WR John Brown To Sign With Broncos PS
John Brown has found his next NFL gig. The free agent wideout is finalizing a deal to join the Broncos practice squad, reports NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (via Twitter).
Las Vegas signed the veteran speedster earlier this year and guaranteed him more than $3MM, but Brown later requested (and was granted) his release. Since being let go in late August, the receiver had one reported visit with the Falcons.
The 31-year-old has seen time in seven NFL seasons with the Cardinals, Ravens, and Bills. He had 1,067 yards from scrimmage only two seasons ago, but he followed that up with a disappointing 2020 campaign (458 yards from scrimmage, three touchdowns). Now, he’ll be looking to revitalize his career in Denver. As Mike Klis of 9News points out (on Twitter), Brown “has sickle cell trait,” which can be a concern at high altitude. Of course, both the organization and the player are apparently not concerned about that being an issue.
Brown could have a chance to stick around Denver with Jerry Jeudy and KJ Hamler sidelined. The Broncos depth chart is currently led by Courtland Sutton, with the likes of Tim Patrick, Kendall Hinton, Diontae Spencer, and David Moore also vying for targets.
CB Quinton Dunbar Joining Packers PS
With Jaire Alexander sitting on injured reserve, the Packers have brought in some reinforcement at cornerback. Green Bay is signing cornerback Quinton Dunbar, according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo (via Twitter). Matt Schneidman of The Athletic tweets that Dunbar will be joining the Packers’ practice squad.
[RELATED: Packers Place CB Jaire Alexander On IR]
Dunbar joined the Cardinals practice squad late last month, but the team cut him only a week later. Prior to that, the defensive back had spent the offseason with the Lions and later got a workout with the Bills. Now, he’ll be getting his third contract of the league year from Green Bay.
Two years ago, Dunbar broke out with Washington via a four-interception season that ended with the former UDFA allowing just a 61.2 passer rating while targeted. Washington’s new regime traded Dunbar to Seattle in 2020, and an injury ended a less successful season after six games. The six-year veteran will now look to bounce back in Green Bay.
Alexander suffered a shoulder injury during the second half of the Packers’ Week 4 win, leading to his placement on IR. Green Bay will continue leaning on first-round pick Eric Stokes and the recently re-signed Kevin King at corner, but Dunbar could eventually insert himself into that mix.
Steelers Sign WR Anthony Miller To P-Squad
TUESDAY: The move is now official. The Steelers announced they have added the fourth-year wideout to their practice squad. They will be the former Bears second-rounder’s third team in four months.
MONDAY: Anthony Miller won’t be joining the Jaguars practice squad after all. The veteran receiver “plans to sign” with the Steelers practice squad, according to Aaron Wilson (via Twitter).
[RELATED: Steelers’ JuJu Smith-Schuster Done For Year?]
NFL Network’s Aditi Kinkhabwala clarifies (on Twitter) that Miller has yet to sign a contract and will take his physical with Pittsburgh tomorrow. If all goes well, it sounds like the receiver will end up joining the organization.
Earlier today, reports indicated that Miller was set to sign with the Jaguars’ practice squad, and the wideout even tweeted “Duval” over the weekend (per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport on Twitter). Miller was expected to eventually take the roster spot that was previously held by wideout DJ Chark, who suffered a fractured ankle during Week 4. Now, he’ll eventually be taking the roster spot previously held by JuJu Smith-Schuster, who is likely done for the season with a shoulder injury.
Miller was cut by the Texans late last week, just months after acquiring him from the Bears via trade. He finished his stint in Houston with five catches for 23 yards and one touchdown. The 2018 second-round pick flashed potential at times but generally disappointed during his stint in Chicago. In 2020, he took 49 catches for just 485 yards, and his rookie season (33 catches, 423 yards, seven touchdowns) still stands as his best season.
Injury Updates: Giants, Tunsil, Gronkowski
It sounds like Saquon Barkley avoided a serious injury. The Giants star running back is believed to have suffered a low-ankle sprain, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter).
The injury will knock him out of Sunday’s contest against the Rams, but he’ll otherwise be considered week-to-week. Earlier today, Giants head coach Joe Judge seemed to confirm that Barkley avoided a serious injury.
“In terms of the X-rays that came back, (it was) better news than it could’ve been for us,” Judge said (via ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Twitter). “[S]o it was a little bit of a sigh of relief with a couple of things just knowing the player and what he’s battled through.”
After being limited to only two games in 2020, Barkley had started each of New York’s first five games in 2021. The 24-year-old has collected 325 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns on 68 touches.
