Tag: Trent Brown

Report: Patriots to trade for Raiders OT Trent Brown

The trade could have a ricochet effect on the offensive line.

The New England Patriots agreed to terms on a trade for Las Vegas Raiders tackle Trent Brown, according to multiple reports. The Patriots will send a fifth-round pick to the Raiders for Brown, a starting right tackle, and a seventh-round pick. Though the terms are in place, the trade will not be official until the league year begins on March 17.

As a part of the trade, Brown has agreed to take a pay cut. He had a two years and $30 million left on his contract. New England and Brown have instead agreed upon a $11 million contract.

Brown spent the 2018 season with the Patriots, who started him all 16 games at left tackle. They acquired him in a draft-day trade by swapping picks with the San Francisco 49ers.

Brown joins the presumed starters at left tackle Isaiah Wynn and right tackle Marcus Cannon. Wynn is entering the fourth and potentially final year of his rookie deal, with the fifth year option looming. He has missed 30 games in his first three seasons. Cannon, meanwhile, didn’t play in 2020, and will make $9 million in 2021. If the Patriots cut or traded him, he would relieve about $7 million in cap space. New England also found offensive lineman Michael Onwenu to be a competent starter at guard and tackle after the Patriots drafted him in the sixth round in 2020.

The jumbled offensive line situation doesn’t stop there. The Patriots have two starters that are pending free agents: guard Joe Thuney and center David Andrews. It will be interesting to see if moving Brown is a response to the Patriots’ expecting multiple departures, whether by release or free agency.

[vertical-gallery id=102369]

Carolina Panthers: 7 potential non-QB trade targets ahead of 2021 free agency

With that in mind, here are several potential trade targets for GM Scott Fitterer to consider who don’t play QB.

Panthers owner David Tepper is tired of losing and ready to make a serious splash this offseason. Most likely that will come in the form of trading for a new franchise quarterback, whether it’s dealing a ton of draft capital for someone like Deshaun Watson or Russell Wilson or moving up from No. 8 overall to select one of the top-four QB prospects in this class.

This team is more than just one starting quarterback away from being a contender, though. With that in mind, here are several potential trade targets for GM Scott Fitterer to consider who don’t play QB.

Raiders’ IV mishap lands OT Trent Brown in the hospital

Raiders OT Trent Brown missed Sunday’s game due to an IV mishap. Once again, it’s a bad time for AFC West team doctors.

It has not been a great year for team doctors in the AFC West. In late September, Chargers then-starting quarterback Tyrod Taylor suffered a punctured lung when a team doctor tried to administer a pain-killing shot before Los Angeles’ game with the Chiefs. Taylor suffered a rib injury in Week 1 against the Bengals, but didn’t get an MRI until later in the week. That led to rookie Justin Herbert’s improbable rise, but still… whoops.

We are apparently not done with the whoops, folks. As reported by Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, right tackle Trent Brown missed Sunday’s game against the Bengals when a simple IV went awry.

Per Vic Tafur of The Athletic, Brown had been wheeled out of the locker room.

The Raiders did get the “W,” with a 16-6 score. But as Rapoport also points out, it’s a bad time for Brown, who had worked his way through COVID to get back on the field.

Given the history of NFL team doctors (hint: it’s bad), the league should be investigating these issues as it failed to do for decades. If players have to be afraid of their own doctors, it’s a serious problem.

Raiders’ offensive line has major COVID-19 issues

The Raiders are having major issues with their offensive line and COVID.

The COVID-19 situation forced Jon Gruden to send his entire offensive line home Wednesday.

Offensive tackle Trent Brown is being placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list and because his fellow linemates have been near him Las Vegas was forced to send it home en masse.

The Raiders are scheduled to play host to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.

David Andrews, James White and Josh Uche out for Patriots’ Week 3 game

David Andrews will miss the Week 3 matchup with a broken thumb.

The New England Patriots will be without James White, David Andrews and Josh Uche in their Week 3 matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders.

White’s father passed away last Sunday in a tragic car accident, leaving an unknown timetable on his return. David Andrews broke his thumb and had surgery on it earlier this week. He’s out for this week and potentially longer, with second-year interior lineman Hjalte Froholdt likely stepping up in his place.

