Extra Points: Dolphins, Samuels, USFL
Dolphins receivers Albert Wilson and Allen Hurns both opted out of the 2020 season due to COVID-19. Both are now back in Miami for 2021, and both say they don’t regret their decisions to opt out, via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. “There was never a time I second-guessed” the decision to opt out, Hurns said. Each player’s contract tolled, and each has a little over $1MM in guaranteed money for this season, but Jackson writes that they’re both fighting for roster spots. Wilson looked great after first joining the Dolphins in 2018, but a serious hip injury knocked him out after only seven games.
He came back in 2019, but wasn’t the same as he dealt with injuries. “I wasn’t comfortable doing things that [2019] year [but] I feel great right now — my whole body, including the hip,” Wilson said. Jackson writes that Wilson and Hurns have both looked sharp so far in practices after the time off. “They’re both in good shape,” said Dolphins coach Brian Flores. “There’s always a little rust from any player after having some time off, but I think they look really good.” With DeVante Parker, Will Fuller, and rookie first-rounder Jaylen Waddle at the top of the depth chart, it won’t be easy to get their old playing time back.
Here’s more from around the NFL as the offseason chugs along:
- Speaking of players unlikely to get their 2019 playing time back, things don’t appear to be going well for Jaylen Samuels in Pittsburgh. After the Steelers drafted running back Najee Harris in the first round, Mark Kaboly of The Athletic writes that it’s “difficult to envision a scenario” where Samuels makes the team. Kaboly thinks Kalen Ballage and Benny Snell are battling it out for the last running back spot. The Steelers drafted Samuels in the fifth-round back in 2018, and he started three games as a rookie then four in 2019. He played a sizable hybrid role in 2019 as Ben Roethlisberger was sidelined with an elbow injury, rushing 66 times, reeling in 47 receptions for 305 yards, and even attempting five passes. But the NC State product fell out of favor with Mike Tomlin last year, only carrying the ball nine times and getting nine catches. Now it sounds like Samuels, who will turn 25 next month, will need to jump-start his career elsewhere.
- The AAF, the XFL, The Spring League. The list of attempted NFL offseason football leagues has grown seemingly endless in recent years, and a new one is trying to throw their hat in the ring. That’s right, the USFL is attempting a re-launch, via ESPN.com News Wire. Owners like Dwayne Johnson purchased the league out of bankruptcy in 2020. The ill-fated USFL, which originally ran from 1983-85, is hoping to start play again in 2022. Their press release claimed they’ll have a minimum of eight teams and will “deliver high-quality, innovative professional football to fans.” They apparently have a broadcasting partnership set up with Fox Sports. These leagues are always long-shots, but the original USFL did attract some big-name star players like Herschel Walker, and with names like Johnson now involved, it’s possible they could overcome the odds.
- Speaking of non-NFL football leagues, a former high profile college passer is headed to the CFL. Former Michigan quarterback Shea Patterson has signed with the BC Lions of the CFL, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Patterson came to prominence when he became Ole Miss’ starter as a true freshman, and then later transferred to Michigan and had some tumultuous years under Jim Harbaugh. He signed with the Chiefs as an UDFA in 2020, but didn’t come particularly close to making the team.
Antonio Brown’s Probation Terminated Early
Usually when there’s Antonio Brown legal news it’s bad news, but not today. The frequently embattled Buccaneers receiver got a positive update Tuesday, as Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweets that his probation has been terminated a year early.
This all stems from when Brown pled no contest to criminal assault charges from an incident with a delivery driver. The plea allowed Brown to avoid jail time after he was initially facing more serious charges. Instead he was hit with two years of probation, 100 hours of community service, and a mandatory psychiatric evaluation.
Brown’s attorney Sean Burstyn released a statement, which you can read in Rapoport’s tweet, saying the battery case has been finalized, and that the early termination is “further demonstration of Antonio Brown’s hard work and great progress since his NFL suspension.”
“We see nothing but blue sky for AB.” Despite all the optimism, Brown’s legal headaches from the incident aren’t quite over yet. Just last month, the driver hit him with a lawsuit alleging Brown broke the driver’s car key and “proceeded to verbally and physically attack (Tumanov), causing severe personal injuries.”
As for his actual football career, Brown re-signed with the defending champion Bucs on a one-year deal worth up to $6.25MM with $3.1MM guaranteed. He had 45 catches for 483 yards and four touchdowns in his first half-season in Tampa after serving his eight-game suspension to start the year.
Cardinals First-Round Pick Zaven Collins Arrested
There’s a potential headache brewing for the Cardinals in the desert. Rookie first-round pick Zaven Collins was arrested in Arizona over the weekend, TMZ reports.
Details are light right now, but cops told TMZ that the linebacker “was speeding and driving dangerously.” He was allegedly driving 76 mph in a 35 mph zone. “A traffic stop was conducted, and Mr. Collins was placed under arrest for the violations,” the police said later in a somewhat cryptic statement.
