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Significant Ban Expected For Browns’ Deshaun Watson On Appeal; NFL Trying To Keep QB Off Field In Preseason

August 10th, 2022 at 3:29pm CST by Sam Robinson

3:29pm: Barring an indefinite suspension that takes Watson off the field immediately, the Browns announced they do plan to start their big-ticket acquisition Friday.

12:50pm: Roger Goodell took a public stance on the Deshaun Watson matter, saying disciplinary officer Sue Robinson’s report indicated the Browns quarterback committed multiple violations of the NFL’s personal conduct policy. Appeals appointee Peter Harvey’s ruling could well come down week, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com notes.

With Robinson determining Watson violated the policy, the NFL appealed. The league’s appeal is expected to produce a much longer ban than six games. One league source called it a “slam dunk” Harvey will enforce the league’s preferred one-year ban, Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com notes, and others would be surprised if the sixth-year QB’s ban is not significantly lengthened.

“We’ve seen the evidence,” Goodell said, via ESPN.com’s Jeff Legwold. “[Robinson] was very clear about the evidence, should we enforce the evidence. That there was multiple violations here, and they were egregious, and it was predatory behavior.”

The league is trying to move on this appeal ruling before the Browns begin their preseason slate, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, who tweets the NFL has indeed asked for an indefinite suspension that keeps the controversial QB off the field for Cleveland’s preseason as well. The NFLPA said a ruling Friday could indeed shelve Watson for the Browns’ preseason opener against the Jaguars.

Preseason competition is not exactly consequential in this grand scheme, but the league would avoid additional PR backlash by keeping Watson sidelined before his suspension starts. If a suspension does not prevent it, the Browns would like to give Watson some game action Friday, cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot tweets.

Watson, who has not taken the field since Week 17 of the 2020 season, cannot return to action until at least Week 7 of this season. The NFLPA not appealing Robinson’s decision takes Watson off the field for the Browns’ first six games. This matter becoming a courtroom drama — which is the expectation — would only affect Watson’s availability for Week 7 and beyond.

The sides have discussed a settlement off and on for several weeks, but Peter King of NBC Sports adds a resolution between the NFL and NFLPA before Harvey’s ruling is unlikely. A union move to settle would make more sense at this point, with the league having a clear opportunity to see its long-held hope — a 17-game ban — come to fruition via Harvey. Absent a full-season suspension, the NFL has sought a heavy fine — in the $8MM range — that helps account for the wildly unpopular contract the Browns authorized.

The contract structure has not only irked the NFL, but King adds the deal, which dropped Watson’s 2022 base salary to the league minimum to protect him against a suspension, has not sat well with the other 31 teams as well. Multiple owners also expressed to ESPN.com’s Ed Werder that Robinson’s ruling was too light (Twitter link). If Harvey’s suspension sidelines Watson throughout the 2022 season, his contract tolls to 2023. The QB’s deal would, then, run from 2023-27. Watson playing in 2022 keeps him signed through 2026.

Browns WR Jakeem Grant Tears Achilles

August 10th, 2022 at 9:42am CST by Adam La Rose

AUGUST 10: Grant’s MRI confirmed the team’s fears. The former Pro Bowl return man will miss the 2022 season, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

AUGUST 9: The Browns have been dealt a significant blow in their receiving corps, but also the return game. Jakeem Grant is suspected to have suffered a torn Achilles, per ESPN’s Jake Trotter (Twitter link). 

Grant, 29, has only totaled 100 receptions during his six-year career. He is best known for his effectiveness as a returner, something which earned him a significant free agent deal this offseason. Cleveland signed him to a three-year contract with a maximum value of nearly $14MM. The first campaign on that pact appears to be over before it began.

A sixth-round pick of the Dolphins, Grant registered over 1,000 all-purpose yards in 2018. That campaign included a 102-yard kick return, which was the longest in the league. He scored the only KR major the following year, and has maintained a carer average of 24.5 yards per runback on kickoffs, and over 10 yards per punt return.

