NFL News & notes
San Diego Chargers: Center Rich Ohrnberger has been placed on season-ending injured reserve with a back injury that will require surgery. He is the third Chargers center to go on IR this season, following Nick Hardwick and Doug Legursky. Ohrnberger started seven of the eight games he played this season. Last Sunday, rookie Chris Watt became the fourth Chargers player to start at center this season. The Chargers filled the open roster spot by signing outside linebacker Cordarro Law from the practice squad.
New York Jets: Rookie tight end Jace Amaro has a head injury and is going through the NFL’s concussion protocol, while New York defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson has an ailing toe. Both players were injured in the Jets’ 38-3 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Monday night. Coach Rex Ryan says Tuesday that Amaro, who leads NFL rookie tight ends with 34 catches for 291 yards receiving, is going through the NFL’s concussion protocol. Ryan wouldn’t confirm whether Amaro actually has a concussion, but the rookie’s status for the Jets’ game against the Miami Dolphins next Monday night is uncertain. Ryan says Wilkerson’s toe injury “doesn’t look great,” but hopes it improves so he can play. Wilkerson missed the second half with the injury after being hurt late in the second quarter.
Seattle Seahawks: With the help of a cardboard cutout, Richard Sherman and Doug Baldwin took some digs at the NFL during a news conference on Tuesday after the league issued a $100,000 fine to teammate Marshawn Lynch for not speaking to the media. Sherman and Baldwin spoke ahead of Thursday’s game against San Francisco. Baldwin hid behind a cutout of himself, with Sherman standing to the side of the podium as the pair bantered back and forth for about 2 1/2 minutes. Sherman took only one question and after the pair referenced a number of personal sponsors — many of which are not NFL sponsors — walked off without speaking about Thursday’s game.
Denver Broncos: A person with knowledge of the transactions says the team has switched kickers again, waiving rookie Brandon McManus and signing Connor Barth, who hasn’t played since 2012. The person spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity Tuesday because the moves hadn’t been announced. The Denver Post first reported the switch. Barth, a five-year veteran, and 13-year pro Jay Feely worked out for the team Tuesday, 48 hours after McManus clanked a 33-yard field goal off an upright in Denver’s 39-36 win over Miami. The Broncos traded a seventh-round draft pick to the Giants for McManus in August after Matt Prater’s suspension. They later released Prater, who signed with Detroit.
Arizona Cardinals: The team signed running back Michael Bush on Tuesday and released Kerwynn Williams. Bush has 809 carries for 3,250 yards and 29 touchdowns along with 104 receptions for 1,010 yards and two touchdowns over a seven-year NFL career. Bush entered the league as a fourth-round pick of the Oakland Raiders in the 2007 draft. He sat out his rookie season because of a leg injury then played for the Raiders from 2008 to 2011 before signing with the Chicago Bears in 2012. He played in 15 games with the Chicago Bears last season before being released in March. The Cardinals also released tackle Kelvin Palmer from the practice squad Tuesday.
Cincinnati Bengals: Right tackle Andre Smith was placed on injured reserve with a torn left triceps on Tuesday, ending his season. Smith got hurt during a 22-13 win in Houston on Sunday. He’d missed the two previous games with a sprained ankle. The Bengals filled his roster spot by signing offensive tackle Jamon Meredith, a sixth-year veteran who has started 24 games. He was Green Bay’s fifth-round pick in 2009 from South Carolina. He was on the Colts’ roster for the first nine games this season, playing in four, and was waived on Nov. 4. The Packers signed him four days later and waived him on Nov. 15.
Associated Press