Ravens CB Tavon Young Could Miss Season
Ravens slot corner Tavon Young could miss the entire 2019 season after suffering a “serious” neck injury in practice, head coach John Harbuagh told reporters, including Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic (Twitter link).
“Tavon has a more serious issue than we thought. He has a neck issue. It’s a disc issue. That’s a serious injury. He could be out for the remainder of the season. We’ll know soon. But it doesn’t look good for Tavon,” Harbaugh said, per Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
“There is an outside chance that you’d opt to try to see if it’ll heal. But I don’t think we’re recommending that right now. If he gets the procedure done, he’ll be fine and good to go. That’s probably the best thing to do.”
Any neck injury is inherently ominous, and the Ravens obviously view Young’s long-term health as a priority. But it doesn’t sound like the issue is a potential career-ender. Indeed, Harbaugh said that even if Young undergoes the surgery, he should be ready to play in 2020 (Twitter link via Hensley). If Young misses the 2020 campaign, he will have been sidelined in two of his four professional years — a torn ACL during summer workouts ended his 2017 season before it began.
When he has been healthy, however, Young has played like one of the best nickel cornerbacks in the NFL. The 2016 fourth-round pick has seen action on more than 1,400 snaps with the Ravens, managing two interceptions during that time. Among 22 qualifying slot corners, Young in 2018 ranked fifth in Pro Football Focus’ coverage snaps per reception. Meanwhile, the Ravens ranked eighth in DVOA against opposing slot receivers, per Football Outsiders.
Pleased with Young’s production, the Ravens signed him to a three-year, $25.8MM extension that will keep him under contract through 2022. At signing, Young’s pact made him the NFL’s highest-slot corner, although his $8.6MM annual average has since been topped by Justin Coleman, who landed a $9MM yearly salary on a free agent deal with the Lions.
Losing Young will hurt, but Baltimore boasts arguably the league’s best secondary and has the depth to withstand’s Young’s absence. Brandon Carr, who played 242 snaps in the slot in 2018, is probably the most likely candidate to take over inside in a configuration that would allow Marlon Humphrey and Jimmy Smith to play outside corner. Ravens coaches have also been impressed with Cyrus Jones‘ play in the slot, tweets Hensley.
Andrew Luck’s Week 1 Availability “Really In Question”
Colts head coach Frank Reich prefers to make a decision on his Week 1 starting quarterback following his club’s third preseason game, and it may not be Andrew Luck who’s under center. Unless Luck makes a “miraculous recovery,” backup Jacoby Brissett us likely to start for Indianapolis in its season opener, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (Twitter link).
Additionally, Garafolo reports the Colts “finally” feel as though they have a handle on the exact nature of Luck’s injury. Rather than just a calf or just an ankle issue, it seems as though Luck is dealing with an ailment that’s been caused by “accumulation over time.” What exactly that means for his recovery is unclear, but Indianapolis is now confident it can help its star quarterback heal.
Luck originally underwent an MRI on his calf in March that revealed a strain, but began to experience ankle trouble in May. Another test Monday revealed Luck could be dealing with some sort of high-ankle issue, though it’s not evident if he’s been diagnosed with a dreaded high-ankle sprain. At the moment, it doesn’t appear Luck is experiencing any Achilles trouble.
Luck won’t play during the preseason, and his absence will give Brissett even more time to prepare for the regular season. Brissett, of course, was the Colts’ full-time starter in 2017 when Luck st out the year with a shoulder injury. In 15 starts, Brissett completed 58.8% of his passes for 3,098 yards, 13 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. Among the 29 quarterbacks with at least 300 attempts that season, Brissett finished 22nd in adjusted net yards per attempt.
Antonio Brown To Report To Raiders
Antonio Brown is back in the fold. Days after threatening to retire if the NFL did not clear him to wear his favorite helmet, and hours after losing his arbitration case, Brown has informed the team that he will report to the club for training camp on Tuesday (Twitter link via Michael Gehlken of the Review-Journal). 
