Tag: Workout

Sean Payton: ‘I probably wasn’t telling the truth’ when denying Antonio Brown interest

New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton spoke at length about his team’s interest in working out and maybe signing wide receiver Antonio Brown.

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New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton spoke with the media following the team’s Friday practice session, as well as an earlier workout with six free agent wide receivers including four-time All-Pro Antonio Brown.

When asked why the Saints were hosting Brown on a visit now after having denied any interest in the player back in September. His response speaks for itself.

“Well, I probably wasn’t telling you the truth a few months ago,” Payton admitted. “We’ve done this at other positions (than wide receiver). We’re looking closely all the time at ‘Who are the players available, and how can they help us?’ Especially as we’re getting ready for the postseason.”

Payton added that the Saints don’t plan on signing Brown at this time, and they’re waiting on more information from the NFL office in New York as to whether the wide receiver would be subject to a league suspension due to recent allegations of sexual misconduct made against him. Beyond any legal issues, Brown’s troubling social media activity is also something on the Saints’ radar.

“All of it, all of that goes into a decision like that,” Payton answered when asked whether the team actually monitors what players like Brown are doing, saying, recording, or posting online. “It’s part of the process of bringing a player in.” He noted that he had never had a conversation with Brown before, so Friday’s visit was a big part of their fact-finding mission.

While the Saints haven’t signed Brown yet, the possibility of it happening can’t be ruled out. Brown’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, spoke highly of his meeting with the Saints to ESPN’s Adam Schefter: “Antonio had a very good visit today and we will continue our discussions with the Saints.” This story won’t be going away any time soon.

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Why are the Saints bothering with Antonio Brown?

A lack of depth behind Michael Thomas led the New Orleans Saints to put Antonio Brown through a workout with other free agent wide receivers

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The New Orleans Saints sent a shock-wave through the NFL on Friday when they included ex-Pittsburgh Steelers, -Oakland Raiders, and -New England Patriots wideout Antonio Brown among a group of free agents trying out for the team. Well, Brown sent the shock-wave by leaking his workout waiver form on social media.

And that’s the problem with him. His legal battles (and potential league suspension) notwithstanding, Brown is a constant headache on social media who obsesses over letting everyone see what he’s doing with his life. He’s almost a living caricature of what a “diva wide receiver” would look and act like in a movie about professional football players.

Unfortunately, the Saints aren’t in position to overlook him as an option. Michael Thomas has proven to be their only competent wide receiver (and to his credit, he’s more than competent — he’s the best in the NFL) through 16 games. Thomas has hauled in 116 more receptions for 1,277 more yards than the next-best wide receiver (Ted Ginn Jr., who has caught 29 passes for 411 yards). The team’s depth at the position in razor-thin.

It’s not like the Saints didn’t try to address the wide receiver position sooner. They hoped Tre’Quan Smith and Keith Kirkwood would each progress in their second year in the NFL, but Smith has been a ghost for much of the year while Kirkwood went on injured reserve and didn’t return. The Saints gambled that Cameron Meredith was a better bet to return from his knee injury than Willie Snead would be to rebound from a down year, and that blew up in their faces. Rookies Lil’Jordan Humphrey and Emmanuel Butler haven’t shown enough to get off the practice squad. Great as he is on special teams, Deonte Harris is very much a work-in-progress on offense.

And now Thomas is injured. He’s been limited in two days of practice on the Saints injury report, while managing a hand issue. ESPN’s Mike Triplett reported that Brown’s visit is not related to Thomas’ hand injury, characterizing it as more of like the Saints doing their due diligence. That lines up with another report from his ESPN colleague Adam Schefter, who noted that the Saints are trying out multiple free agent wideouts, such as Maurice Harris.

Earlier this week, Saints coach Sean Payton was asked how deep the “ready list” runs for defensive backs — referring to the free agents well-known by the team internally. The Saints were quick to claim Janoris Jenkins on waivers and sign D.J. Swearinger and DeShawn Shead in free agency when injuries struck the secondary, prompting the question. Ironically, Payton’s comments could now extend to the wide receiver room.

