Saquon Barkley To Miss Time
Things could be worse, but Saquon Barkley is definitely dealing with a significant injury. NFL fans everywhere were holding their breath when Barkley limped to the sidelines, and now we have an update.
Barkley suffered a sprained ankle, sources told Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Fortunately Raanan reports that nothing is broken. That being said, he does write that “expectation is that he will miss some time.” Barkley’s ankle got rolled up on by a Buccaneers defender, and it looked like it could’ve been worse at first. He left the game wearing a walking boot, so presumably it’s a high ankle sprain.
The Giants’ offense runs through Barkley, so obviously it’s a massive loss for however long he’s out. New York picked up a thrilling win on Sunday in the first game of the Daniel Jones era. Jones impressed in his first career start, but he’ll now be without his best weapon for at least a little while.
The Giants drafted Barkley second overall last April, and he’s been electrifying the league ever since. The Penn State product averaged five yards per carry last season and also caught 91 passes for 721 yards. There’s a lot of optimism around this Giants team due to Jones’ emergence, but the Barkley injury certainly puts a damper on things. Adam Schefter of ESPN.com soon followed up with a tweet confirming it’s a high ankle sprain, and that Barkley will undergo an MRI on Monday.
Keanu Neal Tears Achilles
For the second straight season, Falcons safety Keanu Neal‘s season has ended with a devastating injury. Neal is believed to have torn his Achilles during the team’s loss to the Colts earlier today, a source told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link).
The Falcons placed Neal on IR and promoted safety Jamal Carter from their practice squad, per Howard Balzer of BalzerFootball.com (on Twitter). 
Obviously, his year is over. Rapoport writes that Neal will have surgery this week, and “should be good to go well before the 2020 season.” In Week 1 of last year Neal tore his ACL, and this latest injury was to the same leg. Atlanta picked up his fifth-year option earlier this offseason, keeping him under team control through 2020. The good news for him is that option year was fully guaranteed for injury at around $6.7MM and assuming he can’t pass a physical on the first day of the new league year, he’ll get that cash no matter what.
Neal has been a good player when healthy, but he’ll now have missed 28 games over the past two seasons. It’s a tough blow for a Falcons defense that already hasn’t looked great this year and was one of the most injured units in the league last year. Atlanta drafted the Florida product in the first-round back in 2016.
He started all 16 games in 2017, racking up 113 tackles, six passes defended, and an interception. The Falcons’ secondary got diced up by Jacoby Brissett on Sunday, and now they’ll be without one of its key cogs moving forward. They currently sit at 1-2 and will host the Titans in Week 4.
A UDFA out of Miami, Carter spent two years with the Broncos. He missed all of the 2018 season and was moved to linebacker in training camp. The Broncos waived him prior to the regular season’s outset, however, leading him to the Falcons’ taxi squad. Carter is back at safety and will likely fill in as a backup for the Falcons, who also lost J.J. Wilcox to a season-ending injury earlier this year.
Patriots Host Group Workout
The Patriots hosted a group of lesser-known players for workouts yesterday. The team had defensive back Jordan Brown, tight end C.J. Conrad, defensive tackle Braxton Hoyett, quarterback T.J. Linta, and receiver Sean Modster tryout, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Modster is an undrafted rookie from Boise State. He spent training camp with the Ravens, and signed with Baltimore’s practice squad after getting cut. He didn’t last too long, getting released from the practice squad on September 10th. Linta is a rookie passer from Wagner who spent some time with the Chiefs this offseason before being waived with an injury designation.
Conrad, from Kentucky, was just released from the Giants’ practice squad earlier this week. Brown was drafted by the Bengals in the seventh-round back in April, but failed to make the team or practice squad. A South Dakota State product, he’s had workouts with the Jets and Dolphins recently, so he’s making the rounds in the AFC East. Hoyett is a rookie from Mississippi State who was waived by the Titans at final cuts.
A Few Teams Interested In Antonio Brown?
It’s been assumed that after Antonio Brown was released by the Patriots, he’d have a hard time finding a new home. It’s certainly understandable that most teams wouldn’t want to touch him right now, but a few clubs are apparently sniffing around.
“A few teams” are interested in his client, Brown’s agent Drew Rosenhaus said, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Rosenhaus said the teams “want information regarding his legal situation and the NFL investigation.” The league has said they won’t stop him from playing as they continue to investigate allegations of sexual assault, but we haven’t heard of any real interest before now.
Despite Rosenhaus’ claims, Schefter wrote in a follow-up tweet that people around the league believe a signing is “not likely to happen” until the investigation is fully resolved. Since there’s no timeline for the league’s investigation wrapping up, it certainly seems quite possible that Brown sits out at least the rest of the season.
