NFL’s Gambling Investigation Into Lions Continues
Three of the four Lions hit with gambling suspensions in April are no longer on the roster. The team waived wide receivers Quintez Cephus and Stanley Berryhill and released special-teamer C.J. Moore, who re-signed in March. But the Lions’ gambling issue is not entirely in the rearview mirror, it appears.
The NFL is investigating a fifth Lions player for a potential violation of the league’s gambling policy, Kalyn Kahler of The Athletic reports (subscription required). The league has not yet interviewed the unknown player, but seeing as the Lions have cut three players and fired multiple staffers for violations of the policy, it is safe to say this is a widespread issue within the NFC North franchise.
The one player remaining on the roster after a gambling ban, Jameson Williams, said he was not aware he was breaking an NFL rule by placing a bet on a non-NFL game at a Lions facility. Williams and Berryhill incurred six-game suspensions for making bets on non-NFL games while at the Lions’ facility (or while with the team on the road), Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press notes. Cephus, Moore and Commanders defensive end Shaka Toney received indefinite suspensions, which will cover at least one full season, for betting on NFL games.
“It hit me out of the blue, and it hit a couple other players around the league and on my team out of the blue,” Williams said, via Birkett. “I wasn’t aware of this situation, but as it happened, like I said, I took it on the chin, I was ready to move forward as things moved on and I got the consequences, so that’s been my whole plan moving forward from things and just looking at the better days.”
In addition to a potential fifth Lions player being suspended, ESPN.com’s David Perdum reports the NFL is conducting an investigation into more gambling violations. Since a 2018 Supreme Court ruling that opened the doors for sports betting outside of its traditional hubs (primarily Nevada), 33 states and Washington D.C. have opened legal betting markets. Once a beneath-the-surface topic in the NFL, wagering on games and players (via daily fantasy sites) is now regularly promoted. The NFL has partnered with three sportsbooks in recent years.
In the time since the Supreme Court’s ruling, seven players have been popped for gambling policy violations. Defensive back Josh Shaw and wideout Calvin Ridley served indefinite suspensions, with Ridley being recently reinstated. Jets wide receivers coach Miles Austin also received a gambling ban. Following the April bans, the NFLPA sent an email to agents reminding of the league’s policy preventing bets on mobile apps while at team facilities, Perdum adds.
As for the Lions, they will be without Williams — last year’s No. 12 overall pick who missed most of his rookie season due to ACL rehab — for six games and may soon see another player suspended. This issue has affected Detroit most, and cleanup measures regarding NFL policy comprehension and messaging has almost definitely taken place there. But the NFL investigation could soon see more teams impacted on this front.
Von Miller Addresses Return Timetable
Von Miller previously made it back from an ACL tear in time to start the following season, returning ahead of the 2014 slate despite suffering the injury in December 2013. Miller did not miss a game in 2014 and was available for every Broncos contest for the ensuing four years.
At 34, Miller is approaching his second such comeback differently. It does not sound like the Bills edge rusher is targeting Week 1 as a surefire comeback date from the ACL tear sustained on Thanksgiving. A return before the midseason point is squarely on the future Hall of Famer’s agenda, however.
“No, I don’t,” Miller said (via the Buffalo News’ Mark Gaughan) when asked if he had a firm return timetable. “I did in 2013 when I tore my ACL I wanted to get back as fast as possible and play and show guys you don’t need to take nine months to recover from an ACL. But my goals are different now. I want to be here for my team when they need me the most.
“I feel like late in the season when it really got tough, I wasn’t able to be there because I was injured. So the most important thing for me is to be available when my team really needs me. If that’s Week 1, then I’ll be happy for that. If it’s Week 6, I’ll happy for that. But I guarantee it won’t be any later than that.”
The 12-year veteran had kept the door open for a possible late-season return, as initial reports did not indicate an ACL tear. But doctors subsequently discovered a tear to lead to the shutdown. Miller missed the Bills’ final eight games.
The team’s caution with Tre’Davious White, who suffered a torn ACL on Thanksgiving 2021, would point to Miller missing the start of the season. While the two injuries are not equal, and full-year absences are not the norm for ACL recoveries. But the injuries occurring on Thanksgiving injects a rather key similarity. White did not come back to action until the Bills’ Thanksgiving game in Detroit. As such, Miller and White have barely shared the field thus far. Like the Bills missed White during their playoff shootout in Kansas City, their 2022 edition’s pass rush certainly lacked the punch it had when Miller was healthy.
