Browns’ Myles Garrett Suspended Indefinitely
The NFL has suspended Myles Garrett indefinitely for his actions on Thursday night. Garrett, at minimum, will be banned for the remainder of the 2019 season. The rest will be determined at a later time and will likely involve a lengthy process of hearings, meetings, and appeals. 
In addition to Garrett’s suspension, the league has also suspended Steelers offensive lineman Maurkice Pouncey for three games and Browns defensive lineman Larry Ogunjobi for one game. Garrett will not be paid during his ban and Ogunjobi and Pouncey have been fined.
In the waning moments of Thursday night’s win over the Steelers, Garrett ripped the helmet off of Mason Rudolph and smashed the Steelers quarterback in the head with it. The brutal incident could even have consequences beyond football. Rudolph’s agent says the QB’s camp will review the matter thoroughly and intimated that the matter could be taken to the legal system.
Garrett’s actions in the brawl were somewhat reminiscent of former Titans defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth’s actions years ago, when he stomped on the forehead of Cowboys center Andre Gurode with his cleats. Haynesworth got a five-game ban for that, but the league has stepped up its punishments for brawls and between-the-whistle violence recently. Vontaze Burfict, for example, was banned for the entire 2019 season after his latest safety violation.
Garrett, 23, was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 draft. On the field, he’s been mostly exceptional – he notched 13.5 sacks in 2018 en route to his first ever Pro Bowl nod and, through ten games this year, he has ten sacks. He will not record another sack in the 2019 season and it remains to be seen whether he’ll be permitted to play in 2020.
Antonio Callaway Loses Suspension Appeal
Former Browns wide receiver Antonio Callaway lost the appeal of his ten-game suspension, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). It’s a bad blow for Callaway, who is currently on waivers and was hoping to hook on with another team before the end of the season. 
Browns head coach Freddie Kitchens clashed with Callaway this year and the team ran out of patience with him on Thursday. The Browns cut the talented wideout, partially due to the suspension, but also for other reasons.
Callaway started the year with a four-game suspension for a substance abuse policy violation. Then, recently, the Browns learned that Callaway was facing a separate ten-game ban for a second violation. Despite his flashes of impressive play last year, the Browns were fed up.
Callaway is now up for grabs for the league’s other 31 teams. Any team claiming him would assume the remainder of his inexpensive rookie contract, which extends through 2021. Obviously, Callaway won’t be able to help any team until September 2020, but it’s possible that a non-contending team could roll the dice on him.
Meanwhile, Callaway claims his positive test came from a tainted CBD product (Twitter link). Unfortunately for him, the league’s drug policy is quite strict and insists that players know what they’re putting in their bodies.
Eagles’ Darren Sproles Done For Season
The Eagles announced that running back Darren Sproles is done for the season. The veteran suffered a partial tear of his right hip flexor against the Jets on Oct. 6 and, at some juncture, aggravated the injury further. 
Sproles went through four weeks of rehab after the initial injury against Gang Green and managed to play against the Bears on Nov. 3 after he was cleared. Later, doctors found that he had suffered a much more serious tear of the muscle.
Sproles, 36, re-signed with the Eagles in July. Despite his advanced age, he was hoping to return to his old form after losing the bulk of the 2018 season to a broken arm and a torn ACL. All the health issues left a bad taste in his mouth, and he didn’t want to go out like that.
“That’s my whole thing,” Sproles said over the summer. “I want a full year. I want to get up to top-four or top-five in all-purpose yards, like ever. Right now, I’m number six. If I would have played a full year last year, I’d be number four right now.”
Unfortunately, this latest injury could be the end of the line for the fan favorite. His 2019 season concludes with just 17 carries for 66 yards, plus six catches for 24 yards.
Over the course of 14 seasons with the Eagles, Saints, and Chargers, Sproles has earned three Pro Bowl trips with a strong 4.9 yards per carry average. He’s also been a remarkably effective pass-catcher – in his three seasons with the Saints, Sproles totaled 232 grabs for 1,981 yards and 16 touchdowns through the air.
Antonio Brown Completes NFL Interview
Antonio Brown‘s interview Thursday with NFL investigators went “as well as it could have,” a source briefed on the meeting told ESPN.com’s Dan Graziano (on Twitter). Brown, the source says, was open and forthcoming about his actions, while presenting his case well. 
[RELATED: Antonio Brown Not Expected To Play In 2019]
Brown is still awaiting discipline from the league and Graziano gets the sense that it will not come before Week 12 of the season. After that point, the league could theoretically hand Brown a suspension lengthy enough to keep him off the field for the remainder of the regular season, plus the playoffs.
For what it’s worth, Brown’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, continues to insist that Brown will suit up for an NFL team this year.
“I’m confident Antonio will play again this season. I believe the NFL should clear him after they interview him this week and I expect he will be signed shortly after that,” Rosenhaus said recently.
Meanwhile, Brown is battling for nearly $40MM in lost wages from the Patriots and Raiders and facing a lawsuit filed by one of his accusers, Britney Taylor. Even if Brown does not return to the field in 2019, he’ll have a busy schedule over the next few moths.
