NFL Expected To Interview Marquise Brown
The unnamed player present when Antonio Brown committed an alleged sexual assault was Ravens rookie Marquise Brown, the cousin of the Patriots’ All-Pro receiver, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports. The younger Brown is expected to be interviewed as part of the NFL’s investigation into Britney Taylor’s allegations against Antonio Brown.
Marquise Brown does not face any accusations, but he is the player that was present during one of his cousin’s alleged assaults perpetrated against Taylor in May 2018. Marquise Brown is expected to support his cousin’s stance that no such act occurred, Florio adds. Taylor was scheduled to meet with the NFL on Monday.
“That’s not going to be a distraction,” John Harbaugh said, via Jamison Hensley of ESPN (on Twitter). “Believe me, it’s the last thing on my mind right now. My focus is on football. If it comes to that, if there is something that needs to be done that way, we have people in the building who look at those things. If they do and I need to be involved in it, I certainly will be.”
Antonio Brown denied Taylor’s allegations and was not placed on the commissioner’s exempt list in advance of Sunday’s game in Miami. With this being a civil matter, the NFL was under no obligation to go in that direction. However, the scope of this situation may change this week after the respective testimonies of Taylor and Marquise Brown. It is not yet known when the latter will speak with the league on this matter.
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/14/19
Here are Saturday’s minor moves:
Baltimore Ravens
- Promoted from practice squad: CB Maurice Canady
- Waived: T Greg Senat
Dallas Cowboys
- Promoted from practice squad: WR Cedrick Wilson
- Waived: LB Chris Covington
Denver Broncos
- Promoted from practice squad: T Jake Rodgers
- Waived: OL Corey Levin
Los Angeles Chargers
- Promoted from practice squad: WR Andre Patton
- Waived: LB Chris Peace
Minnesota Vikings
- Promoted from practice squad: LB Devante Downs
- Waived: CB Mark Fields
San Francisco 49ers
- Promoted from practice squad: RB Jeff Wilson
- Waived: TE Kaden Smith
Washington Redskins
- Promoted from practice squad: WR Robert Davis
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.
Notable NFL Practice Squad Salaries
Playing on an NFL practice squad isn’t a bad gig. You work with a club’s 53-man roster every week, have a good chance to get called up if/when injuries strike, and collect a solid paycheck ($8K per week minimum). And for some practice squaders, the pay can get even better.
While all practice squad salaries count towards the salary cap, there’s no restriction on how much a team can pay a practice squad player. When a club desperately wants to retain a player but can’t fit him on its 53, they’ll often bump up his salary in an effort to keep him around. Here’s a look at several players who are earning much more than the NFL’s $8K per week standard, via Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (Twitter link):
- 49ers LB Elijah Lee ($37,941)
- 49ers S Marcell Harris ($30K)
- Ravens CB Maurice Canady ($26K)
- Jets RB Josh Adams ($25K)
- Jets OL Calvin Anderson ($20K)
- Eagles OL Sua Opeta ($20K)
- Broncos QB Brett Rypien ($20K)
- Eagles QB Kyle Lauletta ($20K)
- Dolphins QB Jake Rudock ($20K)
- Colts OL Jackson Barton ($20K)
The 49ers clearly have no problem with spending a little extra on practice squad players, as both Lee and Harris are earning at least $22K more than the league PS minimum. Lee’s been with San Francisco since 2017 and started five games for the club last season, but the 49ers’ front seven depth is keeping him on the taxi squad for now. Harris, too, was a part-time starter for San Francisco in 2018.
The quarterbacks on the list are also interesting. Rypien has been deemed Broncos’ offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello‘s “project” and could be called up to the active roster at some point given that Denver is only carrying two quarterbacks in Joe Flacco and Brandon Allen (rookie second-rounder Drew Lock is on injured reserve). And the rebuilding Dolphins seem intent on hanging onto Rudock, who spent the first three seasons of his career with the Lions.
