AFC West Notes: Broncos, Staff, Raiders
Entering the season on one of the hottest seats among the current crop of head coaches, Vic Fangio has overseen an up-and-down slate. After starting 3-0, the Broncos lost four straight. They have since rebounded with back-to-back wins, despite significant injury issues. This midseason stretch certainly has helped Fangio’s case for a fourth season in Denver, and Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com notes that George Paton is fond of the John Elway-hired HC not necessarily looking to bring in his own leader. While the Broncos have endured several blowout losses during Fangio’s three-year tenure, it appears the defensive-minded leader has a decent chance of saving his job. Paton did say recently the team must play better offensively, potentially putting Pat Shurmur‘s job in question. The Broncos rank 18th offensively but averaged just 16 points per game during their four-game losing streak.
Here is more from Denver and the latest from around the AFC West:
- The Rams came through with the best offer for Von Miller, but there was at least one more offer including a Day 2 pick. During the low-key Miller sweepstakes, the Rams believed another team offered the Broncos a Day 2 pick and was willing to absorb Miller’s salary, per Nick Kosmider and Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic (subscription required). This motivated the Rams to include a second Day 2 selection in their offer, and Paton essentially bought that pick by agreeing to pick up $9MM of Miller’s remaining salary. The Rams are only responsible for $700K of that total. The Cardinals and Cowboys were believed to be the other teams in on Miller.
- In a turbulent stretch for the Raiders, more troubling signs were present ahead of Damon Arnette‘s exit. During the first-rounder’s rookie season, he crashed four rental cars within roughly a month-long span, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Arnette, whom the Raiders waived after he appeared in a video threatening someone with a gun, has seen a car accident result in a lawsuit. The Ohio State product is facing multiple lawsuits, one for a car accident that resulted in injuries. The Raiders moved on from both their 2020 first-round picks — Arnette and Henry Ruggs — in a week’s time.
- Mike Shula will indeed call plays for the Broncos this week, the Broncos announced. Second-year offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur will not be with the team after testing positive for COVID-19. Shula last called plays when he served as the Panthers’ OC from 2013-17. He has spent the past four seasons working with Shurmur, holding the posts of Giants OC and Broncos QBs coach in that span.
- Mark Davis said recently the Jon Gruden emails being leaked during the season created a major issue for the Raiders, who parted ways with the embattled head coach last month. Davis said the NFL may have known about these emails for months and that the Raiders being forced into an offseason coaching change would have obviously been easier, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. Gruden has since sued the NFL and Roger Goodell.
- Tight end Jace Sternberger worked out for the Broncos on Friday, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. A 2019 Packers third-round pick, Sternberger bounced from Green Bay to Seattle to Washington this year. He is now on the workout circuit, battling to stay on the NFL radar. The former Texas A&M standout has not played this season and has 12 career receptions.
- Andy Reid made a pitch to Odell Beckham Jr., but the Chiefs could not convince the veteran wide receiver to sign on. Kansas City was one of at least seven teams to pursue Beckham, who signed with the Rams on Thursday.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/11/21
Today’s practice squad moves:
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: DE Damontre Moore
Denver Broncos
- Signed: CB Duke Dawson
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: WR Gary Jennings
- Placed on injured list: WR Jeff Badet
Pittsburgh Pirates
- Signed: LB Jacob Tuioti-Mariner
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: OL Corbin Kaufusi, CB Saivion Smith
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: DB Breon Borders
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/10/21
Today’s practice squad moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: LS Kyle Nelson, WR Darrius Shepherd
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: CB Lafayette Pitts
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: G Patrick Omameh
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: CB Herb Miller, RB Dexter Williams
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: K Lirim Hajrullahu
Detroit Lions
- Signed: WR Tom Kennedy
Houston Texans
- Signed: DE Demone Harris
- Released: OL Carson Green
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: WR Jeff Badet
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: DE Nate Orchard
hoNew England Patriots
- Signed: C James Ferentz
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: RB Josh Adams