A two-time Second-Team All-Pro member for his dynamic special teams play, the Texas Tech alum also received his first Pro Bowl nod last season, one which was split between the Dolphins and Bears. After his October trade to the Windy City, Grant saw a notable bump in offensive playing time, something which was likely to continue during his Browns tenure.

Cleveland has a new No. 1 wideout in Amari Cooper, but little else in the way of established veterans in their pass-catching corps. The release of Jarvis Landry opened up a starting role in the slot, which the five-foot-seven Grant was working towards earning during training camp. At a minimum, he faced the opportunity to improve upon his 29-catch, 330-yard performance in 2020, which was a career-high.

More testing will be done to confirm the injury, but Grant is likely to be sidelined for the 2022 season. In his absence, the Browns will move forward with the likes of Cooper, Donovan Peoples-Jones, Anthony Schwartz and third-round rookie David Bell in their wideout room. The team has ample cap space, so a deal to bring in a higher-profile receiver like Odell Beckham Jr. remains financially possible, but a reunion has long been considered unlikely. In addition, the Browns now need to find a replacement in their return game.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/9/22

August 9th, 2022 at 8:56pm CST by Adam La Rose

Today’s minor moves around the NFL:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

  • Placed on IR: DL Bryce Rodgers

Cleveland Browns

Indianapolis Colts

  • Released via injury settlement: WR John Hurst

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

  • Signed: OL Chris Glaser
  • Released: DE Hamilcar Rashed and OL Parker Ferguson

Pittsburgh Steelers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Perry’s interesting post-draft NFL journey continues. Initially slated to join the Eagles as a UDFA, he ended up signing with the Jaguars days later. Then, in July, he was waived (with an injury designation) to make room for Sloter’s addition. Perry has obviously recovered, as the two have now swapped placed once more.

Fenton was one of four Chiefs placed on the PUP list at the start of training camp. That came as little surprise at the time, but his return to practice will be a welcomed sight in Kansas City’s secondary. NFL Network’s James Palmer tweets that Fenton’s preseason availability remains a question mark, but that he is still expected to be fully recovered in time for the regular season.

Jackson was a fifth-round pick in this year’s draft at a position which has been in flux throughout the offseason in New Orleans. The 24-year-old had a highly productive final season in particular at Appalachian State, posting 119 tackles, 20 TFLs and six sacks. He will now have to wait until 2023 to carve out a depth role in the middle of the Saints’ defense.

Browns RB Kareem Hunt Requests Trade

August 7th, 2022 at 9:00am CST by Ely Allen

Aug. 7: It sounds as if Hunt has made a formal trade request, per Cabot. As expected, the Browns maintain that they have no intention of honoring that request. Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports believes this situation could end with a pay increase for Hunt (Twitter link), and Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com says Hunt would have trade value if Cleveland does choose to explore that option (Twitter link). Per Fowler, some evaluators consider Hunt a top-10 RB talent.

Aug. 6: There have been questions concerning running back Kareem Hunt‘s future with the Browns going into a contract year dating back to the early months of the offseason. It didn’t initially seem like there was any drama as both parties were taking a bit of a lackadaisical approach to negotiations that seemed inevitable, but now, with the regular season breathing down his neck, Hunt appears to be acting more boldly. Hunt sat out of team drills for the second consecutive practice today, according to Josina Anderson of CBS Sports, telling the Browns he only plans on participating in individual drills. 

Reports in May described the contract situation as up in the air, positing that, if the two parties failed to deal with negotiations before camp, it would likely decrease the odds of Hunt staying in Cleveland past this year. Only a week later, further reports claimed that, despite the lack of certainty concerning his future, Hunt was “still very much in the Browns’ plans for this season,” saying that the team had no plans of dealing or releasing Hunt due to the lack of substantive extension negotiations.

It took a couple more weeks before Hunt finally voiced his opinion that he wanted to re-sign with the Browns, desiring an extension but choosing to take things “day by day” in mid-June. Upon reaching full health soon after, Hunt made further comments toward his contract situation.

