NFL notes

Denver running back Montee Ball goes through drills Tuesday after returning to camp in Englewood, Colo.
Denver running back Montee Ball goes through drills Tuesday after returning to camp in Englewood, Colo.

BRONCOS

RB Ball returns

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Broncos running back Montee Ball returned to practice Tuesday, participating in individual drills in his first on-field workout since undergoing an appendectomy Aug. 4.

Ball sat out the team drills when the Broncos squared off against the Houston Texans.

Weakside linebacker Danny Trevathan made an appearance at practice, hobbling out on crutches. Trevathan fractured his left leg in practice last week and is out four to six weeks.

Linebacker Lamin Barrow was back on the field 48 hours after dodging a serious knee injury in Denver's 34-0 victory at San Francisco.

Tight end Gerell Robinson (ankle, knee) was also hurt in that game and was held out of practice along with cornerback Kayvon Webster (ankle), wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders (thigh) and tight end Virgil Green (calf).

NFL

Practice squads grow

NEW YORK — NFL teams can carry 10 players on their practice squads for the next two seasons.

The league and the players’ union agreed Tuesday to increase the number of practice squad members from eight to 10.

“It’s the No. 1 way for teams to develop players because … once the season starts, those guys are a part of the team,” Saints coach Sean Payton said in support of the change. “They’re involved in drills. They’re involved in every element. All you have to do is look at the past five years, practice squad players that are now on the 53-man rosters, and there’s a ton of them.”

Also, criteria for practice squad eligibility has been expanded in two categories.

A player must have a minimum of six games on a practice squad — increased from the previous three games — for that year to count as one of three permissible seasons on the squad.

Each team now can sign a maximum of two practice squad players who have earned no more than two NFL seasons toward free agency. Aside from that exception, a player with one or more accrued seasons can’t go on a practice squad unless he spent fewer than nine games on a club’s 46-player active list in each of his pro seasons.

BROWNS

QB questionable

CLEVELAND -- Browns coach Mike Pettine has not picked his starting quarterback. Brian Hoyer and Johnny Manziel haven't convinced him they deserve the job.

Pettine had been expected to announce whether Hoyer or Manziel, the hyped rookie, would start the Sept. 7 opener at Pittsburgh. But the decision has been delayed and could carry through to Cleveland's third preseason game on Saturday. Pettine says the coaching staff will meet tonight and could then choose a starter.

Pettine's decision became tougher after Hoyer and Manziel played poorly in an exhibition loss at Washington on Monday night. Manziel also made an obscene gesture toward the Redskins' sideline, an act Pettine called "extremely disappointing" and will likely result in a fine from the NFL.

CARDINALS

Mathieu off PUP list

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Arizona Cardinals safety Tyrann Mathieu came off the physically unable to perform list Tuesday.

The club said that nose tackle Alameda Ta'amu , who tore his ACL in the final game last season, has also come off the list.

Mathieu is coming back from surgery to repair a torn ACL and LCL.

The player widely as the "Honey Badger" was having a standout rookie season when he tore the ACL and LCL in his left knee against St. Louis on Dec. 8. In 13 games, he had 62 tackles, a sack, two interceptions, four tackles for loss, a forced fumble and a special teams tackle.

Mathieu has worked out on his own and expressed confidence recently that his knee is sound.

STEELERS

Gilbert gets new contract

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers and offensive tackle Marcus Gilbert have reached agreement on a new six-year contract that runs through the 2019 season.

Gilbert, a second-round pick in the 2011 draft, has started 34 games in three seasons. He was selected as the team's outstanding rookie after making 13 starts at left tackle in 2011. He missed the last 11 games of the 2012 season with an ankle injury and switched to right tackle last season.

The 26-year-old Gilbert is the second lineman the Steelers have locked up to a long-term deal in recent months. Pittsburgh signed three-time Pro Bowl center Maurkice Pouncey to a six-year extension in June.

COLTS

Howell to see specialist

INDIANAPOLIS -- Colts safety Delano Howell is seeing another specialist to determine the extent of his neck injury, and general manager Ryan Grigson says he hopes to know more before the end of this week.

Howell entered training camp as the front runner to start opposite LaRon Landry in the secondary. But Howell has missed almost two weeks of practice.

If Howell misses significant time, the position battle will likely be between Mike Adams, Colt Anderson and Sergio Brown.

Adams has 73 career starts in 11 NFL seasons and played on Denver's AFC championship team last season. Anderson is a five-year veteran who spent the last three seasons in Philadelphia. Brown has played the past three seasons in Indy where he excelled on special teams.

BILLS

OT Coughman released

PITTSFORD, N.Y. -- The Buffalo Bills have released reserve offensive tackle Edawn Coughman.

The team announced the move on Tuesday, a day after starting left tackle Cordy Glenn was cleared to take part in full-team practice sessions. Glenn had missed the first three weeks of training camp because of an undisclosed illness.

Coughman spent last season on the Bills practice squad. The team retained him at the end of the season by signing him to a reserve/future contract.

Sale enters final stage

The sale of the Buffalo Bills is entering its final stage with prospective buyers asked to submit their formal bids in about two weeks, a person familiar with the sale process told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

"It's coming down the backstretch," the person said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because the sale is being conducted privately.

