NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/12/19
Today’s practice squad updates:
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: TE Nate Becker
- Released: LB Nate Hall
Chicago Bears
- Signed: DL Abdullah Anderson
- Released: LB James Vaughters
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: G Colby Gossett
- Released: CB Donnie Lewis
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: G Ben Braden
Houston Texans
- Signed: CB Cornell Armstrong
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: WR Terry Godwin
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: TE Brandon Dillon, WR Alexander Hollins
New England Patriots
- Signed: S Obi Melifonwu
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: DT Mitchell Loewen
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: CB Ajene Harris
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: CB Parry Nickerson
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: RB Dalyn Dawkins
- Placed on injured list: QB Logan Woodside
Washington Redskins
- Signed: TE Donald Parham
Marcus Cannon Undergoing Tests
- Marcus Cannon left Sunday night’s Patriots win because of a shoulder injury and may miss time. New England’s starting right tackle underwent tests this week, per Mike Reiss of ESPN.com, who adds this injury is not believed to be a long-term setback. Cannon is practicing on a limited basis. Guard Joe Thuney moved to right tackle against the Steelers, but Reiss adds swing tackle Korey Cunningham may draw that assignment against the Dolphins (Twitter links). Cunningham was inactive in Week 1. The Pats just signed Marshall Newhouse as well, pointing to a possible Cannon absence in Miami.
Patriots Meet With OL Caleb Benenoch
The Patriots have made several transactions on their offensive line over the past two weeks, and they continue to explore help on this front. They visited with recently waived guard Caleb Benenoch on Thursday, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter).
Benenoch was a 16-game Buccaneers starter at right guard last season, and he played in Tampa Bay’s Week 1 game. But the Bucs waived him Monday, and no one submitted a claim. The Bucs drafted Benenoch in the 2016 fifth round.
New England traded for Russell Bodine, Jermaine Eluemunor and Korey Cunningham recently, though the defending Super Bowl champions cut Bodine. The Pats also agreed to terms with veteran tackle Marshall Newhouse on Wednesday.
Latest On Antonio Brown, Patriots
While the possibility of Antonio Brown landing on the commissioner’s exempt list remains, the Patriots are tentatively planning on playing their high-profile acquisition Sunday against the Dolphins, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (video link).
Brown practiced both Wednesday and Thursday and appears on track to make his Patriots debut in Miami. The league has not provided any indication a move barring Brown from playing will come by Sunday, per RapSheet.
The 31-year-old wide receiver has been accused of rape in civil court. The NFL plans to meet with the accuser, former Brown trainer Britney Taylor, next week. Taylor alleges Brown sexually assaulted her on multiple occasions. Brown has denied the accusations.
These allegations have marked the latest in an astounding run of drama for Brown this year. Neither the NFL nor the Patriots knew about this until Tuesday, per Yahoo.com’s Charles Robinson, who adds Roger Goodell and league brass have discussed how to proceed with Brown. While Robinson reports the NFL would like to move quickly on this, no decision on Brown’s Week 2 status has emerged two days after the allegations surfaced.
Brown’s guarantees are also indeed in jeopardy. After a Wednesday report surfaced about the Patriots being able to void the $9MM guarantee, Robinson confirms a clause pertaining to Brown potentially “undermining the public image of the club” would allow the team to do this. The Raiders voided Brown’s $29MM-plus in guarantees last week, leading to Brown’s Bay Area departure.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/11/19
Here are Wednesday’s practice squad decisions:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: CB Andre Chachere, TE Darrell Daniels
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: RB Darius Jackson
Houston Texans
- Signed: DB Cornell Armstrong
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: RB Bruce Anderson
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: TE Stephen Anderson, DB Tevaughn Campbell, WR Anthony Johnson
- Cut: LB Curtis Akins, DB Kemon Hall
- Placed on practice squad IR: WR Artavis Scott
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: WR T.J. Rahming
- Cut: LB Christian Sam
New England Patriots
- Signed: CB Nate Brooks
- Cut: OL Colby Gossett
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: TE Alex Ellis
Latest On Patriots’ Antonio Brown
Bill Belichick faced the media on Wednesday afternoon to discuss Antonio Brown but, as expected, he was light on details regarding the embattled wide receiver. The Patriots’ head coach said that he expected Brown to practice on Wednesday, but would not say whether Brown would be permitted to suit up on Sunday.
Brown was accused of rape in a federal lawsuit, which could result in NFL discipline, among other more serious consequences. That is to say, Brown could be barred from playing by the league office via paid leave, taking the decision out of the Patriots’ hands.
Here’s the latest on Brown:
- In an interview on ESPN, agent Drew Rosenhaus came to the defense of his client: “I wouldn’t be doing this interview if I didn’t believe Antonio. These allegations are false. He denies everyone of them. I’m very confident his legal team has facts that will prove this.”
- Rosenhaus went on to say, “I’ll repeat this. This is a money grab. I believe this: this is a money grab.” The phrase “money grab” also appeared in an official statement from Brown’s attorney on Tuesday night.
- Here’s a snippet from Belichick’s less-than-informative presser: “On Antonio’s situation, both Antonio and his representatives have made statements, so I’m not going to be expanding on any of those. They are what they are. We’ve looked into the situation. We’re taking it very seriously, all the way through the organization. I’m sure there are questions but I’m not going to be entering into any discussion about that.”
