Jets’ lead receiver Enunwa injured

The New York Jets are hoping their No. 1 wide receiver isn’t sidelined for long.

Quincy Enunwa injured his neck Saturday night during practice at MetLife Stadium, and injury that coach Todd Bowles said was similar to the one that held the receiver out during spring workouts.

“It wasn’t severe, but it held him out a while,” Bowles said of the previous injury. “I’ll see the severity of it when I go inside.”

Enunwa dropped a pass from Christian Hackenberg during 7-on-7 drills when he took a step and fell to the turf face-first despite being untouched.

“He hit his head or hit his neck and something went wrong when he fell,” Bowles said.

Trainers attended to Enunwa for several minutes before the receiver got to both knees before standing and then walking slowly to the locker room.

“Yeah, that was weird,” quarterback Bryce Petty said of the injury. “Unfortunate because Quincy had a great camp, so hopefully everything is OK and he’ll be back for us.”

Losing Enunwa would be a major blow to the Jets’ inexperienced receiving corps. With both Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker cut in the offseason, Enunwa projects as New York’s No. 1 receiver.

The Jets waived wide receiver Bruce Ellington after he failed his physical, a day after they claimed him off waivers from San Francisco.

Ellington, a fourth-round draft pick by San Francisco in 2014, spent last season on injured reserve with a hamstring injury after being hurt in the preseason. He has 19 catches for 215 yards and two touchdowns in 13 NFL games.

Dolphins call Cutler

Miami Dolphins coach Adam Gase says he reached out to Jay Cutler, and the retired quarterback who is now working in television showed interest.

But Gase said he didn’t think the Dolphins were close yet to signing a quarterback following the knee injury to Ryan Tannehill that could sideline him the entire season. Gase wants to determine Tannehill’s status before bringing in someone else.

“I know I need somebody either way; it’s just what role,” Gase said. “I’d like to know exactly with Ryan first, to be honest with you, so that helps me make a decision what direction I want to go.”

Cutler would likely compete with backup Matt Moore for the No. 1 job while Tannehill is out. But the question is how long the Dolphins will need a replacement as the starter.

Tannehill, who missed the final four games of last season with two sprained ligaments in his left knee, reinjured it a week into training camp Thursday. An MRI was inconclusive, and the Dolphins are consulting with specialists to determine whether surgery is necessary, which would likely shelve him for the season. He’s expected to be out a minimum of six weeks.

Peterson eager

Adrian Peterson sounds far more concerned with his ability to pick up the Saints’ dynamic offense than whether he can still run over and through would-be tacklers.

After getting a day off from practice, Peterson dismissed the idea that he would need to play in a preseason game to demonstrate he was still physically capable of running the ball as powerfully as he did with the Minnesota Vikings for most of the past decade.

Still, he wants to play in the preseason to gauge how well he understands the concepts of a dynamic Saints offense that has consistently ranked among the NFL’s best for 11 straight seasons.

“I’m healthy, without a doubt,” Peterson asserted. “When it comes to the physical part of it, I don’t think that’s going to be an issue.”

“It’s more mentally fully understanding the offense because Drew Brees, he’s a general back there and he talks so fast when he calls plays.

Joseph extension

The Minnesota Vikings have locked up another core piece of their defense, agreeing to a contract extension with nose tackle Linval Joseph. Joseph’s agency, SportsTrust Advisors, announced the deal. NFL Media reported it’s a four-year extension worth as much as $50 million with $31.5 million in guaranteed money. This is the third extension the Vikings have done since training camp began, having previously signed defensive end Everson Griffen and cornerback Xavier Rhodes to new long-term deals.

Smith injured

The San Francisco 49ers are concerned linebacker Malcolm Smith, one of the team’s most coveted additions in free agency, might have suffered a significant injury during practice inside Levi’s Stadium.

Smith, 28, left the field during full-team drills with an apparent upper body injury after working with the starters throughout training camp next to All-Pro NaVorro Bowman in the new-look defense.

Smith, the MVP of Seattle’s Super Bowl-winning team in the 2013 season, was brought in by San Francisco on a five-year contract in March. He rejoined new coordinator Robert Saleh, who was an assistant on the Seahawks’ title team. Smith was expected to help transition to the new 4-3 scheme that’s similar to what he ran with Seattle.