San Francisco 49ers
- Released: LB Christian Elliss
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: QB Kevin Hogan, WR Chris Rowland
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/10/21
Here are Wednesday’s minor moves, with the list being updated throughout the day:
Arizona Cardinals
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: TE Demetrius Harris
Atlanta Falcons
- Designated for return: OLB Dante Fowler
Carolina Panthers
- Designated for return: G Deonte Brown, WR Brandon Zylstra
Cincinnati Bengals
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: CB Chidobe Awuzie
Cleveland Browns
- Designated for return: LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: C Nick Harris, RB John Kelly
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: K Lirim Hajrullahu
Denver Broncos
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: TE Noah Fant
- Claimed (from Eagles): CB Mac McCain
Detroit Lions
- Placed on reserve/NFI list: DL Jashon Cornell
- Designated for return: CB Corey Ballentine, CB Ifeatu Melifonwu
Indianapolis Colts
- Designated for return: CB T.J. Carrie
Las Vegas Raiders
- Placed on IR: DE Darius Philon
- Signed to active roster: DE Kendal Vickers
Miami Dolphins
- Promoted: C Cameron Tom
- Placed on IR: OL Greg Mancz
New England Patriots
- Designated for return: T Trent Brown
New Orleans Saints
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: CB Ken Crawley, WR Lil’Jordan Humphrey
New York Jets
- Designated for return: OL Conor McDermott
Philadelphia Eagles
- Promoted: RB Jordan Howard
San Francisco 49ers
- Placed on IR: RT Mike McGlinchey (story)
- Promoted: OL Colton McKivitz
Seattle Seahawks
- Designated for return: RB Chris Carson
Tennessee Titans
- Designated for return: CB Kristian Fulton
- Signed to active roster: CB Chris Jones
Extra Points: Packers, Cook, OBJ
The NFL has finished their investigation into the Packers handling of COVID-19 protocols. The organization has been slapped with a $300K fine “for violations of the NFL and NFL Players Association protocols,” per ESPN’s Rob Demovsky (on Twitter). Quarterback Aaron Rodgers and wideout Allen Lazard were also fined $14,650.
Per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo (via Twitter), the two players were fined for attending a maskless Halloween party. The Packers’ organizational fine also stemmed from the party; while the gathering wasn’t organized by the team, the NFL believes the organization should have penalized each player. Otherwise, the NFL determined that the Packers complied to all protocols, with Garafolo noting that there was “no widespread or systemic mask-wearing violations.”
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter), the Packers organization was notified that “future violations could result in escalated discipline,” including the potential loss of draft picks.
The league looked at footage taken at the team’s facility to assure that masks were being worn and protocols were being followed. The NFL also interviewed Packers personnel as part of the process.
More notes from around the NFL:bay
- A woman filed a lawsuit accusing Vikings star running back Dalvin Cook of assault, battery and false imprisonment, per Schefter. Cook’s attorney said his client was the victim in the incident, adding that the woman also tried to extort millions of dollars from the player. According to the lawsuit, the woman traveled to Minnesota to break up with Cook, and the meeting soon turned violent. Cook is accused of causing a concussion and leaving a scar on the woman’s face. Cook’s side says the woman stole Cook’s garage door opener, broke into the player’s house, and maced him upon entering. Both the Vikings and the NFL acknowledged that they were aware of the lawsuit.
- New Raiders wideout DeSean Jackson will receive $1MM for the rest of the season, according to Garafolo (via Twitter). If Jackson decides to file for termination pay, he’ll end up earning more than he would have by sticking around Los Angeles. Meanwhile, interim head coach Rich Bisaccia told reporters that he’s excited to see what Jackson can bring to the squad. “I think we all have a lot of respect for his career and what he’s done, and I can remember him coming out,” Bisaccia said (h/t to Myles Simmons of ProFootballTalk.com). “So, we are excited about getting another speed element out there to be a complement to what we are trying to do on offense, certainly with the speed that Zay [Jones] has and what Bryan [Edwards] and Hunter [Renfrow] bring to us. It will be good for us to get another speed element going on offense. We are excited about getting him to practice.”
- Sam Darnold suffered a fractured scapula, and the Panthers QB will “most likely” miss several weeks, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter). Darnold had one of his worst outings of the season on Sunday against the Patriots, completing only 48 percent of his passes while tossing three interceptions. P.J. Walker will likely get the starting nod with Darnold out of the lineup, although the team did add Matt Barkley earlier today.