- The language of Brown’s contract may allow the Patriots to escape his guarantee, as to Albert Breer of The MMQB tweets. Reportedly, $10MM of Brown’s $15MM 2019 salary is, or was, locked in.
NFL Considering Paid Leave For Antonio Brown
The NFL will give serious consideration to placing Antonio Brown on paid leave via the commissioner’s exempt list, multiple people tell Mark Maske of the Washington Post. Brown has been accused of rape and sexual assault in a federal lawsuit filed in Florida and the NFL may take action against him as the legal process begins.
[RELATED: Antonio Brown Accused Of Rape In Lawsuit]
If placed on the exempt list, Brown would be barred from playing. It’s a decision is expected to come this week, after some investigating by the league office, before the Pats take on the Dolphins in Miami. Then again, the NFL could theoretically allow Brown to play for the Pats while the investigation is underway, then later decide to place him on paid leave.
Brown reported to the Patriots’ facility on Wednesday with the expectation that he would participate in practice and meetings. The wide receiver, though his attorney, has denied any wrongdoing and termed the lawsuit as a “money grab.”
The league has used the commissioner’s exempt list to park other notable players in recent years, including Greg Hardy and Adrian Peterson.
Patriots To Sign Marshall Newhouse
The Patriots are signing veteran tackle Marshall Newhouse, according to ESPN.com’s Field Yates (on Twitter). Newhouse visited and worked out for the Pats on Monday and the two sides shook on it 48 hours later.
Newhouse should help provide depth at right tackle after starter Marcus Cannon was forced out of Sunday’s win with a shoulder injury. The Pats won’t have to cut anyone to bring him on, either – they had a vacancy after shipping wide receiver Demaryius Thomas to the Jets.
Newhouse was with the Saints this offseason, but didn’t make it through the Labor Day Weekend cut. Last year, he appeared in eleven games for the Panthers and three for the Bills. For his career, Newhouse has 72 starts to his credit.
Antonio Brown Accused Of Rape In Lawsuit
Patriots wide receiver Antonio Brown has been accused of rape in a lawsuit filed Tuesday, reports Ben Shpigel of the New York Times.
The woman accusing Brown is apparently his former trainer, according to the lawsuit, which alleges three separate sexual assaults from June of 2017 to May of 2018. Britney Taylor, the accuser, is a gymnast who says she met Brown when they both went to Central Michigan.
Shpigel writes that “first, he exposed himself and kissed her without her permission, the lawsuit says. Later that month, the lawsuit says, while she was watching a television program at his home, Brown started masturbating behind her and ejaculated on her back. Brown bragged about the incident in profane text messages that are copied in the lawsuit.”
Those two incidents allegedly happened in June of 2017, and the lawsuit alleges that Brown then raped her in May of the following year. Nearly immediately after the story broke, Brown’s lawyer Darren Heitner issued a statement on Twitter. In the statement, Heitner denies the allegations on behalf of Brown and says he “will pursue all legal remedies” to clear his name. Heitner does acknowledge that the two had a working relationship, and says they had consensual sex on at least one occasion. Brown’s camp seems to be alleging that this is extortion by Taylor, saying she attempted to elicit $1.6MM from him, and that Brown views it as a “money grab.”
You can view the full lawsuit at this link. Nick Underhill of The Athletic tweeted out some of the documents from the lawsuit that Shpigel references, which purport to be emails from Brown (warning: they’re pretty vulgar). Per Shpigel, Taylor said she would cooperate with the NFL in a potential investigation from the league. “As a rape victim of Antonio Brown, deciding to speak out has been an incredibly difficult decision,” Taylor said in a statement released by her lawyer. “I have found strength in my faith, my family, and from the accounts of other survivors of sexual assault.”
Shortly after the news broke Vic Tafur of The Athletic, a Raiders beat writer, tweeted that “this was coming for a while.” That would seem to suggest the allegations were known by at least some within the league before they came to light, although that’s not entirely clear. It’s also unknown as of right now whether or not the Patriots had any knowledge of the allegations before they signed Brown over the weekend.
Obviously, this threatens Brown’s status moving forward with New England. It’s far too early to jump to any conclusions, although it’s safe to assume that the league will be conducting their own investigation. Brown was already facing a possible suspension for his blowup with Raiders GM Mike Mayock, and now could be looking at additional discipline.
Patriots Trade Demaryius Thomas To Jets
The Patriots have traded wide receiver Demaryius Thomas to the Jets, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). In exchange, the Jets will send a 2021 sixth-round pick to New England. 
It’s a rare intra-divisional trade for two teams that have a storied history together. But, after the Patriots used draft capital to strengthen their offensive line in August, they were eager to recoup some ammo. Meanwhile, head coach Adam Gase was eager to reunite with Thomas, who was among the league’s best receivers during their time together in Denver.
Thomas is now on to his fourth team in the past year after being traded for the second time in 2019. The first swap saw him traded from the Broncos to the Texans just prior to the 2018 trade deadline. Now, after a cup of coffee with the Pats, he’s on to the Jets.
The Jets believe that Thomas can help them move the chains, even though he’s clearly not the player that he once was. The Patriots, meanwhile, will have the services of newcomer Antonio Brown, one of the game’s greatest receivers of all-time.