Browns’ Morgan Burnett Done For Year?
Browns safety Morgan Burnett is believed to have suffered a torn Achilles in Thursday night’s win over the Steelers, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter) hears. He will have an MRI today to confirm, but it is expected that he will be ruled out for the rest of the season.
Before the injury, Burnett logged five tackles and an interception against his old friends in Pittsburgh. After being relegated to a part-time role in his one Steelers season, Burnett has been a full-time starter in Cleveland.
For the year, Burnett has 41 tackles, two sacks, and the aforementioned INT. Currently in his tenth year, the injury leaves his NFL future in a bit of limbo.
Burnett inked a two-year, $7.5MM deal with the Browns in April, which theoretically keeps him under contract through next season. However, the Browns could release Burnett and save $3.5MM against just $1.325MM in dead money.
To date, Burnett has made 121 career appearances (including 112 starts) for the Packers, Steelers, and Browns.
Latest On Colin Kaepernick’s NFL Workout
On Thursday, the NFL confirmed eleven teams that will attend Colin Kaepernick‘s weekend workout. The Broncos, Browns, Buccaneers, Cardinals, Dolphins, Falcons, Giants, Jets, Lions, Patriots, and Redskins will all have representatives in Atlanta to scout the quarterback, but many more teams are expected to take part. 
Kaepernick’s old friends, the 49ers, will be on hand, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports hears. Ditto for the Seahawks, the only organization to audition Kaepernick since he became a free agent (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Brady Henderson).
It would be a shock to see Kaepernick reunite with the 49ers, but stranger things have happened in sports. At minimum, they’re willing to take a look at Kaep to see what kind of shape he is in after a long hiatus from football. It’s worth noting that the Niners did not consider Kaepernick last season when Jimmy Garoppolo went down with a season-ending knee injury. Instead, they tried out the likes of Tom Savage, Kellen Clemens, and T.J. Yates.
The NFL still hasn’t disclosed why they’ve decided to hold this one-man combine for Kaepernick, nor have they explained the reasoning behind the timing. It has been speculated that the league office set up the audition in response to interest from NFL clubs, though those mystery teams are reportedly eyeing Kaepernick as an potential 2020 pickup rather than for the current season.
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/14/19
Today’s minor moves:
Minnesota Vikings
- Promoted from practice squad: T Aviante Collins
- Placed on injured reserve: C Brett Jones
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: LB Jayrone Elliott
- Promoted from practice squad: WR Tevin Jones
- Placed on IR: WR Ryan Switzer, FB Roosevelt Nix
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/14/19
Today’s practice squad updates:
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: DE Ufomba Kamalu
- Released: OL Marcus Applefield
Indianapolis Colts
- Waived from PS-IR: RB Bruce Anderson
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: DB Adonis Alexander
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: C John Keenoy
Chargers Designate Adrian Phillips For Return
Adrian Phillips is on his way back to the Bolts. On Thursday, the Chargers designated the safety for return from the injured reserve list. 
Phillips suffered a broken forearm in a September loss to the Lions, knocking him out of action. The Chargers have remained optimistic about his chances to return this year, however, and he’s primed to do just that. The sixth-year pro now has a three-week window to practice and get ready to play. If the Chargers do not activate him within that timeframe, he will not be eligible to play this year.
Phillips earned his first career Pro Bowl nod last year, and the Bolts were excited to see what the hybrid safety/linebacker could do in 2019. Instead, they’ve had to get by without him and other key defenders which has led to some mixed results. The Chargers managed back-to-back wins against the Bears and Packers recently, but Thursday night’s loss to the Raiders has them at 4-6 and on the verge of falling out of the playoff chase.
Things won’t get much easier for the Chargers – they’ll face the Chiefs on Monday night in Mexico City and quarterback Patrick Mahomes says he’s feeling better than he has all season.
Browns Release WR Antonio Callaway
The Browns have released wide receiver Antonio Callaway, per a club announcement. Meanwhile, Callaway is facing, and appealing, a ten-game suspension for another violation of the NFL’s substance abuse policy, sources tell NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). While that’s a major factor in the team’s decision to cut him, Rapoport hears that it is not the only reason the team waived him.
The Browns drafted Callaway in the fourth round of the 2018 draft, opting to roll the dice on an extremely talented player who had multiple red flags off the field. At times, that talent has shown. Last year, he clicked with Baker Mayfield and finished out with 43 catches for 586 yards and five touchdowns. This year, however, his off-the-field problems reappeared – the NFL suspended Callaway for the first four games of the year after violating the substance abuse policy and he’s now looking at an additional ten-game ban.
The Browns benched Callaway against the Bills on Sunday for reasons that head coach Freddie Kitchens did not disclose. Days later, Callaway is out of a job. Per league rules, he’ll hit the waiver wire as a post-trade deadline cut. In his four games this year, Callaway registered eight catches off of 15 targets for 89 yards and zero TDs.
In a related move, the Browns have activated offensive lineman Drew Forbes. Forbes, a sixth-round pick, is now set to debut after recovering from a knee injury suffered late in the offseason.