Jets Notes: Darnold, Mosley, Bell
Sam Darnold will miss this Sunday’s contest against the Browns after being diagnosed with mononucleosis and the quarterback could miss extended time, as Rich Cimini of ESPN.com relays. The risk of contagion is high with the infection and the Jets have quarantined Darnold so that he would not spread it to any of his teammates.
Trevor Siemian, who signed with the Jets this offseason, will start in Darnold’s place. Siemian is 13-11 as a starter, all of which from his time with the Broncos.
It’s unclear how many games Darnold will miss, though with New York’s bye coming in week 4, it would be surprised if we saw him on the field before then.
Here’s more from New York:
- Brian Costello of the New York Post hears from a former NFL team physician that Darnold could miss four-to-six weeks with the ailment. “With this diagnosis of mono, an injured-reserve stint is not off the table,” Dr. David Chao said. “I’m not saying he’s going on injured reserve but this starts at four to six weeks. Any four-to-six-week injury puts IR in the conversation.”
- LB C.J. Mosley and DL Quinnen Williams did not practice this week and are officially out for Monday’s game against Cleveland, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News tweets. Mosley is dealing with a groin injury while Williams has a bad ankle.
- Le’Veon Bell is dealing with an injured shoulder and is officially questionable for Monday’s game, per the team’s Twitter feed. New addition Demaryius Thomas is also among the players who may not play in the game.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/14/19
Today’s practice squad updates:
Washington Redskins
- Signed: CB Deion Harris
49ers Promote RB Jeff Wilson, Waive TE Kaden Smith
The 49ers have added RB Jeff Wilson to their 53-man roster ahead of Sunday’s contest against the Bengals. The team will waive TE Kaden Smith to make room on the roster for Wilson, as Pro Football Talk relays.
The team’s running back depth took another hit with Tevin Coleman suffering a high ankle sprain in week 1. High-priced 2018 acquisition Jerick McKinnon was placed on injured reserve before the season with knee woes.
Matt Breida and Raheem Mostert were expected to receive most of the carries on Sunday with FB Kyle Juszczyk also mixing in. It’s unclear how much Wilson will be a factor this week.
Wilson, who the franchise waived before the season and the signed to the practice squad, played in six games for San Francisco last season as a rookie, carrying the ball 66 times for 266 yards. He was a sixth-round pick in the 2018 draft.
Torrey Smith Retires From NFL
After eight years in the league, Torrey Smith is retiring from the NFL.
“It’s the NFL circle of life and I’m prepared for what’s next,” Smith said in a video on Uninterrupted.“…I’m blessed to be able to walk away from this game with most of my health, a clear mind, and a grateful heart. I can’t wait to begin the next phase of my life where my heart is and never left: Baltimore.”
The Ravens selected Smith out of the University of Maryland in the second round of the 2011 draft and he helped bring a Super Bowl to the club during his second season in the league. In addition to Baltimore, he’s played in San Francisco, Philadelphia, and Carolina. Smith finishes his career with 319 catches for 5,141 yards and 41 touchdowns.
NFL Will Not Place Antonio Brown On Exempt List Before Sunday
Antonio Brown will play against the Dolphins on Sunday as the NFL will not place him on the commissioner’s exempt list before the contest, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
There is no criminal investigation involving Antonio Brown and his accuser, Britney Taylor. As of this writing, it remains a civil matter and with the NFL not conducting interviews with the duo until next week, the league won’t rush to judgement. However, it remains possible that Brown could be placed on the list in the future.
As we passed along earlier today, the Patriots were not aware of the civil lawsuit when they signed Brown. Neither were the Raiders. NFL players are under no obligation to disclose civil matters to teams before they sign contracts as free agents.
The Patriots have been preparing as if Brown will suit up in Miami. It’s unclear if the wide receiver will be limited in snap counts as he only joined the team last weekend.
“Long way to go, obviously. Not familiar with our offense,” Belichick said of Brown (via Schefter in a full-length piece). “The systems he’s been in have been quite different. He’s working hard to pick it up and we’re working hard to get it to him.”
Dolphins Give Minkah Fitzpatrick Permission To Seek Trade
Minkah Fitzpatrick has received permission from the Dolphins to seek a trade, multiple sources tell Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com.
Fitzpatrick, who projected to be a cornerback/safety coming into the league, is unhappy with how the organization making him play multiple positions on defense. During training camp, Fitzpatrick’s mother tweeted that he was being used incorrectly and Fitzpatrick confirmed that he agreed with her assessment.
“She feels very strongly. She’s not wrong,” Fitzpatrick said. “Coach has asked me to do something right now. I got to do what they ask me to do. If we have to have some discussions in the future, we’ll have those discussions.
“I’m not 215 pounds, 220 pounds. So playing in the box isn’t best suited for me, but that’s what Coach is asking me to do.”
The Dolphins are not actively shopping Fitzpatrick, according to Mortensen. If a deal gets done, it’ll be on Fitzpatrick’s camp to find a suitor. Fitzpatrick’s agent, Joel Segal, has been in contact with several teams and Miami’s asking price appears to be high, as it involves a first-round pick.
