Former first-round picks deliver in season-opening win
The Raiders brought back Nevin Lawson to the 53-man roster Tuesday, and the good news is that neither tackle Trent Brown nor linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski went on injured reserve to make it happen.
Brown was in for just three plays at right tackle in a 34-30 season opening win against the Carolina Panthers and Kwiatkoski, the starting middle linebacker, was out after 22 plays with a pectoral injury.
If either player was hurt to the point where they would have to miss three or more games, the likely move would have been to place them on injured reserve to rehab.
Both players were awaiting MRI results according to a team source, but the initial outlook is positive. Brown, according to NFL Network, could potentially be in the lineup Monday night against the New Orleans Saints in the Raiders’ first game at Allegiant Field.
NFL teams can bring back an unlimited amount of players from IR this season with an absence of just three games.
To create room for Lawson, the Raiders waived Dallin Leavitt, a safety and special teams player who was inactive for Week 1.
Lawson sat out Week 1 serving a suspension levied after he swung a helmet a Denver player during last year’s regular-season finale. JETS PLACE BELL ON IR WITH HAMSTRING INJURY >> The New York Jets will face the defending NFC champion San Francisco 49ers without Le’Veon Bell.
The running back was placed on injured reserve with a hamstring injury. Bell was hurt in the second quarter of the Jets’ 27-17 loss at Buffalo on Sunday. He will miss at least the next three games, and be eligible to return to the active roster in Week 5.
The team signed running back Kalen Ballage to the active roster. With Bell sidelined, 37-year-old Frank Gore was the team’s only healthy running back on the active roster. BRONCOS CB BOUYE HAS DISLOCATED SHOULDER >> Denver Broncos cornerback A.J. Bouye sustained a dislocated shoulder during the season opener against the Tennessee Titans, NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport reported.
Bouye sustained the injury late in the first half of Denver’s 16-14 setback to Tennessee on Monday night. Per KUSA’s Mike Klis, Bouye popped his shoulder out of the socket while diving to break up a pass. BENGALS CLAIM EX-BROWNS PK SEIBERT, WILL STICK WITH BULLOCK >> The Bengals claimed former Browns kicker Austin Seibert off waivers but expect Randy Bullock to be ready to play in Cleveland on Thursday night.
Bullock missed a 31-yard field goal with 2 seconds left Sunday when his left calf cramped, leaving the Bengals with a 16-13 loss to the Chargers. Bullock fully practiced Tuesday and coach Zac Taylor said he would be the kicker heading into their intrastate rivalry game.
The Browns signed Cody Parkey from their practice squad as their new kicker on Monday.
RETURN OF FOOTBALL IS GOOD NEWS FOR TV >> Pro football has probably never been more important to television executives than this year. A schedule of opening week games brought viewers back to their sets, led by a Hall of Fame caliber matchup between Tom Brady, a new member of the Tampa Bay Bucs, and Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints.
That game was seen by just under 26 million people on Sunday afternoon on Fox. The network had its best viewership for an opening weekend of football since 2016, according to the Nielsen company.
Ratings for NBC’s games on Thursday and Sunday night were down from opening week last year. CBS’ fivegame average for Sunday afternoon games was 13.59 million viewers, down 12 percent from 2019.