NFL - NEWS & NOTES

Tua Tagovailoa says he has recovered so well from the injury that ended his 2019 season at Alabama that he could play in a game right now.

Tagovailoa has received medical clearance after hip surgery, and he says that means not just clearance to practice, but clearance to play in a full-contact game.

“I feel 100 percent,” Tagovailoa told Steve Wyche of NFL Network. “I feel like if there was a game today, I’d be able to go out and perform the same way I was able to perform in previous years. I feel as mobile as possible. I feel 100 percent.”

NFL teams aren’t bringing draft prospects into their facilities this year, which means Tagovailoa won’t get to show team staffs in person how healthy he is. But he’s not stressing about that.

“I have no control over the circumstance or situation,” Tagovailoa said. “If I was healthy, if I wasn’t, I would have no control. So, the best thing I can do is continue to work. Whatever team decides to choose me, I would be grateful.”

The first round of the draft is three weeks from tomorrow, and all Tagovailoa can do until then is talk to teams over video chat, and hope they believe he’s healthy and will stay healthy.

NBC

 

Antonio Brown among Lamar Jackson’s workout receivers



Lamar Jackson is working out in South Florida with a pair of buddies with the last name Brown. One is his teammate Marquise Hollywood Brown. The other?

Antonio Brown.

On his Instagram account, the Ravens quarterback posted a video of Antonio Brown catching a 50-yard pass he threw. Hollywood Brown tweeted a photo of Jackson with his arms draped around the two receivers.

The video and photo have created a social media buzz . . . and not because the three were not practicing social distancing. (Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis issued a statewide stay-at-home order beginning Thursday that will last 30 days.)

It’s become obvious the NFL will have to complete its investigation into Antonio Brown under its Personal Conduct Policy before anyone gives the seven-time Pro Bowl receiver another chance.

Antonio Brown’s former trainer, Britney Taylor, has filed a lawsuit that alleges she was sexually assaulted by Brown on multiple occasions.

Antonio Brown, 31, played only one game last season. He recently has campaigned publicly for a chance to return to the NFL.

It becomes a question of who, if anyone, will give Antonio Brown a chance once the NFL finishes its investigation? It won’t be the Bucs, and the Ravens don’t seem likely either.

The Ravens have receivers Marquise Brown, Willie Snead IV, Miles Boykin, Chris Moore, Jaleel Scott and De'Anthony Thomas and are expected to use the draft to improve the position. Baltimore has nine choices, including five in the first three rounds.

NBC

 

Man i just saw the Rams logo boy is it ugly the blue yellow helmet and uni are cool but the gold and blue helmet and uni rock just my opinion

 

Report: Cowboys giving Aldon Smith a second chance



Aldon Smith hasn’t played since 2015, but the Cowboys are rolling the dice the pass rusher still can play.

Smith has reached agreement with the Cowboys, Jay Glazer of Fox Sports reports. It’s a one-year deal with a $2 million base value and $2 million in sack incentives, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL Media.

“Clean and sober now, incredible how much he’s turned his life around,” Glazer said on Wednesday night’s Fox Football Now.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has given second chances to plenty of players, including Alonzo Spellman, Dimitrius Underwood, Greg Hardy, Rolando McClain and Randy Gregory, with mixed results. Smith will become the latest.

He has served multiple suspensions under both the substance-abuse policy and the Personal Conduct Policy. Smith’s latest suspension arose from an alleged hit-and-run, DUI and vandalism incident in 2015.

A report from NFL Media last month indicated Smith was in the process of applying for reinstatement.

The new CBA relaxes the substance-abuse policy. However, it does not change the procedures for reinstatement, leaving the decision within the sole discretion of Commissioner Roger Goodell with no timeline.

The Cowboys are in need of depth at defensive end, though Tyrone Crawford will return from hip surgery and Gregory could get reinstated by Goodell.

