NFL Closes Latest Deshaun Watson Investigation; Browns QB Will Not Be Suspended
The subject of another NFL investigation due to a woman’s sexual assault claim, Deshaun Watson settled with his most recent accuser recently. That was believed to effectively close the door on another NFL suspension. That is now official.
Watson is not set to be banned in connection with that alleged crime, with cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot reporting the NFL has closed its investigation without finding sufficient evidence the Browns quarterback violated the personal conduct policy. Although Watson’s Cleveland future is cloudy, he is not set to face a second suspension. He missed 11 games due to an NFL-NFLPA settlement in 2022, a ban that began a wildly disappointing Browns tenure.
The QB’s latest known accuser settling her civil suit, one that alleged sexual assault in an October 2020 incident, was set to prevent her cooperating with a league investigation. Her attorney, Tony Buzbee, confirmed (via the Washington Post’s Mark Maske) his client did not meet with the NFL. As such, it would have been difficult for the NFL to conclude the quarterback definitively violated the league’s personal conduct policy. This was the expected outcome, and Watson will remain tied to the NFL’s most player-friendly contract without any changes coming about.
A suspension in connection with this alleged incident represented perhaps the Browns’ last chance to see their dead money bill lightened. But the team faced an uphill battle thanks to the player-friendly contract it authorized.
Personal conduct policy bans regularly void guarantees, but the Browns included language in Watson’s deal to protect him. The former Texans Pro Bowler having not disclosed this incident to the team prior to his latest restructure would have left the door open to future guarantees being voided, but Watson denied all wrongdoing in this case. The QB’s account indicating he was not aware of this particular accuser’s claim would have left the Browns in an interesting spot, due to how they designed his contract, even if he were suspended once again.
As it stands, Watson’s five-year, $230MM deal runs through 2026. With the once-highly coveted QB not coming close to delivering on expectations, it is fair to label this the worst trade and contract in NFL history. The Browns are expected to shop for another starter in 2025, but Watson’s contract being so difficult to move — a status boosted by the two restructures GM Andrew Berry completed — effectively keeps him in limbo beyond this year. The Browns are not expected to cut Watson in 2025, as that would bring an astonishing $172MM in dead money over the ’25 and ’26 offseasons combined.
Cleveland is not expected to fire Berry or HC Kevin Stefanski, despite their lead roles in a disastrous 2022 trade. Watson, 29, is rehabbing an Achilles tear sustained in October. Jameis Winston has operated as the Browns’ starter since, offering the highs and lows that have become associated with the former No. 1 overall pick’s career. Winston is a free agent at season’s end. Watson may be in the background for the Browns for now, with neither Berry nor Stefanski guaranteeing he would start again for the team. But no suspension coming to pass will put Watson on track to be a major part of the Browns’ future once again — once he completes his rehab process.
Bill Belichick Interviewed For North Carolina HC Job; Latest On NFL Interest
This season marked Bill Belichick‘s first out of the NFL since 1974. The legendary HC-turned-media mainstay has only served as a full-time coach in the NFL ranks, moving from assistant positions in Baltimore, Detroit, Denver and New York to his two HC roles (Cleveland, New England). It is widely known the recently fired Patriots leader is eyeing a jump back into the league.
An unusual development may well have taken place in the meantime. Belichick interviewed for the North Carolina head coaching job, according to 247Sports.com’s Grant Hughes. Considering the instability in the college ranks right now, along with Belichick’s exclusive ties to the NFL over a near-five-decade span, it would be borderline shocking if he made his coaching return to that level. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport confirms the North Carolina meeting.
Discussions have occurred over a several-day period, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer and Pat Forde report. Belichick is the son of a longtime college coach. His father, Steve, was an assistant at Navy for 34 years. Steve Belichick also spent three seasons (1953-55) as an assistant at North Carolina. While the NFL lifer bowing out of a second NFL derby to coach the Tar Heels 70 years after his father did would be unexpected, it is a key coaching storyline to monitor right now. Belichick indeed still would likely prefer the pros, per Breer, though he has done extensive research on the current college game.
