “says women like me get hit because we can’t shut up.” Moreover, she provided photographic evidence stemming from his alleged abuse – including bruising on her body – to Robin L. Ostrum, a detective with the King County Sheriff Department in Washington. Ostrum used that material to recommend two charges of fourth-degree domestic violence to the King County Prosecuting Attorney on Sept. 14. The status of the recommended charges is unknown, according to Kratch.
The Giants re-signed Brown to a two-year deal in the offseason, when he was coming off his first Pro Bowl campaign, and garnered criticism for sticking with him after his suspension. Co-owner John Mara also admitted that the team knew of Brown’s arrest at the time it re-signed him.
“Based on the facts and circumstances that we were aware of at that time, we were comfortable with our decision to re-sign him. Nothing that has happened in the mean time to make us question that decision,” Mara said in August (via Kratch). “We attempted to make a informed decision here. We’ll live with the results of that decision.”
It’s unclear whether this new information will affect Brown’s standing with the Giants or lead to further discipline from the league. The former Ram and Seahawk is playing his fourth season in New York.
Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk insisted Tuesday that the franchise isn’t for sale, but her desire to keep the team could become irrelevant, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
When Strunk’s father, franchise founder Bud Adams, died in 2013, he left equal parts of the franchise to Strunk and two other heirs. The Titans are devoid of a true controlling owner as a result, and the NFL is going to force the franchise to rectify that at some point, according to Florio, who adds that an eventual sale is possible. The league has already penalized Strunk with a six-figure fine this year on account of the Titans’ failure to comply with its ownership rules.
In the event the Titans do go on the block, rock star Jon Bon Jovi would reportedly be a candidate to serve as part of a new ownership group. Bon Jovi refuted that possibility Wednesday, however.
“Let me dispel the rumors right now,” he told John Carucci of the Associated Press. “I wake up to these headlines with my name on them and they’re just not true. I want to make it perfectly clear that the team is not for sale, nor has it ever been, and I respect and admire (late franchise founder) Bud Adams’ legacy. End of story, I wish them all the success in the world.”
While Bon Jovi claims the Titans don’t interest him, Florio expresses skepticism, and Carucci writes that the 54-year-old does want to own an NFL team. That nearly came to fruition when a group including Bon Jovi bid $1 billion on the then-rudderless Bills in 2014, but they fell short of Terry Pegula’s winning offer of $1.4 billion.
“I love the NFL, and I did in fact try to buy the Buffalo Bills, but this has nothing to do with that. All I’m doing – I’m in the music business. End of story,” Bon Jovi declared.
The possibility of the Raiders going from Oakland to Las Vegas in the near future continues to become more realistic. The Raiders’ Mark Davis revealed to his fellow NFL owners Wednesday that he plans to file for franchise relocation in January, reports Jim Trotter of ESPN.com.
A decision from the league on whether to approve a move would likely come in March, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report. In an early, 20-team survey Cole conducted, seven are proponents of Davis’ plan, one is against it, and the other 12 are undecided (Twitter links). It’s unclear whether Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was among those Cole asked, but the influential 74-year-old expressed admiration for Las Vegas on Tuesday (via Tom Pelissero of USA Today).
“I think it’s a great matchup, and I’m really impressed by the leadership … and I’m impressed by the fact that financially the people that will be supporting Mark Davis’ effort to bring those Raiders there are as excited as they are about it,” Jones said. “That alone makes me want to be very active and very excited about the Raiders and the possibilities.”
Despite Cole’s pro-Las Vegas survey and Jones’ enthusiasm, Mark Maske of the Washington Post reported Tuesday that wariness of the city exists within the league’s ownership ranks. Specifically, there are concerns over both trading a bigger market for a smaller one and Las Vegas’ status as America’s gambling capital.
“I think in general we don’t like to leave big markets for small markets,” a high-ranking official with one team told Maske. “That’s as big as anything. I think most people are not crazy about that.”
Commissioner Roger Goodell addressed gambling Wednesday, saying that the league is “still very much opposed to legalized gambling on sports. We think that has an impact on the integrity of our game.”
