Garoppolo tore ACL, MRI confirms

Mayfield is the starting QB of Browns: Jackson

WASHINGTON, Sept 25, (RTRS): An MRI confirmed San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee on Sunday and is out for the season, the team announced Monday.

Coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters following the 49ers’ Sunday loss to the Kansas City Chiefs that the team feared Garoppolo had torn his ACL. C.J. Beathard, a 2017 thirdround pick who went 1-4 as a starter last season, will be the team’s starter moving forward.

The 49ers are also bringing in former Houston Texans quarterback Tom Savage for a visit, per an ESPN report.

Garoppolo was carted to the locker room after his left knee buckled on a third-and-20 scramble with the 49ers down by 14 points late in the fourth quarter. He could have stepped out of bounds but instead cut upfield, planting his left leg just before taking a big hit from Chiefs cornerback Steven Nelson.

Baker Mayfield is the starting quarterback of the Cleveland Browns, coach Hue Jackson announced to reporters following practice.

The proclamation confirmed what already seemed to be a foregone conclusion after Mayfield replaced an injured Tyrod Taylor last Thursday against the New York Jets and led the Browns (1-1-1) to a come-from-behind win – the team’s first in 635 days.

Rookie Josh Rosen was named the Arizona Cardinals’ starting quarterback, with coach Steve Wilks sending veteran Sam Bradford to the bench.

“Josh plays with a lot of confidence,” Wilks told reporters. “I think he gives us an opportunity to be able to be successful.”

Rosen, the No. 10 overall pick, relieved Bradford late in the team’s 16-14 loss to the Chicago Bears on Sunday.

The New York Jets reached out to the Pittsburgh Steelers regarding holdout running back Le’Veon Bell, according to multiple reports.

The exchange was merely a “preliminary conversation” with no trade offer, per multiple reports.

ESPN reported Sunday that the Steelers are listening to offers for Bell, who has yet to report to the team or sign his franchise tender after getting tagged for the second consecutive offseason.

The Los Angeles Rams will be without starting cornerbacks Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib for a few weeks, NFL Network reported.

According to the report, Peters will miss two to four weeks with a strained right calf, and Talib is out four to six weeks with a high ankle sprain.

The report added that initial tests showed no structural damage for Peters, and that he will have an MRI exam to confirm.

San Francisco cornerback Richard Sherman is expected to miss two to three weeks with a left calf injury.

NFL Network reported Sherman was relieved to hear the injury was relatively minor. He left Arrowhead Stadium in a walking boot following the loss to the Chiefs.

Sherman was noticeably limping and grimaced as he left the field at halftime.

New York Giants tight end Evan Engram likely will miss a few weeks with a sprained MCL in his right knee.

ESPN reported the extent of the injury, but the Giants already had resigned themselves to the idea that Engram would be out for multiple games.

Engram left the locker room in Houston with a brace on his right knee and said he knew immediately something was wrong with the knee.

Green Bay defensive lineman Muhammad Wilkerson underwent surgery Sunday night after suffering a “significant” injury to his left ankle in the loss to the Redskins, Packers coach Mike McCarthy confirmed.

Wilkerson left the field on a cart in obvious pain during the second quarter of Green Bay’s 31-17 defeat. He was taken from FedEx Field to a Washington-area hospital, where he

remained overnight.

Atlanta safety Ricardo Allen tore his Achilles in the Falcons’ Sunday game and will miss the rest of the season.

The Falcons confirmed Allen’s injury on Monday and will play the rest of the year without their starting safeties. Strong safety Keanu Neal sustained a season-ending knee injury in Week 1 at Philadelphia.

Falcons coach Dan Quinn said the team is not planning to add a starting-caliber safety, which would seem to rule out signing free agent Eric Reid or trading for Seattle Seahawks safety Earl Thomas. Quinn said the team is confident in reserve Damontae Kazee at free safety and the duo of Jordan Richards and Kemal Ishmael at strong safety.

Miami Dolphins defensive end William Hayes is out for the season with a torn ACL in his right knee, coach Adam Gase confirmed.

Hayes sustained the injury while sacking Oakland quarterback Derek Carr in the second quarter of the undefeated Dolphins’ 28-20 win against the Raiders on Sunday. According to Gase, Hayes got his foot “caught in the ground” while “trying not to put body weight on the quarterback,” a response to the NFL’s emphasis on roughing-thepasser penalties this season.

Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook said he is taking his hamstring injury “day-to-day” and believes there’s a good chance he can play Thursday night against the Los Angeles Rams.

Cook hurt his hamstring late in Week 2 against the Green Bay

Atlanta Falcons running back Tevin Coleman dives into the end zone for a touchdown and a 27-23 lead against the New Orleans Saints during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game on Sept 23 in

Atlanta. The Saints went on to win 43-37 in overtime. (AP)

Packers but told reporters afterward he was fine and wouldn’t miss time. However, he didn’t practice last week and was held out of the Sunday loss to the Buffalo Bills, a move described as precautionary with the short week upcoming before a Thursday game.

Dallas Cowboys linebacker Sean Lee injured his left hamstring against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday and could miss a few weeks, according to multiple reports.

Lee entered the game with a right hamstring issue that kept him limited in practice last week after he hurt the hamstring initially in Week 2. Lee left the Sunday game early and played just 36 snaps (52 percent), with first-round rookie Leighton Vander Esch stepping in and making 11 tackles on 33 snaps.

Redskins left tackle Trent Williams is having “a very minor procedure” on his knee during the team’s Week 4 bye, according to a report from 106.7 The Fan in Washington.

Williams, who had knee surgery after the season, reportedly will not miss any time due to the new procedure.

Hall of Fame wide receiver Tommy McDonald, a star of the Philadelphia Eagles’ 1960 NFL championship team, died. He was 84.

Drafted in the third round from Oklahoma in 1957, McDonald led the NFL in touchdown receptions in 1958 with nine, and in 1961 he led the league in touchdowns (13) and receiving yards (1,144).

Following a seven-year stint with Philadelphia, he played for the Cowboys, Rams, Falcons and Browns before retiring after the 1968 season. McDonald finished his career with 495 catches for 8,410 yards and 84 touchdowns in 152 games.

Cincinnati defensive tackle Ryan Glasgow sustained a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during the Bengals’ Sunday loss to the Carolina Panthers and will miss the rest of the season, according to an NFL Network report.

Glasgow, a fourth-round pick from Michigan in 2017, appeared to get his knee caught in the turf while being blocked to the ground in the fourth quarter.

The Indianapolis Colts released running back Christine Michael after claiming cornerback Arthur Maulet off waivers from the New Orleans Saints.

Michael had two carries for 9 yards in the opener but has not played since.