[RELATED: Ex-Belichick Lieutenants Ready To Rejoin Him At Next Job?]
Belichick, 72, has been tied to the Giants and Cowboys and has connections to Jaguars ownership, further clouding Trent Baalke‘s Jacksonville future. All three jobs may soon be available, and while Belichick has an advantage on candidates employed by teams presently, he would need to wait on those three jobs. The Bears, Jets and Saints are the only teams that can interview Belichick now.
Coaches still on staff elsewhere must wait until after the wild-card round to interview, while unattached candidates can start early. Though, Belichick is almost definitely not returning to the Jets due to a long-adversarial relationship. Unless the Bears and Saints show interest, Belichick will need to wait until the offseason carousel starts.
North Carolina fired its two-time HC Mack Brown recently, and Steelers OC Arthur Smith came up as a target. Smith rebuffed Tar Heels interest, as a potential second chance as an NFL leader awaits. Belichick taking the meeting is certainly interesting, and he would obviously raise the ACC program’s profile. That said, Belichick’s age and the unstable landscape of Division I sports right now stand to generate roadblocks. The Tar Heels have been open to senior-citizen HCs, hiring Brown back at age 67 in 2018. The Tar Heels have produced one 10-win season over the past 27 years.
Belichick’s 20-plus-year tenure as a de facto GM would appeal to schools in the NIL era, in addition to his obvious coaching resume’s draw, though the transfer portal and evolving compensation setup have led high-profile coaches in both football and basketball out. Boston College’s Jeff Hafley was among them, leaving an ACC HC gig for the Packers’ DC post (Brown also expressed frustration with the current state of college sports). The world’s highest-profile football coach stepping in would be rather strange. Indeed, Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz adds some in the NFL believe Belichick is using North Carolina in an effort to push teams to act faster and make it known he wants back into the league in 2025.
Any college commitment would also drain time from Belichick’s quest to break Don Shula‘s career wins record. At 333, Belichick sits 14 behind Shula’s mark. The NFL also brings a potential age barrier, one that impacted Belichick’s candidacy this year. No team has hired a head coach older than 66; Belichick will turn 73 in April. The Falcons viewing Belichick as a short-term option prompted them to steer clear, though myriad other factors were also behind Atlanta’s decision.
The Raiders job also may open soon, creating a fascinating what-if about now-part-owner Tom Brady overseeing his former coach. Mark Davis pulling the plug so quickly on longtime Belichick lieutenant Josh McDaniels likely makes that a nonstarter, and ESPN.com’s Dan Graziano indeed does not see a fit there if the Silver and Black boot Antonio Pierce soon.
The Cowboys continue to come up as a potential Belichick destination, per The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, who adds the Buccaneers have as well. Tampa Bay passed on firing Todd Bowles last year, as the third-year HC ultimately rallied to lead the team to the divisional round. The Bucs are 6-6, putting Bowles on shaky ground once again. Though, they play in the NFL’s worst division and could certainly claim a playoff spot for a fifth straight year. Mike McCarthy is wrapping up a five-year contract, though the prospect of Jerry Jones keeping his embattled HC — one Dak Prescott strongly endorsed this week — has also surfaced.
Belichick was believed to be willing to cede some power if hired by the Falcons, with Arthur Blank confirming the coach did not demand a de facto GM role during his interviews. But meshing with Dallas’ long-running honcho, who obviously plays the lead role in Cowboys personnel moves, continues to loom as a potential dealbreaker for both parties. Barring an unexpected move into the college ranks, Belichick connections to teams figure to pick up again soon.
AFC West Notes: Moss, Raiders, Chargers
While the Broncos were able to contain Jerry Jeudy when they opted to use All-Pro Patrick Surtain on their former receiver, the first-year Browns contributor otherwise preyed on the team’s primary Riley Moss replacement during a dominant Monday-night showing. Free agency addition Levi Wallace struggled mightily, leading to a late-game benching and exposing an issue for a Broncos defense that had entered the game as one of the NFL’s best. The Broncos have seen Moss deliver quality play in his first season as a starter, but an MCL sprain sidelined him for Week 13. It is not certain Moss will be ready to return after Denver’s bye week.
