Latest On Josh Gordon, Browns
Believed to finally be navigating a quiet offseason, Josh Gordon re-entered the headline circuit Monday and is away from the Browns for the time being. He resides on the non-football illness list.
While it’s another setback for the talented receiver, the Browns are sticking by Gordon as he deals with this latest obstacle. The reasoning for Gordon’s delay in being deemed ready for Cleveland’s training camp is not known, but NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said (via Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com) the former All-Pro wideout has no return timetable.
The understanding at this point is that the 27-year-old wide receiver is in some type of rehab facility, Cabot said during an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show (Twitter link), adding that it would then be up to medical personnel and counselors to determine when Gordon can return. She confirms a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter indicating Gordon is not believed to have failed a drug test.
The consequences of a failed test would dire for Gordon, who would likely face an indefinite suspension and possibly see his NFL career end given what’s happened over the past four years. Gordon can be tested up to 10 times per month. He admitted hard drug use occurred during his first NFL stint as well as during his time at Baylor. Cabot wonders if Gordon found himself on somewhat shaky ground regarding a relapse. He had stayed near the Browns facility in Berea, Ohio, until last month, Cabot reports.
Gordon’s last known stint in rehab came in September 2017. The NFL reinstated him in November of last year, and he returned for the Browns’ final five games. He averaged 18.6 yards per catch despite operating in a passing attack that struggled throughout last season.
Gordon is expected to be a starter for the Browns in 2018.
“We will continue to support Josh as he receives the care needed to maintain his progress,” John Dorsey said. “We’re going to respect his privacy while he’s away from the team.”
Cowboys Still Interested In Earl Thomas?
The discussions between the Cowboys and Seahawks about the price for Earl Thomas did not cease after the draft, with ESPN.com’s Josina Anderson reporting (via Twitter) the teams have discussed the safety in the months since.
Dallas and Seattle hit a wall when talking a Thomas trade on Day 2 of the draft, when the Cowboys used their second-round pick on Connor Williams instead of trading it to the Seahawks in a package for Thomas.
It’s unclear precisely what the Seahawks are asking for to send their top defender to the Cowboys, but Anderson notes it remains a “really high price.” Thomas is entering the final year of his contract and wants either an extension — likely one that would make him the league’s highest-paid safety — or a trade. The Cowboys have been by far the team most connected to the Texas native regarding a trade.
The 29-year-old All-Pro defender has not given any indication he will end his holdout soon.
The Seahawks have somewhat promising expectations 2017 third-rounder Delano Hill can team with Bradley McDougald, in the event of a Thomas trade, and form a solid safety tandem. But the Seahawks would inch closer to a full-scale rebuild by parting with Thomas after an offseason that’s seen four Super Bowl-era defenders exit.
Jerry Jones said after the draft the Cowboys were interested in upgrading at safety, following a weekend that did not include a safety pick. But nothing’s transpired on that front, and training camp is fast approaching. Jeff Heath and 2017 sixth-rounder Xavier Woods remain penciled in as Dallas’ back-line starters. Byron Jones has worked as a cornerback throughout the offseason.
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/23/18
Here are Monday’s minor moves.
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: TE Chris Bazile
Chicago Bears
- Signed: LB Ro’Derrick Hoskins
- Waived: OL Jerami Hall
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: OL Tony Adams
- Waived/Injured: OL Sean Hickey
New England Patriots
- Signed: WR Devin Lucien
- Waived/Injured: DB David Jones
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: DE Kiante Anderson
Bashaud Breeland To Visit Colts, Browns
Bashaud Breeland recently left his Raiders visit without a contract, and it’s becoming clearer why he’s interested in seeing what else is out there.
Because in addition to a Chiefs visit scheduled for Tuesday, both the Colts and Browns have scheduled meetings with the free agent cornerback for this week, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com tweets.
Should the four-year veteran indeed take all of these visits, it will add up to a six-city tour over a five-month period this offseason. He agreed to a deal with the Panthers for three years and $24MM, but a foot injury nixed that. The Cardinals then went in a different direction, a Jamar Taylor trade, following their meeting with Breeland.
This, however, would mark the second time Breeland will have met with the Colts this year. Indianapolis brought him in for a May meeting, but that appeared to be more of an exploratory powwow. Now, it would seem the Colts would be more interested in an agreement. The Colts have kept tabs on Breeland since, Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star reports (on Twitter), but he still doesn’t envision a signing.