Mortensen spoke with a personnel man from a rival team who said it would be surprising if the Dolphins netted a first-rounder for Fitzpatrick. The source was high on Fitzpatrick’s skills, though the pessimism had to do with the 22-year-old’s projected position. He told Mortensen that Fitzpatrick was an “ideal slot corner who can cover, blitz off the edge, [is] intelligent, a good tackler and a good special-teams player.” Another rival GM told Mortensen that Miami is being unrealistic about what their players will get in trades after coming away with two first-rounders in the Laremy Tunsil deal.
The former No. 11 overall pick is expected to play against the Patriots this week.
Neither Patriots Nor Raiders Were Aware Of Antonio Brown’s Civil Lawsuit
The Patriots were unaware that Antonio Brown was involved in the civil lawsuit, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports. The Raiders, who released Brown last weekend, were also not aware of the allegations.
Brown and his accuser, Britney Taylor, were in discussions about the allegations over the past few months but agreed their conversations would remain confidential until Taylor filed the civil lawsuit. Fowler writes that this is common practice in settlement talks.
Fowler hears that players are not obligated to notify teams of civil matters before signing a free agent contract. However, once a case rises to a criminal matter, then there is more onus on the player.
Taylor is scheduled to meet with the NFL next week. The league is contemplating whether or not to place Brown on the commissioner’s exempt list. Such as move would keep Brown off the field but allow him to collect his salary.
A decision isn’t expect to be made before New England’s game in Miami and the Patriots are preparing to have Brown on the field.
NFL To Meet With Antonio Brown’s Accuser Next Week
The NFL is conducting an investigation on the accusations against Antonio Brown that will begin with the league sitting down with his accuser, Britney Taylor, next week, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (Twitter link).
Taylor, who previously worked with Brown as a personal trainer, is willing to meet with the league as soon as she can. She is getting married this week and the league will wait until that happens before sitting down with her. The NFL has no power to compel non-employees to cooperate, so Taylor meeting with the league is on her own accord and outside of the responsibilities of her lawsuit.
“We are aware of the civil lawsuit that was filed earlier today against Antonio Brown, as well as the response by Antonio’s representatives,” the Patriots said in a statement on Tuesday night. “We take these allegations very seriously. Under no circumstances does this organization condone sexual violence or assault. The league has informed us that they will be investigating. We will have no further comment while that investigation takes place.”
Brown is being accused in civil, not criminal court. There was a report earlier today that authorities were looking into the matter criminally, though from the Allegheny County District Attorney stating that neither the police department nor the DA’s office was contacted about Taylor’s lawsuit, as Ben Volin of the Boston Globe reports (Twitter link). The DA did say that their office had looked into another incident involving Brown but after checking it out, they did not move forward with the case.
The NFL, as we reportedly earlier, is considering putting Brown on the commissioner’s exempt list, which would amount to a paid-leave of sorts. The delay in interviewing Taylor may cause complications with placing Brown on this list. However, Roger Goodell has the power to take action first and ask questions later.
Hunter Henry Out Indefinitely With Knee Injury
Chargers TE Hunter Henry has suffered a tibia plateau fracture to his left knee, Eric Williams of ESPN relays (Twitter link). Henry suffered the injury during Sunday’s contest against the Colts.
The tight end will continue to be evaluated and the timeline for his return has not yet been set. However, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets that the Chargers believe Henry will be sidelined for 4-6 weeks.
Los Angeles worked out Luke Wilson today, which makes sense given Henry’s ailment. Last season, Henry suffered an ACL injury and missed the entire season, which prompted the franchise to pry Antonio Gates out of retirement.
AFC West Notes: Abram, James, Brown
Raiders first-round pick Jonathan Abram will seek a second opinion on his shoulder, Josina Anderson of ESPN tweets. The rookie apparently injured his shoulder on Monday night against the Broncos but continuing playing, showing no signs of injury during the game. Now, after undergoing exams, it appears Abram could land on injured reserve.
Here’s more from the AFC:
- RT Ja’Wuan James will miss some time with the knee injury he suffered but Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link) reports that it is not season-ending. James joined the Broncos this offseason.
- Coach Vic Fangio spoke about the Broncos difficulty in facing Chicago’s pass-rush this week, as Troy Rench of ABC7 in Denver relays (Twitter link). “We’ll give [our tackles] some help but there’s going to be times like in any game where they are going to have to stand up and block without any help,” the coach said.
- Broncos WR Tim Patrick suffered a clean break in his hand, Mike Klis of 9News Denver (Twitter link). Patrick’s timetable is 6-to-8 weeks and Denver is considering whether to place him on IR.
- Agent Drew Rosenhaus said there was no collusion with regard to Antonio Brown‘s exit from the Raiders. “There was no fix,” Rosenhaus said (h/t Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports). “We did try to make it work with the Raiders.”