The 2023 third-round pick is slated to need “a couple” weeks to return, with ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler pointing to a re-emergence against the Colts next week being in play but perhaps not a certainty. A two-week absence from an MCL sprain would be on the short end as far as recoveries go. A long-term lens reveals the Broncos nabbing an important contributor in Moss, given the looks the team’s non-Surtain corners see, but a woeful coverage effort Monday exposes a short-term issue for the wild-card contender. Denver used fifth-round rookie Kris Abrams-Draine, making his season debut, late in the game, playing him ahead of third-year cog Damarri Mathis.
Here is the latest from the AFC West:
- When Antonio Pierce fired OC Luke Getsy, the Raiders installed Scott Turner as the interim play-caller. They also brought veteran Norv Turner out of retirement, with Scott indicating (via ESPN.com’s Paul Gutierrez) he spearheaded that effort. Norv, a three-time HC and Super Bowl-winning OC, had been out of the NFL since 2020. The 72-year-old coach is currently staying with his son in Las Vegas, as the Raiders attempt to find solutions on offense amid a rough season.
- Norv Turner makes three former HCs on Pierce’s Vegas staff, joining Joe Philbin and Marvin Lewis. The Raiders also kept DC Patrick Graham around from Josh McDaniels‘ brief HC run while adding Getsy — the team’s second choice for OC after Kliff Kingsbury backed out during negotiations — as the top voice on offense. Getsy’s quick firing and how Pierce pieced his first staff together has drawn some internal pessimism, SI.com’s Albert Breer notes. Not having much NFL coaching experience nor possessing any college HC seasoning made Pierce a historic outlier in terms of NFL HCs, and it limited his coaching tree’s reach. Pierce leaned on his former Giants HC, Tom Coughlin, for guidance in assembling his first staff. Thus far, the Raiders are 2-10, having lost eight straight. Regardless of players’ push to have Pierce move to HC, Mark Davis is likely considering making the former interim boss a one-and-done as the full-time leader.
- Ladd McConkey is battling two sprains presently. The blossoming Chargers rookie has been playing through an AC joint sprain, with Fowler adding he picked up a knee sprain against the Falcons. Jim Harbaugh was vague about the second-round wideout’s status for Sunday’s Chiefs rematch, but McConkey did log a limited practice Wednesday. McConkey, whom the team traded up for in April, has 401 more receiving yards (815) than the next-closest Charger.
- J.K. Dobbins will not be part of the Chargers-Chiefs rematch, being placed on IR due to a sprained knee. Prior to going down, however, the resurgent running back picked up a $150K bonus by clearing 600 rushing yards for the season, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero tweets. The injury-prone RB signed a one-year, $1.61MM deal this offseason. The team has Gus Edwards, tied to a more lucrative deal, and sixth-round rookie Kimani Vidal as its top backs on the 53-man roster.
Seahawks Activate Uchenna Nwosu From IR
As they vie for their first NFC West title since 2020, the Seahawks will have some more help in a crucial division matchup. They are activating Uchenna Nwosu ahead of Sunday’s Cardinals rematch, ESPN.com’s Brady Henderson notes.
Nwosu has missed almost all of this season, sustaining separate injuries that have required weeks-long rehab odysseys. This comes after the former Chargers draftee missed much of the 2023 season. Nevertheless, the Seahawks will have him back after an quadriceps injury.
Nwosu said (via The Athletic’s Michael-Shawn Dugar) he sustained a torn quad that did not ultimately require surgery. While Seattle is in good shape for injury activations, still holding four after this move, it has continued to see roadblocks form for Nwosu.