Brown is likely set for a battle with the Patriots over his signing bonus money, and any deal he signed with a new team would surely include very little guaranteed cash. There are plenty of teams that could use Brown’s talents, but to say they’d be taking a risk is a massive understatement. Brown’s off-field behavior has been erratic to say the least, and although he says he wants to play right away, it wouldn’t be shocking if he’s played his last down of NFL football.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/21/19
We’ve got a couple of practice squad updates for you on a slow Saturday night.
New England Patriots
- Signed: LB Scooby Wright
- Released: DE Gerri Green
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: DT Taylor Stallworth
- Released: TE Alize Mack
Stallworth made the Saints’ initial 53-man roster as they were missing defensive tackles Sheldon Rankins and David Onyemata, but got the axe earlier this week. Wright, the former Pac 12 Defensive Player of the Year with Arizona, was a seventh-round pick of Arizona’s back in 2016. After a stint in the AAF, he spent training camp with New England.
Latest On Jaguars, Jalen Ramsey
When it was announced that Jalen Ramsey would play Thursday’s game with the Jaguars, the initial word was that he’d likely be moved the following day on Friday. Obviously Friday came and went, and Ramsey is still with Jacksonville.
Don’t expect a deal to get done anytime soon either. There is “no deal in the works,” according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link). A source told Rapoport that “the longer this goes on, the more likely it is he stays,” although Rapsheet notes that Ramsey hasn’t changed his stance and his trade demand still stands.
In a follow-up tweet, Rapoport’s NFL Network colleague Mike Garafolo notes that the “asking price is too high” and that it “doesn’t look like anyone is going to match it right now.” He also reports that it doesn’t look like the Jags plan on lowering their asking price, and that there’s “nothing percolating” on the trade front. As has been previously reported, it looks like the Jaguars are looking for multiple early picks, and likely multiple first-rounders.
Jacksonville appears to be hoping that their Thursday night win over the Titans will convince Ramsey to change his mind about a trade. The Jaguars appear rejuvenated with Gardner Minshew under center, so maybe their plan will be successful. We heard recently that Ramsey’s issue is with the front office and Tom Coughlin rather than with Doug Marrone and the coaching staff, making things somewhat more tenable for the time being. The Chiefs, Ravens, Vikings, Raiders, Eagles, and Seahawks have all reportedly made “substantive inquiries” on the young corner.
NFL Workout Updates: 9/10/19
We’ve got another busy day of workouts, with many teams across the league hosting players.
Arizona Cardinals
- S Briean Boddy-Calhoun; CBs Andre Chachere, De’Vante Harris
Buffalo Bills
- QBs Keller Chryst, Taylor Heinicke; WRs Tommylee Lewis, Joe Parker, Terrance Williams; CB Marcus Sherels, WR Damon Sheehy-Guiseppi
Cleveland Browns
Detroit Lions
- DEs Jesse Aniebonam, Andrew Ankrah, Markus Jones; S Josh Jones; CB Jeff Richards
Indianapolis Colts
- RBs Bruce Anderson, Darrin Hall; S Chris Banjo; DTs Earl Mitchell, Mike Pennel
Miami Dolphins
- DB Jordan Brown; Ts Christian DiLauro, Storm Norton, Chidi Okeke; CB Deatrick Nichols
New York Giants
- CBs Derrick Baity, Picasso Nelson; LBs Reshard Cliett, LaTroy Lewis; WRs Jamal Custis, Trenton Irwin; RBs Josh Ferguson, Austin Walter; DT P.J. Johnson; DEs Carroll Phillips, Kevin Wilkins; QB Jordan Ta’amu
New York Jets
- WRs Carlton Agudosi, Amara Darboh, Krishawn Hogan, Joe Horn, DeAndre Thompkins, Jordan Veasy, Kendall Wright; TEs Stephen Anderson, Donald Parham, Ross Travis; QBs Taryn Christion, Tyree Jackson, Mike White, Ks Elliott Fry, Greg Joseph, Younghoe Koo, Tristan Vizcaino
Philadelphia Eagles
Seattle Seahawks
Tennessee Titans
Washington Redskins
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/10/19
Baltimore Ravens
- Waived from IR: LB Alvin Jones
Houston Texans
- Promoted from practice squad: QB Alex McGough
- Waived: CB Cornell Armstrong
Kansas City Chiefs
- Waived: WR Byron Pringle
Los Angeles Rams
- Waived/injured: DB Dominique Hatfield, C Aaron Neary, LB Trevon Young
Minnesota Vikings
- Waived: TE Brandon Dillon
New Orleans Saints
- Waived: DL Mitchell Loewen
Philadelphia Eagles
- Waived: TE Alex Ellis
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: OLB Jayrone Elliott
Seattle Seahawks
- Waived: CB Parry Nickerson
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: S Andrew Adams
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: OL Hroniss Grasu
- Waived: RB Dalyn Dawkins
Washington Redskins
- Signed: DL T.Y. McGill, CB Simeon Thomas
- Waived: TE J.P. Holtz
- Waived/injured: CB Greg Stroman
Antonio Brown Accused Of Rape In Lawsuit
Patriots wide receiver Antonio Brown has been accused of rape in a lawsuit filed Tuesday, reports Ben Shpigel of the New York Times.
