Ravens Sign Dez Bryant To Practice Squad
It’s official. Dez Bryant is back in the NFL — this time, with the Ravens’ practice squad (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). This was the anticipated news following the wide receiver’s workout with the team late last week. 
The former Cowboys All-Pro first auditioned for the Ravens over the summer, marking his first showing since he suffered an Achilles tear in 2018. The Ravens’ interest in Bryant goes back much further than that, however. Bryant famously rejected their three-year, $21MM offer after his divorce from Dallas. Then, he lingered in free agency for several months before signing a far less lucrative one-year deal with the Saints. That, unfortunately, didn’t last long – Bryant’s season ended on the practice field before he could suit up for New Orleans in live action.
Bryant, now in his age-32 season, has not played since the 2017 campaign. Before all of that, he posted at least 1,200 yards in three seasons for Dallas (2012-2014) and earned three Pro Bowl trips (2013, 2014, 2016). His 2014 showing – 88 catches for 1,320 yards and a league-leading 16 touchdowns – earned him a five-year, $70MM extension.
A quick promotion could lead to Bryant’s debut this Sunday against the Steelers. Otherwise, he’ll be at the ready for the 5-1 Ravens.
Jets Shopping Quinnen Williams?
The Jets are shopping defensive lineman Quinnen Williams, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (on Twitter). However, other Jets beat writers — like Ralph Vacchiano of SNY (Twitter link) — say that “shopping” is a strong word. But, at minimum, they may be keeping an open ear to inquiries. 
For the lowly Jets, it may be a matter of semantics. With a record of 0-7 and a limited budget for 2020, the Jets are clearly in need of a revamp. Trading Williams, of course, would signal an overhaul. Williams, 23 in December, was drafted third overall just last year. The former Crimson Tide standout has been a starter ever since, and he has the talent to be a cornerstone for years to come.
The Jets, according to Mehta, would want more than a second-round pick for Williams. That’s a fair ask, given his draft status and his own personal improvement in the face of the Jets’ general disarray. Through seven games, Williams has five tackles for loss and ranks as one of the league’s very best run-stoppers on the interior, according to Pro Football Focus.
It’s worth noting that Williams was the final first-round choice of the Mike Maccagnan era. New GM Joe Douglas — who took over months later — might not share the same affection
Packers To Sign WR Seth Roberts
The Packers are set to sign wide receiver Seth Roberts, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com (Twitter link). To make the numbers work, he’ll first be added to the practice squad before promoted to the varsity squad.
Roberts got a one-year, $3.75MM deal from the Panthers back in March, and ended up only catching four passes for 31 yards for the team. The Panthers started shopping Roberts in August, but they couldn’t find any takers. He lasted nearly half-a-season before being released earlier this week.
A 2014 UDFA from West Alabama, Roberts spent the first five years of his career in Oakland. He had some real success with the Raiders, notching at least 397 yards in four straight seasons from 2015-18. He also had five touchdowns in two of those campaigns. He spent last year with the Ravens and finished with 271 yards and two scores. All in all, Roberts has notched 183 catches, 2,128 yards, and 15 touchdowns over the course of his career.
Roberts’ Green Bay debut could come on Sunday when the 5-1 Packers face the 1-5 Vikings.
Alabama WR Jaylen Waddle Done For Year
The season is over for one of the top prospects in the 2021 NFL Draft. Alabama wide receiver Jaylen Waddle is done for the year after undergoing surgery to repair a fractured ankle, head coach Nick Saban announced. 
“It’s a difficult timetable to know when a guy can come back from something like this,” Saban said (via Mike Rodak of AL.com). “That’s something that’s going to be ongoing. Probably six to eight weeks before he can even start real heavy rehab, then relative to your position, how fast you can come back after that is really, really up in the air.”
Saban didn’t explicitly rule out Waddle for the season when speaking with reporters, but the operation makes his return a near impossibility. At 5’10”, 180 pounds, Saban likened Waddle to the football version of Allen Iverson. Pro evaluators agree – Waddle’s athleticism has been on full display over the last three years, both on offense and in the return game. He put himself on the radar as a frosh in 2018 with 18.8 yards per catch. This year, he pushed his stock even further with an eye-popping 22.3 yards per grab.
