Tommy Sweeney

David Njoku Facing Potential Absence; Browns Line Up TE Workouts

David Njoku exited the Browns’ Week 1 loss due to an ankle injury, and he could be sidelined for a stretch as a result. The Pro Bowl tight end is believed to be have suffered a high ankle sprain, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Njoku was in a walking boot after the team’s season opener, Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com adds. No firm timeline for his recovery is in place, but head coach Kevin Stefanski called him week-to-week. Losing Njoku for any period of time would deal a blow to a Browns passing attack which struggled on Sunday.

The 28-year-old set career highs in receptions (81), yards (882) and touchdowns (six) last season. Njoku faces expectations to remain a key member of Cleveland’s offense moving forward, and before being injured he recorded four catches for 44 yards. The former first-rounder is on the books for two more seasons as he continues to play out his $54.75MM deal.

With Njoku in line to miss time, Cleveland signed wideout Kadarius Toney to the practice squad. The former first-rounder recently visited the Browns, and he will aim to carve out a role amongst the likes of Amari Cooper, Jerry Jeudy, Elijah Moore and Cedric Tillman. At the tight end position, though, the team is in the process of seeking out an addition.

Cleveland hosted Geoff Swaim on a workout today, Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 reports. In addition, the team has visits lined up with Irv Smith and Tommy Sweeney, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler adds. Swain has the most experience in the group as a veteran of 102 combined regular and postseason games. The 30-year-old played out his rookie contract with the Cowboys before spending time in Jacksonville, Tennessee and Arizona. Swaim’s best campaign (in terms of catches and touchdowns) came with the Titans in 2021 when he posted a 31-210-3 statline.

Smith flashed potential during his Vikings tenure, but the 26-year-old has struggled with injuries in his career. Smith did not have an impactful one-year stint with the Bengals last season, and he failed to survive roster cuts with the Chiefs last month. Sweeney, 29, missed all of last season while spending the campaign on the Giants’ NFI list. He landed a deal with the Bears in free agency, but he too was released ahead of the cutdown deadline. Sweeney is a veteran of 24 games played with the Bills from 2019-22 in a depth and special teams capacity.

After restructuring Deshaun Watson‘s contract once again, the Browns have over $48MM in cap space. A short-term addition to replace Njoku will therefore be feasible, and it will be interesting to see if any of these visits produce an agreement.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/24/24

Saturday’s minor moves:

Chicago Bears

Miami Dolphins

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/12/24

Sunday’s minor transactions to wrap up the weekend:

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions

  • Signed: WR Kaden Davis

New York Giants

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

With the conclusion of rookie minicamps, a number of teams have made a few additions from minicamp auditions of undrafted rookie free agents. Sweeney is a rare example of a non-rookie getting a second chance from a minicamp audition. After collapsing on the practice field with the Giants last year due to a “medical event,” Sweeney will attempt a comeback to the NFL in Chicago.

Jones (undrafted out of Arkansas State), Sirmon (undrafted out of Northern Colorado), Chatman (undrafted out of SMU), Hayes (undrafted out of Central Arkansas), and Jefferson (undrafted out of Kentucky) all earned roster spots for the offseason after successful minicamp tryouts. Mosely and Stenberg were waived to make room for Hayes and Jefferson.

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/28/23

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

  • Signed to active roster: CB Ekow Boye-Doe

Miami Dolphins

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

Following the addition of Michael Carter and the return of Emari Demercado, the Cardinals didn’t have any room for Keaontay Ingram. The 2022 sixth-round pick got into 20 games across one-plus seasons in Arizona, collecting 181 yards from scrimmage and one touchdown. If the running back passes through waivers, there’s a chance he lands on the Cardinals practice squad.

Charlie Heck is back on the Texans active roster after missing the first two-plus months of the season. The offensive lineman was recovering from a back injury that “involved sciatica that went down to his foot,” per Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston. The former fourth-round pick will look to carve out a role after starting 17 of his 35 NFL appearances through his first three seasons in the NFL.

Minor NFL Transactions: 3/23/23

Thursday’s minor moves around the league:

Arizona Cardinals

Chicago Bears

Denver Broncos

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

Washington Commanders

Woods and Cole both served as special teams contributors to start their careers. The former is making his first move outside the NFC North, having previously played for the Bears and Lions. Likewise, the latter is set for his first stint with a non-AFC South squad, after beginning his career with the Texans and Titans. They each bring considerable third phase experience to their new teams.

Sweeny, 27, is making the New York-to-Buffalo trek several have made before him recently. He will reunite with Giants head coach Brian Daboll, who served as the Bills’ offensive coordinator during their time together in Buffalo. Sweeny served in a backup role during each of his three heathy seasons to start his career, making a total of 18 catches for 165 yards and a touchdown. He will look to continue operating as a secondary option at the position in New York under Daboll as the Giants incorporate Pro Bowler Darren Waller into their new-look offense.

Bills’ Tommy Sweeney Done For The Year Due To COVID-19 Complications

We unfortunately have at least our second case of a player’s season being ended due to COVID-19 complications. Bills tight end Tommy Sweeney is the latest, Buffalo announced.

Sweeney has developed myocarditis, a heart condition which is not uncommon with COVID-19 infections. It’s an inflammation of the heart, and is one of the main concerns with athletes getting the virus. Jaguars running back Ryquell Armstead had to be hospitalized twice and was enduring major symptoms before he was ultimately ruled out for the season last month. Fortunately most diagnoses for NFL players have meant an absence of only a game or two, but there are still the possibility of complications even for elite athletes.

Sweeney was drafted by the Bills in the seventh-round last year. He appeared in six games as a rookie and made one start, catching eight passes for 114 yards. Hopefully the Boston College product and former first-team All-ACC selection is able to make a full recovery in time for 2021.

Bills Release Andre Roberts, Trim Roster To 53

Here are the roster decisions the Bills made to move to the mandated 53-man regular-season limit.

Waived:

Released:

Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform:

The Bills signed Roberts to a two-year deal in 2019, doing so after he earned All-Pro recognition for his kick-return work on the 2018 Jets. Roberts has 10 years’ experience and two Pro Bowls on his resume. The second of those two Pro Bowl nods came last season with the Bills. Buffalo enters the season with its best chance to win the AFC East in maybe 20 years, so cutting an accomplished player is certainly surprising.

Foster made a splash as a rookie in 2018, but the Bills have overhauled their receiver group since. John Brown and Cole Beasley led the way last year, and the team traded for Stefon Diggs and drafted two wideouts — fourth-rounder Gabriel Davis and sixth-rounder Isaiah Hodgins — this year. Foster will nonetheless be an interest name on waivers.

Buffalo traded for Andre Smith earlier this week. The third-year linebacker could well be brought back on the team’s 16-player practice squad. Teams can begin assembling their P-squads Sunday.

Bills Sign Cody Ford, Five Other Draft Picks, Eight UDFAs

After signing first-round pick Ed Oliver earlier today, the Bills have signed six more draft picks and eight undrafted free agents.

Draft Picks

Ford, whom many teams had earmarked as a Day 1 selection, will give the Bills options along their revamped offensive line. He’s capable of playing either guard or tackle, so Buffalo can deploy the Oklahoma product in any number of ways. Singletary, meanwhile, becomes yet another new running back on the Bills’ roster, joining T.J. Yeldon and Frank Gore. LeSean McCoy, therefore, could potentially either become trade bait or be released.

UDFAs

Jackson was widely expected to be drafted, but he was instead able to choose his destination and remain close to home. He received $75K guaranteed on his deal with the Bills, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.com.