The woman accusing Brown is apparently his former trainer, according to the lawsuit, which alleges three separate sexual assaults from June of 2017 to May of 2018. Britney Taylor, the accuser, is a gymnast who says she met Brown when they both went to Central Michigan.
Shpigel writes that “first, he exposed himself and kissed her without her permission, the lawsuit says. Later that month, the lawsuit says, while she was watching a television program at his home, Brown started masturbating behind her and ejaculated on her back. Brown bragged about the incident in profane text messages that are copied in the lawsuit.”
Those two incidents allegedly happened in June of 2017, and the lawsuit alleges that Brown then raped her in May of the following year. Nearly immediately after the story broke, Brown’s lawyer Darren Heitner issued a statement on Twitter. In the statement, Heitner denies the allegations on behalf of Brown and says he “will pursue all legal remedies” to clear his name. Heitner does acknowledge that the two had a working relationship, and says they had consensual sex on at least one occasion. Brown’s camp seems to be alleging that this is extortion by Taylor, saying she attempted to elicit $1.6MM from him, and that Brown views it as a “money grab.”
You can view the full lawsuit at this link. Nick Underhill of The Athletic tweeted out some of the documents from the lawsuit that Shpigel references, which purport to be emails from Brown (warning: they’re pretty vulgar). Per Shpigel, Taylor said she would cooperate with the NFL in a potential investigation from the league. “As a rape victim of Antonio Brown, deciding to speak out has been an incredibly difficult decision,” Taylor said in a statement released by her lawyer. “I have found strength in my faith, my family, and from the accounts of other survivors of sexual assault.”
Shortly after the news broke Vic Tafur of The Athletic, a Raiders beat writer, tweeted that “this was coming for a while.” That would seem to suggest the allegations were known by at least some within the league before they came to light, although that’s not entirely clear. It’s also unknown as of right now whether or not the Patriots had any knowledge of the allegations before they signed Brown over the weekend.
Obviously, this threatens Brown’s status moving forward with New England. It’s far too early to jump to any conclusions, although it’s safe to assume that the league will be conducting their own investigation. Brown was already facing a possible suspension for his blowup with Raiders GM Mike Mayock, and now could be looking at additional discipline.
Texans Release Aaron Colvin, Sign Phillip Gaines
In the wake of Monday night’s heartbreaking loss, the Texans are making a surprising move. Houston is releasing veteran cornerback Aaron Colvin, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
In a corresponding roster move the team signed fellow corner Phillip Gaines to a one-year deal, according to a tweet from Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. The Texans are taking a massive financial loss by cutting Colvin right now. Just last March, they signed him to a four-year, $34MM deal with $18MM in guaranteed money. As Schefter pointed out, he still had a $7.5MM guaranteed salary for 2019 which Houston will now be eating.
Colvin originally entered the league as a fourth-round pick of the Jaguars back in 2014. After spending his first four years in Jacksonville, he landed the massive deal from his former AFC South rivals. The marriage was never a good fit from the start, and it was clear right away there were problems.
Colvin started only two games last year, and also missed time with an ankle injury. He started last night’s game against the Saints and that was apparently the final straw as Houston’s secondary struggled to contain Drew Brees. The Texans have been sniffing around for cornerback help for a while and have now settled on Gaines, a 2014 third-round pick of the Chiefs.
After four years in Kansas City, Gaines started six games for the Bills last year and also spent some time with the Browns. Colvin thrived as a nickel corner in Jacksonville, and should draw significant interest on the open market, albeit at a much cheaper price. As Adam Caplan of Sirius XM points out in a tweet, longtime Texan Johnathan Joseph and fellow starter Bradley Roby are both in the final year of their deals, so Houston’s secondary could look quite a bit different in 2020.