The Colts lost Rashaan Melvin to the Raiders in free agency and did not make a notable investment at this position this offseason. They have second-year second-rounder Quincy Wilson tabbed to start on one side. Former UDFA Kenny Moore made five starts last season as well. A 2017 fifth-rounder, Nate Hairston is in the mix, and Indy also has veteran Pierre Desir coming to camp. Breeland has started more games (58) than the Colts’ current corners have combined.
Cleveland, meanwhile, has overhauled its cornerback contingent this year. Denzel Ward, T.J. Carrie, E.J. Gaines and Terrance Mitchell join incumbents Briean Boddy-Calhoun and Mike Jordan. Howard Wilson, a fourth-rounder last year, is set to miss another full season due to injury. The Browns also drafted Louisiana-Lafayette’s Simeon Thomas in Round 6.
The Browns, however, were interested in Breeland prior to his foot injury in March. And with the former second-rounder still being available as training camps commence, he probably won’t cost as much as he would have then. However, the latest entrants into the Breeland derby have money to spend. The Browns (with an NFL-most $69MM in cap space) obviously don’t lack for available funds. The Colts sit second with $50MM-plus.
NFC Notes: 49ers, Barwin, Beckwith, Saints
Despite Jimmy Garoppolo entering his 49ers training camp, he’s not expected to receive an abnormal workload this preseason. Even though Kyle Shanahan has cited the time it takes for quarterbacks to become sufficiently assimilated in his system, Matt Barrows of The Athletic notes (subscription required) backup C.J. Beathard is likely to receive most of the reps during preseason games. The 49ers figure to have an ulterior motive by doing this, with Barrows writing San Francisco will want to trade Beathard for draft compensation at some point before his rookie contract expires. They will be intent on showcasing the 2017 third-rounder as much as possible as a result. The Iowa product completed 54.9 percent of his passes, with four TDs and six INTs, as a rookie before Garoppolo supplanted him as the Niners’ starter.
It’s camp-reporting week. Here’s the NFC’s latest:
- Connor Barwin will be counted on to be one of Olivier Vernon‘s sidekicks this season, but his Giants agreement is not merely a one-year pact. Barwin agreed to a two-year deal worth up to $5MM, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (on Twitter). This will be Barwin’s fourth NFL team, with the Giants following the Texans, Eagles and Rams. A Pro Bowler with the 2014 Eagles, Barwin’s done his best work in 3-4 defenses — which the Giants will now use. Both of Barwin’s double-digit sack seasons (2011 and 2014) came in this set.
- Chris Thompson said Monday he will avoid the Redskins‘ PUP list. Washington’s passing-down back broke one of his fibulas in November but has worked his way back. He’s expected to remain the Redskins’ receiving back. “I’m feeling pretty good right now,” Thompson said during a Sirius XM Radio interview (via PFT). “I will start practicing with the guys from Day 1 but just taking it slowly. The focus is to really be ready by that first regular-season game.”
- Kendell Beckwith will not, however, avoid the Buccaneers‘ PUP (Twitter link, via Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com). The young linebacker fractured an ankle in a car accident in April and underwent surgery. The immediate timetable tabbed Beckwith as unclear for Week 1, while a summer update indicated he might be ready in time for camp. Beckwith won’t meet that goal, it appears, but it’s not certain if he’s going to miss all of Tampa Bay’s camp.
- Despite being a newcomer and coming off an ACL tear, Cameron Meredith looks like the frontrunner to claim the Saints‘ No. 2 wide receiver job, Josh Katzenstein of NOLA.com notes. Playing with quarterbacks who aren’t in Drew Brees‘ stratosphere, Meredith caught 66 passes for 888 yards and four TDs in 2016. Third-round rookie Tre’Quan Smith may also be a threat to diminish Ted Ginn and Brandon Coleman‘s playing time as well, per Katzenstein, though it’s hard to envision Ginn (53 receptions, 787 receiving yards last season) being squeezed out of a significant role. He’s owed $4.5MM this season.
Bashaud Breeland Leaves Raiders Visit Without Deal
In the third cycle of Bashaud Breeland‘s free agency, the Raiders secured the first visit. They brought the UFA cornerback in on Sunday and continued to meet with the former Redskins starter Monday, but Breeland left the facility without a deal, Vic Tafur of The Athletic tweets.
