Tag: John Brown

B/R says Bills’ ‘best free agency move’ would be adding WR

Bleacher Report suggests the Buffalo Bills sign receiver to replace John Brown in free agency.

Bleacher Report thinks that the Buffalo Bills should sign a wide receiver to improve their roster during free agency.

A receiver? Really? It actually does make sense beneath the surface.

While the Bills do have more pressing needs including holes to fill at cornerback and on the defensive line, Buffalo can’t just expect John Brown’s replacement will be easily found already on their roster.

Stefon Diggs is elite and Gabriel Davis showed promise, but neither guy is the deep-ball burner like Brown. That’s part of B/R’s reasoning as to why Buffalo should be in the market for a “second wave wide receiver” during free agency:

The win-now Buffalo Bills already (surprisingly) wrapped up starting linebacker Matt Milano.

Milano, 26, was one of the top linebackers set to hit the market, and the Bills didn’t have a ton of wiggle room to make something work ($9 million in cap space). Buffalo also prioritized Daryl Williams, with nothing being more important than keeping budding superstar quarterback Josh Allen healthy.

Now it’s on to other more minor problems, such as the wideout room without deep threat John Brown. He had only 52 targets last year yet averaged 13.9 yards per catch. A cheaper deep threat such as Willie Snead IV, John Ross III or Phillip Dorsett II could replace the production.

No matter the name, Buffalo doesn’t have a ton of holes to fill, and its surrounding pieces are good. Retaining those two key free agents should provide a boon, and adding a playmaking wideout at a low cost would keep its draft options open.

Not having a lot of holes to fill is a great thing, and filling those as soon as possible is Brandon Beane’s policy. By the time each NFL Draft rolls around, the Bills general manager often expresses a desire to not have to “draft for need.”

But now this all depends on the price tag of Emmanuel Sanders.

On Tuesday, just as the B/R doctor ordered, the Bills reportedly signed Sanders to a one-year deal. Adding him to be exactly what the Bills lacked without Brown.

Stay tuned to Bills Wire for any updates on Sanders.

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Fantasy football free agency roundup

NFL free agency will drastically help reshape the fantasy football landscape as the new league year begins.

Now that NFL free agency is upon us, here is where we’ll run through the fantasy football outlooks for trades, re-signings, midrange players, and tag recipients.

This analysis will be updated as players sign/re-sign in free agency, so be sure to check back regularly.

Signed with new team or traded

RB Mark Ingram, Houston Texans: The 31-year-old inked a one-year, $2.5 million deal in Houston to pair with fellow well-aged runner David Johnson. The duo will create a one-two punch, so long as what we saw from Baltimore making Ingram a healthy scratch late last year wasn’t foreshadowing. Some of that was due to him not playing special teams and the team wanting to get a closer look at rookie J.K. Dobbins. Presuming quarterback Deshaun Watson returns, Ingram still has a dicey outlook. The Texans’ porous defense has so many needs that it’s tough to see the offense being able to consistently run the ball if the other side cannot contain opposing offenses. Ingram needs bulk to make a mark in fantasy lineups, which rarely will be the case, unless he finds regular success around the goal line, consider the veteran merely roster depth or a handcuff to Johnson.

Re-signed/extensions

QB Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys: There’s no surprise associated with the four-year, $160 million extension Prescott signed prior to free agency opening. He wasn’t ever going to be allowed to leave the building, as evidenced by a formality of being tagged again. As long as his ankle rehab goes according to plan, this potential No. 1 overall fantasy quarterback has the tools to pick up where he left off.

QB Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers:While it’s technically an extension, Big Ben’s deal was reworked to provide cap relief for the Steelers and keep him in a black-and-yellow uni for one last go of it. Roethlisberger will almost assuredly be without WR JuJu Smith-Schuster, and Pittsburgh has a new offensive coordinator in Matt Canada, but there’s still enough to like about the situation for Roethlisberger to be in the conversation of a low-tier rotational starter.

QB Cam Newton, New England Patriots: The knee-jerk reaction is to scoff at Newton getting a one-year, $14 million deal to re-sign with the Pats. A closer look should elicit a more measured response. Last year, just about everything worked against Cam finding success. He signed late (June 28), there was no offseason program, the offensive system is intricate, New England lost several key players to the opt-out, the offensive line had to shuffle talent several times, no receivers to speak of, zero tight ends of consequence, an erratic rushing attack, and Newton was returning from foot surgery prior to joining New England. Excuses, you may say … perhaps, but all of those factors are undeniable reality. Newton is finally healthy after three straight offseasons of rehabbing from surgery. Wait to see how the Patriots address wide receiver and tight end concerns, but it’s unwise to entirely dismiss a rebound by Newton.