Uche, the Patriots’ rookie third-round linebacker, hasn’t yet seen the field in an NFL game. He missed the first two games with an ankle injury and it’ll keep him sidelined for the third consecutive week.

New England has five important players listed as questionable; Adam Butler, Isaiah Wynn, Julian Edelman, N’Keal Harry and Kyle Dugger.

The Raiders will be without left tackle Trent Brown and linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski.

[vertical-gallery id=94939]

 

NFL Week 2: D.J. Swearing among inactive Saints for Raiders game

The New Orleans Saints list of inactive players for Week 2’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders officially ruled out wideout Michael Thomas.

[jwplayer kj3NJBG4-ThvAeFxT]

Here we go, with one last stop before kickoff: the New Orleans Saints and Las Vegas Raiders announced their inactive players for Week 2’s “Monday Night Football” game, finally deciding who will dress out and who will watch the game in sweatpants.

We knew that several key Saints players wouldn’t suit up from the injury report, specifically defensive end Marcus Davenport, wide receiver Michael Thomas, and linebacker Chase Hansen. A handful of Raiders players were questionable with injuries, but they waited until just before kickoff to make the final determination.

Here’s your full list of inactives from both sides:

From the Saints

  • DE Marcus Davenport (elbow)
  • WR Michael Thomas (ankle)
  • LB Chase Hansen (hip)
  • DB D.J. Swearinger
  • DT Shy Tuttle
  • RB Dwayne Washington
  • OL Will Clapp

From the Raiders

  • WR Rico Gafford
  • CB Amik Robertson
  • LB Nick Kwiatkoski
  • T Sam Young
  • T Trent Brown
  • DT Daniel Ross

[vertical-gallery id=38024]

Florida Gators among the best at producing NFL talent this century

No matter who’s the head coach, one of Florida’s main appeals to recruits is the potential for playing on Sundays.

No matter who’s the head coach, one of Florida’s main appeals to recruits is the potential for playing on Sundays.

And that pitch is a credible one. Since the year 2000, UF is among the highest-ranked schools in terms of players selected in the NFL Draft, notching 109 overall total picks (24 of which were in the first round) over that time period.

Both of those are tied for the fifth-most in the country, alongside Florida’s divisional rival, the Georgia Bulldogs.

UGA has the edge on the field at the moment, and that has shown on draft day. Overall, it has had 14 players selected in the last two drafts.

The Gators aren’t far behind, though. They’ve had 12 players selected in that span, and coach Dan Mullen is only going into his third season in his current post, as opposed to Georgia coach Kirby Smart, who is going into his fifth.

Only one Florida player — cornerback C.J. Henderson — has been selected in the first round under Mullen, when Jacksonville selected him ninth overall in April’s draft.

Still, UF alumni litter the NFL. Among the best players taken this century for the Gators are Mike and Maurkice Pouncey, Trent Brown (currently the fourth-highest paid offensive lineman in the league) and Joe Haden.

Another Florida rival, the Miami Hurricanes, are ranked fourth with 119 player selected and 30 first-rounders.

Meanwhile, only two SEC schools have done better than UF and UGA when it comes to getting players drafted: LSU and Alabama.

The Tigers have had 126 selections (30 first-rounders) and the Crimson Tide have had 127 (31).

Ohio State leads the nation in total selections with 141, 31 of which came in the first round.

[lawrence-related id=21112,21098,21092,21041]

[vertical-gallery id=20711]

[vertical-gallery id=20730]

Raiders OT Trent Brown expects an improved offense in 2020: ‘It’s about to be scary’

Raiders OT Trent Brown knows what it takes to win the Super Bowl, and he’s ready for a vastly improved Las Vegas offense in 2020.

When Raiders general manager Mike Mayock joined the club in 2019, one of his biggest free-agent acquisitions, literally and figuratively, was offensive tackle Trent Brown, who earned the most lucrative contract ever for an offensive lineman at the time.

Brown, who measures 6-foot-8 and 380 pounds, paid immediate dividends, earning a Pro Bowl birth in 2019. His play was stellar, and he knows what it takes to be a champion, having won the Super Bowl with the Patriots in 2018.

The big man is excited about the Raiders’ chances in 2020, especially on offense. He told The Fresno Bee’s Anthony Galaviz he thinks Mayock’s offseason moves made the team better, and he expects to build on its 7-9 record in 2019.

