Patriots’ Edelman reportedly sidelined with thumb injury
Super Bowl MVP Julian Edelman was seen wearing a brace or splint on his left thumb at a youth camp he organized last weekend, and he will reportedly be limited for three weeks.
Pictures of Edelman taken over the weekend show him with a device on his thumb. He was wearing gloves on both hands.
According to pub- lished reports, Edelman will be limited for the first three weeks of training camp, which starts Thursday. The regular season begins Sept. 8.
The Patriots declined to comment. The 33-year-old Edelman missed the first four games last season after violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs. In the 13-3 victory over the Los Angeles Rams in the Super Bowl, he caught 10 passes for 141 yards and was the first receiver to earn MVP honors in 10 years.
BOYD GETS NEW DEAL FROM BENGALS >> Receiver Tyler Boyd turned his breakthrough season into a four-year contract extension. The Cincinnati Bengals signed Boyd to a deal that runs through the 2023 season. The secondround pick out of Pittsburgh in 2016 was entering the final year on his original deal.
He had a breakout season in 2018, when A.J. Green was sidelined by a toe injury. Boyd led the team with 76 catches and 1,028 yards receiving, both career highs. He also tied for the team lead with seven touchdowns. HILL WILL REPORT TO CAMP WITH CHIEFS >> The biggest questions swirling around the Kansas City Chiefs this offseason centered on Tyreek Hill, and whether their speedy, record-setting wide receiver would be around at all this season. Turns out he’ll be around for the start of camp.
Chiefs coach Andy Reid confirmed Tuesday that Hill would report to Scanlon Hall on the campus of Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph, Missouri, with the rest of the veterans on Friday, one week after the NFL said it would not punish him following an investigation into domestic violence involving his 3-year-old son.
Now that Hill is back in the fold, the big question is when Chris Jones will arrive.
The star defensive tackle, who is coming off a 15½-sack season, is seeking his own long-term deal as he enters the final year of his rookie contract. Jones played hardball during the offseason by skipping the voluntary and mandatory workouts, even at the risk of a club fine, but he remains under contract and must report to training camp by Aug. 6 to earn an accrued season toward free agency. ANOTHER SUSPENSION FOR VIKINGS’ HILL >> Minnesota Vikings cornerback Holton Hill has been suspended for an additional four games, this time for violation the NFL’s policy and program on substances of abuse.
Hill will be out of action for the first half of the season, having previously received a four-game ban the league handed him in April for violation of the policy on performance-enhancing drugs.
FALCONS GIVE BAILEY A TWO-YEAR DEAL >> The Atlanta Falcons and former Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Allen Bailey agreed to a two-year, $10.5 million contract. The 30-year-old Bailey had a career-high six sacks for the Chiefs in 2018. The signing comes one day after defensive tackle Michael Bennett broke his ankle on the Falcons’ opening practice of training camp. COWBOYS EXPECTED TO RELEASE HURNS >> The Dallas Cowboys are releasing veteran wide receiver Allen Hurns, multiple outlets reported. Hurns, 27, caught 20 passes for 295 yards and two touchdowns in 16 games during his first season in Dallas in 2018. His season ended in horrific fashion, however, as he suffered a dislocated left ankle and broken fibula in the NFC wild-card game against Seattle on Jan. 5.
Hurns was due to be paid $4 million in base salary in 2019 with a salary cap hit of $6.25 million.
• Cowboys center Travis Frederick, who missed last season as he recovered from Guillain-Barre syndrome, is expected to be active for the start of training camp on Saturday, according to published reports.
Frederick, 28, was diagnosed with the rare auto-immune disorder during training camp last year. He has been with the Cowboys since they drafted him in the first round out of Wisconsin in 2013. He started all 80 regularseason games and three playoff games in his first five seasons, earning four Pro Bowl selections and a first-team All-Pro nod in 2016.
PACKERS AGREE TO EXTENSION WITH DE LOWRY >> The Green Bay Packers agreed on a contract extension with defensive end Dean Lowry, the team announced. Lowry’s deal is reportedly worth $20.325 million over three years.