Cardinals center lost for season with torn ACL

The Cardinals have lost starting center A.Q. Shipley for the season with a torn right ACL and will replace him with rookie Mason Cole.

Coach Steve Wilks confirmed the injury Monday, saying the center “heard something pop” in his knee during a goal-line drill in training camp on Saturday.

Shipley, a six-year NFL veteran, started all 16 games each of the past two seasons, the only member of the Cardinals offensive line to play every game either year. Wilks called him “a tremendous leader and hard worker.”

Shipley signed with Arizona as a free agent in 2015, working his way to a starting role after bouncing around the NFL early in his career.

Cole is a third-round draft pick out of Michigan, where he was a four-year starter but only one — his junior year — was at center.

PATRIOTS: New England has released receiver Malcolm Mitchell. The 2016 fourth-round draft pick played in 14 regularseason games as a rookie, catching 32 passes for 401 yards and four touchdowns. He caught six passes for 70 yards in the Super Bowl victory over Atlanta — five of them in the fourth quarter as the Patriots rallied from a 25-point deficit to force overtime.

But Mitchell, 25, spent all of last season on injured reserve.

He was released three days after the Patriots signed former Jets receiver Eric Decker as a free agent.

FALCONS: Atlanta has agreed to a contract extension with safety Ricardo Allen, who could have become an unrestricted free agent in 2019. Allen has a combined six interceptions the last three seasons. He had 54 tackles and one in- terception last season. The deal is for three years and $19.5 million, according to the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

BRONCOS: Denver announced former executive Tom Heckert died Sunday at 51 following a long battle with amyloidosis, a rare disease that causes a buildup of amyloid proteins in the heart, kidney, liver and other organs.

Heckert spent five years in the Broncos’ player personnel department and 27 years in the NFL, including stints as general manager of the Browns and Eagles.

LIONS: Defensive end Ziggy Ansah has been removed from the active/ physically unable to perform list, it was announced Monday. The Lions have not said what injury caused Ansah to go on the PUP list.

Ansah hasn’t played a full 16 games since the 2015 season. He is back with the Lions for this season on the franchise tag.