The Tulsa product just signed his rookie contract, worth more than $14MM, a couple of weeks ago. A unanimous All-American this past season, the Cardinals drafted him 16th overall. The incident doesn’t sound particularly serious initially, but if more damaging details end up coming to light it could result in some league discipline.
Collins had four sacks last year, but we heard recently the team isn’t planning on using him as a hybrid pass-rusher and will instead have him playing strictly inside. Assuming everything goes according to plan, he should play a large role on Vance Joseph’s defense in Year 1.
Raiders Sign Second-Round S Tre’von Moehrig
The Raiders signed first-round pick Alex Leatherwood about a month ago, and now they finally have their second pick locked up. Las Vegas signed second-round safety Tre’von Moehrig to his rookie deal on Monday, the team announced in a release.
Moehrig was the 43rd overall pick of this past draft. He was widely expected to be the first safety off the board and was considered a potential first-rounder, but he ended up slipping a bit and going behind both Jevon Holland (Dolphins) and Richie Grant (Falcons).
The TCU product won the Jim Thorpe Award this past season, given annually to the nation’s top defensive back. He also earned first-team All-Big 12 honors in each of the past two seasons. Across those two years he had six interceptions and 20 passes defended in 22 games.
The Raiders’ secondary was a big weakness last year, and the team is hoping Moehrig can be part of a dramatic improvement. He’s the favorite to start at free safety next to Johnathan Abram.
The Raiders have now inked five of their seven draft picks, with only third-round defensive end Malcolm Koonce and third-round defensive back Divine Deablo remaining unsigned.
Nick Chubb Could Get Browns Extension Before Start Of Season
We heard last week that Nick Chubb‘s agent had started extension talks with the Browns. Although Chubb said he wasn’t putting a deadline on things which seemed to imply it could come during the season, it sounds like it may happen sooner than that.
Chubb could get his extension done before the beginning of the season, Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer writes. Kay Cabot says there’s mutual affection between the two sides, “which should translate to an extension.” It sounds like both Chubb and the Browns want to get something done, so don’t expect this to drag on too long.
Interestingly, Kay Cabot writes that she believes Cleveland “will negotiate an incentive-laden deal” with Chubb that gives them some protection in case he declines, in the wake of several other high profile running backs who have landed huge contracts and then fizzled.
The 2018 second-round pick is currently set to enter the final year of his rookie deal. Whenever he gets a new contract he’ll want to become one of the league’s highest-paid rushers, and deservedly so. Despite ceding some carries to Kareem Hunt, Chubb has rushed for over 2,500 yards in 28 games over the past two years, averaging well over five yards per carry.
In 2019, he led the NFL in rushing with 1,494 yards. Last season he led the league in rushing touchdowns with 12, despite playing only 12 games while dealing with an MCL injury. He’ll turn 26 in December.
Browns ‘Amazed’ With Odell Beckham Jr’s Recovery
We heard last week that Odell Beckham Jr. was working out with Jarvis Landry and Baker Mayfield ahead of minicamp, and now we have another positive update as the star wideout comes off his serious knee injury.
The Browns are “amazed” with where OBJ is in his recovery from surgery, Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com writes. Beckham, of course, tore an ACL back in October and missed the rest of the 2020 season. Just eight months later, it appears he’s pretty much back to full strength. Kay Cabot reports he’s “been running fullspeed, cutting on a dime and leaping to make his trademark one-handed catches” during minicamp practices.
She also notes that he’s been doing it “without a brace or sleeve” on his knee. There’s been a lot of talk about the supposed lack of chemistry between Beckham and Mayfield since the former arrived in Cleveland, and Kay Cabot reports the duo “got to know each better off the field during some boating and other recreational activities in Austin” around the time of Mayfield’s aforementioned passing camp in Texas.
That’s got to be music to the ears of Browns fans. The LSU product had 1,035 yards and four touchdowns in his first season in Cleveland in 2019, which was solid but not great by his standards.
Then he had only 23 catches for 319 yards in seven games before going down last year. The Browns made major progress last season, but will need OBJ to get back to his old self if they want to be a true championship contender. Thankfully, everything appears to be going smoothly for the receiver who not too long ago appeared to be on his way out of Cleveland.
NFC Notes: Washington, Gallup, Ridley
The Washington Football Team was always meant to be a temporary name after Washington ditched their old nickname. Then it became somewhat popular with fans, leading to some consideration of making it permanent. That appears less likely now, as the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office just “issued an initial refusal” of the team’s attempt to trademark the name, Sam Fortier of the Washington Post reports. The decision cited the “generic geographic nature of the request.”
That doesn’t mean they can’t use the name Washington Football Team for the 2021 season, it just means they can’t enforce the trademark right now for things like merchandising. However, experts that Fortier spoke to seem to think the franchise has a good chance of getting this decision overturned on appeal. Either way, it might further incentivize owner Dan Snyder to go with something entirely new. One expert suggested to Fortier the team could add new elements to make the brand more distinctive, like a mascot. A ‘Football Team’ mascot would certainly be something to behold.
