AFC North Notes: Berry, Ravens, Mixon
Let’s take a quick swing around the AFC North:
- The Browns hired former Eagles’ VP of Football Operations Andrew Berry to be their GM and EVP of Football Operations today, and he will report directly to owner Jimmy Haslam, just like new head coach Kevin Stefanski and chief strategy officer Paul DePodesta. However, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk thinks it’s fair to wonder whether Berry will really have final say over roster decisions, as his contract says he will. Of course, in order to pry Berry away from Philadelphia, Cleveland needed to give him such power contractually, but whether Berry will be permitted to fully use that power is another story. Stefanski and DePodesta may not be keen on consistently yielding to Berry, who was probably the team’s No. 2 choice behind Vikings exec George Paton.
- In 2019, the Ravens made a number of in-season signings to bolster their defense that ended up paying major dividends. Baltimore has already inked one such acquisition, L.J. Fort, to a two-year extension, and Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic believes the club could also look to re-sign OLB/DE Jihad Ward and DT Justin Ellis.
- Many have noted the Ravens‘ need to add pass rushing talent, and much of that discussion has focused on edge rushers. But in the same piece, Zrebiec says Baltimore will think long and hard about selecting a quality pass-rushing interior defensive lineman if one is available near the end of the first round. The Ravens haven’t really had such a player since the heyday of Haloti Ngata.
- Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic lays out a number of moves he believes the Bengals should make this offseason. The entire piece is worth a read for Cincy fans, but one move that Dehner thinks is especially likely to come to fruition is an extension for running back Joe Mixon. We recently heard that director of player personnel Duke Tobin would explore a new contract for his RB1, and such a deal won’t be cheap.
Ravens Sign Justin Ellis, Domata Peko
The Ravens have signed veteran defensive tackle Justin Ellis, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (via Twitter). Ellis was a regular member of the Raiders’ D-line since Oakland selected him in the fourth round of the 2014 draft, and he even landed a three-year, $15MM contract with the Silver-and-Black in March 2018. But his 2018 season was marred by injury, and he was released with an injury settlement in October.
And while Baltimore scored its fifth straight win on Sunday, its defensive front was noticeably shaky, perhaps because starting DT Michael Pierce played just three snaps. Pierce exited the game against the Bengals with an ankle injury, and head coach John Harbaugh said that an MRI didn’t reveal any long-term concerns. But as Jeff Zrebic of The Athletic writes, Harbaugh was non-committal as to whether Pierce would be available for this Sunday’s crucial matchup with the Texans, instead calling Pierce’s status “day-to-day.”
In addition to Ellis, the Ravens are adding another free agent DT, Domata Peko, as Zrebiec tweets. The Ravens, who are intimately familiar with the long-time Bengal’s work, attempted to sign him earlier this season, but the two sides were unable to agree on terms at the time. Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network reports that Baltimore will pay Peko $1MM for the remainder of the season (Twitter link).
Neither Ellis nor Peko are likely to create much of a pass rush in the interior of the line — which Baltimore could really use — but like the Ravens’ earlier additions of linebackers Josh Bynes and L.J. Fort, both are experienced veterans who understand their assignments and who should, if nothing else, solidify the run defense. That will be essential given Pierce’s uncertain health and the fact that the Ravens are putting rookie DT Daylon Mack on injured reserve, per Zrebiec.
Baltimore, at 7-2 and in first place in AFC North, is doing everything it can to keep the second-place Steelers at bay while pushing for a postseason bye. Zrebiec says the club is expected to add rookie CB Iman Marshall to the active roster this week, and given that the Ravens’ kickoff and punt coverage teams have been uncharacteristically unsteady, Marshall may be asked to bolster those units.
In a corresponding move, the Ravens have waived return man Cyrus Jones, per Zrebiec. Jones muffed a punt in the team’s win over the Patriots in Week 9, and Baltimore signed De’Anthony Thomas shortly thereafter. Thomas operated as the kickoff and punt returner on Sunday and will presumably remain in that role moving forward.
The team also waived DE Ufomba Kamalu, per Zrebiec.
