NFL notebook: Roethlisberger in concussion protocol

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was being evaluated for a concussion after he was hurt in Tuesday's practice, the team announced. Roethlisberger went to the ground after throwing a pass during drills on the final day of training camp in Latrobe, Pa. Although multiple media outlets reported that Roethlisberger did not appear to be hit on the play, head coach Mike Tomlin said there was contact. The two-time Super Bowl champion was laying on his stomach with his right hand on the back of his head for several minutes while a team trainer attended to him. Offensive lineman Marcus Gilbert was blocking on the play and told ESPN that he saw Roethlisberger's head "whip back." The 36-year-old Roethlisberger was able to walk off the field on his own, briefly stopping to talk to team officials, including general manager Kevin Colbert. --Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz expressed a bit of doubt that he'll be under center for the team's season opener. Wentz initially set his sights on Week 1 of the 2018 NFL season shortly after tearing his ACL and LCL in a December game against the Los Angeles Rams. With the Eagles' season opener against the Atlanta Falcons nearly three weeks away, Wentz remained hopeful when discussing his potential involvement in that game. "I obviously would love to be out there," Wentz said on WIP Radio on Tuesday, via NBC Sports Philadelphia. "That's been my goal all offseason ever since the injury. It's going to be close. It's going to be close. I'm still eyeing that date." --New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady did his best to smooth the waters with the team's fan base, saying during a radio interview that he and coach Bill Belichick remain on the same page. "I think our priorities are the same that they've always been, and I think that's why we get along so well. We're here to win," Brady said in his weekly interview on sports radio WEEI. "It's been a very professional environment he's created, and I think I'm very lucky to be in that environment. I think he's the best coach who ever coached in the NFL, and I feel very privileged to kind of be mentored by him as long as I have." Brady's comment comes one day after Belichick said very much the same thing on the same radio station. "We still do basically the same things we've done for quite a period of time now. I don't see that changing," Belichick said Monday on WEEI. "I have a good relationship with Tom. I have a lot of respect for Tom. We've won a lot of games together, and I hope we can win some more together. I know he feels the same way." --Quarterback Sam Bradford will see his workload ramp up in the Arizona Cardinals' second preseason game. Cardinals coach Steve Wilks told the team's official website that Bradford will see more time when the Cardinals visit the New Orleans Saints on Friday night. Bradford played only eight snaps in Arizona's preseason opener. Bradford appeared in just two games with the Minnesota Vikings in 2017 but said he was not looking to see more time in the exhibition opener. --Dez Bryant will meet with the Cleveland Browns on Thursday, multiple media outlets reported. Bryant has been out of a job since he was released by the Dallas Cowboys in a salary dispute in mid-April. Browns general manager John Dorsey is bringing in a number of wide receivers this week as he seeks to fortify a unit that is without Josh Gordon, who remains away from camp because of health issues. "I'd be open to anything if it's proper," Dorsey told cleveland.com last week. "I'm just going to measure that on a case-by-case basis and see what happens when the guys come in next week." --First-round draft pick Roquan Smith signed a contract with the Chicago Bears, the team announced. Smith, who was selected eighth overall in April, was the only remaining unsigned pick of the 2018 draft. The four-year contract was worth $18.4 million, with multiple media outlets reporting that it included $11.5 million guaranteed. Like all rookie deals, it included a team option for a fifth season. "We're looking forward to Roquan joining our team and getting him prepared for the 2018 season," Bears general manager Ryan Pace said. Smith, a linebacker, missed the Bears' entire training camp and the team's first two preseason contests. --New York Giants rookie running back Saquon Barkley was a spectator at practice. Barkley, who was the second overall pick of the 2018 draft, watched practice in uniform -- sans pads -- after sustaining a mild strain of his left leg during Monday's session. The 21-year-old Barkley reeled in a pass down the sideline from quarterback Kyle Lauletta before coming up a bit gimpy. Giants coach Pat Shurmur said that the team will be "smart with him" as the week progressed. Barkley lived up to the hype befitting his lofty draft status in New York's preseason opener, rumbling 39 yards on his first carry in a 20-10 loss to the visiting Cleveland Browns. He rushed for 43 yards on the evening. --The San Francisco 49ers signed running back Alfred Morris to a one-year contract, the team announced. Offensive lineman Alan Knott was waived to make room for Morris, who will serve as added depth with fellow running backs Jerick McKinnon (calf strain) and Matt Breida (shoulder) nursing injuries. Morris played for coach Kyle Shanahan in Washington during his first two NFL seasons and ran 611 times for 2,888 yards and 20 touchdowns. "Alf did a great job for us the two years I was with him," Shanahan said of the 29-year-old Morris on Monday. "It's not flashy, but he runs extremely hard. He's very reliable. He's a hard-nosed runner who you can keep handing the ball off to. He's very reliable." --Oakland Raiders offensive tackle Donald Penn was activated from the physically unable to perform list on Tuesday and participated in his first practice of training camp. Penn, who was recovering from foot surgery, was stationed at right tackle while first-round pick Kolton Miller spent time at left tackle. Miller was selected with the 15th overall pick of the 2018 NFL Draft. The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that the three-time Pro Bowl selection's move is expected to be long-term for the Raiders. Penn agreed to take a "small pay cut" to remain in Oakland, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported on Monday. The 6-foot-4, 315-pounder previously signed a two-year, $21 million extension in September. --The Washington Redskins released cornerback Orlando Scandrick, approximately five months after signing him to a two-year contract. Scandrick, who received a $1 million signing bonus in March, was expected to add