Furthermore, Brown’s foot – which was negatively impacted by a cryotherapy session gone awry – is not considered to be a long-term impediment. With that, Brown is set to hit the ground running with ample practice time before his real Raiders debut against the Broncos on Sept. 9.
Brown seemed to be extremely dug in on the helmet issue, but it’s now “very unlikely” that he will appeal the arbitrator’s decision. All now seems to be well in Oakland, especially after Jon Gruden voiced support for the 31-year-old.
Meanwhile, Brown may wind up with his favorite helmet after all. The NFL will let Brown wear the Schutt AiR Advantage, if he can find one that is less than ten years old (Twitter link via PFT’s Mike Florio). AB, apparently, will leave no stone unturned in his search:
"I'm looking for a Schutt Air Advantage Adult Large Helmet that was manufactured in 2010 or after. In exchange I will trade a signed practice worn @Raiders helmet."
— AB (@AB84) August 13, 2019
Arbitrator Rules Against Antonio Brown
The arbitrator in the Antonio Brown case has ruled against the wide receiver, according to Mike Jones of USA Today (on Twitter). This was the expected outcome – Brown’s desired helmet is too old to be re-certified and the league will not allow players to don helmets that are not sanctioned by the National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment (NOCSAE). 
The NOCSAE standard was jointly approved by the NFL and NFL Players Association, so Brown had little chance of getting his way on the issue. Reportedly, Brown has threatened to retire if the league would not let him wear his preferred headgear. In one sense, the ball is now in Brown’s court.
Brown finished last season with 104 receptions for 1,297 yards and 15 touchdowns for the Steelers. That campaign marked his sixth straight season with at least 1,200 receiving yards and 100 receptions.
Still, his continuous clashing with Steelers officials brought their union to an end. The Raiders were happy to acquire Brown for very little in terms of draft compensation, but it’s now fair to wonder if they’ll ever get to see their new star suit up.
Raiders’ Antonio Brown Threatens To Retire
The Antonio Brown saga has reached new heights. On Friday, Brown informed Raiders officials that he will not play football again, unless he is permitted to wear his old helmet again (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter). 
Brown filed a grievance against the league this week in order to get permission to wear his preferred headgear. The wide receiver, who recently suffered a foot injury while receiving cryotherapy treatment, has been staying away from team practices after being barred from wearing the helmet that he has used throughout his career.
Other players – such as Packers star Aaron Rodgers – have complied with the league’s mandate to wear an updated helmet that has been cleared for safety. However, Brown is bucking the system.
Brown, one of the most talented wide receivers in the game, was an absolute headache for the Steelers in 2018. After clashing with head coach Mike Tomlin and other key figures throughout the year, the Steelers shipped him to the Raiders in March for a pair of mid-round draft picks. In an effort to keep the mercurial star happy, the Raiders also gave Brown a new deal worth $50.125MM over the next three seasons with $30.125MM in guarantees.
Brown finished last season with 104 receptions for 1,297 yards and 15 touchdowns. The campaign marked his sixth straight season with at least 1,200 receiving yards and 100 receptions.
This year, the Raiders were hoping for seven in a row. Now, they’re just hoping he’ll play.
NFL Suspends Cowboys DE Robert Quinn
The NFL has suspended Cowboys defensive end Robert Quinn two games for violating the league’s performance-enhancing drug policy, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.com.
In statement on Twitter, Quinn’s agent explains the Dallas defender believes his seizure prevention medication was contaminated with a substance called probenecid, which the NFL classifies as a masking agent under its drug policy. Quinn failed his test on April 2nd, and embarked on an investigation to find out how the substance was in his system.
His team claims Quinn’s pharmacy filled a prescription for probenecid prior to filling Quinn’s prescription, which may have resulted in the contamination. Additionally, Quinn argues that his levels of probenecid would have been much higher had he actually been using the substance as a masking agent.
Quinn has already lost his appeal of the ban, so he’ll be out for the first two games of the regular season. The NFL has historically taken a hard approach on drug suspensions, and successful appeals are rare. Recently, Giants wideout Golden Tate appealed his upcoming suspension by arguing that was he taking fertility drugs, but the leagues’s policy is considered “unforgiving” and “rigid.”
