NFL ROUNDUP News and notes

October 30, 2008 at 12:00a.m.

Browns: Wide receiver Joe Jurevicius, whose routine offseason knee surgery was complicated when he contracted a staph infection, could be done for the season. Coach Romeo Crennel said Wednesday that the club is planning to release a statement to update Jurevicius’ status later this week or early next week. “Generally, it doesn’t look very good,” Crennel said.

Falcons: Rookie offensive tackle Sam Baker will have surgery on his lower back today, leaving his status for the rest of the season uncertain. Coach Mike Smith said Baker will have a discectomy, and he said the procedure will be performed in California, where he was examined by specialists Wednesday. A discectomy is the surgical removal of herniated disc material that presses on a nerve root or the spinal cord, according to WebMD.com.

Ravens: Wide receiver Demetrius Williams was place on injured reserve and Terrance Copper, who was cut earlier this month by the Saints, was signed. Williams has been bothered since June by a bone spur around his left Achilles’ tendon. Although he caught a 70-yard touchdown pass Sunday against Oakland, the third-year wideout didn’t practice last week and has long been operating at less than 100 percent. “We hoped it would improve and he could get through the season, but it just isn’t getting any better,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. Harbaugh said Williams visited a surgeon in Los Angeles who recommended surgery “immediately.”

Bills: Josh Reed missed practice with an injured right foot, leaving the slot receiver’s status uncertain for Sunday’s home game against the Jets. Reed refused to rule himself out, though he was limping noticeably after practice and wearing a protective boot. He hurt both his ankle and Achilles’ tendon in a 25-16 loss at Miami last weekend.

Vikings: Middle linebacker E.J. Henderson is facing about three more months of rehabilitation before he’s back to full strength.

Henderson is wearing a walking boot on his left foot after surgery to fix his big toe earlier this month. He’s on injured reserve and finished for the season. Henderson dislocated two toes in a loss at Tennessee on Sept. 28. He said he expects no long-term effects from the injury and plans to participate in the team’s winter conditioning program next year. Henderson said he’ll wear the boot for another few weeks.

Jaguars: The team expects leading receiver Matt Jones to be in the starting lineup as the NFL considers his appeal of a suspension for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy. Jones, a 2005 first-round draft pick, has entered a drug-treatment program hoping to erase a felony cocaine charge in Arkansas. He said Wednesday he still hadn’t heard anything from the NFL about the case after appealing a three-game suspension handed down last week.

Lions: Detroit signed fullback Darian Barnes, who was released last month by the Bills. The Lions cut defensive tackle Langston Moore to make room on the roster. Barnes was released after spraining his right foot in Buffalo’s win over Oakland on Sept. 21 and missing the next game. The seven-year veteran had two catches for 34 yards this season and was used as a lead blocker. Moore made 20 tackles in seven games for the winless Lions, his third year with the them after playing for the Arizona Cardinals and Cincinnati Bengals.

Chiefs: The team signed free agent long snapper Thomas Gafford and placed Jean-Philippe Darche on injured reserve. Darche, the long snapper since 2007, injured his knee in last week’s 28-24 loss to the New York Jets. He continued playing and the severity was not realized until Monday. arche will undergo knee surgery. Last week, the Chiefs released placekicker Nick Novak, who was 4-for-10 on field goals, and summoned rookie Connor Barth from North Carolina, where he had been working at a golf course.

Jets: The team could be without leading tackler David Harris when they take on the Bills. The linebacker didn’t practice Wednesday after he left early in the second quarter of the Jets’ 28-24 victory over Kansas City on Sunday with a groin injury. Harris, who has 52 tackles in his second NFL season, rode a stationary bike during the half-hour the media are allowed to watch. Safety Eric Smith, who had two concussions in three weeks and was pulled late in the first half against the Chiefs after taking a glancing blow, also didn’t practice. Coach Eric Mangini said Smith did not suffer another concussion, but his status is uncertain. The Jets signed James Ihedigbo from the practice squad Wednesday, meaning there could be a chance Smith doesn’t play. Tight end Bubba Franks (hip) and right tackle Damien Woody (personal) also didn’t practice, while tight end Chris Baker (hip), linebacker Cody Spencer (shoulder) and wide receivers Laveranues Coles (thigh) and Jerricho Cotchery (shoulder) were limited. Kicker Mike Nugent, who injured his right thigh in the season opener at Miami, was ruled out for this weekend’s game. He’ll be replaced again by Jay Feely. Texans

Associated Press