a veteran presence opposite fellow cornerback Josh Norman. Fourth-round pick Quinton Dunbar and second-year player Fabian Moreau likely will slide in beside Norman for the Redskins. Redskins coach Jay Gruden detailed what went into the decision to part ways with Scandrick on Tuesday. "A couple things really, you know when we initially signed Orlando we had just lost Kendall (Fuller), and it was before the draft," Gruden said. "We drafted (Greg) Stroman and obviously we got Adonis (Alexander), and I think the emergence of Danny Johnson, Fabian Moreau at nickel. We wanted to get these guys reps at nickel and Dunbar at corner and move on. So, give Orlando ample time to get on a team before the season started." --Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Jalen Ramsey and defensive end Dante Fowler Jr. will return Monday from their team suspensions, the Florida Times-Union reported. The team suspended the duo on Monday "for violating team rules and conduct unbecoming of a Jaguars football player." Jacksonville left for Minnesota on Tuesday to hold joint practices with the Vikings. Fowler was involved in a fight with teammate Yannick Ngakoue during Sunday's practice and they had to be separated twice. Ramsey then became upset that the media were filming the altercation between Fowler and Ngakoue and directed profanities toward the press. Not long after practice ended, Fowler and Ngakoue had to be separated by fellow defensive linemen Calais Campbell, Carroll Phillips and Abry Jones. As the players were walking toward the locker room, the two combatants got into it again and had to be separated. --New York Jets coach Todd Bowles was rather direct in telling wide receiver Terrelle Pryor to keep quiet about injuries. "Terrelle doesn't need to be descriptive," Bowles said, via the New York Daily News. "I feel that he should keep his mouth shut and leave the injuries to me. I've already handled it. We had a conversation." Pryor revealed Monday that he underwent a pair of offseason surgeries. "One was the foot, one was the ankle. I tore three ligaments in my ankle -- my foot -- and then I broke my ankle in May," Pryor said, per the Washington Post. --Miami Dolphins wide receiver DeVante Parker sustained a broken middle finger on his right hand during Sunday's practice, multiple media outlets reported. Parker is considered "week-to-week" on Tuesday by coach Adam Gase, who said he wouldn't speculate if the wideout would be ready for the team's season opener. The injury occurred when Parker had his right hand caught in Xavien Howard's shoulder pads as the cornerback broke up a pass intended for him. Parker, who was the 14th overall pick of the 2015 draft, has been looked upon to pick up the slack after the Dolphins traded three-time Pro Bowler Jarvis Landry to the Cleveland Browns in the offseason. --New Orleans Saints wide receiver Cameron Meredith remained away from practice while dealing with an undisclosed injury, multiple media outlets reported. Meredith has been away from a number of practices and sat out last week's preseason opener, but the injury is not related to the torn ACL that caused him to miss the entire 2017 season, according to the NFL Network. On Sunday, New Orleans coach Sean Payton cited Meredith as one of a number of injured players who "are coming along well." Meredith, who agreed to a two-year contract worth an estimated $10 million with the Saints in April, referenced his situation in a Twitter posting. "So many obstacles on my path, trying to test my perseverance," wrote Meredith, who added that his faith remains unshaken. --The Miami Dolphins released Gabe Wright one day after the defensive tackle reportedly blindsided running back Kenyan Drake in practice. The team announced the move involving Wright, who charged at a helmetless Drake during Monday practice. Drake did not appear to be injured in the incident, which occurred toward the end of a fight involving multiple players. "It was time for us to move on," coach Adam Gase told reporters Tuesday morning, via the Miami Herald. Miami wasted no time filling Wright's roster spot by signing veteran defensive tackle Kendall Langford, according to multiple media outlets. --Landry Jones has served as the backup quarterback with the Pittsburgh Steelers for the past five seasons. That doesn't necessarily mean Landry is guaranteed to be in that role behind Ben Roethlisberger again for the 2018 season, according to the NFL Network. Asked if Landry was a lock for the backup job, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin was non-committal in remarks to reporters. "We'll see where the road ends," said Tomlin. Landry has appeared in 19 games, making five starts, since Pittsburgh drafted him in the fourth round of the 2013 draft out of Oklahoma. However, the Steelers used a third-round pick to take quarterback Mason Rudolph out of Oklahoma State in this year's draft and drafted former Tennessee quarterback Joshua Dobbs a year ago. --Oakland Raiders safety Obi Melifonwu remained absent from practice amid a report that he will see a specialist. Melifonwu, a second-round pick of Oakland in the 2017 draft, has not practiced since Aug. 6 after he had what head coach Jon Gruden termed "a flare-up" of a lower-body injury. The Athletic reported on Tuesday that Melifonwu will visit a specialist and there is concern that the injury is related to the hip surgery that ended his rookie season. After returning to play in five games last season, Melinonwu finished the seasons on injured reserve because of a hip injury that required surgery in December. --The Indianapolis Colts signed free agent running back Tion Green, the team announced. In a corresponding move, the Colts waived linebacker William Ossai with a non-football illness designation. The 6-foot, 220-pound Green appeared in five games with the Detroit Lions as a rookie in 2017, rushing for 165 yards and two touchdowns on 42 carries. He also had two receptions for 14 yards. Green rushed for 2,072 yards and 19 touchdowns in 46 games at the University of Cincinnati. Ossai signed with Indianapolis on May 1. He started 22 of 48 games at San Jose State, registering 169 tackles, including 17 for losses, and 2.0 sacks. --The Arizona Cardinals signed wide receiver Austin Wolf, the team announced. Wolf is an undrafted free agent out of the University of Akron. In a corresponding move, Arizona released wide receiver Rashad Ross. The 6-foot-3, 210-pound Wolf appeared in 10 games with the Zips last season, notching 33 receptions for 476 yards and five touchdowns. Wolf also had five touchdown catches as a junior when he set career highs with 36 receptions for 550 yards, averaging 15.3 yards per catch.