The quad strain occurred 20 plays into Nwosu’s season debut — against the Giants in Week 5 — and it brought more rehab time. Nwosu had missed the Seahawks’ first four games due to an MCL injury sustained during the preseason. Nwosu entered the offseason after a pectoral injury shut him down in October 2023. He has missed 22 games since that point, effectively putting a promising career on pause.
This is Nwosu’s third season as a Seahawk. A productive 2022 slate (9.5 sacks, 26 quarterback hits, three forced fumbles) earned him a three-year, $45MM extension. The run of injuries has prevented Seattle from benefiting much from that deal. The former Joey Bosa Bolts sidekick has more to prove now, stepping into Mike Macdonald‘s defense. No guaranteed money remains on Nwosu’s deal for 2025. At the same time, the Seahawks are welcoming a productive edge defender back at a key juncture.
In terms of resources allocated, the Seahawks have a deep OLB corps. Homegrown second-rounders Boye Mafe and Derick Hall are on rookie deals, while Dre’Mont Jones — primarily an interior defensive lineman in Denver, before shifting to more of an EDGE role under Macdonald — is attached to a three-year, $51MM deal. Hall (six sacks) has elevated his play this season, doing so after Maye thrived during Nwosu’s 2023 absence. Mafe has five sacks this year. How the Seahawks use Nwosu after his batch of injuries will be interesting, but this activation certainly gives Macdonald more options as he attempts to secure the team its first division crown since the Russell Wilson years.
Nwosu, 28, is also a former second-round pick. He spent much of his Los Angeles stay as a rotational player behind Bosa and Melvin Ingram. The Bolts traded for Khalil Mack in 2022 and let Nwosu walk in free agency. Nwosu’s second Seahawks contract runs through the 2026 season, and while the team has not seen much from the seventh-year veteran since authorizing it, a return to form would give the Seahawks a bargain. Whether Nwosu can return to form will be a key storyline in a tightly bunched NFC West — a division that may well send only one team to the playoffs this season.
Bears Considering Thomas Brown For Full-Time HC Post; Latest On Matt Eberflus’ Firing
Over the past seven offseasons, only one team (the Raiders) has moved an interim HC to the full-time post. Antonio Pierce is 2-10 to start his stay in that role. The Bears are still high on their interim option and are planning to give him a true look.
Thomas Brown will be considered to replace Matt Eberflus on a full-time basis, ESPN.com’s Courtney Cronin notes. The team has bumped Brown from pass-game coordinator to OC to interim HC over the past month, representing a significant bounce back for a staffer who had been a one-and-done Panthers OC.
The Bears moved the 38-year-old coach into this role after making their first in-season firing, booting Eberflus soon after he was allowed to speak with media the morning after a late-game breakdown in a narrow Thanksgiving loss. Eberflus’ tense postgame meeting with players has been well chronicled, with several — most notably cornerback Jaylon Johnson — speaking up about the nature of the loss to the division-leading Lions. Johnson cut off Eberflus mid-speech, Cronin adds, with a profane rant eventually leading to the three-year HC’s exit from the locker room.
Eberflus offered explanations to the press about the sequence that cost the Bears a chance to attempt a game-tying field goal in Detroit, doubling down Friday in his last comments as Bears HC. He had defended the decision not to call a timeout as the offense slowly operated while the clock ticked into single digits, and while Bears brass met about Eberflus’ future during his speech, Cronin indicates his Friday presser had “zero” impact on the firing.
Still, the optics of Eberflus speaking to the media at 9am CT and then being canned not long after did not paint a portrait of stability. Bears president Kevin Warren soon admitted the team could have handled this situation better. Warren said (via 670 The Score’s David Haugh) the team was trying to be respectful when asked why the team let its HC address reporters roughly 90 minutes before his ouster. Warren has gone on to say the Bears’ job will be the most desired on next year’s market. Unlike the Jets’ Robert Saleh firing, which went around then-GM Joe Douglas, NFL Network’s Peter Schrager confirms GM Ryan Poles was part of the Friday-morning meeting that sealed Eberflus’ fate.