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QB Taylor Heinicke, Washington Football Team: The former Panther parlayed an admirable playoff start into a two-year extension in Washington. He knows the system and the brain trust’s nucleus from his time in Carolina. Alex Smith’s release opens the door for Heinicke to compete for a starting job while having the upper hand against a newcomer who won’t be as familiar with the playbook. It’s unlikely, however, Heinicke is the season-long starter for this offense as an incoming rookie or free-agent acquisition will have that momentum on his side.

Franchise/transition tagged

WR Chris Godwin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: No one paying attention expected the Buccaneers to allow Godwin to walk into free agency. Look for a stronger showing in 2021 after an injury-pocked season a year ago derailed Godwin’s campaign from nearly the onset. He’s a legit WR2 in all settings, but his upside is capped at that position overall with the bevy of talent around him in the passing game.

WR Allen Robinson, Chicago Bears: It seemed for quite some time that Chicago wouldn’t have the cap space to tag Robinson, but he was indeed slapped with the tender of $17-plus million for 2021. While he would like a long-term deal, and the team may still yet find a way to meet his demands by July 15, there also remains a chance this could get ugly. Robinson doesn’t want to play on the tag, nor must he sign the tender. He then wouldn’t play or get paid, so there’s that, and $17.89 mill is nothing to sneeze at during an offseason in which the salary cap actually goes down. At 27, Robinson could put his John Hancock on the offer sheet and still hit free agency in 2022 young enough to get one last shot at a huge deal when teams will have more money to throw around. Long story short, he mostly is quarterback-proof, but Chicago still needs to put a better product on the field. Whether it is Nick Foles or someone else under center in 2021, A-Rob is a viable PPR WR1 with a hint of downside.

Remains unsigned

  • Quarterbacks: Alex Smith, Mitchell Trubisky, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Jameis Winston, Jacoby Brissett
  • Running backs: Aaron Jones, Chris Carson, Kenyan Drake, Todd Gurley, Duke Johnson, Tevin Coleman, James White, Matt Breida, Brian Hill, Leonard Fournette, Malcolm Brown, Jerick McKinnon, Adrian Peterson, Le’Veon Bell, Kalen Ballage, James Conner, Marlon Mack, Wayne Gallman, Jamaal Williams, Mike Davis
  • Wide receivers: A.J. Green, T.Y. Hilton, Emmanuel Sanders, Larry Fitzgerald, Golden Tate, DeSean Jackson, Adam Humphries, Sammy Watkins, Marvin Jones, John Brown, Breshad Perriman, Corey Davis, Willie Snead, John Ross, Keelan Cole, Kendrick Bourne, Will Fuller, Demarcus Robinson, Antonio Brown, Curtis Samuel, Damiere Byrd, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Nelson Agholor, Rashard Higgins, David Moore, Kenny Golladay
  • Tight ends: Hunter Henry, Rob Gronkowski, Kyle Rudolph, Jared Cook, Tyler Eifert, Gerald Everett, Jordan Reed, Jonnu Smith, Trey Burton

PFF predicts Titans sign John Brown as Corey Davis replacement

PFF also makes predictions for where some of the Titans’ top free agents will land.

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Whether or not the Tennessee Titans re-sign Corey Davis this offseason, the team must add help to their receiving corps. ahead of the 2021 campaign.

Aside from A.J. Brown, the Titans are sorely lacking at the position as far as players currently under contract go. Every player beyond Brown on the depth chart is either a bottom-of-the-depth-chart or practice-squad player at best.

In his latest round of free agency predictions, Pro Football Focus’ Anthony Treash believes the Titans will lose Davis in free agency to the Washington Football Team.

In order to replace him, the Titans will sign recently-released wideout John Brown, according to Treash:

With Corey Davis on his way out, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine is likely the Titans’ next best wide receiver under contract. No disrespect to him, but that just goes to show how badly the team needs several wideouts.

Brown’s speed has led to plenty of big plays for Buffalo over the past couple of years. He turned over a quarter of his targets the past two seasons into 15-plus-yard gains, which ranks among the 10 highest rates in the entire league over that span.

