NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

Cardinal Mooney’s John Simon re-signs

FOXBOROUGH, MASS.

Former Cardinal Mooney and Ohio State standout John Simon is staying with the Patriots.

Simon was originally signed by the Patriots last September and appeared in 11 games with two starts, totaling 17 tackles and two sacks. He also played in all three playoff games last season and had a half-sack in the AFC championship game.

The Patriots also released veteran defensive end Adrian Clayborn and signed five other players to offset free agency losses on both sides of the ball.

The 30-year-old Clayborn was released Friday after one season in New England and just a day after the Patriots traded for another veteran edge rusher in Michael Bennett. In addition, the Patriots added lineman Mike Pennel, who together with Bennett will try to make up for the production lost after Trey Flowers signed with the Detroit Lions.

Defensive back Terrence Brooks was signed to add depth to a secondary that won’t have Eric Rowe back.

On offense, New England added a pair of receivers, signing Bruce Ellington and Maurice Harris. They will compete for a role in a receiver group that won’t have Cordarrelle Patterson back after he signed with Chicago.

The Patriots also signed tight end Matt LaCosse as they await Rob Gronkowski’s decision on whether he will return for his 10th season.

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

Tyreek Hill probed in battery incident

OVERLAND PARK, KAN.

The Chiefs are investigating an incident in which star receiver Tyreek Hill was involved in a domestic battery episode in suburban Kansas City earlier this week.

The team said in a statement to The Associated Press that it was aware of a police report filed Thursday by the Overland Park Police Department that lists Hill’s address and identifies a juvenile as the victim. Hill’s fiancee, Crystal Espinal, is identified among “others involved.”

The couple has a 3-year-old son, Zev.

Overland Park police Officer John Lacy said the case has been turned over to prosecutors for review. No charges have been filed against Hill, and Johnson County prosecutor’s spokeswoman Kristi Bergeron didn’t immediately return a phone message seeking comment.

Chiefs spokesman Ted Crews said Friday the team has been in contact with local authorities and the NFL as it gathers more information but declined further comment.

The 25-year-old Hill has a history of domestic violence.

While starring at Oklahoma State in 2014, Hill allegedly punched and choked Espinal when she was pregnant with their son. He was kicked off the team and pleaded guilty to domestic assault and battery by strangulation, and received three years of probation in the case.

The conviction was dismissed in August and expunged from his record after he finished probation.

MIAMI DOLPHINS

QB Tannehill dealt to Tennessee Titans

MIAMI

Ryan Tannehill has a new team. Now the Miami Dolphins need a new quarterback.

Miami traded Tannehill on Friday to the Tennessee Titans in a deal that also involved draft picks. The Dolphins sent their sixth-round pick this year to the Titans for a fourth-round choice in 2020 and a seventh-round pick in April.

Tannehill’s sports agency tweeted that as part of the trade, he signed a one-year deal with the Titans. He will replace Blaine Gabbert as the backup to Marcus Mariota. General manager Jon Robinson said Friday that Gabbert will be released.

Tannehill turns 31 in July, and his departure from Miami had been expected. He became the starting quarterback as a rookie in 2012 and has still never taken a postseason snap.

His contract was to balloon to $18.7 million in base salary this year, and he would have counted $26.6 million against the salary cap. The Dolphins are picking up $5 million of his $7 million salary, but will save $8 million on the cap this year and $25 million on the cap in 2020. This season Tannehill will count $18.4 against the Miami cap, but he will not count anything against the 2020 cap.

HOUSTON TEXANS

Boddy-Calhoun joins revamped secondary

HOUSTON

The Houston Texans have signed cornerback Briean Boddy-Calhoun as they continue to add to their secondary.

His signing Friday comes after they signed safety Tashaun Gipson and cornerback Bradley Roby in recent days after losing Kareem Jackson and Tyrann Mathieu.

Boddy-Calhoun started 21 games in three seasons for the Cleveland Browns. He has 128 career tackles, 19 passes defended and three interceptions.

Terms of the deal weren’t released.

Associated Press