Extra Points: Jets, Snacks, Anderson
Linebacker Blair Brown had domestic battery charges dropped in July and has since been informed that he’ll face no discipline from the NFL, reports Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (via Twitter). The 26-year-old was cut by the Jaguars following his arrest in May of 2019.
The Ohio University product was selected in the fifth round of the 2017 draft by Jacksonville. He proceeded to appear in 28 games through two seasons with the team, compiling 17 tackles, 0.5 sacks, and one fumble recovered. He also appeared in three postseason games during the Jaguars run in 2017, collecting six tackles.
Last week, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle had reported that the linebacker worked out for the Texans. Brown ultimately left Houston without a contract.
Let’s check out some more notes from around the NFL…
- Adam Gase may still be employed, but ESPN’s Rich Cimini is skeptical that the Jets head coach will keep his job for the entire season. The reporter describes the head coach’s firing as “inevitable,” and he writes that it wouldn’t be a surprise if CEO Christopher Johnson “pulls the plug now.” Following their shutout loss to the Dolphins this past weekend, the Jets have dropped to 7-15 during Gase’s tenure with the organization.
- The Buccaneers weren’t the only team to express interest in Snacks. Pelissero tweets that the Dolphins recently made a run at defensive tackle Damon Harrison. However, just like he did with Tampa Bay, the veteran rejected Miami in order to stick with Seattle’s practice squad. Fortunately, it sounds like his opportunity with the Seahawks is coming, as the reporter adds that Harrison is “ramping up towards joining Seattle’s active roster.” Snacks, 31, has operated as a nose tackle starter since his second season (2013), playing that role for the Jets, Giants and Lions.
- Former NFL running back C.J. Anderson is currently serving as a volunteer offensive coach at Cal, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter). The 31-year-old was a standout during his time with the Golden Bears, and despite going undrafted in 2013, Anderson managed to put together a seven-year NFL career. Following a 2019 campaign that saw him appear in a pair of games for the Lions, Anderson announced his retirement back in September.
Cowboys DE Randy Gregory Placed On Active Roster
This weekend, Cowboys defensive end Randy Gregory could see the field for the first time since the 2018 campaign. The team announced that the 27-year-old has been removed from the commissioner’s exempt list and placed on their active roster.
Gregory hasn’t played an NFL game since earning his fourth career suspension during the 2019 offseason. He was reinstated by the league back in September, and he’s been practicing with the team for the past few weeks.
Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News tweets that Gregory has an opportunity to play this weekend, although that’s not a huge surprise. After all, the team had already committed to Gregory by inking him to an extension back in September.
The pass rusher has only played in 28 of a possible 80 NFL games, compiling an underwhelming 45 tackles, seven sacks, and two forced fumbles. However, six of those sacks came during his 2018 campaign, so maybe things started to click for the former Nebraska standout. Both teammates and coaches recently lauded Gregory for his performance at practice.
Cowboys Notes: Coaches, Knight, Martin
After getting blown out by the Cardinals last night and falling to 2-4, it sounds like some of the players are starting to point fingers at the coaching staff. Jane Slater of NFL Network tweets that “discontent is leaking out” of the Cowboys locker room, with one player stating that the coaches “just aren’t good at their jobs”
“Totally unprepared,” another player said of the coaching staff. “They don’t teach. They don’t have any sense of adjusting on the fly.”
Meanwhile, head coach Mike McCarthy indicated to reporters that instead of leaking these qualms to the media, he’d rather keep those types of conversations in house.
“I just really go back to my first meeting with the football team. I’ve always stated that…it’s important to handle things as men,” McCarthy said (via Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com). “I mean, if you do have something to say publicly that is of most important, I think it’s important to say it to the individual, or particularly in a group dynamic setting, especially in the game of football, especially for the Dallas Cowboys. I mean, that’s all part of the development our program, of the system that we’ve got going here. I think that’s just part of our flight right now. We don’t like the way we played last night. We had some areas that we struggled strong in. It’s definitely not what we’re looking for.”
Some more notes out of Dallas:
- McCarthy also told reporters that left tackle Brandon Knight suffered a knee injury and underwent surgery (via Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News on Twitter). The lineman is expected to miss the next few games. Knight found himself with a starting gig following a season-ending injury to Tyron Smith, and he’s started four of the Cowboys’ six games. While a replacement hasn’t been named, Gehlken notes that Cameron Erving, who is sitting on IR, could be an option.
- ESPN’s Todd Archer tweets that Zack Martin suffered a concussion and is questionable for Sunday. The team isn’t expected to receive any clarity on the veteran until the end of the week. Martin has only missed a pair of regular season games since entering the league as a first-round pick in 2014.