Payton said, “Typically, the ready list is players that aren’t on the roster that we’ve got graded and if a game ended Sunday, we could call Sunday night and we feel like we’ve got a pretty clean evaluation on them. I’d say usually four or five deep at various positions. There are four or five tight ends, four or five receivers. You’ve got a list of players that you feel like you know who they are and what they can do or can’t do.”

So this could all just be a fact-finding mission to see if Brown’s body is right, though his behavior appears to be just as chaotic as always. If Brown isn’t moving well in the tryout or shows the Saints something that troubles them, they can move on to the other free agent options they’ve brought in without second-guessing themselves. He’s effectively on a policy of “one-strike, you’re out.”

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Saints working out free agent WR Antonio Brown

The New Orleans Saints worked out WR Antonio Brown, the All-Pro who got himself traded by the Steelers and cut by the Raiders and Patriots.

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The New Orleans Saints are working out free agent wide receiver Antonio Brown on Friday, the four-time former All-Pro announced from his official Instagram account. His visit was confirmed by reports from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and ESPN’s Adam Schefter, who characterized the meeting as the Saints “doing their due diligence” on the talented but troubled free agent.

Brown wasn’t in New Orleans beyond sundown before he involved the Saints in his always-going social media firestorm, sharing a photo of the text from a confidential free agent waiver form he signed to work out with the team. He later deleted it from his account, though he still confirmed the tryout in another post.

There’s no doubting Brown’s skills on the football field. He’s set records that Michael Thomas has broken this year, and was coveted by all three of the teams he signed with already this year — the Pittsburgh Steelers, Oakland Raiders, and New England Patriots. But Brown’s numerous legal troubles range from unpaid speeding tickets to alleged sexual assault, which the NFL is still investigating. Not to mention the headaches he’s causing on social media.

Because Brown has not been signed with a team since the Patriots cut him, he is not qualified for the Commissioner’s Exempt List. The NFL said earlier this year that, “If he is signed by a club, such placement may become appropriate at any time depending on the status of the investigation.” In other words, Brown is likely to be suspended before the ink dries on any contract he signs, with the Saints or anyone else. Still, this is a situation to monitor as the Saints move forwards without consistent production opposite Thomas at wide receiver.

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Broncos finally work out Frank Tripucka’s grandson, punter Shane Tripucka

Denver worked out punter Shane Tripucka. He is the grandson of former AFL All-Star Frank Tripucka, a member of the Broncos’ Ring of Fame.

It’s about time.

Chris Tripucka, the son of former quarterback Frank Tripucka and father of punter Shane Tripucka, has been calling on the Broncos to give his son a tryout for months. He’s active on Twitter (@TXTrip17) and his request was finally granted this week.

The Broncos worked out Shane Tripucka and two other punters — Trevor Daniel and Ryan Anderson — this week, according to KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis. Denver has been working out players who are candidates to sign “future contracts” at the end of the season.

Teams can have 90 players on the roster in the offseason and future deals are given out at the end of the season. Those contracts become official when the new league year begins in March. Players who are not on an active roster at the end of the year are eligible to sign future contracts.

Frank Tripucka was the Broncos’ quarterback for their first four seasons in the AFL (1960-63) and he earned AFL All-Star honors in 1960. Tripucka is a member of the team’s Ring of Fame and his No. 18 jersey is retired. Tripucka gave former quarterback Peyton Manning special permission to wear that number during his time in Denver.

Shane, Frank’s grandson, averaged 45.5 yards per punt during his senior year at Texas A&M in 2017. He went to training camp with the Los Angeles Chargers in 2018 but is yet to punt in a regular-season game in the NFL.

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Saints work out free agent pass rushers including Noah Spence, Shane Ray

The New Orleans Saints are managing injuries along their defensive line, so they worked out free agents like Noah Spence and Shane Ray.