The injury could prompt Waddle to return, but he’s still likely to be in the first round mix if he makes a full recovery. He’s already proven to be lethal in the slot and in the punt return game (19.3 yards per return average), so he’ll be especially coveted if he can display a full array of routes in workouts.
Buccaneers Officially Sign Antonio Brown
It’s a done deal. On Tuesday, the Buccaneers formally inked Antonio Brown to a one-year contract, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. 
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Brown is officially in the fold, though he won’t be eligible to play until Week 9. His one-year pact will pay just $1MM in base salary and bonuses, with the potential to reach as much as $2.5MM. If the Bucs win the Super Bowl, AB will receive a $750K bonus, and he has three separate $250K bonuses for receptions, yards, and TD milestones. Those incentives are only in play if the Bucs reach the playoffs.
Brown, 32, will be eligible to join the club at their team facility on Wednesday, once he’s cleared COVID-19 testing. He can’t practice until Week 9, but he can attend meetings and train with the team’s conditioning staff in the interim.
There was pushback, but Tom Brady talked Tampa Bay into adding the multiple-time Pro Bowler. Bucs head coach Bruce Arians was insistent that the team would not add Brown. Ultimately, Brady got his way.
The Bucs didn’t necessarily need Brown a few months ago, given their wealth of receiving talent. However, injuries for Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Scott Miller, and O.J. Howard changed things. There’s reason to worry about the balance of the locker room with Brown, though offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich, offensive assistant Antwaan Randle El, and outside linebackers coach Larry Foote all played with the mercurial veteran. There’s hope that, together, they can keep Brown on the right track.
On the field, Brady arguably has the best receiving cast of his career. With Godwin, Evans and Rob Gronkowski, the future Hall of Famer has a wealth of weapons at his disposal.
Texans’ Romeo Crennel: I’m Not Looking To Trade Players
With just days to go before the NFL trade deadline, Romeo Crennel says he’s telling players that he’s not looking to make more deals (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle). Of course, the decision doesn’t like solely with the Texans’ interim head coach. 
[RELATED: Texans, Vikings Among NFL’s Sellers?]
“Oh sure,” Crennel said when asked if the issue is a potential distraction. “With this situation, it might be more on their mind this year. I’ve talked to them and tried to reassure them that I’m not looking to trade guys.”
The cellar-dwelling Texans revamped their sideline and front office in one fell swoop this year by firing head coach/GM Bill O’Brien. The trade rumors have been swirling for weeks and it only stands to reason that the Texans are looking for a clean slate. Wide receivers Brandin Cooks and Will Fuller, for example, could be logical targets for teams in need of offensive firepower. Other notables like edge defender Whitney Mercilus, tight end Darren Fells, and running back Duke Johnson could also be worthwhile trade chips.
The Texans fell to the Packers on Sunday, dropping them to 1-6. With the playoffs effectively out of reach, many expect the Texans to work the phone lines between now and Tuesday, Nov. 3.
No Trade Offers For Saints’ Michael Thomas?
Depending on who you ask, the Saints might be willing to trade Michael Thomas before the deadline. The wide receiver’s camp is working to find potential deals but, so far, the Saints have yet to receive a concrete offer for the superstar, according to PFT’s Mike Florio.
[RELATED: Saints Deny Thomas Trade Talk]
Thomas’ talent is undeniable, but his contract stands as a major hurdle. A Thomas trade would lead to a $20MM cap charge in 2021, a hit that would be compounded by Drew Brees‘ potential $22.65MM hit. If Thomas gets traded and Brees retires, the Saints would be left with $42.65MM in dead money for two players that are not on the roster.
Thomas inked a massive five-year, $100MM extension in July of 2019 that made him the highest-paid receiver of all time. Lately, he’s been at odds with the team, including a Week 5 benching for an altercation with teammate Chauncey Gardner-Johnson during practice. He’s also been limited due to injuries, including a high ankle sprain and a hamstring issue.
