Former Broncos, Texans QB Brock Osweiler Retires
That’s a wrap for Brock Osweiler. On Wednesday, Osweiler retired as an NFL player, as Mike Klis of 9News writes. 
“I’m extremely grateful for the time I did receive playing in the National Football League,’’ Osweiler said. “The experiences I did have, people I did meet, relationships I did make — I’m not going to dwell on the things that didn’t happen in my career. Being a kid from Kalispell, Montana, playing for the Denver Broncos, winning a Super Bowl, having the opportunity to sign a second contract – when you look back on it, I couldn’t be more appreciative. It was great.”
Osweiler will be best remembered for his work in the latter half of the 2015 season as a fill-in for Peyton Manning. Thanks to his 5-2 record, the Broncos were able to finish out as divisional champs and eventually go on to win Super Bowl 50.
“Brock was a great teammate,’’ Chris Harris Jr. said to Klis. “He was so huge for us in our Super Bowl run with how well he played when Peyton was injured. There is no way we get to that Super Bowl without Brock.’’
Manning eventually took the job back and Osweiler moved on to the Texans, who gave him a four-year, $72MM deal. Things didn’t go Osweiler’s way in Houston, or in his brief stint with Browns, or in his second Broncos run. Still, he walks away from the game with a Super Bowl ring, lots of money, and enough stories to last ten lifetimes.
“There were so many learning moments throughout that year,’’ he said of the Super Bowl season. “Don’t get me wrong, there were hard, trying moments. But the lessons I learned coming out of the season is something I wouldn’t trade for anything. I’ve always been a glass half-full guy. The things I will take from that season is I made relationships that will last the rest of my life. I had tremendous teammates. We won a division championship and we won a playoff game.’’
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/16/19
Today’s practice squad moves:
Detroit Lions
- Signed: WR Tom Kennedy
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: RB Damarea Crockett, CB Tremon Smith
- Cut: TE Ethan Wolf
Houston Texans
- Signed: OT Kyle Murphy
- Cut: C Marcus Henry
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: RB Derrick Gore
- Cut: RB Detrez Newsome, OT Tyree St. Louis
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: DB Jayson Stanley
New York Jets
- Signed: LB Frankie Luvu
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: C Keegan Render
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: WR Deontay Burnett
- Cut: WR Malik Henry
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: C Anthony Fabiano, WR Ishmael Hyman, RB Aca’Cedric Ware
Washington Redskins
- Signed: RB Josh Ferguson
Raiders’ Trent Brown Accused Of Assault
Raiders offensive tackle Trent Brown has been accused of domestic violence by girlfriend Diorra Marzette-Sanders in a lawsuit, according to ESPN.com. Marzette-Sanders says she’s been “bruised, bloodied and battered” by the veteran NFL player on multiple occasions.
Brown, meanwhile, denied the allegations in a statement:
“I am aware that my ex-girlfriend has filed a civil suit against me. I deny the claims. They are false. I believe in the court system where I will clear my name. I will not be making any further comment at this time.”
A police report was filed following a June 2019 in which Marzette-Sanders says she was bruised by Brown. Based on that attack, and others dating back to 2018, she says she lived in fear of the 26-year-old.
Brown joined the Raiders on a four-year, $66MM deal this past offseason. To date, he’s started in all five of the Raiders’ 2019 games.
Packers Sign WR Ryan Grant
The Packers have signed veteran wide receiver Ryan Grant, as Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. To make room, they waived running back Tra Carson. 
Grant, 29 in December, caught just four passes for just 14 yards with Oakland this season. However, he snagged 35 passes for 334 yards with the Colts in 2018. The Raiders released Grant in late September and he worked out for the Patriots and Vikings before landing in Green Bay.
Carson, 27 next week, was promoted from the taxi squad just recently. He saw a grand total of six carries and rushed for just 14 yards with the Packers.
After edging out the Lions on Monday night, the Packers will face the Raiders – Grant’s former team – on Sunday afternoon.
Saints Sign RB Zach Zenner
The Saints have signed running back Zach Zenner, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. He’ll serve as insurance in case Alvin Kamara‘s ankle keeps him from seeing the field this week. 