The Bears are not firing Poles, who was initially hired two days before Eberflus. Poles did not have a chance to run that search, only offering late input into the process. Warren and Poles were believed to have a good relationship, and that report has preceded the president — whom the Bears hired after their Poles and Eberflus hirings — giving his GM the reins in the team’s latest HC search. The heat will certainly be on Poles if this next hire fails, but for now, his seat is fairly cool.
Chicago is expected to target an offensive-minded coach to work with Caleb Williams. Teams regularly pivot in the other direction after a firing, and the team’s offense-defense yo-yo would continue in that event. Dating back to Lovie Smith, the team has gone defense-offense-defense-offense-defense — in terms of coaching background — with its past five hires (Smith, Marc Trestman, John Fox, Matt Nagy, Eberflus). A lean toward offense will give Brown a shot, and while a source told Cronin that Brown is the “real deal,” the modern NFL rarely sees teams give interims strong consideration. Pierce’s struggles offer another warning.
In terms of outside hires, Lions OC Ben Johnson and Commanders play-caller Kliff Kingsbury, per Cronin, are indeed viewed as candidates. We heard as much Sunday, with Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman also coming up. Warren’s past as a college commissioner could certainly make him more open to such a hire.
Johnson has been connected to the team for a bit now, and the selective coordinator will again be courted by most (if not all) of the HC-needy teams. Kingsbury did coach Williams, but the Bears already passed on him for their OC gig this year to hire Shane Waldron. An eight-hour meeting — one previously viewed as somewhat of an intel-gathering session on Williams, rather than a true interview about the job — led to Kingsbury exploring other jobs.
The Bears also passed on Brown for that job initially, but he has gained considerable ground after initially signing on in a lower role. A convoluted Panthers plan impacted Brown’s first OC foray, as the Panthers attempted to blend Sean McVay‘s offense with Frank Reich‘s. Brown was in the crosshairs, being elevated to a play-calling role before being demoted before once again calling plays — during a 2-15 Panthers season — once Reich was fired. This season has brought more significant changes to Brown’s job description, but the ex-Rams position coach does appear to have more momentum now than he did coming off the Carolina one-and-done.
Drew Lock To Remain Giants’ Starting QB
Despite a rough Thanksgiving outing, Drew Lock is staying in place as the Giants’ starting quarterback. Brian Daboll announced Wednesday he is keeping the former second-round pick in place.
Lock initially lost out to Tommy DeVito, even as the more experienced player resided as Daniel Jones‘ top backup throughout the season, but a forearm injury sidelined DeVito after his first start. It is not yet clear if DeVito will be ready to play in Week 14, but Lock will keep the keys for at least another week — for a Saints matchup.
Signed to a one-year, $5MM deal, Lock expressed understandable disappointment when Daboll initially tabbed DeVito over him following the Jones benching. This decision came a year after Tyrod Taylor displayed more frustration after being informed DeVito, a UDFA who began the 2023 season on the Giants’ practice squad, would keep the starting job even as the veteran came off IR. Daboll eventually went back to Taylor, though, and he is now going with Lock for a second straight game. DeVito will be limited in practice Wednesday.
Lock went 21 of 32 for 178 yards during a Thanksgiving Day loss to the Cowboys, a game that featured the Giants’ offense in gridlock most of the way. This week will at least mark a preparation difference for Lock, who will practice as the starter for the first time this season. With Geno Smith‘s two absences last season not being known days in advance, Daboll’s early proclamation will make for Lock’s first run of extended starter prep since he closed the 2021 season — after Teddy Bridgewater sustained a second concussion that year — as the Broncos’ QB1.
Denver demoted Lock after trading for Bridgewater that year, and the Missouri alum has not come especially close — as Smith easily won a 2022 Seahawks competition — to a starting gig. This will represent a key opportunity for the sixth-year vet, who appears likely to depart New York in free agency come March. DeVito, who sustained the forearm injury late in Week 12 but was not ruled out until just before the Dallas matchup, can be kept as an exclusive rights free agent.