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The New Orleans Saints worked out several veteran pass rushers on Tuesday, per a report from Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. Wilson reported that players involved in the tryouts included Noah Spence, Shane Ray, and Chris Smith. With two starting defensive linemen sidelined by injuries against the San Francisco 49ers last week (Sheldon Rankins and Marcus Davenport each exited the game) and a top backup on the mend after taking a painful shot to the knee (Trey Hendrickson), it makes sense for the Saints to consider their options.

Spence was frequently connected to the Saints ahead of the 2016 NFL Draft; the team met with him extensively before that year’s Reese’s Senior Bowl and hosted him in New Orleans on an official visit, which reportedly went well. Spence finished his college career at Eastern Kentucky after initially playing with the Ohio State Buckeyes, making him one of several prospects the Saints studied (they ended up drafting both Michael Thomas and Vonn Bell in the second round that year, each of whom played with Spence at Ohio State). However, Spence failed to gain traction after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected him, and was waived during roster cuts before the 2019 season.

Ray was a highly-touted former first-round draft pick by the Denver Broncos out of Missouri, but injuries and ineffectiveness resulted in him testing free agency after his contract expired. The Baltimore Ravens took a shot on him over the summer but waived him during roster cuts, and he hasn’t yet caught on with another team.

It’s a similar story for Chris Smith, who spent time with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Cincinnati Bengals before playing for the Cleveland Browns this season. The sixth-year pro was released in early December after signing a three-year contract with the Browns back in March.

At this point in their careers, each of these players are probably going to make their best impact at the end of a pass-rush rotation. Katherine Terrell of The Athletic reported that it doesn’t appear the Saints are looking to add any new players at this time, instead using these veteran workouts as an opportunity to update in-house scouting report.

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Broncos worked out 19 players, including QB Tyree Jackson

The Broncos worked out more than a dozen players this week, including former Buffalo quarterback Tyree Jackson.

We already knew that the Denver Broncos worked out former Mississippi State quarterback Nick Fitzgerald on Tuesday. Thanks to NFL reporter Howard Balzer, we now know the names of 18 other players that worked out for the team.

In addition to Fitzgerald, Denver also worked out two other QBs: Taryn Christion and Tyree Jackson. Here’s the complete list of players that worked out for the Broncos, according to Balzer:

  • WR Tyre Brady
  • WR De’Mornay Pierson-El
  • WR DeAndrew Thompkins
  • WR Trevion Thompson
  • WR Alex Wesley
  • WR Papi White
  • QB Taryn Christion
  • QB Nick Fitzgerald
  • QB Tyree Jackson
  • TE Tyree Mayfield
  • OG Larry Allen
  • OG Joshua Garnett
  • OG Bunchy Stallings
  • OT Ka’John Armstrong
  • OT Brian Fineanganofo
  • RB Alex Barnes
  • RB Nick Brossette
  • RB Jeremy Cox
  • RB Matthew Dayes

Jackson (6-7, 249 pounds) is likely the most notable player on the list. He threw for 6,999 yards and 49 touchdowns during his three years at Buffalo and rushed for 757 yards and 16 more scores. Jackson signed with the Bills as a college free agent in April but failed to make their 53-man roster.

Related: Broncos worked out 16 players last week.

Jackson was selected by the DC Defenders in the XFL draft for the upcoming 2020 season but he would likely turn down a chance to start in the upstart league if he is invited to camp by an NFL team.

Jackson and the other players that worked out for the Broncos are likely being considered as “future contract” candidates. Players not on an active roster at the end of the season are eligible to sign future deals that become official when the new league year begins in March.

At the end of last season, Denver signed 10 players to future contracts.

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Panthers work out four kickers after Joey Slye’s rough day vs. Saints

Carolina Panthers kicker Joey Slye had a bad day against the New Orleans Saints, causing Carolina to try out free agents like Kai Forbath.