Smith, 30, was as good as anyone at rushing the passer in his first two seasons after the 49ers made him the seventh overall choice in the 2011 draft. He had 33.5 sacks in his first 32 games and 42 in his first 43.

The 49ers cut Smith during the 2014 season, his fourth in the league. Smith joined the Raiders the following year. His most recent suspension happened during the 2015 season, his first and only in Oakland.

NBC

 

5 seasons out of football. Smith definitely has his back against the wall. The Cowboys really have nothing to lose. They can’t ruin their reputation because JJ made sure it sucks already.

 

He deserves a shot, at least. If he can cut it, so be it.

I take your not a JJ fan or a Cowboys fan.

 

He probably can’t do it anymore after all that time

 

Derrick Henry signs franchise tender

The Titans will have Derrick Henry for at least another year.

Henry signed his franchise tender today, according to ESPN. That means Henry is guaranteed a base salary of $10.2 million this season.

Titans General Manager Jon Robinson said yesterday that he’s optimistic about a long-term deal, and the sides could still reach such a deal before July 15. If they haven’t come to terms on a long-term contract by then, Henry will play on the franchise tag.

Although running backs have been devalued in today’s NFL, the Titans place a high value on Henry after he had the best season of his career, with 303 carries for 1,540 yards and 16 touchdowns in the regular season, followed by 83 carries for 446 yards and two touchdowns in the postseason.

At age 26, Henry is still in his prime, and the Titans are willing to pay a high price for him now. Whether it’s wise to dedicate a lot of money to him for several years into the future remains to be seen.

NBC

 

I’m out on the tiles right now Willie

 

I gave my baby
A twenty dollar bill
If that don’t get her
I’m sure my shot gun will

 

I have a bad feeling social distancing is going to become the new normal.

 

OK by me... Ive been doing it for 10 years.

 

Oh that magic feeling
Nowhere to go

 

Rosie will have a lot of new boyfriends

 

Takes him out to look at the queen
Only place that he’s ever been

you should see palathene pam
She’s so good looking
That she looks like a man

 

Covid-19 Checklist
Full tank of gas
Food for a couple of weeks
Weed to last a couple of weeks
Liquor to last a couple of months
Looks like I’m ready to hunker down

 

More than two weeks after reports surfaced that free agent cornerback Eli Apple was signing with the Raiders, it turns out that no deal was reached.

Apple and the Raiders were unable to finalize the agreement, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

It’s unclear what the issue was that prevented a deal from getting done. This year deals are taking longer to get finalized because the COVID-19 shutdown has made physical exams and face-to-face meetings more difficult.

The Giants selected Apple with the 10th overall pick in the 2016 NFL draft. He was traded to the Saints during the 2018 season. He started the first 15 games but missed the season finale and the playoffs with an ankle injury last year.

NBC

 

Chiefs, Sammy Watkins agree to new deal



The Chiefs have a laughably small amount of salary cap space, and wide receiver Sammy Watkins has the biggest cap hit on the team. So it was widely expected that something had to give. And now it has.

Watkins and the Chiefs have agreed on a new deal that will pay him a base salary of $9 million this season, offer him the opportunity to earn another $7 million worth of incentives, and most importantly shave $5 million off his 2020 cap number, according to Terez Paylor of Yahoo Sports.

Watkins was heading into the final year of the three-year, $48 million contract he signed with the Chiefs, and Kansas City wanted to lower the $13.75 million base salary he had on that deal. This new deal accomplishes that while still giving Watkins some upside with the incentives. Watkins acknowledged before the Super Bowl that the Chiefs might ask him to take a pay cut, so he and the team have had plenty of time to consider such a deal.

Last year Watkins caught 52 passes for 673 yards and three touchdowns in the regular season, then led the team with 288 receiving yards in the postseason.

NBC

 

The Chiefs have roster Armageddon coming when Mahomes comes due

 

Best tweet I saw (paraphrasing) was the Chiefs didn’t have enough cap space to cover Andy Reid’s bbq takeout order