Interestingly, the official Maske spoke with added that “most” in the league would like the Raiders to remain in Oakland. However, the individual conceded that the league might not have another choice if Las Vegas presents the best option for a new stadium. Further, Goodell admitted that “we have been working to see if there are alternatives and we don’t have one” in the Bay Area.
In a statement Wednesday (Twitter link via Pelissero), Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf declared that the city “will not enter a bidding war with Nevada using public funds.” However, along with ex-Raider Ronnie Lott’s group and Alameda County, Schaaf believes “we can offer a serious plan in the coming weeks that is fair to the Raiders, the league, the fans and the Oakland taxpayers to whom I am most responsible.”
While Oakland hasn’t made progress toward a facility that would replace the 50-year-old Coliseum, it’s full steam ahead in Nevada, where Gov. Brian Sandoval signed a bill Monday green-lighting $750MM in public money toward a $1.9 billion domed stadium in Las Vegas. Davis would commit another $500MM ($200MM of which would come from an NFL loan, though a collective bargaining agreement extension might be a requirement), and businessman Sheldon Adelson would contribute $650MM of his money.
After Davis’ Wednesday presentation to owners, which Goodell called “informative” and “factual,” Davis criticized Oakland and praised Las Vegas for the cities’ respective stadium efforts.
“Oakland was in the driver’s seat if they could’ve put together anything. They came up with nothing,” he told the Associated Press. “Las Vegas has already done what it is supposed to do and we have to bring it up to the National Football League and get permission to move to Las Vegas.”
In order for the Raiders to end up in Las Vegas, Davis will need 23 approval votes from the league’s other 31 owners. If that happens, the team could still play in Oakland for the next couple seasons as it awaits stadium construction in Las Vegas. A report Saturday indicated that the Raiders could use UNLV’s Sam Boyd Stadium as a stopgap. Davis shot down that possibility Wednesday, though, saying it’s unfit to host NFL regular-season games.
Moving to Las Vegas would also require the Raiders to pay the league a relocation fee. That figure is set at $550MM, but Cole reports that the Raiders likely wouldn’t have to pay that much (Twitter link).
The Colts have claimed outside linebacker Lavar Edwards off waivers from the Panthers and cut cornerback Darryl Morris, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link).
Edwards, whom the Panthers waived Tuesday, will now join his eighth organization since entering the NFL as a fifth-round pick of the Titans in 2013. The 26-year-old has only seen regular-season action with half of those teams, and he has just 17 appearances and one start to his name. Edwards suited up for five of the Panthers’ first six games this year before they parted with him. Along the way, he picked up five tackles and the first sack of his career.
Morris, also 26, saw action in the Colts’ first six contests this season and logged one start, though Pro Football Focus ranks his 2016 performance just 93rd among 112 qualifying corners. Prior to signing with the Colts in early September, Morris combined for 36 appearances and a start as a member of the 49ers and Texans from 2013-15. Morris joined the Jets as a free agent in March, but he was unable to survive their final roster cuts.
The Dolphins have claimed defensive end Nick Williams off waivers from the Chiefs and placed safety Reshad Jones on injured reserve, per an announcement from Miami.
The 26-year-old Williams had a brief unemployed stint after Kansas City cut him Tuesday. Williams had appeared in each of the Chiefs’ five games this year prior to his ouster, but he only participated in 11.9 percent of their defensive snaps. Since entering the NFL as a seventh-round pick of the Steelers in 2013, Williams has amassed 21 appearances – all with the Chiefs.
Williams will likely try to catch on at defensive tackle with the Dolphins, according to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald (Twitter link). The Dolphins have relied heavily this year on Ndamukong Suh and Jordan Phillips along the interior, while Chris Jones and Julius Warmsley have combined for roughly 90 snaps apiece as depth options.
The placement of Jones on IR was expected after Salguero reported earlier Tuesday that Miami would shut him down for the season. Jones, one of the Dolphins’ premier players, suffered a torn rotator cuff in their 30-15 upset over the Steelers last Sunday.