Buffalo seems likely to place Miller on the active/PUP list when training camp starts. That camp-only designation will give the Bills flexibility, as they can either go game by game with Miller or stash their perennial Pro Bowl edge defender on the reserve/PUP list upon setting their roster. The latter course of action would sideline Miller for the season’s first four games — matchups against the Jets, Commanders, Raiders and Dolphins — while saving a roster spot.
Miller signed a six-year, $120MM Bills accord in March 2022, with the AFC East team outflanking the Rams and Cowboys for the former Super Bowl MVP’s services. Guarantees into Year 3 helped seal the deal. Miller produced early for his third NFL team, totaling eight sacks and 12 QB hits in 11 games. The Bills have re-signed a few defenders this offseason — Jordan Poyer, Jordan Phillips and Shaq Lawson among them — but did not make a major addition at defensive end. The team did not draft a D-lineman and will be counting on Miller to return to form.
Jaguars Trade K Riley Patterson To Lions
The Lions’ decision to cut Riley Patterson led him to Jacksonville in August 2022. Nearly a year later, Detroit will step in to prevent Patterson hitting the waiver wire.
After the Jaguars announced they were cutting Patterson — complete with the customary farewell tweet — they have reached an agreement to trade him to the Lions. Patterson kicked in seven Lions games during the 2021 season. The Jags replaced Patterson with longtime Bronco Brandon McManus earlier Thursday.
Patterson provided the Jaguars with some rare kicker stability last season, kicking in all 19 games for the team after seven kickers came through from 2020-21. McManus obviously provides Jacksonville with much more experience, but the team will still collect an asset for its 2022 kicker. The Lions are sending the Jags a late-round pick, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. That asset will be a conditional 2026 seventh-round pick, per NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter).
The Lions initially added Patterson off the Patriots’ practice squad in November 2021. The former UDFA out of Memphis then finished that season as Detroit’s primary kicker. Patterson made 13 of 14 field goals for the Lions that year, but the team waived him coming out of the preseason. In Jacksonville, Patterson made 30 of 35 field goal tries during the regular season and missed just one extra point (36-for-37). He also notched a game-winning field goal to complete a 27-point Jags comeback win over the Chargers in the wild-card round.
Patterson, 23, is due a $940K base salary this season. He can be retained via RFA tender next year. The Jags tendered Patterson as an ERFA in March, but the Broncos’ decision to cut McManus — in part due to cap savings, as they designated him a post-June 1 release — changed the AFC South team’s plans. It will impact the Lions’ path at kicker as well.
In signing XFLer John Parker Romo last week, the Lions already roster two kickers. They finished last season with Michael Badgley in that role. Badgley kicked in 12 games for the Lions last season and re-signed with the team in March. Badgley is tied to a one-year, $1.2MM deal. The Lions guaranteed their incumbent just $350K, opening the door to a kicking competition. Badgley made 20 of his 24 kicks as a Lion last year; both he and Patterson went 2-for-3 from beyond 50 yards.
This trade allowed Detroit to avoid losing Patterson via the waiver wire; the Lions’ 9-8 finish gave them the No. 18 spot in the waiver order. The Lions waived wide receiver Keytaon Thompson to make room for Patterson on the Roster.
Steelers, OLB Alex Highsmith Begin Extension Talks
Although the Steelers have the NFL’s highest-paid edge rusher on their cap sheet, signs continue to point to the team strongly considering making room for an Alex Highsmith extension as well. The T.J. Watt sidekick is going into a contract year, and the team has begun talks on a new deal.
Highsmith confirmed (via ESPN.com’s Brooke Pryor) his agent has started extension talks with the Steelers. The fourth-year pass rusher expressed optimism a deal will be completed, and given the dialogue over the past several months — including a strong endorsement on this front from GM Omar Khan — optimism makes sense.
[RELATED: Steelers Sign OLB Markus Golden]
With Watt out for a chunk of last season due to a pectoral injury, Highsmith stepped forward as Pittsburgh’s stop pass rusher. The former third-round pick tallied 14.5 sacks, the most by a non-Watt Steeler since James Harrison‘s 2008 Defensive Player of the Year season. That number tied for the fifth-most in Steelers history, and Highsmith’s 17.5 sacks over his past 20 games rank second in the NFL. This stands to put the franchise to a decision. It appears the Steelers are angling to keep Highsmith as a long-term Watt complementary presence.