NFL Workout Updates: 11/11/19
Here’s the latest from around the league’s workout circuit:
Cleveland Browns
- S Tre Sullivan, DT Destiny Vaeao
Green Bay Packers
- DT Carl Davis, DT Justin Ellis, DT David Parry
Houston Texans
- DE Joel Heath, DL Caruan Reid
Indianapolis Colts
- WR Jeff Badet, WR Amara Darboh, WR T.J. Jones, WR Andy Jones, WR Darius Jennings, QB Taylor Heinicke, CB Trevor Williams
New York Giants
- G Larry Allen Jr, WR Keon Hatcher, QB Tanner Lee, WR J.J. Nelson, K Elliott Fry, K Kaare Vedvik
Oakland Raiders
Philadelphia Eagles
NFL Workout Updates: 10/23/19
Today’s workout updates:
Detroit Lions
- T Casey Tucker; Ss Kentrell Brice, Marcus Gilchrist, David Jones (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle)
Indianapolis Colts
- DE Tashawn Bower; DTs Justin Ellis, Christian Ringo (link via Wilson)
Jacksonville Jaguars
- DE Jonathan Bonner; DTs P.J. Johnson, Ray Smith (Twitter link via Howard Balzer)
Miami Dolphins
- OTs Dino Boyd, Pace Murphy, Tyler Roemer; DTs Daryle Banfield, Jalen Dalton, Eddie Vanderdoes (link via Wilson)
New Orleans Saints
- FB Ricky Ortiz; WRs Jonathan Duhart, Jake Lampman, Charone Peake; CB Captain Munnerlyn; S Briean Boddy-Calhoun (link via Balzer)
Chargers To Sign DT Sylvester Williams
Sylvester Williams will head back to an AFC West team. The former Broncos first-round pick agreed to terms with the Chargers, according to his agency (Twitter link). Williams worked out for the Chargers this week, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter).
While the 2013 No. 28 overall selection has not quite lived up to that billing, he has continued to receive calls from defensive tackle-seeking teams. Williams has played for the Titans, Lions and Dolphins since leaving Denver. The Saints rostered him briefly this summer.
Williams worked out for the Bears this week, according to Sirius XM Radio’s Adam Caplan (on Twitter), but the Chargers ended up adding him. The Chargers worked out defensive lineman Adolphus Washington, ex-Raider starter Justin Ellis and P.J. Johnson but are going with Williams.
The 30-year-old lineman started four games for the Lions last season and 11 for the 2017 Titans. In Denver, Williams started 48 games and was a first-stringer in two Super Bowls.
Both starting defensive tackles, Brandon Mebane and Justin Jones, missed Sunday’s game due to injuries — two of many maladies to affect the Chargers’ starting lineup this season. The Bolts now have seven defensive tackles on their 53-man roster, including two rookies and recently signed T.Y. McGill. It’s possible the Williams move will precede another at this position.
NFL Workout Updates: 10/16/19
Today’s NFL workout updates, all courtesy of Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle:
Baltimore Ravens
Denver Broncos
Detroit Lions
- OTs Ulrick John, Brian Mihalik, Austin Pasztor; DT Justin Ellis
Jacksonville Jaguars
- CB Arrion Springs; P Shane Smith
Miami Dolphins
- CBs Adonis Alexander, Andre Chachere, Picasso Nelson
New England Patriots
- FBs George Aston, Orson Charles, Ricky Ortiz.
New Orleans Saints
- RBs Travaris Cadet, Benny Cunningham, Marcus Murphy; TEs A.J. Derby, Cole Wick
San Francisco 49ers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- RB Marcus Murphy; WRs T.J. Jones, Tommylee Lewis, Eli Rogers; P Trevor Daniel
Washington Redskins
NFL Workout Updates: 10/16/19
Here is the latest from the workout circuit:
Chicago Bears
- DL Daryle Banfield, DL Fadol Brown, C Anthony Fabiano, DL P.J. Johnson, T Kyle Murphy, C Keegan Render, DL Jay-Tee Tiuli (per Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, on Twitter)
Cincinnati Bengals
- DE Nate Orchard, DT Anthony Zettel (via the Houston Chronicle’s Aaron Wilson, on Twitter)
Cleveland Browns
- LB Marquis Flowers (per Wilson, on Twitter)
Green Bay Packers
- S Chris Johnson, RB David Williams (per Wilson, on Twitter)
Houston Texans
- T Chris Clark, T Kyle Murphy (per Howard Balzer of BalzerFootball.com, on Twitter)
Indianapolis Colts
- DB Trae Elston, S Mike Tyson, DB Isaiah Wharton (via Wilson, on Twitter)
Kansas City Chiefs
- DT Justin Ellis, DL Mike Pennel (per Wilson, on Twitter)
New England Patriots
- K Nick Folk, K Greg Joseph, K Austin MacGinnis, K/P Austin Rehkow, K Giorgio Tavecchio (per Mike Reiss of ESPN.com, on Twitter)
New Orleans Saints
- RB Travaris Cadet (via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, on Twitter)
New York Jets
- C Ryan Crozier, DL Corbin Kaufusi, C James Murray (per Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News and Wilson, Twitter links)
Pittsburgh Steelers
- RB Tony Brooks-James, RB Darrin Hall (via Wilson, on Twitter)
Seattle Seahawks
- LB Andrew Dowell (visit), LB Brady Sheldon, LB Sutton Smith, LB Pita Taumoepenu (via Balzer, Twitter links)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- LB Keishawn Bierria, DB Jordan Brown, C Anthony Fabiano, LB Robert McCray, WR Eli Rogers, RB Aca’Cedric Ware, LB Kyle Wilson (per Jenna Laine and Adam Schefter of ESPN.com, on Twitter)
Tennessee Titans
- LB Nigel Harris (per Wilson, on Twitter)
Washington Redskins
- FB Tommy Bohanon, FB Michael Burton, FB Derrick Coleman, RB Josh Ferguson, FB Tre Madden, FB Elijah Wellman (according to Wilson and NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, Twitter links)
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/8/19
Here are today’s minor moves:
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: RB Senorise Perry
Oakland Raiders
- Released from IR: DT Justin Ellis
- Waived: WR Marcell Ateman
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Waived: RB Tony Brooks-James, QB Nick Fitzgerald
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: RBs Dalyn Dawkins, Rod Smith
- Waived: OL Hroniss Grasu
Raiders Get Down To 53 Players
The Raiders have made their slew of cuts. They placed defensive tackle Justin Ellis on injured reserve, meaning he’ll miss the entire season. After starting 14 games in 2017, Oakland signed Ellis to a three-year, $15MM extension. Injuries limited him to just six games last season, so he’ll have barely played through the first two years of that extension.