More injury notes from around the NFL:
- One of Barkley’s teammates was also lucky. Giants wideout Kenny Golladay will miss Sunday’s game, but the free agent acquisition avoided a “major” injury, per Rapoport (on Twitter). There was a “major sigh of relief” following the diagnosis, which has since been confirmed as a hyperextended knee (via ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler on Twitter). Golladay has disappointed to start his career in New York, hauling in only 17 receptions through five games.
- Another Giants player wasn’t so lucky. Rookie Rodarius Williams tore his ACL against the Cowboys yesterday, according to Paul Schwartz of the New York Post (via Twitter). The rookie sixth-round pick has seen time in all five games this season, collecting one tackle.
- Texans left tackle Laremy Tunsil suffered a torn UCL in his thumb during yesterday’s loss to the Patriots, reports Rapoport (via Twitter). The Pro Bowler will eventually need surgery, but the organization is hoping Tunsil can play through the injury and hold off surgery for the time being. The former first-round pick has missed at least one regular season game in each of his five full seasons.
- Buccaneers tight end Rob Gronkowski could end up playing on Thursday against the Eagles. Head coach Bruce Arians said Gronk is “very close” to returning to the field (per NFL.com). After collecting four touchdowns through his first three games of the season, the 32-year-old has missed the past two games while he recovered from a rib injury.
Rich Bisaccia Expected To Serve As Raiders Interim HC
With Jon Gruden out in Las Vegas, the Raiders are turning to their special teams coach. Rich Bisaccia is expected to serve as the Raiders interim head coach, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter).
[RELATED: Jon Gruden To Resign As Raiders Head Coach]
Following a college coaching career that spanned almost 20 years, Bisaccia joined the Buccaneers (alongside Gruden) as their special teams coordinator in 2002. He won a Super Bowl during his first season with the organization, and he later took on the role of assistant head coach in 2009 and 2010.
He spent a pair of seasons with the Chargers before a five-year stint as the Cowboys special teams coordinator and assistant head coach. Following Gruden’s hiring by the Raiders in 2018, Bisaccia joined the organization in the same roles.
The 61-year-old doesn’t have any NFL head coaching experience, but he’ll have some experienced assistant coaches that he can rely on. Adam Caplan points out on Twitter that offensive coordinator Greg Olson will be capable of running the offense moving forward. Offensive line coach Tom Cable can also provide some guidance, as he served as the Raiders head coach from 2008 to 2010.
Jon Gruden To Resign As Raiders Head Coach
Jon Gruden has notified his staff that he’ll be resigning as head coach of the Raiders, reports NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (via Twitter). Gruden also met with Mark Davis to inform the owner of his decision (per Pelissero).
The resignation comes in the wake of a weekend Wall Street Journal report that detailed Gruden’s use of a racial trope to describe NFLPA Executive Director DeMaurice Smith in old emails. Then tonight, the New York Times published a damning report that cited more emails showcasing the coach’s use of derogatory and offensive language. This included (and was not limited to) crude remarks about commissioner Roger Goodell, gay NFL players, female referees, and Washington cheerleaders. The emails in question were sent to former Washington executive Bruce Allen, and the league was only aware of the emails because of the previous investigation into the Washington Football Team.
That WSJ report was published on Saturday, and despite the negative reaction, Gruden was still allowed to coach during the Raiders loss to the Bears yesterday. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter), the NFL had forwarded the Raiders the emails that were cited in tonight’s NYT article, and the league was waiting for the organization to react. Per Jason La Canfora (on Twitter), the league was ready to step in if the Raiders didn’t punish their head coach.
It’s a remarkable and swift fall for Gruden, who was on the fourth year of a 10-year, $100MM contract he signed with the Raiders in 2018. Gruden wasn’t able to guide the Raiders to the postseason during his three full seasons with the organization, going 19-29 and peaking with an 8-8 season in 2020. The Raiders were 3-2 through the first chunk of the 2021 campaign.
“I have resigned as Head Coach of the Las Vegas Raiders,” Gruden said in a statement (via Vic Tafur of The Athletic on Twitter). “I love the Raiders and do not want to be a distraction. Thank you to all the players, coaches, staff, and fans of Raider Nation. I’m sorry, I never meant to hurt anyone.”
Gruden got his first head coaching gig in Oakland in 1998, and he was at the helm of two playoff teams during his four-year stint. He joined the Buccaneers via an iconic trade in 2002, and he won a Super Bowl during his first season with the organization. Gruden would ultimately spend seven seasons in Tampa Bay, and he turned to a high-profile TV gig after getting fired by the Bucs in 2009.
Ravens Activate WR Miles Boykin
Miles Boykin is back. The Ravens announced today that they’ve officially activated the wideout from injured reserve. The 24-year-old was designated to return in late September.