Additionally, Daboll said (via The Athletic’s Dan Duggan) tight end Theo Johnson underwent foot surgery. The rookie fourth-rounder, who started 11 games this season, landed on IR recently. Not only is Johnson’s season over, but Daboll said the surgery rehab is expected to affect his offseason availability. With the Giants not making a substantial tight end move following Darren Waller‘s June retirement, it should be expected the team — especially now with this Johnson injury in the equation — addresses the position in 2025.
Aaron Glenn Back On Saints’ HC Radar
A popular name on this year’s head coaching carousel, Aaron Glenn will almost definitely reprise that role in 2025. The Lions have fared much better defensively this season, remaining on course despite losing early Defensive Player of the Year frontrunner Aidan Hutchinson. How the unit performs after more injuries have occurred will further shape Glenn’s candidacy.
One team that is expected to be in on Glenn next year will be the one that launched him onto the coordinator radar. The Saints are not expected to move on from GM Mickey Loomis, and that would strengthen the chances of Glenn receiving extensive consideration to return to New Orleans. The Saints are indeed expected to show interest in Glenn, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler notes. He was on the radar for the team back in 2022 as well.
Glenn, 52, worked as the Saints’ defensive backs coach from 2016-2020. This period coincided with New Orleans changing course on defense, rocketing from one of the league’s worst units to helping Drew Brees during his final seasons. The Saints made four straight playoff berths from 2017-20, with Glenn overseeing the development of Marshon Lattimore and Marcus Williams. The Lions took note, with ex-Saints tight ends coach Dan Campbell bringing him to Detroit.
Glenn’s Lions defenses have been a mixed bag. Detroit ran into consistent struggles on this side of the ball during its rebuild, with Glenn coming up as a coordinator on the hot seat early in 2022. Last season brought a collapse in the NFC championship game, as Detroit’s pass defense struggled down the stretch. The Lions ranked 23rd in scoring defense last season. This year, however, Glenn’s unit sits second despite the losses of Hutchinson and Marcus Davenport. The team has continued to play well despite losing linebacker regular Derrick Barnes, though recent injuries piling up at linebacker will test the unit ahead of a tough schedule sector.
The 2025 HC interview cycle could be crucial for Glenn, who has been a regular candidate for the past two offseasons. Glenn interviewed for four HC jobs last year, meeting with the Commanders twice. Though, Washington was widely believed to covet Glenn coworker Ben Johnson, who bowed out of the running late. He met with two teams about their vacancies in 2023 and two others in 2022. The 2022 cycle proves most relevant here, as the Saints conducted an interview ahead of their Dennis Allen promotion. Glenn worked under Allen throughout the latter’s run as New Orleans’ DC.
Considering Allen’s shortcomings, it would be interesting to see if the Saints again showed significant interest in another of Sean Payton‘s former lieutenants. This organization, however, has prioritized familiarity more than most this century. Holding his job for 23 years, Loomis is the NFL’s longest-tenured active GM — among non-owners who hold de facto GM titles — but the team is heading toward its fourth season missing the playoffs. It would stand to reason a reset of some sort would be strongly considered, but with Loomis on track to stay, Glenn appears firmly in play to come back.
Bills Bring Back S Micah Hyde
1:41pm: Hyde told reporters that he plans to retire after this season, per NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe. He aims to help the Bills finally win secure an elusive Super Bowl victory to cap off his impressive 12-year career.
11:11am: A long-rumored reunion is coming to pass. The Bills separated from many core players this offseason, with Micah Hyde one of the longtime starters not brought back. But the team kept its longtime safety on the radar. Months after those return rumors began, they will lead to deal.
Hyde is indeed coming back to the Bills. Sean McDermott said Wednesday that the seven-year safety starter is rejoining the team on a practice squad deal. Despite Buffalo cutting Mike Edwards recently, there will be room for Hyde as an insurance piece.