- McCarthy doesn’t believe his team has improved much through the first six weeks of the season. “Have we improved?” McCarthy asked (via Gehlken on Twitter). “From an analytical standpoint, when I look at trend lines and some of the things that we’re focused on…. no, our trend line is not pointing in the right direction” Sorry, Cowboys fans.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/20/20
We’ll keep track of today’s practice squad moves here:
Arizona Cardinals
- Activated from practice squad IR: RB D.J. Foster, TE Justin Johnson
- Signed: T Rick Leonard
- Released: S Kentrell Brice, CB Jalen Davis, S T.J. Ward
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: S Shyheim Carter, LB Pita Taumoepenu
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: CB Josh Hawkins, DT Mike Panasiuk, DE Greg Roberts, RB Mike Warren
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: CB Prince Smith
Detroit Lions
- Cut: WR Joe Webb
Green Bay Packers
- Released: WR Kalija Lipscomb
Houston Texans
- Signed: WR Damion Ratley
- Released: DT Ryan Glasgow
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: LB Emmanuel Smith
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: LB Jonas Griffith
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: DB Mazzi Wilkins, DT Kobe Smith
- Released: S D’Cota Dixon
Tennessee Titans
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: CB Breon Borders
- Signed: TE Parker Hesse
- Released: CB Greg Mabin, DB Maurice Smith
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/20/20
Here are Tuesday’s minor moves, with the list being updated throughout the day:
Atlanta Falcons
- Released: S J.J. Wilcox
Carolina Panthers
- Signed off Giants’ practice squad: S Sean Chandler
- Promoted: S Kenny Robinson, OL Sam Tecklenburg
- Placed on IR: S Juston Burris, WR Keith Kirkwood
Green Bay Packers
- Signed off Falcons’ practice squad: LB James Burgess
- Placed on IR: CB Parry Nickerson
New York Jets
- Placed on IR: LB Frankie Luvu
Philadelphia Eagles
- Released from IR: CB Trevor Williams
San Francisco 49ers
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: CB Parnell Motley
- Placed on IR: C Ben Garland (story)
- Waived: TE Daniel Helm
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Waived: WR John Hurst
Tennessee Titans
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: TE MyCole Pruitt
Raiders Activate Marcus Mariota From IR
Marcus Mariota is back on the Raiders’ active roster. The Raiders activated the former Heisman Trophy winner from IR on Tuesday, and he will resume his backup role in Week 7.
Derek Carr is coming off one of his best games as a pro, when he led the Raiders to a 40-32 upset win over the Chiefs. While Mariota was given a lucrative QB2 deal in March, he no longer looks like a threat to take over for Carr. But this will certainly help Las Vegas’ depth.
The former No. 2 overall pick landed on the Raiders’ IR list prior to Week 1 because of a strained pectoral muscle. Mariota has battled injuries since his Christmas Eve 2016 leg break — the same day as Carr’s — and saw his starter status end when the Titans demoted him for Ryan Tannehill last year. But the longtime Tennessee starter will begin backing up Carr this weekend; the team hosts the Buccaneers on Sunday night.
The Raiders gave Mariota a two-year, $17.6MM deal to back up Carr and likely push the six-year incumbent. But Carr has made incremental strides under Jon Gruden, despite constant rumors of these parties separating. He ranked 10th in QBR last season, leads the NFL with a 73.1% completion rate and has an 11-1 TD-INT ratio. Carr threw for 347 yards and added three touchdown passes against the Chiefs.
Giants Sign Jabaal Sheard Off Jaguars’ Practice Squad
The Giants will bring in a big name through an unusual route. They signed Jabaal Sheard off the Jaguars’ practice squad.
Sheard has 135 games’ and 103 starts’ worth of experience and is a 10th-year veteran. The edge defender caught on with the Jaguars last week, but with the Jags opting not to keep him on their active roster, the Giants completed a poaching operation.
While Jacksonville added Sheard to its active roster and used him in 15 snaps against Detroit, the team promoted Sheard using a 2020-implemented transactional tool that allows for players to revert back to teams’ practice squads after games. Sheard is set to head to New York ahead of the Giants’ Thursday game, though COVID-19 protocols will prevent him from playing against the Eagles.
Sheard, 31, spent the past three seasons as a Colts starter. He racked up 15.5 sacks during those Indianapolis seasons. He has previously played for the Browns and Patriots, collecting a Super Bowl ring with the latter franchise. A plus run defender in the recent past, Sheard has 51.5 career sacks.