To make room, the Saints have dropped linebacker Stephone Anthony, their one-time first-round pick who returned this season. It’s possible that Anthony will return in the not-too-distant future, but for now, the Saints need the firepower in the backfield.
Zenner spent time with quarterbacks coach Joe Lombardi while in Detroit, so it might not take him long to get acclimated in New Orleans. It’s also possible the Saints won’t need much from him on Sunday against the Cardinals if Kamara is able to suit up.
Torn Achilles For Seahawks’ Will Dissly
Will Dissly‘s season is over. The Seahawks tight end has been diagnosed with a torn Achilles, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). 
This, unfortunately, was the expected news after Dissly was forced out of Sunday’s game. Before that, Dissly had 23 catches for 262 yards and four touchdowns in six games. The 2018 fourth-round draft pick flashed in the first few games last season, and was starting to break out again this year, so it’s frustrating on a number of levels for him and the Seahawks.
With veteran tight end Ed Dickson on IR, the Seahawks will be moving ahead with Luke Willson as their starter. They also traded for former Patriot Jacob Hollister earlier this year and recently promoted him from the practice squad yesterday, so he figures to be in the mix as well.
Rams Place John Johnson On IR
Rams safety John Johnson has been placed on IR with a shoulder injury, the club announced. Johnson went down in the Rams’ loss to the 49ers and testing revealed that he’ll need a long while to recover. 
Johnson ranks as one of the best young safeties in the game, so this is unwelcome news for the Rams. At the same time, this probably helps to explain their recent shakeup, which sent corner Marcus Peters to the Ravens while bringing in former Jaguars star Jalen Ramsey.
Johnson tallied four interceptions and eleven pass breakups last year, solidifying his status as one of the best at his position. Through six games this year, he had 51 stops and two picks.
Without Johnson, the Rams will likely promote Marqui Christian to the starting lineup.
Bengals’ Darqueze Dennard Returns To Practice
Darqueze Dennard took a step towards stepping back on the field. On Wednesday, the cornerback was cleared to resume practicing with the Bengals. 
Dennard hopes to return from the left knee injury that landed him on the PUP list. From here, the Bengals have 21 days to use him in practice, without having him count against the 53-man roster limit.
Dennard, a sixth-year pro, has played in 68 games for the Bengals since being selected in the first round of the 2014 draft. In that span, he has 214 tackles, three interceptions, three sacks, 17 passes defenses, two forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery to his credit.
The Bengals are 0-6 heading into this week’s game against the Jalen Ramsey-less Jaguars.
Dolphins Revert To Ryan Fitzpatrick
One week ago, Dolphins coach Brian Flores said Josh Rosen would be his starting quarterback for the rest of the season. On Sunday, he had a change of heart midway through and went with Ryan Fitzpatrick. On Wednesday, Flores announced that Fitzpatrick will lead the charge the rest of the way. 
That’s not quite in line with the “rest of the season” vow made to Rosen, but then again, the Dolphins’ season is more or less over here in October. On the plus side – the Dolphins showed serious signs of life on Sunday against the Redskins and nearly came from behind to win with Fitzpatrick under center.
After a few days of evaluating in practice, Flores says Fitz will be his guy. Or, at least, he’ll be Flores’ QB against the Bills on Sunday. What happens after that is TBD.
If it’s any consolation to Rosen – even under the best of circumstances, the Dolphins were, and are, still planning to take a quarterback in the first round of the 2020 draft.
Giants’ Sam Beal Designated For Return
The Giants announced that they have designated Sam Beal for return. The cornerback may now be weeks away from making his long-awaited NFL debut. 
The Giants took Beal in the third round of the 2018 Supplemental Draft, but he was forced to redshirt his rookie year after shoulder surgery. There was some talk that Beal could start in 2019, but a hamstring issue cost him most of training camp and the entire preseason and the club was forced to place him on injured reserve in September.
Fun fact: Beal was only the third supplemental draft player ever selected by the Giants in franchise history. In July of 2018, he joined quarterback Dave Brown (first round, 1992) and cornerback Tito Wooten (fourth round, 1994) in the record books.
The 6’1″ cornerback ran a 4.47-second 40-yard-dash leading up the draft and the Giants are itching to see what the athletic defensive back can do in live action.