“I hope I get paid,” Hunt said. “So you know, whatever they decide, they know I’m going to come out there and give it my all and I’ll do whatever I can to help the team win.”

That apparently only applies to the regular season, considering Hunt’s new preseason plans. The two recent “partial hold-ins” were “the first time since training camp that Hunt didn’t participate” in team drills. Cleveland is able to, and likely will, subject him to fines for his lack of participation.

Hunt’s agent was reportedly at the Browns’ facility earlier this week, presumably to work on a potential new deal for the 27-year-old. According to Anderson, members of the team have said that “he wants to get paid or traded.” The belief is that he would truly prefer to remain in Cleveland, he just wants to be paid what he’s worth.

The Browns were fine slow-playing a new deal for Hunt after he missed nine games last year between injuries and COVID-19. Because of the missed time and how the second year of his contract is set up, it made sense that Cleveland would be okay allowing Hunt to play out his contract year and revisit a new contract after the season. They seemed to be taking their lead from Hunt, but now, with Hunt’s new decision to be more vocal about his desires, they’re in the uncomfortable position of having to deal with negotiations in the weeks leading up to the regular season.

As a native of Willoughby, OH, Hunt made it known recently that he would like to eventually end his career in Cleveland, according to Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com. Unfortunately for Hunt, he doesn’t hold much leverage. A plethora of running backs who can contribute and a contract that doesn’t much penalize the team for waiting stacks the deck against Hunt.

Hunt is expected to be the Browns’ No.2 running back behind star running back Nick Chubb. D’Ernest Johnson and Demetric Felton both had opportunities to show their stuff in Hunt’s absence last year, and rookie fifth-round pick Jerome Ford has shown some serious potential coming into the league. The combination of contributing running backs has the potential to make Hunt redundant, especially if he decides to continue holding out.

Hunt certainly has the talent to be a starting running back in this league, as displayed during his rookie year in Kansas City, and he likely wants to get paid like it. Unfortunately, the situation is against him, so he’s taken to drastic measures in order to try to achieve his means. With the first preseason game for Cleveland six days away and the regular season starting in just over a month, time is running out for the two parties to come to terms.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/6/22

August 6th, 2022 at 7:00pm CST by Adam La Rose

Today’s minor moves around the league:

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Jacksonville Jaguars

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

Washington Commanders

  • Activated from reserve/retired list: LB Tre Walker

Weatherly was in line for a rotational role with the Browns this season behind entrenched starters Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney. The 28-year-old was coming off of a sack-less campaign with the Vikings last year, but has 73 games and 17 starts on his NFL resume. In his absence, the Browns will depend not only on another mostly healthy season for Clowney, but also third-round rookie Alex Wright and recent USFL signing Chris Odom in the edge rush department.

Just yesterday, Walker surprisingly ended his NFL career before it began, briefly becoming the second young Commander this offseason to hand up his cleats unexpectedly. Hours later, however, the UDFA changed his mind and asked to be reinstated. Having signed him to his rookie contract, Washington held the rights to the San Jose State alum and were free to bring him back into the fold. He will once again look to make the team’s roster – something he has a decent chance at, given the lack of proven options Washington has down the depth chart at ILB.

NFLPA Responds To NFL’s Deshaun Watson Appeal

August 5th, 2022 at 10:20pm CST by Sam Robinson

The NFLPA had two business days to file a brief responding to the NFL’s Deshaun Watson appeal. The union has, as expected, followed through on filing a reply brief (Twitter link).

This matter now goes to appellate appointee Peter Harvey, whom Roger Goodell designated to hear the league’s appeal. Harvey helped the NFL craft its personal conduct policy, and the fact Goodell has selected him to hear its appeal of Watson’s six-game suspension suggests the league is confident more games will be tacked onto the Browns quarterback’s ban.