Before we get to more on Brown, here’s a look at where Treash has some of the Titans’ biggest pending free agents landing:

Desmond King: Titans (three years, $17.5 million)

Corey Davis: Washington (four years, $65 million)

Jadeveon Clowney: Titans (one year, $13 million)

Jonnu Smith: Cardinals (four years, $38 million)

Jayon Brown: Panthers (four years, $47.5 million)

Brown is no doubt an intriguing player to target should Tennessee lose Davis, although we’d much rather have him as a depth piece behind A.J. and a re-signed Davis.

The 30-year-old Pittsburgh St. product is capable of lining up both inside and out, so he could fill multiple roles in Nashville. On top of that, he’d offer the deep threat Tennessee needs thanks to his speed and big-play ability.

As far as price is concerned, Brown should come relatively cheap, so there is an outside chance he could be had by the Titans even if they re-sign Davis. Brown made $9 million annually on his last deal with the Buffalo Bills, but following an injury-plagued season, his market value should take a hit.

If Brown is indeed the Titans’ solution to replace Davis, he’d be a decent one-year stop-gap kind of signing, but in that scenario Tennessee must still be looking to find a long-term No. 2 option and more depth during the 2021 NFL draft.

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Ranking the Bills’ offseason needs after pre-free agency moves

An updated look at the Buffalo Bills’ needs prior to free agency after cuts and Matt Milano re-signs.

We’re now in the thick of the Buffalo Bills offseason as we near the end of this week.

The Bills and general manager Brandon Beane did a ton of off-field lift the past few days as free agency looms on March 17.

Buffalo restructured the contracts of center Mitch Morse and defensive tackle Vernon Butler. Wide receiver John Brown and defensive lineman Quinton Jefferson were released.

But in the opposite direction, the Bills then added to their salary cap as well. Linebacker Matt Milano was re-signed by the team to a four-year deal.

There was a lot to unpack and with some of the dust settling on all of this, let’s refresh.

Here’s an updated list of offseason needs for the Bills following their pre-free agency moves made throughout this week:

Ranking the Bills’ offseason needs after pre-free agency moves

An updated look at the Buffalo Bills’ needs prior to free agency after cuts and Matt Milano re-signs.

We’re now in the thick of the Buffalo Bills offseason as we near the end of this week.

The Bills and general manager Brandon Beane did a ton of off-field lift the past few days as free agency looms on March 17.

Buffalo restructured the contracts of center Mitch Morse and defensive tackle Vernon Butler. Wide receiver John Brown and defensive lineman Quinton Jefferson were released.

But in the opposite direction, the Bills then added to their salary cap as well. Linebacker Matt Milano was re-signed by the team to a four-year deal.

There was a lot to unpack and with some of the dust settling on all of this, let’s refresh.

Here’s an updated list of offseason needs for the Bills following their pre-free agency moves made throughout this week:

John Brown curious what of Josh Allen’s input on his release

What former WR John Brown said about Buffalo Bills, QB Josh Allen.

The offseason salary cap cuts for the Bills and general manager Brandon Beane began this week. The first two players outright released by the team were defensive lineman Quinton Jefferson and wide receiver John Brown. 

Jefferson, 27, made a brief comment about being released on Wednesday shortly after it happened. He’s taking it in stride and even used “business” decision when discussing it.

While the defender doesn’t sound like there’s any hard feelings… we’re unsure what to make of Brown.

On Thursday, Brown appeared on SiriusXM NFL Radio. He had some interesting comments.

First, he suggested to some extent that he did not see the release coming.

“You know, honesty, we didn’t know nothing, we weren’t even given a heads up,” Brown said.

In addition. Brown was curious if his quarterback in Josh Allen had anything to say about it.

“Like, I don’t know if they gave Josh Allen input on it,” Brown said. “He should have had input. Or, if he did have input I thought he would want me to stay.”

What’s most curious about Brown seeming to be surprised by the cut, he did actually make reference to potentially being released earlier this offseason. On Feb. 8, Brown took to his social media account via Instagram and responded to a fan and said “the future is what it is” and “I’m ready for anything.”

Perhaps the 30-year-old was more hopeful of a potential contract restructuring from the team? Or some other dialogue from the Bills?

Regardless, what’s done is done. Cutting Brown saved the Bills around $7.9 million against the salary cap. Prior to that, the Bills had approximately $3M in cap space, so Buffalo releasing him made sense.

The Bills could now work a new contact with Brown and potentially sign him for a cheaper deal. It remains to be seen if that happens, but during the same interview, Brown did admit he has interest in joining the Indianapolis Colts. His sights could already be elsewhere.

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Newly-released WR John Brown wants to play for the Colts

Smokey Brown wants to join Indy.