[RELATED: Ravens Designate Rashod Bateman, Miles Boykin For Return]
The 2019 third-round pick had appeared in all 32 regular season games (with 24 starts) for the Ravens between 2019 and 2020. The wideout hauled in 32 receptions for 464 yards and seven touchdowns through those two seasons, and he added another six receptions in three playoff games. Boykin was sidelined by a hamstring injury during training camp, leading to his IR stint.
Boykin will provide Lamar Jackson with another target, and he’ll join a depth chart that currently includes Marquise Brown, Sammy Watkins, James Proche II, Devin Duvernay, and Tylan Wallace.
The Ravens will presumably get additional reinforcement when first-round pick Rashod Bateman returns. The wideout was designated for return at the same time as Boykin, but his return will apparently be delayed.
49ers Release CB Buster Skrine
The 49ers may not be playing in Week 6, but that didn’t stop the team from reshuffling their cornerbacks depth chart. The team announced this evening that they’ve activated cornerback Davontae Harris from injured reserve. To make room on the roster, the 49ers released cornerback Buster Skrine.
Harris, 26, was claimed off waivers from the Ravens in late August, and San Francisco promptly placed him on IR. The former fifth-round pick has seen time in 30 career games, including a 2020 campaign where he appeared in 11 games (two starts) between the Broncos and Ravens.
Skrine joined the 49ers in late September, and he saw time on three special teams snaps during the 49ers’ Week 4 loss to the Seahawks. The 32-year-old previously started 92 of his 152 games across 10 professional seasons. He got into 12 games (three starts) for the Bears in 2020, collecting 66 tackles and one forced fumble.
Skrine was listed as the backup nickelback behind K’Waun Williams, so there’s a chance Harris slides into that role. Otherwise, he’ll be competing with the likes of Josh Norman, Dontae Johnson, Ambry Thomas, and Dre Kirkpatrick to get reps behind Emmanuel Moseley and Deommodore Lenoir.
Seahawks QB Russell Wilson Exits Thursday’s Game
Russell Wilson is one of the NFL’s few iron men, but the Seahawks quarterback was forced to exit tonight’s game against the Rams. Wilson was pulled in the second half of tonight’s contest after suffering a hand injury, per Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times (via Twitter). The QB was officially listed as questionable to return.
Before exiting the game, Wilson had completed 11 of his 16 pass attempts for 152 yards and one touchdown (vs. one interception). While attempting a pass to Tyler Lockett during the third quarter, the QB’s hand slammed against the helmet of a Rams defender. Replays showed Wilson walking toward the sideline with a mangled hand, and after getting some quick treatment, he finished the drive with a hand off. He came back on the field for the next drive but only attempted one pass.
Wilson was finally replaced by backup Geno Smith, who completed each of his five pass attempts en route to a touchdown on his first drive of the game.
If Wilson is forced to miss any time thanks to the injury, it will be the first regular season game he’ll sit out since entering the league in 2012. Smith is the only other QB on the depth chart, but he hasn’t started a game since 2017. The Seahawks are also rostering quarterback Jake Luton on the practice squad.
Latest On CB Stephon Gilmore, Potential Extension With Panthers
After acquiring former Defensive Player of the Year Stephon Gilmore from the Patriots, Panthers GM Scott Fitterer said the team would not immediately extend their acquisition. However, that doesn’t mean the doesn’t intend to eventually sign their acquisition. Per Jeff Howe and Joseph Person of The Athletic, “the Panthers’ intention is to sign Gilmore to a contract extension.”
[RELATED: Gilmore Extension Not Yet In Panthers’ Plans]
The organization understands that they’ll have to pay up if they hope to keep Gilmore in Carolina for the long haul. Before they make that pricey investment, the team wants to see what Gilmore looks like on the field. The star cornerback missed five games last year and is guaranteed to miss the first six this season due to a quadriceps injury he sustained late in 2020. The team sounds optimistic that Gilmore will return once his six-week stint on the PUP comes to an end, but the front office is still being fiscally responsible before handing out an extension.
Per Howe and Person, Gilmore’s contract issues with the Patriots apparently won’t travel to Carolina. The cornerback “will report to the Panthers and won’t demand a new contract before suiting up.” The veteran also wants to assure that “the defensive fit is as strong as it appears on paper” before committing long-term to the organization.
The Athletic piece has plenty of other notable details regarding the Gilmore trade. Specifically, while the Packers had previously been connected to the cornerback, apparently a pair of AFC teams made offers to the Patriots, and those two squads dissuaded the Panthers from making a run at Gilmore in free agency (and persuaded them to make a trade).