This would mean a fourth visit will come to pass for the fifth-year defender. The Chiefs secured a meeting with Breeland for Tuesday, and it looks like he’s intent on surveying his options.
Breeland’s started 58 games since the Redskins made him a second-round pick in 2014 and is one of the top available players on the market. He initially agreed to a three-year, $24MM deal with the Panthers, but an offseason foot injury nixed the pact. The Cardinals then hosted Breeland once he healed up but went in another direction.
Breeland spent four years playing for a Jay Gruden-coached team, so a landing with one now led by Jon Gruden would have certainly been unique. The Raiders still are flanking Gareon Conley with a host of veteran corners, having signed Rashaan Melvin, Shareece Wright and Leon Hall this offseason.
The Chiefs hold just more than $7MM in cap space compared to the Raiders’ $2MM-plus. Interestingly, Eli Rogers just left his Chiefs visit without a deal. While his next stop is Cleveland, the slot receiver also has a meeting in Oakland scheduled for this week.
Chiefs Rumors: Mahomes, Rogers, Ford, OL
Being a first-year starting quarterback, Patrick Mahomes will bring some risk to the Chiefs‘ outlook Alex Smith did not. But the potential reward looks to be much greater. Andy Reid acknowledges the 2017 first-round pick will experience the usual issues adjusting to NFL starter life, but the sixth-year Chiefs coach made it clear he doesn’t want to deprive Mahomes of playmaking opportunities his skill set could create.
“You surely don’t want to stifle that at all. One thing that he is blessed with is he has good vision, so you don’t ever want to stifle that and put him in a box with that. Allow him to see,” Reid said from Chiefs training camp in St. Joseph, Mo. “Is there going to be a hiccup here or there? Yeah there’s going to be a hiccup here or there, but you don’t want to stifle that at all.”
Reid added that Mahomes, viewed as a raw but potentially special arm talent out of Texas Tech as a prospect last year, is farther along this year compared to where Smith was in 2013. With the addition of Sammy Watkins, the Chiefs have also outfitted Mahomes with a better collection of skill-position talent than Smith (or possibly any previous Kansas City quarterback) received.
Here’s the latest out of western Missouri:
- While the Chiefs’ offense looks capable of being one of the NFL’s best units, Kansas City’s defense has plenty of questions. A key one will be the status of their injury-prone edge rushers. Justin Houston enters camp healthy and is signed long-term, but Dee Ford may only be back because an injury left him unable to pass a March physical. His $8.718MM fifth-year option vested, but Ford realizes he’s under pressure to perform this season after a career that’s seen just one productive year (2016, when he had a Chiefs-most 10 sacks). The Chiefs also drafted edge defenders in each of the past two second rounds, in Tanoh Kpassagnon and Breeland Speaks (the latter of whom K.C. traded up to acquire). “Everyone’s seen flashes of what I can do. This is the opportunity to really (show it) for 16 games,” Ford said, via Adam Teicher of ESPN.com. “In order to be a great player you have to be consistent. You can’t just be good (like 2016 in) those first 10 games or so before I got hurt. Everybody was like, ‘That’s the guy we expected,’ and then I got hurt. … This is the time to put it all together.”
- Eli Rogers left his Chiefs visit Monday without a deal, Field Yates of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter). Rogers will now meet with the Browns, who have his three-year OC on staff in Todd Haley. The Raiders have also scheduled a summit with the slot receiver. Behind Watkins and Tyreek Hill, the Chiefs employ Chris Conley, Demarcus Robinson, Jehu Chesson and the recently re-signed De’Anthony Thomas.
- Despite a 2016 ACL tear hijacking both of Parker Ehinger‘s first two NFL seasons, he still might be the frontrunner to work as the Chiefs’ starting left guard, Nate Taylor of The Athletic writes (subscription required). A fourth-round pick out of Cincinnati two years ago, Ehinger opened his rookie year as a starter but missed all but one game last season. Bryan Witzmann and Jordan Devey represent his primary competitors, per Taylor, who adds that Cameron Erving could linger here as well if he cannot unseat fourth-year center Mitch Morse.
- Like Ford, Spencer Ware‘s been cleared to begin training camp without a PUP list stay, but the 2016 starter won’t automatically be given the backup job, per Taylor. Charcandrick West remains a factor and scored four touchdowns as Kareem Hunt‘s backup last season. West and Ware will battle for the backup role, just as they did in 2015 when they vied for time behind a then-healthy Jamaal Charles.