The timetable was pushed back about a week because Morgan Stanley, the banking firm overseeing the sale on behalf of late owner Ralph Wilson's estate, extended a deadline last month in an attempt to increase the number of prospective bidders.

A new owner is still expected to be identified by October, but it's not certain whether it will be in time to be approved by NFL owners at league meetings in early October. And that approval would come only after the prospective candidate's background and finances are vetted and approved by the league's finance committee.

The Bills are for sale after Wilson died in March.

Buffalo Sabres owners Terry and Kim Pegula are considered the front-runners among a small group of candidates who have already met with members of Wilson's estate over the past two weeks.

Pegula was last valued by Forbes to have a net worth of $3.3 billion, and that was before he sold 75,000 acres worth of drilling rights for $1.75 billion two weeks ago. He also has the backing of a majority of Buffalo public and business leaders because he is committed to keeping the Bills in western New York.

EAGLES

Phillips released

PHILADELPHIA -- Linebacker Jason Phillips, one of the first players signed by the Philadelphia Eagles under coach Chip Kelly, was released Tuesday before he played in a regular-season game for the team.

Phillips signed a two-year, $1.46 million contract as a free agent in 2013 with the Eagles, but tore the ACL in his right knee the first week of training camp in 2013 and spent the season on injured reserve.

He came back healthy this year, but was released two days before the team's third preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Originally a fifth-round pick by the Baltimore Ravens out of TCU, Phillips enjoyed his most success as a special teams performer and backup linebacker with the Carolina Panthers.

His most productive season came for the Panthers in 2012 when he played in all 16 games, with two starts.

The Eagles' roster is at 89 players. All teams must make their first round of cuts by Tuesday and have their rosters at 75. Final cuts are Saturday, when the roster must be down to the regular-season maximum of 53 players.

CHARGERS

New signee pleased

SAN DIEGO -- Defensive lineman Doug Worthington landed in the right spot.

Worthington went through his second practice with the San Diego Chargers on Tuesday, one day after signing as a free agent.

"It was an awesome feeling competing out here," Worthington said. "The team has great chemistry and flies to the ball."

Worthington, released by Washington after its first preseason game, was a prime target for the Chargers after their line was hit with injuries.

Defensive linemen Sean Lissemore (ankle) and Lawrence Guy (shoulder) didn't practice Tuesday; defensive end Corey Liuget continues to work with a sore foot.

On Monday, the team released Damik Scafe because of a hip injury.

"That's all part of it, part of camp," Chargers coach Mike McCoy said. "There are going to be injuries. It's the next man up, next guy has to step up and do their job. We are not going to skip a beat."

49ERS

Working on quirks

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Phil Dawson converted 49 of his 50 pregame kicks, even a pair of 58-yard field goals going from each direction. That's about as accurate as San Francisco's veteran place kicker has been in recent years.

So it was a bit startling to watch as he sailed his only two chances during Sunday's 34-0 loss to Denver wide right -- first from 55 yards then again from 44.

Dawson returned to Levi's Stadium on Tuesday afternoon to get back to work figuring out a new field and its quirks. The grass, like with any new sod, is still getting its roots established and has come up in places. Not that Dawson is complaining about the elements. He can walk some 100 yards from the practice fields to the stadium to practice.

RAVENS

Injuries piling up

OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- The injury problems continue to pile up for the Baltimore Ravens during this pre-season, especially at cornerback.

Coach John Harbaugh confirmed that starting cornerback Lardarius Webb, who last practiced July 25 due to back problems, won't play in the final two pre-season games. Webb will miss the entire exhibition season.

"I was hoping, but he won't play in this game," Harbaugh said of Saturday's match-up with Washington.

Then, when asked if that meant Webb probably won't play in the pre-season, Harbaugh said: "Correct."

Starting cornerback Jimmy Smith suffered a bruised chest in last Saturday's win over Dallas. Harbaugh said they're expecting Smith to play this weekend against the Redskins, but he didn't practice again on Tuesday.

The coach said that he's been told it's not a serious situation, and Smith just needs a few days to rest and heal.

"He had an MRI; there was bruising in there," Harbaugh said. "There's a little bleeding from the lungs. He basically fell -- if you watch the play -- from four feet, and he was up in the air leaning backwards about (four feet) off the ground, and then just feel straight on his back between the shoulder blades."

Asa Jackson was playing well at cornerback before injuring his right ankle on Aug. 10. Harbaugh said there's a chance Jackson could return against Washington.

While Harbaugh's not thrilled with all the injuries at cornerback, the coach said there could be a positive from it -- younger players are getting more opportunities.

LIONS

CB Florence released

ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- The Detroit Lions have released cornerback Drayton Florence.

Detroit signed the veteran defensive back earlier this month, but he was cut before practice Tuesday. Florence started five games for Carolina last season. He started three for the Lions the previous season.

The 33-year-old Florence has played in the NFL since 2003, spending his first five seasons with San Diego. After a season in Jacksonville, he played three years with Buffalo before his first stint with the Lions.

Sports on 08/20/2014

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