Here are today’s practice squad moves:
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: DT Vincent Taylor
- Released: TE Nate Becker
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: LB Joe Giles-Harris
- Released: LB Deshaun Davis
New York Jets
- Signed: WR Josh Malone
It’s uncertain if or how long Antonio Brown will be suspended by the Raiders, but it sounds like he at least won’t be in uniform on Monday night. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the Raiders are “not planning to have” their star receiver for Week 1. While it’s uncertain whether Brown will be suspended or merely listed as inactive, he likely won’t be in attendance for the team’s home opener vs. the Broncos.
Rapoport also passed along a quote from colleague Stacey Dales, who said the team is hoping to works things out. During an appearance on NFL Network, agent Drew Rosenhaus echoed that sentiment, stating that the “goal is to salvage this relationship.”
“There is two sides to every story,” Rosenhaus said (via Rapoport on Twitter). “My job is to bring everything back, try and get things worked out. That’s what I’m working on right now.
“I’m confident we can get back to doing all the right things that the Raiders signed him for. My hope is there isn’t a suspension and I’m not aware of any as of yet. I’m working with them to try to and avoid this scenario.”
We learned earlier today that the Raiders are reportedly planning to suspend the wideout after he got into a heated confrontation with general manager Mike Mayock. If Brown is suspended, the Raiders might be able to recoup part, if not all, of Brown’s $30MM signing bonus.
Rapoport provided some more context on the Raiders’ options, noting that Brown’s contract is relatively standard (Twitter link). Therefore, he has a failure-to-practice clause that the organization could use to recoup the guaranteed money. That move could ultimately lead to Brown’s release.
With hours to go before the start of the 2019 NFL season, here’s a rundown of how much cap room each NFL team has (via ESPN.com’s Field Yates, on Twitter):
- Indianapolis Colts – $42.1MM
- Cleveland Browns – $32.7MM
- Miami Dolphins – $31.9MM
- Houston Texans – $29.5MM
- Buffalo Bills – $24.8MM
- Tennessee Titans – $24.1MM
- Dallas Cowboys – $22.3MM
- Detroit Lions – $19.2MM
- San Francisco 49ers – $18.7MM
- Chicago Bears – $17.3MM
- Carolina Panthers – $16.6MM
- Washington Redskins – $15.9MM
- Philadelphia Eagles – $14.8MM
- Cincinnati Bengals – $13.3MM
- Kansas City Chiefs – $12.4MM
- Oakland Raiders – $12MM
- Denver Broncos – $11.2MM
- Green Bay Packers – $10.8MM
- Los Angeles Chargers – $10.2MM
- Jacksonville Jaguars – $9.5MM
- New York Jets – $9.3MM
- Seattle Seahawks – $8.6MM
- Baltimore Ravens – $8.2MM
- Pittsburgh Steelers – $6.3MM
- New England Patriots – $4.9MM
- Arizona Cardinals – $2.7MM
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers – $1.2MM
- Minnesota Vikings – $1.2MM
- Los Angeles Rams – $852K
- New Orleans Saints – $604K
- Atlanta Falcons – $493K
- New York Giants – $457K
Earlier this week, the Dolphins released Nate Orchard. Hopefully, he picked up a winter coat sometime after. The defensive end tried out for the Lions on Thursday, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter).
Orchard, selected by the Browns in the second round of the 2015 draft, posted four sacks for the Fins this preseason. Many believed that last year’s “Hard Knocks” standout would be in line to start for the Dolphins. Instead, he’s looking for work with just days to go before the season opener.
The Lions’ DE depth chart is headlined by A’Shawn Robinson and Trey Flowers with UDFA Kevin Strong Jr. and Da’Shawn Hand on hand for support.
The Cowboys, at long last, got a deal done with Ezekiel Elliott. Meanwhile, there hasn’t been much progress for star teammate Amari Cooper. 
“There haven’t been a lot of negotiations with Amari (Cooper), period,”Cowboys executive VP Stephen Jones said (via Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News). “And I’m not free to be able to share why. I think at some point we’ll start that. I don’t know what their parameters will be.”
Cooper, to date, has been saying and doing all of the right things. The wide receiver says that he wants to stay in Dallas and is also willing to play out the 2019 season in an effort to (re-) prove that he is worthy of a top-dollar deal.
Meanwhile, after getting the greenlight to play in Week 1, Cooper could be primed for a monster season. Cooper is willing to wait, and the Cowboys should have plenty of incentive to jumpstart talks.
For now, both sides are playing the waiting game. It might not be an ideal situation, but it’s far preferable to the one that Cooper’s former club finds itself in with his replacement, Antonio Brown.
The Josh Jones free agency tour continues. The former Packers safety will meet with the Vikings tomorrow and will also sit down with the Lions next week, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com tweets. 
[RELATED: Vikings Sign Josh Doctson]
The 2017 second-round draft pick started 12 games over his first two years in the league for the Packers, but he fell out of favor in 2018. The advanced stats at Pro Football Focus ranked him 70th among 93 eligible safeties.