Former Rams defensive lineman Ethan Westbrooks also got the boot. He started nine games for Los Angeles in 2017 and racked up four sacks. Last year he had a smaller role, although he did appear in all 16 games for the Rams. ‘Hard Knocks’ star Keelan Doss unfortunately failed to make the roster. He’s an undrafted rookie receiver from UC Davis. Additionally Keith Smith, who served as the team’s fullback last season, was released.
Waived:
WR Marcell Ateman
DE Quinton Bell
RB James Butler
LB Jason Cabinda
LB Te’von Coney
G Lester Cotton Sr.
WR Keelan Doss
LB Koa Farmer
WR Rico Gafford
WR Keon Hatcher
G/T Denver Kirkland
CB Dylan Mabin
T Justin Murray
CB Nick Nelson
WR De’Mornay Pierson-El
T Tyler Roemer
DT Anthony Rush
Released:
FB Keith Smith
DE Ethan Westbrooks
LB Kyle Wilber
Waived/injured:
TE Paul Butler
Placed on season-ending injured reserve:
DT Justin Ellis
Raiders Notes: Brown, Peterman, Good
We’ve got a new twist in the seemingly never-ending Antonio Brown saga. The last we had heard, the NFL had given the Raiders receiver the go-ahead to find a helmet of his usual model that was less than ten years old. The league had told him he would be able to play in it if he could find one less than ten years old, but they apparently changed course and told him the new helmet would still need to be tested, a source told Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com. Brown was able to find “several” of the Schutt AiR Advantage helmets made in the last ten years, but “earlier today, Brown was informed that the helmet failed the test,” Florio writes.
Brown has already reported back to the Raiders, so hopefully this doesn’t cause too much new drama. He had appeared to have gotten over the helmet issue, before this potential loophole came to light. Unfortunately, this doesn’t appear to be the final word on the helmet. The same source told Florio that “we haven’t heard the last of Brown on this issue,” so we should all buckle up. It’s hard to see what his next move would be, although he apparently has at least one more trick up his sleeve. We’ll keep you posted when we find out what it is.
Here’s more from Oakland:
- Speaking of Brown, he at least seems to be headed in the right direction health-wise. Brown appears to be almost over his foot issue, and Raiders coach Jon Gruden said “I think so, yeah,” when asked earlier today if Brown would be a full participant in practice soon, per Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com. Gruden added that “he took all the reps today in our walkthrough.” Raiders quarterback Derek Carr said “you can tell Antonio’s been studying because he came out and didn’t miss a beat,” and that Brown “was a part of everything we did today.” While the helmet issue doesn’t seem to be going away, it looks like Brown’s frostbitten feet won’t be a story moving forward.
- There’s been a lot of talk about Oakland’s backup quarterbacks this offseason, mostly due to the infamy of Nathan Peterman. Gruden caused quite the uproar a few weeks ago when he heaped praise on Peterman, leading many to believe he had a legitimate shot to become Carr’s primary clipboard holder. That being said, Vic Tafur of The Athletic predicts he’ll end up getting cut in his new 53-man roster projection. Mike Glennon has been impressive during the preseason, so this isn’t too surprising. There’s also a chance the Raiders decide to keep three quarterbacks because of Gruden’s affinity for Peterman. Notably, Tafur also projects veteran receiver Ryan Grant and defensive tackle Justin Ellis, who just got a $15MM extension last offseason, to miss the cut.
- More good injury news for the Raiders, as guard Denzelle Good has been activated off the PUP list and will return to practice, Tafur tweets. “That’s huge for us,” Gruden said. He’s not wrong, as the Raiders are very thin at guard at the moment. Gabe Jackson is currently sidelined with a knee injury and Richie Incognito is suspended for the first two games of the season, so Oakland will be without both of their starting guards in Week 1. Good started three games at guard for the Raiders last season after being claimed off waivers from the Colts. He’ll now presumably join the competition to fill in for Jackson and Incognito. The Raiders are also said to be exploring the trade market for veteran guards.