In Hyde and Jordan Poyer, Buffalo featured one of the longest-running safety tandems in NFL history. The 2017 free agency additions played central roles in the Bills’ McDermott-era ascent. Added in McDermott’s first offseason in charge, the pair played seven seasons together. Poyer, however, is now in Miami. Hyde will still join some former teammates, as Damar Hamlin and 2023 UFA addition Taylor Rapp are in place as starters.
Turning 34 later this month, Hyde has been out of football since his most recent Bills contract expired. The 11-year veteran had said it was Bills or retirement for him in 2024. The Bills did not expect him to retire this year, and the now-five-time reigning AFC East champions will see to it that an NFL exit is put on hold for at least a few more months.
This marks Hyde’s third Bills contract. The team gave him a five-year, $30.5MM deal in 2017 and later extended him at two years, $19.25MM. Wednesday is a new chapter for Hyde, who will now be attached to P-squad money. The Bills added Cole Bishop via second-round pick this offseason as well, and while Rapp will be limited in practice today, McDermott said the Hyde signing is unrelated to the sixth-year veteran’s minor injury.
Hyde has made 95 starts for the Bills. That ranks fourth in team history at safety, behind Poyer (107), 1990s bastion Henry Jones (129) and all-time leader Steve Freeman (134). Hyde missed most of the 2022 season with a neck injury, being limited to two starts. While he returned to practice months later, the Bills never activated him from IR. The former Packers draftee bounced back last season, starting 14 games and being available — when many Bills defenders were not — for both playoff contests. Hyde has 16 career interceptions with the Bills, including five apiece in 2021 and 2017, a Pro Bowl season that ended a near-two-decade Bills playoff drought.
The Bills cut Poyer, Tre’Davious White and Mitch Morse this offseason, doing so just before letting Gabe Davis walk in free agency. They then traded Stefon Diggs, signaling what many expected to be a transition year. Buffalo has bucked those expectations, starting 10-2 and putting heat on Kansas City for the AFC’s No. 1 seed. The team will now have a leadership presence back in the building, and it will be interesting to see if Hyde returns to action soon.
Broncos Waive WR Josh Reynolds From IR
Rather than use one of their injury activations on Josh Reynolds, the Broncos are moving on. The team had a few options with the recovery wideout, and 9News’ Mike Klis notes he will be cut.
Denver, which has three injury activations remaining, had signed Reynolds to a two-year, $9MM deal this offseason. The veteran receiver, however, went down early with a finger injury and then suffered minor wounds in a scary shooting incident in October. That caused a longer-than-expected IR stint, but Reynolds was moving toward a return. The Broncos needed to activate him by Wednesday or place him on season-ending IR; the eighth-year WR now would be in line to return for another team.
[RELATED: Broncos Planned To Trade Jerry Jeudy Regardless Of WR’s Request]
The Broncos could conceivably circle back to Reynolds as a practice squad option, though that would be an interesting move considering the parties agreed on a $4.5MM-per-year contract in March. Reynolds is due just more than $500K in remaining base salary, so a waiver claim should not be considered out of the question in this case. This cut will ensure the Broncos take a $1MM dead money hit in 2025.
This continues a pattern for Sean Payton‘s team this year. Since early March, the Broncos have moved on from Jerry Jeudy, Tim Patrick and now Reynolds. This will keep snaps open for the batch of rookie-deal wideouts on Denver’s roster. Seventh-round pick Devaughn Vele has shown promise early, while the Broncos have seen increased contributions from 2023 second-rounder Marvin Mims. Ex-Bo Nix teammate Troy Franklin, whom the team traded up for in Round 4, has also played a regular role among this batch of Courtland Sutton sidekicks. It appears the Broncos viewed Reynolds as a potential progress-stopper. Ex-Payton Saints charge Lil’Jordan Humphrey also profiles as veteran insurance in Denver.
Like Zach Ertz last season, Reynolds is being waived from IR. The Broncos could have let Reynolds’ 21-day practice window close or activate him. They chose a somewhat unexpected third option, which will let the 29-year-old receiver catch on elsewhere before season’s end. Reynolds will wrap his season with five games played, having caught 12 passes for 183 yards and one touchdown.