Recently, Jones also met with the Bills. With a need for safety help across the league, Jones probably won’t be out of work for long.
On Thursday afternoon, Raiders GM Mike Mayock updated reporters on the ongoing Antonio Brown saga…sort of. 
“Short and sweet, Antonio Brown is not in the building today,” Mayock said (video link). “He won’t be practicing. I don’t have any more information for you right now. When I have some and it becomes appropriate, you guys will all get it but that’s it for today.”
In case you missed it – the Raiders are reportedly planning to suspend the wide receiver after he got into a heated confrontation with Mayock. If Brown is suspended, the Raiders might be able to recoup part, or all, of Brown’s $30MM signing bonus. If that happens, Brown’s Raiders stint will likely end without him having ever played a down in silver and black.
Brown and Mayock did not come to blows, though Brown did have to be held back by Vontaze Burfict (of all people). In the course of the conversation, Brown reportedly punted a football and told Mayock, “Fine me for that.” Right now, it sounds like Mayock will take him up on the offer.
Meanwhile, Brown’s dissatisfaction has, once again, spilled over to social media. In recent hours, Brown unfollowed both the Raiders and quarterback Derek Carr on Instagram (h/t Runnyasa).
There’s never a dull moment when it comes to the Raiders and Antonio Brown. The wide receiver and GM Mike Mayock got into an argument on Wednesday, and the team is now planning to suspend Brown, league sources tell ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). 
Here’s where things stand at the moment:
- The Raiders have yet to formally suspend Brown for Week 1 (Twitter link via CBS’ Jason La Canfora).
- The incident between Brown and Mayock did not get physical (via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com). However, there was a screaming match, and Brown told Mayock that he would hit him in the face. Then, Brown punted a football and said, “Fine me for that.”
- A fun side note: Vontaze Burfict, who has had incidents of his own and has a history with Brown, held Brown back from escalating things with Mayock (via The Athletic’s Vic Tafur).
- Some around the league believe the Raiders could suspend Brown with the idea of trying to void his $30.125MM in guaranteed money (Twitter link via Schefter). Of course, Brown would not take this lightly, and this would result in a serious showdown involving the Raiders, the NFLPA, the NFL, and Brown.
- As noted by former NFL GM Mike Tannenbaum (Twitter link) – If Brown is on the active roster on opening day, his $14.625MM salary for 2019 will become guaranteed, because he meets the service time requirement for veteran status. It’s not immediately clear whether today (Thursday) is “opening day” for these purposes, or if that corresponds with the Raiders’ Week 1 opener.
For those of you who haven’t been following this summer’s craziest NFL storyline, here’s a quick recap. Brown, who was acquired via trade from the Steelers and given a lucrative new contract, missed time due to a combination of a cryotherapy session gone awry and a battle with the NFL for his right to wear his favorite helmet.
This week, the Raiders sent Brown a letter informing him that he would be fined for missing a practice and a walkthrough last month. Brown, in turn, posted a picture of that letter to social media to inform the Raiders (and the world at-large) that he would not be paying said fines.
Along the way, Mayock indicated that Brown would have to decide whether or not he was “all in” with the team. At this moment, it’s unclear as to whether Brown is “all in” with Mayock & Co. – and vice versa.
The Lions worked out former Vikings first-round pick Laquon Treadwell, according to ESPN.com’s Field Yates (on Twitter). Treadwell also showed his stuff for the Bills earlier this week, but he’s still seeking a deal after being cut by the Vikings. 
Treadwell, 24, had lots of buzz coming out of Ole Miss. Unfortunately, he hasn’t done much as a pro. Last year was Treadwell’s “best” as an NFL player – he finished out with 35 catches, 302 yards, and one touchdown. That averaged out to just 8.6 yards per catch, which isn’t a great look for a player who ran just a 40-yard-dash of just 4.63 seconds at the 2016 combine.
In a fun twist, the Vikings signed Josh Doctson shortly after dropping Treadwell. Doctson, another wide receiver from the 2016 class who has yet to make his mark, was selected one spot ahead of Treadwell.
Another day, another extension for the Rams. On Thursday morning, they reached agreement on a new four-year deal with tight end Tyler Higbee (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter). 
[RELATED: Rams, Jared Goff Agree To Extension]
After Tuesday’s massive deal for Jared Goff, the Rams managed to lock up one of the quarterback’s favorite targets. The new pact will keep Higbee’s 2019 agreement in tact while locking him up through the 2023 season.
The 26-year-old is one of the game’s most promising young TEs, and the new deal pays him accordingly – he’s cracked the top ten at the position for average yearly compensation. The deal has a base value of $31.025MM, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter) hears. He’s guaranteed $15.5MM and, with incentives, he could earn up to $36MM.
The fourth-year pro shares L.A’s tight end spotlight with Gerald Everett, though Everett is utilized more as a receiver. Last year, Higbee finished out with 24 catches for 292 yards and two scores.