The Buccaneers have promoted wide receiver Donteea Dye from the practice squad, as Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times writes. Dye signed a practice squad deal with the Bucs on Monday and he was quickly bumped up to the varsity squad to help replace the injured Vincent Jackson. 
Dye impressed in the offseason but he was waived-injured by Tampa Bay after suffering a hamstring injury. Last year, he broke out as an undrafted rookie and even started in five games. He’ll give Jameis Winston another target as the team deals with Jackson’s absence and awaits the return of Cecil Shorts and Louis Murphy.
In related news, the Buccaneers signed running back Russell Hansbrough to take Dye’s old spot. Hansbrough made his NFL debut in last week’s win against Carolina but was cut earlier this week.
The Jets are off to an awful start this year and there’s no guarantee that things will get better anytime soon. Still, owner Woody Johnson says that he isn’t about to do anything drastic and he tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com that the jobs of coach Todd Bowles and GM Mike Maccagnan aren’t in jeopardy. 
[RELATED: Jets To Start Geno Smith, Bench Fitzpatrick]
“We got ten games to go. I’m very confident with Todd Bowles and Mike,” Johnson said unequivocally. “I think we’ve got an excellent team (of leaders). I really respect Todd, I know he’s doing what he’s going to do. It’s football. He’s a good coach. I have long-term confidence in him and in Mike and in their teams. That’s the way I feel. Onward and outward, we’ve had a tough schedule, it’s no excuse. We’ve been in some games. But Monday night was … we gotta be better than that.”
The Jets, of course, are coming off of an embarrassing Monday night loss to the Cardinals. That loss marked their fourth-straight defeat and a playoff berth seems rather unlikely for this year. The Jets will have to forge ahead without star receiver Eric Decker and Ryan Fitzpatrick‘s struggles have led them to turn back to Geno Smith. Things are bad for Gang Green, but they’re not ready to blow everything up.
Bowles and Maccagnan, who are both highly-regarded in the league, are both in their second season with the Jets.
The Falcons announced that they have released safety Dashon Goldson. To fill his spot on the roster, Atlanta signed defensive lineman Cliff Matthews. The team also inked linebacker Josh Keyes to the practice squad. 
Goldson, 32, signed a one-year, $1.5MM deal with the Falcons, though only $250K of that sum was guaranteed. This year, he suited up for four games, but did not record an official statistic. The veteran has regressed significantly since his glory days with the 49ers. Goldson broke out as a leading free safety in 2009 with San Francisco and went on to earn his first career Pro Bowl nod in 2011. In 2012, his contract year, he garnered another Pro Bowl selection along with his first career First-Team All-Pro nod.
He signed a monster contract with the Bucs in the spring of 2013, but he was unable to deliver. After spending 2015 with the Redskins and old friend Scot McCloughan, Goldson returned to the NFC South. Today, he finds himself back on the open market.
Matthews broke into the league as a seventh-round pick of the Falcons in 2011. The South Carolina product has appeared in 32 games for Atlanta since then.
After learning that star safety Reshad Jones is done for the season, we have word of some good news for the Miami secondary. Dolphins cornerback Chris Culliver is slated to practice for the first time this year, sources tell Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). 
[RELATED: Dolphins Safety Reshad Jones Done For Season]
Culliver, 28, signed a one-year deal with the Dolphins in August. When Miami signed the veteran corner, they knew that it would be some time before he would be able to take the field.
Culliver tore his ACL in November and that, understandably, hurt his market. Had he been healthy, Culliver likely would have been one of the best true outside cornerbacks in free agency. After all, he is on the right side of 30 and isn’t that far removed from being one of the league’s better players at the position.
In 2014, his final season with the 49ers, Culliver limited opposing quarterbacks to a completion percentage of 50.7% and a 66.5 passer rating when they threw into his coverage, according to Pro Football Focus. PFF’s grades placed Culliver as the 14th-best cornerback out of 108 qualified players. In 2015, however, Culliver started only six games for the Redskins, tallying 16 tackles and one pass deflection.