- Odell Beckham Jr. cleared waivers today, and the Browns will only be on the hook for $4.25MM, according to Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com. The two sides’ decision to rework the player’s contract ultimately saved the team around $3MM. Meanwhile, Garafolo notes that Beckham is considering both one-year deals and multi-year pacts.
Raiders To Release Damon Arnette
The Raiders will release cornerback Damon Arnette (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). This comes on the heels of a recent video which showed Arnette threatening a person while brandishing a handgun. 
Arnette is also in the midst of multiple lawsuits, including one for a car crash that resulted in injuries. In the wake of Henry Ruggs‘ fatal collision, the Raiders have decided to move on from the former first-round pick. This particular incident occurred in 2020, but the suit just came to light over the weekend. plans on fighting the allegations.
“Mr. Arnette denies the allegations in the complaint and looks forward to addressing these claims through the court process,” the player’s attorney said in a statement.
The plaintiff alleges that Arnette slammed into her car while driving 65 mph and fled the scene. And, according to the police report, Arnette’s friend tried to take the blame for the crash before the cornerback was found to be behind the wheel.
Arnette made his name at Ohio State, flashing potential opposite of Jeff Okudah. With the ability to play on the inside or the outside, the Raiders were high on his upside. Now, he’ll head to the waiver wire with slim odds of getting claimed.
Raiders To Sign DeSean Jackson
DeSean Jackson has agreed to sign with the Raiders (Twitter link via Josina Anderson of ESPN.com). Terms of the deal are not yet known, but he’ll earn more than the veteran’s minimum, according to NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo (Twitter link). 
[RELATED: Raiders Pursued Adrian Peterson]
Jackson, dropped by the Rams last week, reportedly drew interest from seven teams. The Raiders were aggressive from the jump, aiming to sign the 34-year-old in the wake of Henry Ruggs‘ release. They got the deal done on Sunday afternoon, providing quarterback Derek Carr with the deep threat he needs.
Plenty of teams wanted Jackson, though no GM was willing to pay the remainder of his $2.75MM base salary. The Raiders got him for less than half of that price and they’ll probably target him a whole lot more than the Rams did. Jackson only played on ~1/3rd of the Rams snaps and didn’t top 25 snaps in any single game. To date, he has just eight catches in 2021. But, in classic DJax fashion, he’s made the most of them with 221 yards and one touchdown.
The Raiders are down to 5-3 after today’s loss to the Giants. Jackson will try and get them back in the win column next Sunday when they host the Chiefs in Las Vegas.
Multiple Teams Were Interested In Adrian Peterson; Derrick Henry Done For Year?
Veteran running back Adrian Peterson signed with the Titans this week after the team placed stud RB Derrick Henry on IR. And though his audition with Tennessee was the first time we heard anything on Peterson since July, there was apparently a fair amount of interest in his services.
Per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com, the Ravens, Raiders, Bills, Falcons, and Dolphins all expressed interest in Peterson, the three-time NFL rushing leader. Peterson also says Dancing with the Stars — which has made a habit of casting current and former NFLers — made him an offer in September, an offer that he declined because he believed he would have the opportunity to sign with Baltimore.
The Ravens lost their top three RBs before the season even started, and they ended up signing veterans Latavius Murray, Devonta Freeman, and Le’Veon Bell to help fill the void, so Peterson was right to think that he might get a shot in Baltimore. That obviously didn’t happen, but the future Hall-of-Famer will get a prime opportunity with Tennessee.
At 6-2, the Titans are currently at the top of the AFC standings, so Peterson will immediately get some action for a playoff contender, something he did not get to experience over the last three seasons (he spent 2018-19 with the Washington Football Team and 2020 with the Lions). Of course, losing Henry — the engine that makes Tennessee’s offense run, with all due respect to A.J. Brown and Ryan Tannehill — could seriously undermine the club’s chances at securing a first-round bye.
Speaking of Henry, Schefter passes along some bad news for Titans fans. The last report on Henry’s foot injury suggested that he might be back as soon as Week 15, or at least in time for the playoffs, but one source tells ESPN that it would be very surprising if Henry were able to return at all this season.
Without Henry, the Titans will forge ahead with Peterson, Jeremy McNichols, and D’Onta Foreman.
Raiders Still In Play For Odell Beckham; OBJ Prefers Seahawks?
Wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. will be available to be claimed on waivers tomorrow. By Tuesday at 4pm ET, we will know whether a team has claimed him or if he will be a free agent.