Early optimism notwithstanding, these could be tricky negotiations. Highsmith, 25, zoomed onto the radar for a big payday last season, a showing that also included an NFL-leading five forced fumbles. Highsmith could bet on himself and aim for a big contract year, putting the Steelers to a choice of franchise-tagging him or reaching a deal to prevent a free agency departure. But just three of Highsmith’s 2022 sacks came during the seven games Watt missed. Watt naturally creates favorable matchups for the Steelers’ other pass rushers, but the team viewing Highsmith as a clear No. 2 edge could lead to negotiations beginning at a lower rate.
The Chargers are the NFL’s only team with two edge rushers (Joey Bosa, Khalil Mack) earning more than $20MM on average. The Giants now have two interior D-linemen (Leonard Williams, Dexter Lawrence) signed to deals in that neighborhood, but Williams is in a contract year. Pittsburgh will be expecting Watt to play at this level for several more years, and a Highsmith re-up would need to accompany his $28MM-per-year salary.
The Steelers have some flexibility here, with Kenny Pickett on a rookie contract and only one offensive player (Diontae Johnson) tied to an eight-figure-per-year deal. But Highsmith could certainly push for an extension north of $15MM per year. The Steelers will likely attempt to keep the price south of $20MM per annum, but while the franchise did not extend Bud Dupree after franchise-tagging him in 2020, it has a history of using this blueprint. Harrison and LaMarr Woodley teamed up on veteran extensions in the early 2010s, with Harrison signing his first extension in 2009 and Woodley joining him in 2011. Woodley stayed in Pittsburgh through the ’13 season. Highsmith’s resume is not quite where Woodley’s was prior to his extension, so it will be interesting to see what numbers emerge here during these talks.
Highsmith checked in as Dupree’s eventual replacement, coming from a mid-major program (Charlotte). Khan extended both Johnson and Minkah Fitzpatrick last summer. With the Steelers preferring to hammer out extensions before the candidate’s walk year, a resolution here should be expected in the coming weeks.
Eagles Worked Out OL D.J. Fluker
Despite not having played since 2020, D.J. Fluker is considering a comeback. The veteran offensive lineman worked out for the Eagles yesterday, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter).
While the former first-round pick didn’t necessarily live up to his draft stock, he still put together a solid eight-year stretch. He started all 59 of his appearances for the Chargers to begin his career, and he later had stints with the Giants, Seahawks (two years), and Ravens.
After starting eight of his 16 appearances for Baltimore in 2020, Fluker signed with the Dolphins, but a torn meniscus ultimately led to his release. He was later slapped with a six-game suspension, and he had brief stints with the Raiders and Jaguars to end the 2021 campaign. The veteran remained unsigned for the 2022 season.
When we last saw him in 2020, Pro Football Focus pegged Fluker as an average offensive tackle, favoring his run-blocking ability over his pass-blocking ability. The site was never particularly fond of the lineman’s performance, and they most recently graded him as an above-average player at his position in 2016.
Still, Fluker could make some sense for the Eagles. The Eagles mostly have inexperienced depth behind their starters, so Fluker would provide some reinforcement in that regard. Plus, it wouldn’t take long to catch him up to speed; he played for OL Jeff Stoutland when the two were at Alabama, and he played for head coach Nick Sirianni when the two were in San Diego. Plus, for what it’s worth, reports out of Fluker’s camp indicate that he’s been working nonstop and has lost nearly 40 pounds.
NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/25/23
One mid-round draft pick signing to pass along:
Tennessee Titans
- RB Tyjae Spears (third round, Tulane)
Spears had a breakout 2022 campaign at Tulane, finishing with 1,837 yards from scrimmage and 21 touchdowns. That performance led to him being selected by the Titans in the third round of the draft, and he should get some reps as a rookie behind Derrick Henry. Spears will compete with Hassan Haskins for that RB2 spot on the depth chart.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/25/23
Only one minor move to pass along today:
Cleveland Browns
- Placed on reserve/retired list: WR Isaiah Weston
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: WR Cody Chrest
Chrest is an UDFA out of Sam Houston State. The wideout signed with the Colts after the draft, but he was cut shortly thereafter, allowing him to catch on with Pittsburgh. Chrest earned a pair of All-Western Athletic Conference selections during his time in college, including a 2022 campaign where he finished with 36 catches for 548 yards and two touchdowns.
Jets DB Brandin Echols Suspended One Game
The Jets will be without a defensive back for the start of the 2023 campaign. Per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (via Twitter), Brandin Echols has been hit with a one-game suspension.
In a follow-up tweet, Pelissero reports that Echols was suspended for violating the league’s personal conduct policy. This stems from the player’s involvement in a high-speed car crash that partially paralyzed a man in 2022. Echols was later accepted into a diversionary program and avoided assault by automobile charges.