Here’s more from around the NFC on a quiet Sunday evening:
- Sticking in the NFC East for a moment. It’s “unlikely” that receiver Michael Gallup is on the Cowboys’ roster beyond this season, Jon Machota of The Athletic writes. Machota argues there’s “just not enough salary cap space,” to fit contracts for Gallup, Amari Cooper and CeeDee Lamb. A third-round pick in 2018, Gallup is entering the final year of his rookie deal and will be looking to get paid next offseason. Machota does think there’s “a scenario” where Cooper deals with injuries or regresses and the team opts to move on from him and keep Gallup, but that they won’t likely be back together. The Colorado State product is coming off a solid season where he turned 59 catches into 843 yards and five touchdowns, mostly without Dak Prescott. In his last year with Prescott, in 2019, he had 1,107 yards and six scores in only 14 games.
- After trading Julio Jones, the Falcons will be leaning heavily on Calvin Ridley this season. As such, there was understandably some concern when it was announced a couple weeks ago that Ridley had undergone foot surgery. Fortunately, we’ve got another positive update to pass along. The foot injury was actually something Ridley dealt with during the 2020 season, and not a new injury suffered this offseason, the wideout told the media recently, via Scott Bair of the team’s official site. “It was just minor,” Ridley said. “I can walk and all that right now. I’m taking it one day at a time.” He also added that he’s “pretty sure” he’ll be ready for training camp, although Bair writes “that remains a bit of an unknown at this stage.” Either way, it doesn’t sound like anything to panic about.
- In case you missed it, Bears linebacker Roquan Smith is saying he isn’t worried about a potential contract extension.
Sheldon Richardson Turned Down More Money From Browns To Sign With Vikings
Sheldon Richardson ended his free agency this past week by signing a one-year deal with the Vikings worth $3.6MM with a max value of $4.35MM via incentives.
Apparently, he could’ve gotten a little more than that. The defensive tackle turned down more money from the Browns, Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com writes. We had previously heard that Cleveland made an offer, but it wasn’t known what the financials were like.
Kay Cabot writes that Richardson’s decision was “more about principle” after the Browns elected to release him back in April to save around $12MM in cap space. She also says that Cleveland may have been able to get him back had they gone a bit higher than they did, but that they “set their price and stuck to it.”
Richardson signed a three-year, $37MM pact with the Browns in 2019, and made it 2/3 of the way through it. He spent 2018 with the Vikings, so it’s not like he chose a totally foreign environment over returning to the Browns. The 13th overall pick of the 2013 draft turned 30 in November.
Falcons OL Matt Gono Has Surgery
It sounds like the Falcons’ offensive line may have just taken a significant blow. Versatile offensive lineman Matt Gono has undergone surgery recently, a source told Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
The source told Rothstein that the injury, which is undisclosed, “is not season ending.” That’s concerning, since the fact they felt the need to say it’s not season-ending likely means it’s a pretty serious injury. Details are light, but it sure seems like the implication is Gono might miss some significant time.
A 2018 UDFA from Wesley College, Gono has done well for himself. He established himself as the team’s swing tackle, and can also play guard. He made four starts last year, and the team thought highly enough of him to place a second-round restricted free agent tender on him this offseason.
That means he’s set to make around $3.3MM in 2021. Gono was seen by many as the favorite to be the team’s starting left guard this year after the Falcons cut James Carpenter earlier this offseason. We should know more on the situation soon.
Jets Had Interest In Nick Mullens, In No Rush To Get Veteran QB?
There’s been a lot of talk this offseason about the Jets’ backup quarterbacks situation. Rookie second overall pick Zach Wilson is the presumptive starter, and there’s virtually nothing on the depth chart after him.
The only other two passers on the roster are Mike White and James Morgan, both young guys who have never thrown a regular season pass. That’s led many to speculate it’s only a matter of time before they add a veteran with more experience. To that end, Ralph Vacchiano of SNY writes that the Jets were believed to be interested in Nick Mullens, who was just signed by the Eagles on Monday. Mullens would’ve made a lot of sense due to spending so much time with new Jets coach Robert Saleh in San Francisco.
That being said, it certainly doesn’t sound like Saleh is in any rush to bring in an experienced backup. “To just think that just because they’re a veteran it’s going to help a quarterback, there’s a match that has to happen, there’s a scheme familiarity that has to happen,” Saleh said, via Brian Costello of the New York Post.
“If you just bring in a veteran who doesn’t know your scheme, he’s learning just like the rookie is,” he added. “I don’t know if there’s much value aside from being comfortable that if the crap hits the fan you have a veteran who has played football.”
It looks like Saleh might either want someone who knows Jets OC Mike LaFleur’s system already, or he’s sticking with his young guys. For what it’s worth, both Vacchiano and Costello highlight Bears quarterback Nick Foles as someone who has been linked to the Jets. Foles is an afterthought in Chicago, but Saleh’s statements don’t make it sound like he’s looking to trade a late-round pick for a vet who hasn’t played in the team’s system.