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/10/19
Baltimore Ravens
- Waived from IR: LB Alvin Jones
Houston Texans
- Promoted from practice squad: QB Alex McGough
- Waived: CB Cornell Armstrong
Kansas City Chiefs
- Waived: WR Byron Pringle
Los Angeles Rams
- Waived/injured: DB Dominique Hatfield, C Aaron Neary, LB Trevon Young
Minnesota Vikings
- Waived: TE Brandon Dillon
New Orleans Saints
- Waived: DL Mitchell Loewen
Philadelphia Eagles
- Waived: TE Alex Ellis
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: OLB Jayrone Elliott
Seattle Seahawks
- Waived: CB Parry Nickerson
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: S Andrew Adams
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: OL Hroniss Grasu
- Waived: RB Dalyn Dawkins
Washington Redskins
- Signed: DL T.Y. McGill, CB Simeon Thomas
- Waived: TE J.P. Holtz
- Waived/injured: CB Greg Stroman
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/10/19
Today’s practice squad moves will be posted here:
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: RB Mark Thompson, CB Terrell Bonds
- Released: WR Sean Modster, LB Donald Payne
Los Angeles Chargers
- Released: DB Kemon Hall
Miami Dolphins
- Released: OT Zach Sterup
New York Jets
- Signed: LB James Burgess, OL Ben Braden
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: QB Devlin Hodges
Washington Redskins
- Released: LB Darrell Williams
Jimmy Smith To Miss Time With MCL Injury
The Ravens did not come out of their third straight Week 1 blowout win unscathed. Jimmy Smith will miss some time because of a knee injury.
Smith suffered a grade 2 MCL sprain, John Harbaugh confirmed Monday (Twitter link via The Athletic’s Jeff Zreibec). Harbaugh indicated the veteran cornerback will miss multiple weeks and noted the possibility of an IR-return stay exists. However, the 12th-year Ravens coach did not view that as the probable course of action.
This will mark the fourth straight season in which Smith will have missed time. He missed five games in 2016 and four in both 2017 and ’18, with the latter absence caused by a suspension. He has started 79 games for the Ravens since they selected him in the 2011 first round. Smith, 31, loomed as a cut candidate this offseason, but the Ravens opted to keep him for another year.
Baltimore boasts some depth at cornerback, despite losing Tavon Young for the season. Brandon Carr, second-year player Anthony Averett, ex-Cardinal Justin Bethel and return man Cyrus Jones reside on the Ravens’ roster. The Ravens face the Cardinals, Chiefs and Browns over the next three weeks.
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/6/19
Here are Friday’s minor moves:
Baltimore Ravens
- Released from IR via injury settlement: RB Kenneth Dixon
New York Giants
- Released: LB Nathan Stupar
Philadelphia Eagles
- Promoted from practice squad: TE Alex Ellis
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Released from IR via injury settlement: WR Cortrelle Simpson
NFL Cap Space By Team For 2019
With hours to go before the start of the 2019 NFL season, here’s a rundown of how much cap room each NFL team has (via ESPN.com’s Field Yates, on Twitter):
- Indianapolis Colts – $42.1MM
- Cleveland Browns – $32.7MM
- Miami Dolphins – $31.9MM
- Houston Texans – $29.5MM
- Buffalo Bills – $24.8MM
- Tennessee Titans – $24.1MM
- Dallas Cowboys – $22.3MM
- Detroit Lions – $19.2MM
- San Francisco 49ers – $18.7MM
- Chicago Bears – $17.3MM
- Carolina Panthers – $16.6MM
- Washington Redskins – $15.9MM
- Philadelphia Eagles – $14.8MM
- Cincinnati Bengals – $13.3MM
- Kansas City Chiefs – $12.4MM
- Oakland Raiders – $12MM
- Denver Broncos – $11.2MM
- Green Bay Packers – $10.8MM
- Los Angeles Chargers – $10.2MM
- Jacksonville Jaguars – $9.5MM
- New York Jets – $9.3MM
- Seattle Seahawks – $8.6MM
- Baltimore Ravens – $8.2MM
- Pittsburgh Steelers – $6.3MM
- New England Patriots – $4.9MM
- Arizona Cardinals – $2.7MM
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers – $1.2MM
- Minnesota Vikings – $1.2MM
- Los Angeles Rams – $852K
- New Orleans Saints – $604K
- Atlanta Falcons – $493K
- New York Giants – $457K
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/3/19
Here are Tuesday’s practice squad decisions:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: TE Carson Meier
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: QB Kyle Sloter
- Re-signed: OLB Pete Robertson
- Released: CB Nate Brooks, OLB Vontarrius Dora
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: DT Trevon Coley
- Released: OL Marcus Applefield
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: C Brad Lundblade
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: LB Hardy Nickerson
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: TE Jordan Leggett, DL Pat O’Connor
- Released: RB Bruce Anderson