Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Changes to Broncos’ practice squad — out LB Avery Williamson and cut WR Josh Malone. In: WR John Brown and CB Rojesterman Farris.
The Denver Broncos’ practice squad made four roster moves on Tuesday as general manager George Paton continues to revise the bottom of the roster. Here’s a quick recap of the team’s recent transactions.
The receiver-needy Broncos have signed speedy WR John Brown to the practice squad.
The Denver Broncos have signed speedy wide receiver John Brown to the practice squad, the team announced Tuesday.
Brown provides depth for the receiver-needy Broncos, who have receivers Jerry Jeudy and K.J. Hamler on injured reserve. Courtland Sutton is Denver’s top target right now with Tim Patrick, Kendall Hinton, Diontae Spencer and David Moore also looking for targets.
Brown spent this past preseason with the division rival Las Vegas Raiders, and he requested to be released, which the Raiders ended up doing. Interestingly enough, the Broncos host the Raiders Sunday, where Brown could possibly get a shot at his short-lived former team.
We've signed WR John Brown to our practice squad.
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) October 12, 2021
In seven NFL seasons, Brown has played for the Arizona Cardinals, Baltimore Ravens and most recently the Buffalo Bills. Brown had a career season with the Bills in 2019, with 72 catches for 1,060 yards and six touchdowns. But the following year wasn’t as prosperous, with Brown limited to 33 catches for 458 yards and three touchdowns in nine games.
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Trade candidates, free agents and practice squad WRs could come into play or the Broncos.
After losing KJ Hamler (torn ACL), the Denver Broncos will need to add more depth at wide receiver this week. Here’s a quick look at four different ways the Broncos can address the situation.
According to the NFL’s transaction wire, the Falcons worked out wide receiver John Brown.
The Atlanta Falcons signed veteran punter Dustin Colquitt to the practice squad on Tuesday afternoon, and according to the NFL’s transaction wire, the team also worked out wide receiver John Brown.
More from the wire:#Falcons worked out veteran WR John Brown#Bills worked out CB Quinton Dunbar and S Damarious Randall#Vikings released RB Ameer Abdullah, signed QB Sean Mannion to the 53-man roster#Patriots signed K Nick Folk to the 53
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) September 21, 2021
Brown, 31, has played for three teams over his seven-year NFL career. After being selected by the Arizona Cardinals in the third round of the 2014 draft, he had over 1,000 yards in his second season. Brown was a solid third option for a number of years with elite deep speed. Then in 2019, he posted his second 1,000-yard season with the Buffalo Bills.
The former Pittsburgh State wideout has racked up 320 catches for 4,748 receiving yards and 31 touchdowns, while averaging 14.8 yards per catch since 2014.
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WR John Brown requests and granted release from Raiders
Up until lately, it was almost assumed John Brown would be among the receivers to make the Raiders roster. He was expected to be the replacement for Nelson Agholor. That will not happen now.
The veteran receiver has requested his release from the Raiders and that release has been granted according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
#Raiders WR John Brown requested his release and the team granted it, per source. "Smoke" is back on the market.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) August 31, 2021
Brown saw 25 snaps in the team’s preseason finale and finished with one catch on two targets for two yards. Just being active made you wonder about his future with the team considering every other receiver who has even had a good chance of making the team didn’t play.
The Raiders starters for the season will be Henry Ruggs III and Bryan Edwards. That was the starters last year as well, but Agholor quickly won a starting job and never let go of it. Brown could potentially have attempted to follow that path as well, but for whatever reason didn’t feel like he was in a good situation in Las Vegas.
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John Brown says Derek Carr reminds him of ex-Raiders QB Carson Palmer
It’s his first year in Las Vegas, but it didn’t take long for Raiders wide receiver John Brown to mention a name that has plenty of history with the silver and black.
At training camp on Monday, Brown compared Raiders quarterback Derek Carr to former Raiders QB Carson Palmer. For long-time fans of the franchise, that comparison might not sound good at all. But Brown played with Palmer on the Cardinals after Palmer left the Raiders following the 2012 season.
Palmer, a Heisman Trophy winner at USC, was successful in Arizona, compiling a 38-21-1 record and amassing 16,782 yards in five seasons. Brown was one of his targets from 2014 — his rookie year — to 2017. In 2015, Brown had one of his two career 1,000-yard campaigns. Palmer started every game that year.
Palmer was a 10-year veteran at that point, and Brown sees the same mature qualities in Carr, himself an 8-year vet. Plus, Brown likes how Carr has confidence in his receivers.