Brown followed up by reiterating his support for the front office as the franchise attempts to win its fourth Lombardi trophy, and he predicted some magic on offense in the Raiders’ first year in Las Vegas.

Even with the additions last year, me being one of them, you can look at those guys and trust the organization … to put the right players in place for us to win some games and win championships. With Henry Ruggs, and we still got one of the best backs in the league and we got the best offensive line in the league. I mean, it’s about to be scary.

I’m excited. I definitely think it’s going to be special times in silver and black for years to come.

Mayock and coach Jon Gruden’s focus on the offensive line could be the foundation for a special run. The unit has all five starters returning after helping the offense gain the 11th most yards in the NFL a year ago at a rate of 5.9 yards per play.

The offense was productive in 2019 without playmakers on the outside, with wide receiver Tyrell Williams suffering a plantar fasciitis injury early in the campaign. Mayock addressed that need in the first round of the draft with WR Henry Ruggs III, as Brown mentioned.

Plus, Williams is healthy and set to return in 2020. It should also be noted that tight end Darren Waller had a tremendous breakout campaign last year and will look to duplicate or improve on his 90 catches and 1,145 yards, and the Raiders drafted two other playmakers in the draft, Lynn Bowden Jr. and Bryan Edwards.

And running back Josh Jacobs, who Brown alluded to, proved he’s one of the league’s best in 2019. With quarterback Derek Carr entering his third year under Gruden with a host of weapons, the offense could indeed become scary for some defenses.

But if it’s all to culminate in a championship, as Brown suggests, the franchise’s culture change has to solidify as the personnel improves. With an abundance of young talent and a brand new city and stadium, the opportunity is there, especially with elite players like Brown who know how to win it all.

[vertical-gallery id=70021]

[lawrence-newsletter]

Jets OT Mekhi Becton will be among NFL’s heaviest players

Jets’ first-round pick Mekhi Becton is currently the second-heaviest player in the NFL after Raiders’ tackle Trent Brown.

Jets’ first-round pick Mekhi Becton is massive.

Not only is he one of the tallest players in the draft at 6-foot-7, but he’s also 364 pounds. If he stays at that weight before the 2020 NFL season, Becton will be the second-heaviest player in the league behind only Oakland Raiders’ offensive tackle Trent Brown.

But there’s more to Becton than his size. He’s also incredibly light on his feet and posted an impressive 5.10 40-yard dash time at the NFL combine.

“A man that size isn’t supposed to be as nimble as he is,” Jets general manager Joe Douglas said after taking Becton. “We’re so excited to add a guy this size and athletic ability. A guy we feel can fortify our front for the long term.”

Becton will likely try to slim down from that size, as he prefers to play at around 350-355 pounds. That would drop him likely to the third-heaviest behind Steelers tackle Zach Banner, who weighed 360 pounds in 2019. Whatever weight Becton enters 2020 with, it won’t be nearly as much as Aaron Gibson, who entered the 2002 season with the Cowboys at 410 pounds. 

The Jets will need all of Becton to turn around their bottom-tier offense in 2020 and protect Sam Darnold from the barrage of defenders who were able to take him down in 2019. Becton should have no problem with that huge frame of his on a new offensive line that features a handful of veterans and new free-agent acquisitions. 

Raiders will be without two key players vs. Chargers

Two key players from the Oakland Raiders will be out for this weekend’s matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers.

The Oakland Raiders will be without two key pieces to their offense when they travel to face the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 16 of the 2019 regular season.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, running back Josh Jacobs will not play this weekend, as he’s currently dealing with a shoulder injury. Offensive tackle Trent Brown’s season has come to an end as he was placed on the injured reserve.

Jacobs, who is contention for Offensive Rookie of the Year, has been dealing with the injury since Week 7. When he played the Chargers in Week 10, Jacobs amassed 101 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns, including the winning score with over a minute remaining.

The former Alabama product has rushed for 1,150 yards this season with seven touchdowns.

Prior to being placed on the IR due to a pectoral injury, Brown missed the past two contests. Brown, who was named to his first Pro Bowl on Tuesday night, has helped Oakland’s offensive line rank among the league’s best this season.

[lawrence-related id=31959,31952,31932,31940]