The Buffalo Bills released veteran wide receiver John Brown on Wednesday, and he already has his sights set on a new team. That includes the Indianapolis Colts.

During an interview on SiriusXM NFL Radio, Brown was asked which teams he would like to play for now that he can choose his destination. The Pittsburgh Steelers were one. The Colts were another.

“The Indianapolis Colts,” Brown said. “The way they use T.Y. Hilton and when we played those guys in the playoffs, I walked off and I’m like, this team, they’re up and coming, they’re going to be a problem in the next few years.”

Brown would be an interesting option for the Colts. His game is certainly a strong fit for Frank Reich’s scheme, especially his ability to make plays downfield and over the middle of the field.

The Colts are expected to let Hilton hit the market and there is a very good chance he receives a stronger offer from a team other than the Colts. That could make Brown an intriguing option for Indy.

Brown appeared in only nine games in 2020 but hasn’t played fewer than 15 games in five of his seven seasons. He’s averaged 14.9 yards per reception throughout his career and has made a living using his speed to make big plays.

The Colts have a need at wide receiver and if they don’t re-sign Hilton, they could have a fallback plan in Brown.

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What the Bills’ WR depth chart looks like, post-John Brown

Buffalo Bills WR depth chart following John Brown being released and prior to free agency.

The Buffalo Bills wide receiver room might turn out to be a group with a decent amount of turnover this offseason and that got started on Wednesday.

Just hours after the NFL announced the 2021 salary cap was set at $182.5 million, wideout John Brown was released. Considering that cap number only left Buffalo with near $3M in cap space, Brown’s cut, which saved the team $7.9M, makes sense.

Defensive lineman Quinton Jefferson was also released.

But this is a piece about the wide receiver room.

While Brown is out the door, others could soon follow and it’s a situation that isn’t really being talked about much in Buffalo. The Bills have a few other notable pending free agent wide receivers and the free agent market opens in less than a week (March 17).

Among those are:

  • Isaiah McKenzie ($962.5K AAV)
  • Andre Roberts ($2.3M AAV)

So all things considered with free agency nearly here and the 2021 NFL Draft on the horizon, here are the remaining players left on the Bills’ roster as things currently stand:

Should the Cardinals reunite with WR John Brown?

The Buffalo Bills released WR John Brown on Wednesday, prompting many to wonder if he could return to the Arizona Cardinals, where he was drafted.

With the start of the legal tampering period just a few days away, teams across the NFL are making veteran cuts and contract restructures to stay under the cap. This year, there have been some big-name cuts of talented players that likely wouldn’t be happening in a regular off-season.

One of those cuts is former Arizona Cardinal wideout John Brown, who was released by the Buffalo Bills on Wednesday.

Since departing from the valley, Brown has played three seasons (one for Baltimore, two for Buffalo) and accumulated 2,233 receiving yards, 147 receptions and 14 touchdowns. His best season was in 2019 in Buffalo prior to the acquisition of Stefon Diggs, where he received a high volume of targets. That season was his second 1,000-yard season, the other being with the Cardinals in 2015.

Needless to say, Brown is still a very productive player in the league and would make Kliff Kingsbury’s offense much better.

Brown will be 31 at the start of the 2021 season after dealing with some injuries last season. He missed seven regular-season games and was hurt in his return to Arizona in the ‘Hail Murray’ thriller.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1PV0xjS0gY

Cardinals fans remember the speedy wideout’s successful tenure in Arizona. With wide receiver being a position of need, could Brown return to the valley?

Adding John Brown to the existing receiving corps would give the Cards a deep threat on the perimeter, opening up more intermediate routes for DeAndre Hopkins and Christian Kirk. He likely wouldn’t command a huge salary, which is helpful in this limited cap year for all teams.

There are some complications, however. Brown has sickle-cell trait that reportedly grew worse during his time in Arizona. He also was frustrated by how his situation was handled. Former head coach Bruce Arians first spoke of the issue during the 2016 season, and Brown didn’t quite have the same impact since. It’s possible there was some tension there, but with Arians in Tampa, perhaps Brown would consider a reunion, health permitting.

With wide receiver being a need for the team, it’s possible John Brown returns to Arizona.

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Bills release WR John Brown, DL Quinton Jefferson

Buffalo Bills cut WR John Brown and DE Quinton Jefferson ahead of 2021 free agency.

The first cuts have been made by the Buffalo Bills this offseason.

On Wednesday, the team announced that both wide receiver John Brown and defensive lineman Quinton Jefferson were released by the team. Both players have long been considered to be cap casualties this offseason.

Check back for updates… 

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