Oakland Raiders wide receiver Antonio Brown showed up to work Monday as his search for a suitable helmet continues.
Multiple outlets reported that Brown attended team meetings, although a walk-through practice apparently was canceled.
His attendance came the day after Raiders general manager Mike Mayock said it was time for the All-Pro wideout “to be all-in or all-out.”
Brown’s old helmet is no longer approved for NFL use because it is more than 10 years old, and when Brown used social media to find a newer version of his favored model — the Schutt AiR Advantage — it failed NFL testing.
–Dallas holdout running back Ezekiel Elliott is not pleased at owner Jerry Jones’ attempt to poke fun at him.
Elliott’s agent, Rocky Arceneaux, told ESPN that Elliott was not amused when Jones said, “Zeke who?” while answering a question about rookie running back Tony Pollard after Saturday’s preseason game against the Los Angeles Rams.
“I didn’t think it was funny and neither did Zeke — we actually thought it was disrespectful,” Arceneaux said of Jones’ comment.
–Panthers quarterback Cam Newton is expected to make his season debut on Thursday when Carolina takes on the New England Patriots in Foxborough, Mass.
Coach Ron Rivera said that the team expects all of its starters, including Newton, linebacker Luke Kuechly and running back Christian McCaffrey, to play against the Patriots.
All three have been held out of the first two preseason games, with Newton coming back from offseason shoulder surgery and Kuechly having been held out of practice recently.
–Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers returned to practice after being sidelined due to back tightness.
The soreness led to him missing last Thursday’s preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens. His status for this Thursday’s game against the Oakland Raiders also is murky despite general manager Brian Gutekunst saying that he would like to see Rodgers play at some point in the preseason.
–New England wide receivers Julian Edelman and Demaryius Thomas returned to the practice field.
Edelman has been on the non-football injury list with a broken left thumb sustained in the offseason. Thomas has been on the physically unable to perform list while recuperating from a torn Achilles.
–The Patriots are releasing punter Ryan Allen, according to multiple reports.
The Boston Globe reported that Allen lost a position battle with rookie punter Jake Bailey, whom the Patriots chose with a fifth-round draft pick in 2019.
The 29-year-old Allen, who has been with New England for six seasons, leaves with three Super Bowl rings.
–Suspended New York Giants wide receiver Golden Tate is in the concussion protocol.
Tate, who will miss the first four games of the regular season after testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs, was injured Friday during New York’s 32-13 preseason win against Chicago. He was held out of practice Sunday.
–Indianapolis running back D’Onta Foreman was placed on injured reserve due to a torn biceps.
The team signed running back Charcandrick West to fill the vacancy.
–Tampa Bay wide receiver Mike Evans did not practice due to an apparent leg injury.
The Tampa Bay Times reported that the two-time Pro Bowl selection grabbed his left leg after catching a deep ball during Sunday’s practice. His availability for the Friday game against the Cleveland Browns is in question.
–Running back Derrick Henry practiced with the Tennessee Titans after being sidelined due to a calf injury since early in training camp.
Henry eased back into practice, taking handoffs and catching the ball out of the backfield.
Coach Mike Vrabel wouldn’t commit to Henry playing Sunday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
–The Titans removed kicker Ryan Succop and tight end Jonnu Smith from the physically unable to perform list.
Both veterans passed their physicals and were cleared to return to practice with about three weeks left until the Sept. 8 season opener in Cleveland.
–Sterling Shepard, expected to emerge as the Giants’ No. 1 receiver, is back to full practice after breaking his left thumb at the opening of training camp, and all signs point to him being on the field in Week 1.
Over the weekend, Shepard practiced without restrictions and didn’t need to wear the yellow, non-contract jersey.
–Playoff expansion is front and center as the NFL and the Players Association resume talks geared toward a new Collective Bargaining Agreement, NFL Network reported.
The addition of one playoff team from each conference has been discussed before, but it could become reality as owners consider ways to maintain profit margins while also eliminating at least one week of preseason games.
Currently, each team has two home games each preseason. With season-ticket holder and personal seat license sales counting toward attendance, the gate for home teams at those two games is considerable.
–Field Level Media
