NFL Notes

STEELERS

Bell’s ban cut to 2

PITTSBURGH — Le’Veon Bell will head back to work a little earlier than the NFL originally planned.

The league reduced the suspension against the Pittsburgh Steelers All-Pro running back from three games to two on Tuesday, leaving him eligible to play when the Steelers travel to St. Louis on Sept. 27.

The league initially suspended Bell for the first three games of the 2015 season as part of the fallout from his arrest in August 2014 on DUI and drug charges.

Bell, 23, was arrested last August after a traffic stop along with then-teammate LeGarrette Blount. Bell pleaded no contest and was sentenced to 15 months of probation and entered into a diversion program.

Blount, now a running back with New England, received a one-game suspension from the league and will miss the opener when Pittsburgh visits the Patriots.

Blount was released from the Steelers last November after complaining about insufficient playing time and walking off the field early in a loss to Tennessee. He signed with the Patriots days later and won a Super Bowl ring in February.

The Steelers signed veteran DeAngelo Williams (Wynne) in the offseason as an experienced backup hoping he will take some of the workload off Bell, who was second in the league in 2014 in yards from scrimmage and caught 82 passes, smashing the team record for most receptions in season by a running back.

CHIEFS

Poe will miss time

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — Pro Bowl defensive tackle Dontari Poe will miss camp and likely part of the season after undergoing surgery last week on a herniated disc. The injury initially occurred during the Chiefs’ voluntary offseason program, but Poe aggravated it during a workout at home on July 8. Poe had surgery to remove the disc on July 15.

Asked whether he expects Poe, 6-3, 346, back for the season opener Sept. 13 at Houston, Coach Andy Reid replied: “I think he stands a reasonable chance the early part of the season, whether it’s the beginning or somewhere early in the season for his return. You just have to see, see how he recovers.

The two-time Pro Bowl selection is coming off arguably the best season of his three-year career. Poe had six sacks despite facing constant double teams, and he was invaluable in slowing down the running game, something that plagued Kansas City all season.

49ERS

Hyde on injury list

Carlos Hyde, the 49ers’ potential starting running back, will open training camp on the active/non-football-injury list.

Hyde was limited in offseason workouts by a leg strain that was not deemed too serious, and it’s unknown if that same ailment landed him on the list Tuesday.

Players can be taken off NFI (or the physically-unable-to-perform list) and join practices this month once they’re medically cleared to do so.

Noticeable absences from Tuesday’s first wave of injury lists were linebacker NaVorro Bowman (knee), defensive lineman Darnell Dockett (knee), defensive back Jimmie Ward (foot) and running backs Kendall Hunter (knee) and Jarryd Hayne (foot).

COWBOYS

Jones recovering; RB released

IRVING, Texas — Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has undergone left hip replacement surgery. He plans to be with the team as usual when training camp starts in California this week.

Jones, 72, has been bothered by the hip for about a year. He was seen having trouble walking some stairs during offseason workouts this spring at the team’s headquarters.

In player news, Ryan Williams, one of the possible replacements for NFL rushing champion DeMarco Murray, has been released by the Cowboys, one day before the team leaves for training camp in Oxnard, Calif.. The first workout is Thursday.

Williams, 25, was a second-round pick by Arizona in 2011 but has appeared in just five games because of knee and shoulder injuries. He missed most of this offseason with knee problems.

CAMP NEWS

Clowney on PUP list

The Houston Texans have placed outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney on the physically unable to perform list. The move means the No. 1 overall pick in last year’s draft will not be ready for the start of training camp this weekend. But Clowney will be able to return to practice whenever he is ready. Clowney played just four games as a rookie last season before having season-ending microfracture surgery in December. Monday’s move isn’t a surprise. The Texans have said they weren’t sure if he would be ready for the start of training camp, but they still hope that he will be healthy in time for the season opener. … The Buffalo Bills have released offensive guard Chris Williams a day before players begin reporting for the start of training camp. The Bills were counting on Williams to fill a starting spot when they signed the free agent to a four-year contract in March 2014. … Defensive end Antonio Smith will participate in the Denver Broncos’ training camp after tending to a personal matter that kept him away from the team’s offseason workouts this summer. Smith, who had three sacks for the Oakland Raiders last season, signed a one-year, $2 million contract in April shortly after the Raiders released him in a cost-cutting move. … The New Orleans Saints have released veteran defensive tackle Brodrick Bunkley, citing a failed physical. The Saints also have placed receiver Marques Colston, safety Jairus Byrd and defensive lineman Glenn Foster on the physically unable to perform list. Those three players remain on the active roster and could return to the field at any time during the preseason. … The Miami Dolphins re-signed quarterback Josh Freeman on Tuesday after him on Friday. Freeman, a long shot to make the roster, will battle to become the backup to starter Ryan Tannehill. It’s likely Matt Moore, the backup for the previous three seasons, earns that job, but Freeman will contend with Moore and McLeod Bethel-Thompsonn to earn a roster spot.

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