That taking place puts the NFLPA in a spot in which a court battle seems likely. Since the union did not appeal Sue Robinson’s six-game ban, Watson will miss this season’s first six games. However, a court fight could have him on the field immediately after. A preliminary injunction, as courts deal with this matter, would put Watson in position to play and — assuming the league’s CBA holds up in court — serve two separate suspensions. Or, the union’s legal effort fails ahead of that Week 7 window and Watson serves a longer suspension that covers most or all of the 2022 season. Tom Brady and Ezekiel Elliott played under injunctions, but each served the Goodell-determined suspensions at later dates.

The NFL is again seeking a full-season suspension, its goal for the past several weeks. Robinson ruling Watson violated the league’s personal conduct policy by committing sexual assault during massage therapy sessions gives Harvey the power to increase his suspension. Absent a full-season suspension, the league wants to substantially increase Watson’s fine. The Browns structuring of Watson’s contract, giving the former Texans Pro Bowler a league-minimum salary to minimize his financial punishment in the event of a suspension, has not sat well with the NFL.

Settlement talks between the NFL and NFLPA have occurred periodically, and more clarity has emerged on what each side was willing to accept. The NFLPA spent weeks arguing Watson should not be suspended at all, but Dan Graziano of ESPN.com reports the union was willing to accept an eight-game ban. The shortest absence the NFL was willing to allow was 12 games. If the 12-game suspension was to be put in place via a settlement, Graziano adds the NFL also wanted Watson fined in the $8MM range.

Watson’s camp was not willing to go along with the NFL’s push for an indefinite suspension, per Mike Garafolo of NFL.com, who describes that component as a lead driver in breaking off the settlement talks (video link). As it stands now, Watson is set to lose less than $500K from his six-game ban. A full-season absence would only cost him his $1MM base salary.

This process, which involved 25 civil lawsuits filed against the recently traded quarterback, will be designed to conclude expeditiously, ESPN.com’s Jeff Darlington relays (on Twitter). No additional hearings are forthcoming, only Harvey’s decision. After that, it could spill over into court. The Browns are set to give their starting job to Jacoby Brissett during Watson’s absence, with Josh Dobbs and Josh Rosen serving as reserve options.

Bears, Browns Sign Two Former USFL Stars

August 5th, 2022 at 10:09pm CST by Ely Allen

Two star defenders from the 2022 United States Football League’s inaugural season signed NFL contracts today. DeMarquis Gates, considered one of the top linebackers in the USFL this spring, has signed with the Bears, according to Matt Lombardo of Heavy Sports. Edge rusher Chris Odom, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year for the USFL, signed today with the Browns, according to Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network.

Gates has dipped his toe in the NFL before, spending offseason or practice squad time with Cleveland, Washington, and Minnesota. In between all of those stints and now, Gates played in the Alliance of American Football in 2019, the XFL in 2020, and the Canadian Football League in 2021, before dominating in the USFL this past spring. His persistence in sticking with professional football no matter the league could pay off with his newest NFL opportunity.

The Bears cupboard is fairly thin at linebacker behind Roquan Smith after losing Alec Ogletree to free agency and trading away Khalil Mack. Chicago responded to the losses by bringing former Raiders linebacker Nicholas Morrow and former Colts linebacker Matthew Adams. Neither have extensive full-time starting experience and Morrow, who has the greater amount of starting experience, didn’t play at all in 2021 due to a foot injury. If Gates can impress in the preseason, not only could he snag a roster spot, he could earn a key role on the Bears’ defense.

After earning the Defensive Player of the Year award for the USFL this spring, Odom has been auditioning all over the NFL, taking workouts with the Bengals, Cardinals, Chiefs, Saints, and Texans, before eventually acing the workout with the Browns. Odom has a bit more NFL experience, racking up 16 tackles in 11 games played. Odom spent offseason and practice squad time with the Falcons in 2017 and 2019, getting waived after both stints and finding his way to NFL action immediately after both times. In 2017, Odom signed with the Packers and got six tackles over seven games. In 2019, Odom signed with Washington and got 10 tackles and 2.0 sacks in just four games. In between those opportunities, Odom spent time in the AAF in 2018 and the CFL in 2021 before dominating USFL offenses. Odom, like Gates, is now being given an opportunity to be a golden example of what happens when you don’t give up on your NFL dreams.