NFL Fully Reinstates Randy Gregory
Given conditional reinstatement last week, Randy Gregory will now be able to practice with the Cowboys at training camp as he attempts a comeback.
The NFL fully reinstated the embattled defensive end on Monday, Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk reports. He’s cleared to practice and play in games, furthering a comeback he didn’t previously believe was possible.
Dallas also has Gregory signed through the 2020 season. Under normal circumstances, Gregory would be entering a contract year since he was a 2015 draft pick. But due to multiple seasons of contract tolling, the Nebraska alum is signed for three more years.
While it’s uncertain if the former second-round pick can make good on this opportunity, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets the NFL liked Gregory’s plan and green-lit a full-scale return to action. The 25-year-old edge defender, suspended indefinitely due to multiple substance-abuse violations, worked a 9-5 job at times this offseason in Dallas but continued to train heavily for a possible comeback.
Gregory has not played since the 2016 regular-season finale and hasn’t played more than two games in a season since his rookie year. He’ll join a mix of pass rushers headlined by DeMarcus Lawrence but also including longtime Cowboy Tyrone Crawford and 2017 first-rounder Taco Charlton. Gregory, though, has a long way to go to make good on his draft status. He has just one sack in 14 games.
Malcolm Mitchell Undergoes Knee Procedure
Sidelined all of last season due to a knee injury, Malcolm Mitchell needed another knee procedure on Monday, Mark Daniels of the Providence Journal reports (on Twitter).
Mitchell is now a trade candidate, per NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero, who adds (Twitter link) that this operation explains some of the Patriots’ frustration here. But this procedure figures to complicate any trade talks New England will have regarding the third-year wide receiver.
The Patriots are high on Kenny Britt‘s ability to bounce back after a dreadful showing with the Browns, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). New England also has Jordan Matthews, Cordarrelle Patterson and rookie Braxton Berrios in the mix now. And while Julian Edelman will miss a second straight September, he’s going to lead the receiving group upon return. There might not be room for Mitchell, leading Daniels to tweet that Mitchell is facing an uphill battle to make the roster while floating the idea of an injury settlement at this point (Twitter links).
Mitchell showed promise as a rookie in 2016, catching 32 passes for 401 yards and four touchdowns. He added 70 air yards in Super Bowl LI but could not build on that momentum because of the rampant knee trouble he experienced last year.
AFC East Notes: Jets, Rawls, Mauldin, Bills
Former Seahawks running back Thomas Rawls is a longshot to make the Jets‘ roster, Darryl Slater of NJ.com writes. Rawls flashed during his time in Seattle, but he’s facing an uphill battle in New Jersey with Bilal Powell, Isaiah Crowell, and Eli McGuire ahead of him on the depth chart. The same goes for Mississippi State product Brandon Bryant, as Slater feels he is behind many of the club’s safeties.
Meanwhile, there are a number of notable names on the bubble. Slater notes that safety J.J. Wilcox, linebacker Lorenzo Mauldin, and wide receivers Charone Peake, Lucky Whitehead, Andre Roberts, and Charles Johnson are among those fighting for their jobs.
Here’s a look at another noteworthy Jets player with an uncertain future plus more from the AFC East:
- Right now, quarterback Teddy Bridgewater appears to be the Jets‘ only trade candidate, Slater writes. It’s far from a certainty that a Bridgewater trade will happen, and there are a lot of factors that will play into the decision, including his health, Sam Darnold‘s development, and external QB injuries. On a related note, Slater believes the Jets could stand pat at QB in the event of a Bridgewater trade if they have enough confidence in Darnold as Josh McCown‘s backup.
- Peter King of NBC Sports isn’t so sure about the Bills after they moved on from left tackle Cordy Glenn, center Eric Wood, and guard Richie Incognito. In fact, there are question marks throughout the offense, ranging from new quarterbacks A.J. McCarron and Josh Allen to the LeSean McCoy situation. Speaking of McCoy, we learned this week that he intends to report to camp on Wednesday, despite the accusations made against him.
- The Patriots have wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell on the trade block.
- The Dolphins made some waves recently with the release of their personal anthem policy. Late last week, the NFL put its new policy on hold and went back to the table with the NFLPA.