Quinn, for his part, recently underwent surgery to repair two fractures in his hand, but was expected to be back in time for the season opener, according to David Moore of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter link). Now, he’ll get two additional weeks for his hand to heal, but Dallas will have to rely on other defensive ends — such as Taco Charlton and Tyrone Crawford — to rush the passer opposite DeMarcus Lawrence.
The Cowboys acquired Quinn from the Dolphins in March in exchange for a 2020 sixth-round pick. Quinn agreed to lower his salary under the terms of the deal, reducing his compensation from $11.1MM to $8MM. While he finished with only 6.5 sacks in 2018, Quinn tied for 20th among defensive ends with 24 quarterback hits. Pro Football Focus, meanwhile, assigned Quinn the 19th-highest pass-rush grade among 103 qualifying DEs.
Chiefs To Sign CB Morris Clairborne
The Chiefs have agreed to sign free agent cornerback Morris Claiborne, according to Terez A. Paylor of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link).
Claiborne will receive a one-year deal worth $1.5MM, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). The pact contains playtime incentives, tweets Tom Pelissero of NFL.com, and Paylor indicates (via Twitter) those incentives could be worth up $1.5MM. In total, Claiborne’s deal will have a maximum value around $3MM.
Kansas City is bringing in Claiborne with the knowledge that he’ll be unavailable for the first quarter of the regular season. Claiborne was hit with a four-game suspension earlier this month after violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy.
Claiborne, 29, has a concerning injury history, as he played in only 47 of a possible 80 games during the first five years of his career. But he managed to stay healthy during his past two years on the Jets roster, appearing in 30 games and playing nearly 2,000 defensive snaps since 2017. Last season, Claiborne posted two interceptions and ranked as a top-25 corner in Football Outsiders’ success rate.
The Chiefs lost more than 1,900 cornerback snaps during the offseason via the departure of free agents Steven Nelson and Orlando Scandrick. When he returns from suspension, Clairborne should become an immediate starter alongside Kendall Fuller and Bashaud Breeland.
Despite his recent track record, Claiborne drew limited over the offseason, perhaps because teams were aware of his impending suspension. Claiborne met with the Cardinals in April, and worked out for the Vikings near the end of July.
Claiborne averaged $6MM annually on his two consecutive one-year pacts with the Jets, so he’ll be taking a step pay cut to join the Chiefs. PFR ranked Claiborne as the fourth-best available defensive free agent in mid-May, and three players listed above him — Ndamukong Suh, Tre Boston, and Shane Ray — have all since found new homes.
Texans Acquire RB Duke Johnson
The Texans have acquired running back Duke Johnson from the Browns, Cleveland announced today. Houston will send a conditional 2020 fourth-round pick to Cleveland, tweets Tom Pelissero of NFL.com. If Johnson is active for 10 games with the Texans, the Browns will receive a 2020 third-rounder, per John McClain of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link).
Johnson, of course, has been on the trade block ever since the Browns signed former Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt earlier this offseason. Hunt won’t be available until the second half of the 2019 season as a result of a suspension, but Johnson nevertheless formally requested a trade in April. At various points, Cleveland has indicated it would keep Johnson on its roster, but after the 25-year-old back fired his agent and hired Drew Rosenhaus, he finally got his wish.
Houston was on the hunt for depth at running back after waiving former third-round pick D’Onta Foreman earlier this week. With Foreman out of the picture, the Texans were planning to use Josh Ferguson and Buddy Howell (who have 30 career carries between them, all Ferguson’s) as Lamar Miller‘s backups.
[RELATED: Full List of 2019 NFL Trades]
Johnson handled 104 rushing attempts during his rookie campaign in Cleveland, but that figure represents a high-water mark. Playing behind Browns starter Nick Chubb in 2018, Johnson managed only 40 attempts, but did post 47 catches and was one of the NFL’s most efficient receiving backs, per Football Outsiders. Since entering the league in 2015, Johnson leads all running backs with 2,170 receiving yards, per Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link), so he figures to see a good deal of work on third downs and other passing situations.
