It was quite a tumultuous offseason for star wide receiver Antonio Brown and just because he has found himself on a new team doesn’t mean that the controversy isn’t still following him. After a strange yet brief tenure with the Raiders, which included displeasure with his helmet, cryotherapy gone wrong and other issues, the Raiders decided the headache wasn’t worth the payoff and released him.
Waiting to sign him were Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots. Now there is new controversy facing Brown, though. His former trainer has accused Brown of rape in civil court. The NFL did not put him on the exempt list prior to Sunday’s game, but it is certainly worth monitoring as the season progresses, and the case progresses.
When on the field, Brown is arguably the best wide receiver in the game, which is only enhanced by the fact that he is now playing on a team led by Belichick and Tom Brady. Last season with the Steelers, Brown had 104 receptions for 1,297 yards and 15 touchdowns.
Despite his success, though, it is hard to deny that he is starting to carry a lot of baggage for teams to take on and if the allegations of rape are confirmed, then he should have a lot more to worry about than getting on the field on Sundays.
Patriots Send Thomas To Jets
Prior to the news on Brown, the New England Patriots traded another one of their receivers, Demaryius Thomas, to the New York Jets. Thomas certainly had a rough season last year by his standards. For both Denver and Houston, Thomas had 59 receptions for 677 yards and five touchdowns. While that is not the worst stat line in the world, it is a far cry from his best days.
In 2013, Thomas recorded 14 touchdowns with the Broncos, and in 2015, Thomas had his most yards receiving at 1,619. Still, the Jets hope that Thomas can rekindle some of his tools and can help replace the loss of Quincy Enunwa.
Miami Gives Fitzpatrick Permission To Search For Trade
Unhappy with his role in Miami, the Dolphins have granted permission to Minkah Fitzpatrick to look for a trade partner. Despite the permission, it certainly doesn’t mean that the Dolphins are just going to give him away as reports indicate they are looking for a high draft pick in return. Last season, the cornerback/safety played in 16 games (11 starts) and had 80 tackles and two interceptions, including one that netted him a touchdown. He certainly would be a nice acquisition for any team’s secondary, but it remains to be seen if a deal can be worked out with another team.
Henry Out With Knee Injury
The Los Angeles Chargers will be without another offensive weapon for the foreseeable future as tight end Hunter Henry has suffered a tibia plateau fracture in his left knee that will likely sideline him for several weeks. Henry suffered the injury in the Chargers’ 30-24 overtime win against the Indianapolis Colts last week. In that game, Henry was the Chargers’ third-leading receiver with four catches for 60 yards.
The Chargers are already without offensive stalwart Melvin Gordon, who is currently holding out due to a contract dispute. In Gordon’s absence, Austin Ekeler provided a spark, rushing 12 times for 58 yards and a touchdown. He also had six receptions for 96 yards and an additional two touchdowns.
Darnold Out For Monday Night Football
The New York Jets will be taking on the Cleveland Browns for Monday Night Football this week, but they will be without their quarterback when they do so. On Thursday, it was announced that Sam Darnold will be held out of Monday’s game as he recovers from mononucleosis. In the Jets’ 17-16 loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 1, Darnold was 28 for 41 for 175 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions. He was sacked four times.
In his place, the Jets will turn to Trevor Siemian to take the snaps under center. Siemian last played with the Denver Broncos in 2017. That season he started 10 of their games, going 5-5 in his starts and throwing for 2,285 yards, 12 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. To serve as backup, the Jets have called up Luke Falk from the practice squad. Siemian will be going against a Cleveland Browns team that lost 43-13 last week to the Tennessee Titans.
Enunwa Out For The Season
The Jets got more bad news as wide receiver Quincy Enunwa will be out for the entire season after suffering a neck injury (this is not the first time Enunwa has suffered such an injury). This is a blow to the Jets after they signed the wide receiver to a four-year, $36 million deal this offseason. However, the more important thing will be the future of Enunwa, whose injury may be of the type that forces him to call it a career, particularly since it isn’t the first time that he has suffered such an injury.
This would have been Enunwa’s fifth season in the NFL, not counting the 2017 season that he had to sit out due to injury, all with the Jets. In those seasons, he has 119 receptions for 1,617 yards and five touchdowns. His best season came in 2016 where he had 58 catches for 857 yards and four touchdowns. With Enunwa out, it made quite a bit of sense for the Jets to trade a late-round draft pick to New England for Demaryius Thomas.
