Broncos Rescue J.T. Gray from Ravens’ Practice Squad - 3-Time All-Pro Reunites with Sean Payton to Patch Special Teams Disaster
The Denver Broncos have signed former New Orleans Saints All-Pro special teams ace J.T. Gray, according to Nick Underhill. Gray was signed off the Baltimore Ravens' practice squad after the Saints had released him in September.
Gray was discovered by the Saints as a college free agent in 2018 when the team was still helmed by Sean Payton. A safety by trade, Gray quickly distinguished himself on special teams.
Gray was a Pro Bowler and first-team All-Pro in 2021, Payton's last season as the Saints' head coach. Gray has also been a second-team All-Pro twice, once in 2019 and again last season.
When the Saints released him last month, he was on his third contract with the club, having signed a three-year, $9.6 million extension in 2023. With the salary-cap trouble New Orleans has created for itself, the third-phase stalwart became expendable.
The Ravens signed Gray to their practice squad two days later. Gray did not dress for a game as a Raven, but as soon as the Saints released him, there was speculation that he'd
Why Gray Was Targeted
At 29 years old, Gray still has a lot of football left in the tank. Meanwhile, the Broncos' special teams coverage units badly need help.
The Broncos rank dead-last in the league in covering kickoffs, averaging 29.3 yards per return. When it comes to covering punts, the Broncos aren't quite as bad, but entered Week 6 ranked 21st.
Suffice it to say, new special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi hasn't had the galvanizing and uplifting effect on Denver's third phase that the fans had hoped. There have been steady special teams gaffes throughout the season.
The Broncos have been in some tough field-position games, including last Sunday in London vs. the New York Jets. Tight contests such as these can be decided by leaky coverage units on special teams, so kudos to the Broncos for recognizing the need to tighten things up by bringing in Gray.
Payton and Rizzi both know Gray and are ostensibly confident in what he can bring to the table. Don't expect to see Gray on defense any time soon, but help is on the way to Denver's beleaguered special teams units.
The Broncos have one of the NFL's best returners in the two-time All-Pro Marvin Mims Jr. Now, Denver will boast one of the NFL's best gunners in Gray.
Teams make salary-cap decisions all the time. But it's kind of crazy to think that Gray was just collecting dust on Baltimore's practice squad. You wonder why it took the Broncos so long to scoop him up.
With the NFL trade deadline coming up in early November, the Broncos' pursuit of Gray is a reminder that GM George Paton and Payton could have some moves in mind.
Browns Get Troubling News on Polarizing QB Deshaun Watson
The Cleveland Browns can’t seem to shake the ongoing conundrum that is quarterback Deshaun Watson and the hold his health and contract have over the team’s present and future.
Watson is in the fourth year of his $230 million deal, which runs through 2026 and is fully guaranteed. The team has restructured the contract multiple times, which has pushed payments off into the future and means that Cleveland will take substantial financial hits involving Watson through 2029 — potentially three years after he’s off the team.
Watson is currently rehabilitating from a twice-torn Achilles tendon that he suffered in October of last year, an injury ESPN insider Adam Schefter updated via a report on the Monday edition of “The Pat McAfee Show.”
“He’s a good month away from being cleared for any football activity,” Schefter said, per Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.
Deshaun Watson’s Return May Cause Browns Real Financial Problems
GettyCleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson.
The troubling portion of that update from the Browns‘ perspective isn’t that Watson is a full month away from getting back on the field, it’s that he’s only a month away from potentially returning to healthy status and throwing a huge wrench into the team’s finances yet again.
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk laid out the situation on August 6.
If [Watson] can play, the Browns will have to move him to the 53-man roster or release him. That could prompt the Browns to disagree with Watson, even if it sets the stage for a formal grievance — with Watson saying he’s healthy enough to play and the Browns saying he’s not.
The stakes are high for the Browns. If they opt not to put him on the roster with their existing clusterfudge of quarterbacks, releasing him would set the stage for a devastating 2026 cap charge of $131.161 million. The best outcome for the Browns is to get Watson to want to spend the season on the PUP list.
If Watson remains on the PUP list for the entirety of the campaign, the league will afford the Browns significant salary cap relief. The organization will also be able to collect on the health insurance policy it took out on Watson, which will put actual money back into the franchise’s proverbial pocket.
Browns Set at QB With Dillon Gabriel, Shedeur Sanders and Bailey Zappe
GettyCleveland Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel.
Cleveland doesn’t need Watson to play in 2025, even after trading Kenny Pickett before the regular season and Joe Flacco last week.
The Browns have promoted rookie Dillon Gabriel, who is 0-2 and will make the third start of his NFL career against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, October 19.
Fellow rookie Shedeur Sanders is now QB2, while fourth-year veteran Bailey Zappe is the third-string signal-caller/emergency quarterback on Sundays.
Cleveland may add a fourth QB to the practice squad after trying out Austin Reed, formerly of the Chicago Bears, late last week. But in any case, the Browns don’t need Watson.
As such, Watson getting healthy and pushing to rejoin the active roster is the last thing Cleveland wants.