The Giants have run into injury trouble at outside linebacker. They have young rushers Oshane Ximines and Lorenzo Carter on IR. Sheard will join Markus Golden and Kyler Fackrell in a now-veteran-heavy edge-rushing corps. Sheard will take the place of linebacker Tae Crowder, whom the Giants placed on IR. The seventh-round rookie’s scoop-and-score sequence helped the Giants win their first game of the season Sunday, but a hamstring injury will shelve this year’s Mr. Irrelevant for at least three games.
Sheard’s move off Jacksonville’s practice squad comes at an interesting time. Because of practice squad offensive lineman K.C. McDermott‘s positive coronavirus test, the Jaguars placed 11 more P-squad players on their reserve/COVID-19 list. Sheard is now gone as well. With new NFL protocols forcing even asymptomatic players to be on the COVID list for at least five days, the Jaguars have a decimated practice squad at present.
Broncos To Release DT Timmy Jernigan
The Broncos are set to end Timmy Jernigan‘s brief Denver stay. They are planning to release the veteran defensive tackle, Mike Klis of 9News tweets.
Down Jurrell Casey for the season and having placed Dre’Mont Jones on IR, the Broncos signed Jernigan late last month. He ended up playing a small role, working as a backup against the Jets and Patriots. The former Ravens and Eagles starter played just 11 defensive snaps for the Broncos, however.
Denver still has Jones on IR, but he is eligible to return to the active roster after missing the past three games. Vic Fangio said Jones and fourth-year defensive lineman DeMarcus Walker (also on IR) have a chance to play in Week 7. The Broncos used Shelby Harris, Mike Purcell and DeShawn Williams as their D-line starters against the Patriots. With Casey out, Jones would be in line for a bigger role than he had as a rookie.
This has been a complicated year for Jernigan, a full-time starter for the 2016 Ravens and 2017 Super Bowl champion Eagles. His one-year, $3.75MM Texans deal ended up being called off. The Jaguars signed him in mid-August but cut him in September. The 28-year-old defender will be back in free agency after another short stay with a team.
Earl Thomas Files Grievance Against Ravens
Earl Thomas has followed through with the rumored grievance he was planning to file against the Ravens, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter). The free agent safety was due a $10MM base salary this season, but the Ravens cut him in August. They will now be forced to carry some of Thomas’ salary on their books.
Baltimore’s cap sheet now includes a $5MM Thomas number, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk notes, with teams having to carry half of players’ salaries while grievances are pending. The Ravens terminated Thomas’ contract in August, and the team’s language pointed to a conduct-detrimental release. Thomas’ 2020 salary was guaranteed for skill and injury, setting up this grievance. The Ravens signed Thomas to a four-year, $55MM deal in March 2019.
This marks the first piece of Thomas news in a few weeks, which is certainly notable given his All-Decade acclaim and age (31). The Cowboys were linked to Thomas shortly after his Ravens release. Despite once offering the Seahawks a second-round pick for the All-Pro defender, the Cowboys passed. The Texans were set to work out Thomas earlier this season, but they moved in a different direction — after some reported pushback from players.
As a result of this grievance, the Ravens’ cap space dropped under $5MM. Without Thomas, Baltimore’s defense ranks fourth in DVOA. The Ravens have used Chuck Clark and DeShon Elliott as their safety starters.
Raiders To Sign DL David Irving
David Irving is indeed headed to Las Vegas. The Raiders are signing the recently reinstated defensive lineman, a source told Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link).
This came together pretty quickly, so it wouldn’t be surprising if there had been some communication between these sides for a while as Irving waited for the go-ahead from the league office. The reinstatement from Roger Goodell came on October 16th, and on the 17th we heard the Raiders were hosting him on a visit. Irving’s young career has already seen him suspended four times, thrice for substance abuse policy violations and once for PEDs.
His most recent ban was an indefinite one that ended up lasting over 18 months. An UDFA out of Iowa State in 2015, Irving has only appeared in two games since the 2017 season, but he showed plenty of flashes early on with the Cowboys. In only eight games with Dallas in 2017, he racked up seven sacks and six passes defended.
After hist most recent suspension Irving originally announced he was retiring in March of 2019, in part due to the league’s marijuana policy. After sitting out last season he had a change of heart, and announced back in February that he was hoping for a return. It took about eight months for him to get approval from Goodell, and now he’ll join a Raiders team looking to make a push in the AFC.
Raiders defensive line coach Rod Marinelli was Irving’s defensive coordinator in Dallas, which helps explain the connection. It’s anyone’s guess as to what Irving will look like or how soon he’ll be in game shape, but it’s a nice low-risk flyer for a team in need of pass-rushing help.