The 2021 sixth-round pick was thrust into a significant role as a rookie, compiling 63 tackles and two interceptions while starting all 14 of his appearances. After appearing in 760 defensive snaps as a rookie, he only got into 69 defensive reps in 2022. He still had a significant special teams role in his 13 appearances.
The Jets don’t have a whole lot of experienced outside CB depth behind Sauce Gardner and D.J. Reed. Even with the suspension, Echols should be in contention (with the likes of Bryce Hall) for the backup outside cornerback role.
The organization also cleared a roster spot today by placing defensive end Bradlee Anae on injured reserve (per Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com on Twitter). The former fifth-round pick has seen time in 11 career games, all with the Cowboys. He spent the majority of the 2022 campaign on the Jets’ practice squad. Anae will now require an injury settlement if he hopes to take the field for a team during the 2023 campaign.
Patriots Place LB Raekwon McMillan On IR
Raekwon McMillan‘s 2023 season has ended before it even started. The Patriots announced earlier today that they’ve placed the linebacker on injured reserve. Jeff Howe and Chad Graff of The Athletic report that McMillan suffered a partially torn Achilles during practice.
This is a tough break for McMillan, who re-signed with the Patriots earlier this offseason. The former second-round pick got into 16 games (one start) for New England in 2022, finishing with 35 tackles, a sack, and a fumble return for a touchdown. The 27-year-old previously started 28 games across the 2018 and 2019 seasons for the Dolphins, including a rookie campaign where he had 105 tackles.
The Patriots haven’t done a whole lot this offseason to address their hole at off-ball linebacker. As Graff points out, the team now only has three players with any experience for those spots: Ja’Whaun Bentley, Jahlani Tavai, and Mack Wilson. Third-round rookie Marte Mapu could potentially fill McMillan’s spot on the depth chart, but Graff writes that the college safety projects to be more of a nickel than a linebacker in the NFL.
Players who are placed on the injured reserve during the offseason can’t be activated by their team during the regular season, meaning McMillan’s 2023 is effectively over. New England could later release the linebacker with an injury settlement, allowing him to sign elsewhere. Considering the length of McMillan’s impending recovery, it’s more likely he sits on the Patriots IR for the rest of the season.
Latest On Trey Lance, 49ers QB Depth
After getting only four starts through his first two years in the NFL, 49ers quarterback Trey Lance is now eyeing a backup role heading into his third NFL season. Thanks to his presumed spot on the depth chart, a number of teams have checked on the availability of the former third-overall pick. However, despite the outside interest, Lance never thought of requesting a trade out of San Francisco.
“No, not at all,” Lance told reporters yesterday (via Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle). “I knew where I wanted to be. I just want an opportunity to compete. I love it here. I love the coaching staff. … Love the quarterback room, love the guys in the locker room. This is absolutely where I want to be.”
Injuries have limited Lance’s progress through his first two NFL seasons. He spent most of his rookie season as the backup to Jimmy Garoppolo, and after heading into the 2022 campaign as the clear starter, he suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Week 2. Since then, 2022 Mr. Irrelevant Brock Purdy took the job and ran with it, guiding the 49ers to the NFC Championship Game.
The team made it clear that they’ll have Purdy atop the QB depth chart when they start the regular season, and the organization also brought in some veteran depth in Sam Darnold. Despite the fact that he might not even be the 49ers’ second option at the position, Lance admitted that he’s actually enjoying playing football for the first time in a while.
“I really feel like I’m having fun playing football again,” Lance said. “It’s hard those first years, my first year and especially last year, I thought I’d be able to get close to that point of not having to be so stressed and worried and have a better understanding of offense and defense. And I finally feel like I’m able to just have fun and enjoy it again.
“Obviously, there are ups and downs. And there is stress and anxiety that comes with playing the position and playing football. But this is the best I’ve felt, for sure.”
Even with the added depth at the position, Lance isn’t doomed in San Francisco. Purdy is still recovering from UCL surgery, although Kyle Shanahan told reporters that the QB should be throwing by next week (per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport on Twitter). It sounds like Purdy is a bit ahead of schedule, which is good news when it comes to his Week 1 availability. However, even a small setback could delay Purdy’s regular season debut, opening the door for a starting gig.
Per Rapoport, Lance has been taking the technical “first-team reps” at quarterback this week. However, Shanahan was quick to caution that this doesn’t mean a whole lot; Lance was playing with no offensive line and throwing to second- and third-string receivers. Ultimately, Rapoport believes there will be a real battle between Lance and Darnold for that QB2 (and potential QB1) role.