The Browns will not tender McDowell as an exclusive-rights free agent because of an arrest in January, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.
McDowell was arrested on three charges in Florida, which triggered Cleveland's decision to move on from the 25-year-old defensive tackle. The Browns began to revamp the interior of their defensive line when they agreed to terms with Taven Bryan. McDowell and Malik Jackson served as the starting defensive tackles in 2021, but neither is expected to return this coming season.
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Browns' Malik McDowell: Arrested on three charges
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McDowell was arrested Monday in Deerfield Beach, Florida, on charges of public exposure, resisting arrest with violence and aggravated battery of a law enforcement officer, Dan Labbe of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.
The Browns acknowledged in a statement that they are aware of McDowell's arrest and are issuing no further comment at this time. A 2017 second-round pick of the Seahawks, McDowell didn't make his NFL debut until this season after he was involved in a serious ATV accident during his rookie year, and then was sentenced to 11 months of jail time in November 2019 following a series of crimes. After being released from jail, he resumed his career in May and signed with the Browns, defying the odds to not only make the team but also capturing a role in the defensive-line rotation. He finished his first NFL season with 33 tackles and three sacks in 15 games, but his latest off-field incident means that the Browns likely won't be re-signing the exclusive rights free agent this offseason.
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Browns' Malik McDowell: Not playing Week 15
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McDowell wasn't reinstated from the reserve/COVID-19 list and won't be available for Monday's game against the Raiders, Dan Labbe of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.
McDowell will miss his first game of the season after he was placed on the list Wednesday following a positive COVID-19 test, according to Marla Ridenour of the Akron Beacon Journal. Even with the NFL pushing back Cleveland's Week 15 game an extra two days in addition to relaxing the return-to-play protocols for vaccinated individuals who test positive for COVID-19, McDowell and several other key Browns players weren't able to clear the necessary protocols prior to Monday's 5 p.m. ET kickoff.
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Malik McDowell: Receives medical clearance
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McDowell has been medically cleared by several doctors and is pursuing an NFL career, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports.
McDowell was selected by Seattle in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft, but he suffered a concussion during an ATV accident later that year and never made his NFL debut. The 24-year-old has visited with the Cowboys and Dolphins since the start of last season, but he has yet to secure a contract. McDowell was an All-Big Ten selection during his time at Michigan State, most notably notching 4.5 sacks and 13 tackles for loss in 2015.
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Malik McDowell: Facing legal issues
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McDowell (concussion) is facing charges for DUI, resisting arrest and receiving and possession of stolen property, Mike Martindale of The Detroit News reports.
The charges stem from two separate incidents in February and May, and McDowell will stand trial for both cases Thursday. The 23-year-old was let go by the Seahawks in March and never played a down for the team after he sustained a severe brain injury in an ATV accident shortly after being selected in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft. McDowell recently indicated that he intends to resume his playing career, but he now has both legal and medical problems complicating that endeavor.
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Malik McDowell: Hopeful to play in 2019
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Agent Drew Rosenhaus said Monday that he "is confident" that McDowell (concussion) will play in 2019, Brady Henderson of ESPN.com reports.
McDowell was selected by the Seahawks in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft, but a serious ATV accident put his career in jeopardy that offseason. After being injured, McDowell was placed on the NFI list and never practiced with Seattle again before ultimately becoming a free agent earlier this month. The team felt that McDowell would not be able to get healthy enough to continue playing football, according to Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times, though he reportedly was cleared by independent doctors. The 22-year-old intends to resume his playing career if a team assesses him to be healthy. He already visited with the Cowboys in mid-March.
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Seahawks' Malik McDowell: Moved to NFI list
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Clarifying an earlier report by Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times, McDowell (concussion) has been placed on the Non-Football Injury list rather than the injured reserve list, per NFL Communications.
McDowell was waived with a non-football injury designation Thursday, landing on the NFI list after he went unclaimed. Given the severity of his concussion following an ATV accident last offseason, there's a significant chance that the second-year player will never see the field in the NFL.
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Seahawks' Malik McDowell: Arrested Sunday
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McDowell (head) allegedly was arrested for disorderly conduct early Sunday morning in Atlanta, Ga., Brady Henderson of ESPN.com reports.
A 2017 second-round pick of the Seahawks, McDowell's rookie campaign ended abruptly when he sustained facial and head injuries in a July ATV accident. On the NFI list as of Week 1, he was officially ruled out for the year by head coach Pete Carroll on Nov. 27. McDowell now has a legal concern hanging over his head, which must be litigated before any sort of punishment is levied by the team or NFL.
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Seahawks' Malik McDowell: Suffers head injury in ATV accident
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McDowell was placed on the Seahawks' reserve/did not report list after suffering a head injury during an ATV accident a few weeks ago, Kevin Patra of NFL.com reports.
Specifics on the injury haven't been released, but he reportedly suffered a concussion and some other facial injuries. Coach Pete Carroll was noncommittal regarding McDowell's availability for the 2017 season, suggesting that a lengthy absence could be in store for the rookie second-round pick. More details should emerge in the coming few weeks, but it may be awhile before McDowell, who was slated to be a part of the team's defensive line rotation, is cleared to take the field again.
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Seahawks' Malik McDowell: Exits practice with minor foot injury
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McDowell left Sunday's practice early with a foot injury that doesn't appear to be serious, Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times reports.
The second-round pick out of Michigan State had his foot stepped on during Sunday's session, but as it currently stands, McDowell doesn't expect to miss any time. It will still be a situation to monitor over the next few days, although the initial assessment is that it's not anything that would affect him beyond the immediate future.