With Johnson out of the picture, the Browns will rely on unproven options Dontrell Hilliard and D’Ernest Johnson to backup Chubb until Hunt’s suspension is completed. But by dealing Johnson, Cleveland has further added to its stockpile of 2020 draft picks. General manager John Dorsey & Co. now boast 10 picks in 2020, including extra fourth-, sixth-, and seventh-rounders, tweets Pelissero.
The Texans will add Johnson on a highly team-friendly contract. The former third-round pick is due a base salary of just $1.8MM for the 2019 campaign, while he can also collect up to $400K in per-game roster bonuses. Houston will essentially hold club options on Johnson in both 2020 ($3.6MM) and 2021 ($4.65MM), and won’t incur any dead money if it cuts Johnson over the next two years. Cleveland, meanwhile, will immediately take on $750K in dead cap charges by dealing Johnson, with another $1.5MM hitting the club’s books in 2020.
Johnson is only the second running back to be traded this offseason. Jordan Howard was dealt from the Bears to the Eagles in March in a swap that saw Chicago receive just a sixth-round pick that can become a fifth-round pick based on Howard’s performance.
Dolphins Sign DT Robert Nkemdiche
The Dolphins announced that they’ve signed free agent defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche to a one-year deal and placed him on the active/physically unable to perform list. The pact is worth $1.19MM, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
Nkemdiche, who was selected 29th overall by the Cardinals in 2016, was cut by Arizona in late July. He was quickly linked to the Dolphins, who were reportedly making “preliminary due diligence inquiry calls” on the former first-round pick. Miami left tackle Laremy Tunsil, a teammate of Nkemdiche at Ole Miss, was a “big advocate” for signing the interior defender, tweets Mike Garafolo of NFL.com.
In the midst of a rebuilding phase, the Dolphins can afford to take a chance on Nkemdiche, a player that clearly boasts talent but comes with question marks. Effort issues dogged Nkemdiche during his time in Arizona, and he reportedly showed up to training camp out of shape. Additionally, he’s facing a possible suspension due to a June arrest.
Still recovering from a December torn ACL, Nkemdiche won’t be able to practice with the Dolphins until he’s removed from the active/PUP list. It’s possible that he’ll be placed on the reserve/PUP list once the regular season begins, which would force him to miss the first six weeks of the year. When he is healthy, Nkemdiche will compete with first-round pick Christian Wilkins, Davon Godchaux, Akeem Spence, Vincent Taylor, and others for playing time on Miami’s defensive line.
Nkemdiche, who won’t turn 25 years old until September, appeared in only 27 out of a possible 48 games during his three-year run with the Cardinals, with injuries reducing his chances at playing time. Last season, he played in 10 games (six starts) before tearing his ACL, posting 4.5 sacks on 426 snaps. Among the 130 defensive tackles with at least 20% playtime in 2018, Nkemdiche ranked a lowly 114th in Pro Football Focus’ grades.
Ezekiel Elliott Won’t Play Without Deal?
The situation in Dallas between Ezekiel Elliott and the Cowboys could drag on for a while. Elliott is unlikely to suit up in 2019 unless he gets a new contract, Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (Twitter links) hears. 
Despite Jerry Jones‘ confidence in everything working out with Elliott (plus star players Amari Cooper and Dak Prescott), things are clearly not trending in the right direction. On Tuesday, it was reported that the Cowboys were growing frustrated with the lack of progress in that trio of talks, and Elliott seems ready to dig in on his holdout.
The Cowboys have reportedly proposed a contract that would be closer to Le’Veon Bell‘s than Todd Gurley‘s, making Elliott the second-highest paid running back in the league. Zeke, it seems, wants to be No. 1. Topping Gurley across all major fronts would mean beating out a four year, $57.5MM contract extension with $45MM in total guarantees and nearly $22MM guaranteed at signing.
Last season, Elliott posted 1,434 yards and six touchdowns on the ground while adding 77 receptions, 567 yards, and three scores in the passing game. Of course, Elliott also ran behind one of the NFL’s better offensive lines, and only ranked 18th in Football Outsiders’ success rate.