“The relationship is working out well,’ Brown said of Carr during media availability on Monday. “He kind of reminds me of Carson Palmer, you know, taking that veteran role. And he believes in his guys and he gives his guys chances. So just to be around him, it’s a blessing.”
In fact, Brown likes Carr’s game so much, it’s what drew him to the Raiders as a free agent.
“As far as the decision I made, it’s a quarterback decision,” Brown said. “Who would I like to play for? And when I was with Buffalo, watching Derek Carr last year, and seeing the style of offense, I fell in love with it right then and there. I wanted to be a part of it.”
That’s high praise for Carr, and for coach Jon Gruden, too. But while Brown rightfully sees Palmer as an example of stellar QB play, many Raiders fans and observers don’t hold Palmer in high regard.
He had an 8-16 record with the then Oakland Raiders, arriving in the Bay Area via trade in 2011 after starting QB Jason Campbell went down with an injury. The Raiders traded two draft picks to the Bengals in the deal, including a first-round choice.
Palmer started hot with the Raiders, but he wilted late — along with a porous Raiders defense — and he ended up with 13 touchdowns and 16 interceptions in 2011, compiling a 4-5 record. That mark put the Raiders at 8-8 and out of the playoffs.
That’s actually one more similarity between Carr and Palmer — they’ve each played on Raiders teams with terrible defenses, including in 2012, when Palmer threw for more than 4,000 yards but compiled a 4-11 record. (Bonus info: both quarterbacks were born in Fresno, Calif.)
But Brown only knows the Palmer who helped resurrect a dormant Cardinals franchise with his veteran leadership and elite skill. That’s what he sees in Carr, and that’s why Brown is in Las Vegas.
The history of the Raiders is certainly vast, and it’s not clear if Brown knows much about Palmer’s time with the team. But he definitely seems ready to make his own Raiders history — of the glorious variety — with Carr in Las Vegas.
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Ranking the top 25 players on Raiders roster: 6-10
Over the last few days, we’ve looked at the best players on the 2021 roster for the Las Vegas Raiders. We now move into the top ten. When we get a good feel for what kind of overall talent the Raiders possess.
2020 was a bounce-back year for Carlson. In his second season with AJ Cole as his holder, Carlson found his stroke again, nailing 33 of his 35 field goal attempts (94.3%) including a perfect four for four from 50+ yards out. His field goal percentage was good for fourth-best in the NFL last season.
Brown has averaged over 15 yards per catch over the past three seasons with the Ravens and Bills. His season was cut short in 2020 after nine games, but in 2019 he had a career-high 72 catches for 1060 yards and added six touchdowns. He comes in to replace the departed Nelson Agholor who put up career numbers with the Raiders last season.
A strange signing to be certain as Drake is a luxury item on a team that already had a great starting running back and needed help on defense. But regardless of that, he brings talents with him that are starting caliber. His career average of 4.5 yards per carry, which was 4.8 yards per carry prior to a dip to four yards per carry in 2020.
But despite that slight dip in yards per carry, Drake also had his best overall numbers in terms of rushing yards (955) and touchdowns (10). He’s also been a receiver out of the backfield for much of his career, including in 2018 when he had 53 catches for 477 yards and five touchdowns. Gruden intends to use him a lot in that capacity.
One of the few Raiders defenders who came out of last season having seen his play improve. Mullen is also the only member of the secondary whose starting job is unquestioned. He put up two interceptions and 14 pass breakups last season while allowed a respectable 7.7 yards per target.
The 2019 round two pick is a building block for a secondary that otherwise continues to try and find its way and will have at least two new starters next season and quite possibly three.
Carr is coming off statistically his best season since his magical 2016 season. What was missing, however, was the magic. He is certainly efficient as a passer, throwing for 27 touchdowns to just nine interceptions. Though his fumbling continues to be a real problem. He had 11 of them last season to give him 63 for his seven-year career. Last season they were a primary factor in the Raiders being the worst fumbling team in the league.
His efficiency as a passer and has not often translated into winning games. And it’s not all on the defense either. Over a five-game stretch late last season in which the Raiders were fighting for a playoff spot, Carr cracked the 100 passer rating barrier just once, throwing just six touchdowns to four interceptions, and the team lost four of those five games and were knocked out of the playoffs. It was eerily similar to the same five-game stretch in 2019.
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Ranking the top 25 players on Raiders roster: 6-10
Over the last few days, we’ve looked at the best players on the 2021 roster for the Las Vegas Raiders. We now move into the top ten. When we get a good feel for what kind of overall talent the Raiders possess.