Denver added Reynolds before Franklin and Vele were in the picture, with the longtime Jared Goff target effectively representing insurance for the Broncos. Seeing Vele move to the lead of the Broncos’ WR2 committee, the team apparently prefers not to have Reynolds around to take away snaps from its developing crop. As the Broncos will take a chance on using only rookie-deal cogs to support Sutton, this transaction adds an interesting name on the waiver wire for WR-needy teams in the process.
The Lions, who signed Patrick after the Broncos cut him in August, made Reynolds an offer to stay. Though, it came in south of the Broncos’ proposal. It will be interesting to see if Detroit shows interest, given Jameson Williams‘ volatility. The NFL could suspend Williams still, even though a gun charge was ultimately never filed after an October incident. Williams has been suspended twice already and missed most of his rookie season due to injury. Patrick has worked as Detroit’s No. 3 option, but Reynolds played ahead of Williams for much of last season, finishing with 40 receptions for 608 yards and five TDs. Multiple drops in the NFC championship game ended Reynolds’ Lions tenure on a sour note, but the ex-Rams draftee played with Goff in two cities.
The Broncos have now passed on activating both Reynolds and safety Delarrin Turner-Yell; the latter’s practice period closed and he reverted to season-ending IR. Denver does not have another obvious IR-return candidate, though running back Tyler Badie is eligible to be activated. The team, which is entering a bye week, will opt to save some activations for the stretch run.
Marshon Lattimore Expected To Make Commanders Debut In Week 15
The Commanders have not seen anything from the Marshon Lattimore trade yet, having played four games without the decorated cornerback since acquiring him at the deadline. It does not look like Washington’s Lattimore-less game streak will reach five.
Heading into a Week 14 bye, the Commanders are expected to have Lattimore available when they return, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter said during a Pat McAfee Show appearance. The Commanders travel to New Orleans in Week 15, certainly representing the most interesting place Lattimore could debut for the NFC East team.
Lattimore has been down with a hamstring injury for five weeks, missing what would have been his final Saints game due to the issue. This did not stop a heated trade market from forming. The Ravens sent the Commanders an offer featuring a third-round pick, while the Chiefs discussed the eighth-year defender with the Saints as well. The Chargers were in on Lattimore, and it took additional fourth- and sixth-round picks for Washington to pry him from New Orleans.
While the Saints are up on the scorecards early in this trade, Lattimore will have his say soon. The Commanders have seen their run defense fare worse than their pass defense this season; the team ranks ranks fifth against the pass through 13 games. The 8-5 squad also waived Emmanuel Forbes on Saturday, with Schefter adding that move likely came about because of an expectation Lattimore was closing in on a return. The Rams have since claimed Forbes, taking the Commanders off the hook for more than $5MM in guaranteed base salary from now through 2026.
This Lattimore injury absence is notable, however, as the Saints saw a few nagging maladies that kept the four-time Pro Bowler off the field. As Lattimore fell out of favor with the Saints — to the point New Orleans set a non-QB dead money record by moving him at the deadline — a report indicating the team previously took issue with the corner’s overly lengthy (in the organization’s view) recoveries from past injuries. Lattimore went down with an ankle injury and missed the Saints’ final seven games last season. He missed 10 due to a lacerated kidney in 2022. Counting a Week 2 absence, the Ohio State alum has now missed six this season. Lattimore will count $31.7MM on the Saints’ 2025 cap.
The Commanders have continued to use Benjamin St-Juste as a starter, with rookie Mike Sainristil and Noah Igbinoghene seeing the second- and third-most snaps at the position. Pro Football Focus ranks the second-round pick 36th among all corners this season while slotting the two veterans outside the top 100.
Lattimore will soon check in as a hopeful fixer of sorts for Washington, though it would not completely surprise to see the boundary corner eased into action after a lengthy rehab process. Lattimore’s Saints-designed contract runs through the 2026 season, making this upcoming stretch an early gauge of the former Defensive Rookie of the Year’s form for the team.