Cleveland famously has two of the league’s better pass rushers in Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney. The two combined for over half of the Browns’ sacks last year with 25.0. The depth behind Garrett and Clowney is not ideal, though, with rookie third-round pick Alex Wright and former Vikings defensive end Stephen Weatherly as the primary backups on the depth chart. Odom has a real opportunity to find his way into the pass rushing rotation after leading the USFL with 12.5 sacks this past spring.

The USFL is striving to do what many other fledging leagues have attempted: cement their status as a minor league to the NFL. If top performers like Gates and Odom can find their way onto NFL rosters and into key roles, it could say a lot about the staying power of the USFL as a potential feeder-league.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/5/22

August 5th, 2022 at 7:04pm CST by Ely Allen

Here’s today’s minor transactions from around the league:

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Kansas City Chiefs

Miami Dolphins

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Washington Commanders

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/4/22

August 4th, 2022 at 6:37pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor transactions:

Arizona Cardinals

Carolina Panthers

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Los Angeles Rams

New York Giants

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Washington Commanders

Latest On NFL’s Deshaun Watson Appeal

August 4th, 2022 at 2:59pm CST by Adam La Rose

2:59pm: Peter Harvey, a former New Jersey Attorney General, will hear the league’s Watson appeal. Goodell had the power to hear the appeal himself, but the longtime commissioner has appointed Harvey, who is now a partner at the New York-based Paterson Belknap firm. The NFL’s statement (via NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo, on Twitter) indicates Harvey has “deep expertise in criminal law, including domestic violence and sexual assault.” Harvey also helped implement the NFL’s personal conduct policy, Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com notes.

10:23am: It came out yesterday that, as many around the NFL had been hoping and expecting, the league will appeal the six-game suspension handed down to Deshaun Watson. Further details have emerged regarding the specifics of the NFL’s options to proceed and some of their intended outcomes.

One of the central questions is the matter of who will hear the league’s appeal. Commissioner Roger Goodell has  the option to oversee the matter personally, or have an appointee do so. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports that Goodell will delegate to “someone not with the league office” (Twitter link). The NFL has faced public pressure to file an appeal, but also had to weigh that against the reality that doing so would appear to undermine the ruling of retired judge Sue L. Robinson, the independent third party authorized under the new CBA to render a decision.

As has been known for some time, the league will be using the appeal as another attempt to sideline the Browns QB for at least one season. Part of the incentive to do so, as noted by CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones (on Twitter), is the fact that Watson’s deal is set to pay him the league minimum (thus severely lessening the financial penalty of a suspension) and his “lack of remorse.” Watson’s contract isn’t unique amongst other Browns stars in that regard, but it has understandably been considered a “sticking point” from the league’s perspective.

Increasing the six-game suspension to an indefinite one, but not including a fine remains one outcome of a successful appeal, per Yahoo Sports’ Charles Robinson (Twitter link). Alternatively, the league could aim for a ban of less than one season; in that scenario, a fine would come into play. In any event, Robinson adds that a central goal of the NFL is to avoid Watson being eligible in time for the Browns’ Week 12 game against the Texans, which will be played in Houston.

Of course, any action which increases the punishment levied against Watson could lead to the matter being taken to federal court by the NFLPA. The threat of that action could lead to a revival of settlement talks, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network (video link). He adds, however, that the league would likely view “a substantial number of games” in addition to “a significant fine” as the starting point for any negotiations.

As Pelissero notes, an indefinite ban would render Watson ineligible to participate in the remainder of training camp and the preseason, so any further legal action in his defense would be expedited by a heavier suspension. In any event, there is more to come in this saga.

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