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The New Orleans Saints defeated the Carolina Panthers after some spotty kicking from Panthers specialist Joey Slye last Sunday, and the team is taking steps to find a better answer at the position, according to a report from Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. Slye missed two extra point tries and a 28-yard field goal against the Saints in a game Carolina lost 34-31, dropping them to 5-6 on the season.

Ironically, Carolina’s free agent tryouts included former Saints kicker Kai Forbath, who appeared in 10 games for New Orleans back in 2015. Forbath went 9-for-13 on field goal tries and 33-for-34 on extra point attempts that season before stints with the Minnesota Vikings and Jacksonville Jaguars.

Other kickers who worked out for Carolina per Wilson’s report were Elliott Fry (66-of-88 on field goals in 51 games at South Carolina, but no extensive NFL experience), Greg Joseph (17-of-20 in 14 games with the Cleveland Browns last year), and Nick Rose (11-of-14 in 10 games for two teams from 2017 to 2018).

The Panthers haven’t made any moves yet beyond adding Joseph to their practice squad, but the Saints will see whoever gets the starting nod next when they fly out to Charlotte in the regular season finale on Dec. 29.

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Broncos worked out 16 players last week

Tre’ Crawford was among 16 players who worked out for the Broncos last week.

The Broncos worked out 16 players last week and half of those players were defensive backs, perhaps a sign that Denver plans to add more depth in the secondary this offseason. Here’s the list of last week’s workouts, courtesy of The Athletic’s Nicki Jhabvala:

  1. DB Corrin Ballard
  2. DT Daryle Banfield 
  3. DE Tashawn Bower
  4. LB Tre’ Crawford 
  5. DB Davante Davis 
  6. DT Willie Henry 
  7. DB P.J. Locke 
  8. DB Tray Matthews
  9. DB Picasso Nelson 
  10. LB Gimel President 
  11. DE Wyatt Ray
  12. DB Tyree Robinson 
  13. DB Kahani Smith 
  14. LB Pita Taumoepenu 
  15. NT Jay-Tee Tiuli 
  16. DB Isaiah Wharton

Of note, the Broncos did not work out any punters last week. Colby Wadman has come under pressure in recent weeks and he didn’t help his case on Sunday when he had an awful 13-yard punt. He has averaged 43.8 yards per punt this season, which ranks 28th in the league.

Denver has been working out players as candidates for “futures contracts.” Players that are not on an active roster at the end of the season are eligible to sign future deals that will become official in March. Teams are allowed to have 90 players on the roster during the offseason.

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WATCH: Colin Kaepernick considering holding second pro-day style workout

The Kaepernick camp is making good use of the video footage that moving the workout allowed them, as well as all media, access to. Agent Jeff Nalley says that he sent copies of the film from Kaepernick’s workout to all 32 NFL teams.

Colin Kaepernick’s gunshot NFL workout Saturday ended with the former 49ers quarterback abandoning the setup that the league arranged and held sole control over in order to provide transparency, as he and his representatives explained it.

The Kaepernick camp is making good use of the video footage that moving the workout allowed them, as well as all media, access to. Agent Jeff Nalley says that he sent copies of the film from Kaepernick’s workout to all 32 NFL teams.

ESPN’s Howard Bryant reports that now, Kaepernick is considering holding another similar workout during the NFL owner’s meetings in March.

All 32 owners, general managers and head coaches of NFL teams will be at the meetings in Palm Beach, Fla. in March.

When Nalley sent all of the teams’ unedited video footage from the workout Saturday in Atlanta, he also sent a note offering to have Kaepernick speak with the teams either in person or over the phone, but he is not optimistic his client will be signed.

Kaepernick & legal team considering holding second pro-day style workout for QB at NFL owners meetin

The Kaepernick camp is making good use of the video footage that moving the workout allowed them, as well as all media, access to. Agent Jeff Nalley says that he sent copies of the film from Kaepernick’s workout to all 32 NFL teams.

The Kaepernick camp is making good use of the video footage that moving the workout allowed them, as well as all media, access to. Agent Jeff Nalley says that he sent copies of the film from Kaepernick’s workout to all 32 NFL teams.