Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Bills sign Boldin
Sammy Watkins and the Buffalo Bills receivers aren’t as young and untested now that Anquan Boldin is with the group. Boldin will return for a 15th NFL season after signing a contract with the Bills on Monday. The move provides the team leadership, production and an instant boost in credibility to what had been a patchwork position.
BILLS Boldin snags job
PITTSFORD, N.Y. — Sammy Watkins and the Buffalo Bills receivers aren’t as young and untested now that Anquan Boldin is with the group.
Boldin will return for a 15th NFL season after signing a contract with the Bills on Monday. The move provides the team leadership, production and an instant boost in credibility to what had been a patchwork position.
The 36-year-old is a three-time Pro Bowl selection, was the NFL’s 2015 Walter Payton Man of the Year award winner and ranks in the top 25 among several career categories.
“The great thing about Anquan is what he brings on the field and off the field,” General Manager Brandon Beane said.
It wasn’t lost on Beane that Boldin showed he’s still capable of making an impact after spending last season with Detroit, where he had 67 catches for 584 yards and 8 touchdowns in 16 games.
Boldin’s 1,076 catches for 13,779 yards overall rank third among players since his NFL offensive rookie of the year season in 2003 with Arizona. Overall, he ranks ninth on the NFL career list in catches, 14th in yards receiving and is tied for 23rd with 82 touchdowns receiving.
JETS
WR lost for year
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — The New York Jets will be without their top wide receiver for the season.
Quincy Enunwa will be placed on injured reserve with a bulging disk in his neck that will likely require surgery, with a recovery time of 6-9 months. Coach Todd Bowles said Monday that Enunwa will seek a second opinion, and the injury is not considered career-threatening.
Enunwa, projected as the Jets’ No. 1 receiver, was hurt Saturday night during practice at MetLife Stadium. Bowles said the injury initially appeared similar to the one that held Enunwa out during spring workouts.
With Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker cut during the offseason, it appeared Enunwa would be given the opportunity to lead an inexperienced group of receivers. He has 80 career catches for 1,172 yards and 4 touchdowns over 2 seasons.
After Enunwa, the Jets’ most-experienced receiver is Marquess Wilson, who had 56 career catches for 777 yards and 3 touchdowns in 4 seasons in Chicago.
PATS/TEXANS Wilfork retires
Former New England and Houston defensive tackle Vince Wilfork announced his retirement from the NFL in a barbecue commercial Monday, a fitting farewell for a big guy who loved to eat.
Wilfork tweeted a video showing him untaping his ankles, hanging up his cleats and grabbing grilling tongs. The video then shows the 35-year-old defender dancing, cooking ribs and smoking a cigar while wearing his trademark overalls.
“No more cleats,” he said. “I’m moving on to smoke meats, fellas. Peace out. I’m outta here. Later.”
The video ends by noting that “Vince’s Farewell Tailgate” will take place Sept. 7 in New England. The defending Super Bowl champions open the season that Thursday night against Kansas City.
Wilfork played 13 NFL seasons, including the last two in Houston. He said earlier this summer he was contemplating retirement after the Texans declined to offer him a new contract.
BROWNS Osweiler to start
BEREA, Ohio — Brock Osweiler has risen from trade throw-in to preseason starter. Cleveland Coach Hue Jackson picked Osweiler over Cody Kessler, rookie DeShone Kizer and Kevin Hogan to start Thursday’s exhibition opener against the New Orleans Saints in what will be an important stage in a quarterback competition that’s midway through its second week.
Jackson said he chose Osweiler primarily because he has NFL experience, and Jackson wants to give both Kessler and Kizer more playing time.
“It’s best for me to trot Brock out there, see if he can go lead this offense and lead the team and in the process keep getting these young guys more reps,” Jackson said after Monday’s practice.
As for who will start Cleveland’s opener ept. 10 against Pittsburgh, Jackson insisted he hasn’t made up his mind.
Osweiler, who started 14 games for Houston last season, had a solid practice while taking his first snaps with Cleveland’s starting offense. He completed several long passes, including a deep one to wide receiver Corey Coleman, who made a one-handed grab.
The Browns acquired Osweiler in March, taking him and his guaranteed $16 million contract simply so they could get a 2018 second-round pick from the Texans.
VIKINGS Murray off PUP list
MANKATO, Minn. — Latavius Murray was finally on the practice field in purple. Riley Reiff was back to work, too.
And with that, two of the Minnesota Vikings’ most important offseason additions started to come back from injuries.
Murray was activated from the physically unable to perform list Monday and practiced with the Vikings for the first time since he was signed in March, pledging to plow forward after falling behind rookie Dalvin Cook in the race for the team’s starting running back spot.
Reiff, the veteran left tackle signed away from Detroit to shore up one of the team’s biggest weaknesses, had missed most of training camp with a back injury. Both he and Murray participated in individual drills on Monday and sat out the team portion of practice, which included more contact.