All in all, Thomas has appeared in just one game for New Orleans this year, giving him a stat line of three catches for 17 yards. There’s still reason to believe that Thomas can duplicate last year’s production, though he won’t match the stat line. In 2019, Thomas finished with a single-season-record of 149 receptions to go along 1,725 receiving yards and nine touchdowns.
Browns’ Odell Beckham Jr. Done For Year
Odell Beckham Jr.’s season is over. The Browns star confirmed that he tore his ACL on Sunday against the Bengals (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Josina Anderson). 
Beckham is in his second season with the Browns, and he has yet to live up to expectations in Cleveland. He finished with 1,035 yards and four touchdowns last year, respectable numbers, but easily the worst in his career for a full season. His name has continuously popped up in trade rumors, with the team emphatically shooting down the latest round of speculation just a few weeks ago.
His production so far this season has been relatively disappointing, as the Browns have transitioned to a run-first offense that doesn’t have Mayfield chuck it too much. He didn’t top 81 yards in any of the seven games he’s played in, and outside of one three-touchdown outburst has been mostly quiet. After being forced out early from Sunday’s game, he’ll now be forced to put a lid on his season.
Cleveland traded first and third-round picks, as well as safety Jabrill Peppers and offensive lineman Kevin Zeitler for Beckham and pass-rusher Olivier Vernon back in March of 2019. Beckham is signed through the 2023 season, and there’s no easy escape hatch for the Browns. He’s set to earn $15.75MM in total compensation with $12.971MM guaranteed for injury. That’ll transition to a full guarantee if he’s on the roster the third day of the league year in the spring.
The Browns are 5-2, but they’ll have to forge ahead without their most talented offensive weapon. There should be more targets headed towards Jarvis Landry, Rashard Higgins, Donovan Peoples-Jones, and Taywan Taylor. The Browns may also look to install one of their practice squad receivers on the 53-man roster – either Ja’Marcus Bradley or Elijah Benton.
Torn ACL For Jaguars’ Dede Westbrook?
The Jaguars believe that wide receiver Dede Westbrook tore his ACL in Sunday night’s loss to the Chargers, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). Westbrook will know for sure on Monday morning after an MRI scan. 
Of course, a torn ACL would sideline Westbrook for the season. The Jaguars are hoping for something less severe, though it was an ugly scene, and Westbrook was in rough shape after he was carted off of the field. The injury occurred during a kickoff return towards the end of the third quarter, capping his day after four kickoff returns (with one lost fumble) and three punt returns.
The Oklahoma product had already missed time this year, playing in just two games to date. Previously, he recorded 66 grabs in both 2018 and 2019 for an average of 699 yards and four touchdowns per slate. Westbrook was hoping to get back into the offensive mix this year — instead, it sounds like he’ll have to direct his attention towards 2021.
After the 39-29 loss to the Chargers, the Jaguars are down to 1-6 on the year. After their bye, they’ll look for win No. 2 against the Texans in Houston.
Eagles To Place DeSean Jackson On IR
DeSean Jackson‘s Friday morning MRI confirmed the Eagles’ fears. The wide receiver’s ankle injury will rule him out indefinitely, leaving the Eagles no choice but to put him on injured reserve (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). 
The league’s modified rules for injured reserve allow players to return in as little as three weeks. Jackson is expected to miss more time than that, though he still has a chance to return before the season is through.
The Eagles were already keeping a watchful eye on Jackson’s condition as he was returning from a hamstring injury. Unfortunately, his leg twisted on an ill-fated punt return late in last night’s win over the Giants. It’s just the latest blow to an Eagles team that has had awful injury luck throughout the year – top targets Dallas Goedert, Zach Ertz, and Alshon Jeffery are also among those sidelined.
On the plus side, the Eagles got some good news on offensive tackle Lane Johnson. The veteran has been diagnosed with a Grade 1 MCL sprain, meaning that he’ll be able to return sooner rather than later. The time off will also allow him to recover from his previous ankle injury.