2020 was a bounce-back year for Carlson. In his second season with AJ Cole as his holder, Carlson found his stroke again, nailing 33 of his 35 field goal attempts (94.3%) including a perfect four for four from 50+ yards out. His field goal percentage was good for fourth-best in the NFL last season.
Brown has averaged over 15 yards per catch over the past three seasons with the Ravens and Bills. His season was cut short in 2020 after nine games, but in 2019 he had a career-high 72 catches for 1060 yards and added six touchdowns. He comes in to replace the departed Nelson Agholor who put up career numbers with the Raiders last season.
A strange signing to be certain as Drake is a luxury item on a team that already had a great starting running back and needed help on defense. But regardless of that, he brings talents with him that are starting caliber. His career average of 4.5 yards per carry, which was 4.8 yards per carry prior to a dip to four yards per carry in 2020.
But despite that slight dip in yards per carry, Drake also had his best overall numbers in terms of rushing yards (955) and touchdowns (10). He’s also been a receiver out of the backfield for much of his career, including in 2018 when he had 53 catches for 477 yards and five touchdowns. Gruden intends to use him a lot in that capacity.
One of the few Raiders defenders who came out of last season having seen his play improve. Mullen is also the only member of the secondary whose starting job is unquestioned. He put up two interceptions and 14 pass breakups last season while allowed a respectable 7.7 yards per target.
The 2019 round two pick is a building block for a secondary that otherwise continues to try and find its way and will have at least two new starters next season and quite possibly three.
Carr is coming off statistically his best season since his magical 2016 season. What was missing, however, was the magic. He is certainly efficient as a passer, throwing for 27 touchdowns to just nine interceptions. Though his fumbling continues to be a real problem. He had 11 of them last season to give him 63 for his seven-year career. Last season they were a primary factor in the Raiders being the worst fumbling team in the league.
His efficiency as a passer and has not often translated into winning games. And it’s not all on the defense either. Over a five-game stretch late last season in which the Raiders were fighting for a playoff spot, Carr cracked the 100 passer rating barrier just once, throwing just six touchdowns to four interceptions, and the team lost four of those five games and were knocked out of the playoffs. It was eerily similar to the same five-game stretch in 2019.
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Takeaways from Buffalo Bills Sean McDermott, Brandon Beane during free agency.
Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane took some time on Thursday to address all the latest happening surrounding the team since the start of free agency this week.
From re-signings of their own last week, to the additions of receiver Emmanuel Sanders and quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, the duo had plenty to discuss.
With that, here are 12 takeaways from the press conference:
Well who saw Trubisky being a Bills quarterback? Turns out he is. On Thursday, Buffalo signed him to a one-year deal and Beane said that Trubisky is going to replace Matt Barkley as the team’s QB2.
So the pressing question: Why?
Beane said the Bills see more similarities to Josh Allen.
“Physically, very talented. Athletically, can do some of the same things that Josh can do with the RPOs that Brian Daboll uses in the system,” Beane said.
The GM added that the stop in Buffalo might be one and done for the 26-year-old as well.
“This is a reset for him, we don’t expect him to be here long term,” Beane said.
McDermott said the addition of Sanders is not something to overthink. The coach essentially said it was John Brown out, Sanders in. The reasoning for adding another piece is because the Bills didn’t want to give their offense any reason to struggle after their 2020 breakout.
“You never want to lose your fastball in terms of what we were able to do last season,” McDermott said.
Candidly, Beane said if it wasn’t for COVID-19 causing financial changes in the league, linebacker Matt Milano would have be re-signed long ago. Maybe even last offseason. But because fans were not allowed at games in 2020, causing revenues and the 2021 salary cap to drop to $182.5 million … it took some time.
“All along, we had hoped to get Matt back. I think if we hadn’t had the pandemic and lowering of the cap and uncertainty of where everything would be, I think we would have gotten Matt extended last year,” Beane said.
WR John Brown agrees to terms with the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Las Vegas Raiders have agreed to terms with former Buffalo Bills wide receiver John Brown.
On Wednesday, SiriusXM’s Adam Caplan reported that Brown’s deal is for one year. It’s a one-year deal worth up to $5.5 million with incentives.
Brown, 30, was released by the Bills last week. In cutting him, Buffalo saved $7.9 million against the 2021 salary cap in doing so. Defensive lineman Quinton Jefferson was also released at the same time.
Last season, Brown struggled with injuries and was in and out of the Bills’ lineup. In his first season in Buffalo in 2019, Brown emerged as a 1,000-plus yard wideout that was a key contributor for quarterback Josh Allen.
The Bills themselves reportedly will sign Emmanuel Sanders to replace Brown on Thursday.
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