Coach Mike Zimmer had characterized Reiff’s absence as precautionary, but he was more forceful last week when he spoke about Murray’s need to get on the field and make up for lost time.
DOLPHINS Landry investigated
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jarvis Landry is being investigated for possible domestic battery, officials said Monday, an allegation the player’s girlfriend called a fabrication.
A spokesman for the Broward County state attorney’s office said Monday in an email the allegations were under review and no decision has been made on whether Landry will be charged.
The case was recently referred to prosecutors by the Fort Lauderdale Police Department. A heavily-redacted police report is dated April 1, but Landry’s girlfriend said in a statement released by his sports
NFL Exhibition Schedule
All times Central (Subject to change) THURSDAY, AUG. 3 Dallas 20, Arizona 18
WEEK 1 WEDNESDAY’S GAME Houston at Carolina, 6:30 p.m.
THURSDAY’S GAMES
Minnesota at Buffalo, 6 p.m. Atlanta at Miami, 6 p.m. Washington at Baltimore, 6:30 p.m. Jacksonville at New England, 6:30 p.m. Denver at Chicago, 7 p.m.
New Orleans at Cleveland, 7 p.m. Philadelphia at Green Bay, 7 p.m. FRIDAY’S GAMES
Pittsburgh at NY Giants, 6 p.m. Tampa Bay at Cincinnati, 6:30 p.m. San Francisco at Kansas City, 8 p.m. SATURDAY, AUG. 12
Tennessee at NY Jets, 6:30 p.m. Dallas at LA Rams, 8 p.m. Oakland at Arizona, 9 p.m. SUNDAY, AUG. 13
Detroit at Indianapolis, 12:30 p.m. Seattle at LA Chargers, 7 p.m.
WEEK 2 THURSDAY, AUG. 17 Baltimore at Miami, 6 p.m. Buffalo at Philadelphia, 6 p.m. Tampa Bay at Jacksonville, 7 p.m. (ESPN) FRIDAY, AUG. 18
Minnesota at Seattle, 9 p.m. SATURDAY, AUG. 19
Carolina at Tennessee, 2 p.m. Kansas City at Cincinnati, 6 p.m. Indianapolis at Dallas, 6 p.m.
NY Jets at Detroit, 6:30 p.m. Green Bay at Washington, 6:30 p.m. New England at Houston, 7 p.m. LA Rams at Oakland, 9 p.m. Denver at San Francisco, 9 p.m. Chicago at Arizona, 9 p.m. SUNDAY, AUG. 20
Atlanta at Pittsburgh, 3 p.m. New Orleans at LA Chargers, 7 p.m. MONDAY, AUG. 21
NY Giants at Cleveland, 7 p.m. (ESPN)
WEEK 3 THURSDAY, AUG. 24 Miami at Philadelphia, 6 p.m. Carolina at Jacksonville, 6:30 p.m.
FRIDAY, AUG. 25
New England at Detroit, 6 p.m. Kansas City at Seattle, 7 p.m. (CBS) SATURDAY AUG. 26
Arizona at Atlanta, 6 p.m. Buffalo at Baltimore, 6 p.m.
NY Jets at NY Giants, 6 p.m. Indianapolis at Pittsburgh, 6:30 p.m. Cleveland at Tampa Bay, 6:30 p.m. Oakland at Dallas, 7 p.m.
LA Chargers at LA Rams, 7 p.m. (CBS) Houston at New Orleans, 7 p.m. Green Bay at Denver, 8 p.m. SUNDAY, AUG. 27
Chicago at Tennessee, noon (FOX) Cincinnati at Washington, 3:30 p.m. (FOX) San Francisco at Minnesota, 7 p.m. (NBC) WEEK 4 THURSDAY, AUG. 31 Jacksonville at Atlanta, 6 p.m. Detroit at Buffalo, 6 p.m.
LA Rams at Green Bay, 6 p.m. Cincinnati at Indianapolis, 6 p.m. Philadelphia at NY Jets, 6 p.m. Pittsburgh at Carolina, 6:30 p.m. NY Giants at New England, 6:30 p.m. Washington at Tampa Bay, 6:30 p.m. Cleveland at Chicago, 7 p.m. Dallas at Houston, 7 p.m. Miami at Minnesota, 7 p.m. Baltimore at New Orleans, 7 p.m. Tennessee at Kansas City, 7:30 p.m. Arizona at Denver, 8 p.m. Seattle at Oakland, 9 p.m. LA Chargers at San Francisco, 9 p.m.
management firm the incident occurred in March.
Estrella Cerqueira, who is the mother of Landry’s daughter, said in the statement that the couple had a “vocal disagreement” but that she never felt physically threatened and that nothing violent took place. She said someone else she did not identify called police.