Because a claiming team would be on the hook for $7.25MM — a sum that most clubs can’t fit onto their books at this point in the season — multiple execs tell Adam Schefter of ESPN.com that OBJ will likely go unclaimed. And if that happens, Schefter confirms that Beckham wants to sign with a contender.
If a non-contender should claim the enigmatic wideout — the 1-6 Jaguars and 2-6 Washington Football Team are two outfits that currently possess the cap space to add Beckham without dropping or restructuring another player — Schefter hears that there will be “issues.” He does not specify what those issues might be, but it presumably means OBJ would consider sitting out (though since he is now eligible for free agency after the season, it would seem that Beckham would want to produce as much good tape as possible and to prove that he is not a distraction, regardless of who he plays for).
Interestingly, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk has heard that Beckham prefers the Seahawks of the three teams — the Saints, 49ers, and Seahawks — that have been definitively linked to him. The 3-5 ‘Hawks have the worst record of those clubs, but they also have easily the best QB situation once Russell Wilson returns to the field. Obviously, any team that acquires Beckham would have exclusive negotiating rights with him until free agency opens in March, so perhaps he views Seattle as the best long-term fit despite the current sub-.500 record.
Florio says that the Raiders are also still in play. After parting ways with Henry Ruggs, Las Vegas has been connected to Beckham but reportedly prefers DeSean Jackson, who is already a free agent and whose abilities as a speed merchant may be a better replacement for Ruggs’ skill-set.
However, according to Florio, the Raiders are waiting to see what happens with Beckham before deciding how to proceed with Jackson. That suggests that Vegas is preparing to either submit a waiver claim — the club would need to create cap room to do so — or to make a push to sign Beckham if he clears waivers. The 5-2 Raiders are in first place in the AFC West and have a good QB in Derek Carr, so they would seem to meet Beckham’s criteria.
Raiders CB Damon Arnette Facing Multiple Lawsuits
Nov. 7: In addition to the lawsuit detailed below, Arnette is facing a second suit filed by a hotel employee. The employee alleges that he told Arnette that the cornerback’s vehicle could not be retrieved from valet because Arnette lost the valet receipt, which prompted Arnette to berate the employee, spit on him, and poke him in the chest (via Jon Hoefling of Deadspin.com). The employee is seeking $500K in damages.
Plus, a video showing Arnette wielding multiple guns and threatening someone’s life has recently surfaced (video link includes offensive and NSFW language). All in all, it’s a bad run of publicity for Arnette, and Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk suggests that his roster spot could be in jeopardy.
Nov. 6: Raiders cornerback Damon Arnette has been accused of injuring a woman in a 2020 car crash, according to a report from TMZ Sports. The woman is seeking $92K in damages. Arnette plans on fighting the allegations.
According to the lawsuit, Arnette slammed into the woman’s car during the morning of October 14, 2020. While attempting to enter team facilities, Arnette reportedly missed a turn, and while trying to correct his mistake, he slammed into the woman’s car at speeds of 65 miles per hour. The woman claims she suffered “head trauma,” and that’s vicariously resulted in “shoulder, neck and back pain as well as depression and panic attacks.”
Further, the woman accuses Arnette of leaving the scene of the crash. According to an incident report, Arnette acknowledged making an unsafe turn leading to a collision, but he said he stuck around the scene long enough to “render aid to the woman.” Arnette also told police that he later left the scene because he was running late for a team meeting, but he had a friend stick around and provide police with information. According to the police report, Arnette’s friend actually tried to take the blame for the collision before cop’s sorted out the story.
“Mr. Arnette denies the allegations in the complaint and looks forward to addressing these claims through the court process,” the player’s attorney said in a statement to TMZ Sports.
Following a standout career at Ohio State, the Raiders selected Arnette with the 20th-overall pick in the 2020 draft. He started seven of his nine games as a rookie, collecting 25 tackles. He got inconsistent playing time through the first four games of this season, never appearing in more than 30 percent of his team’s defensive snaps. The 25-year-old landed on injured reserve with a groin injury back in October.
It’s been a chaotic month for the Raiders. An email scandal forced head coach Jon Gruden to resign from his position, while wide receiver Henry Ruggs was released following a DUI crash that caused the death of a woman.