NFL notebook: Glick named Panthers president

Tom Glick as named team president of the Carolina Panthers, effective Sept. 16, club owner David Tepper announced. Glick will oversee day-to-day operations of the Panthers. Glick has more than 25 years of experience in sports management in baseball, basketball, hockey and soccer in the United States and the United Kingdom. For the last six years, he has been chief operating officer of Manchester City Football Club in the United Kingdom. "I am honored to join the Panthers," Glick said. "David has a clear and exciting vision for the team, and I can see and feel the buzz and anticipation for this new era of Panthers football. "I'm ready to get started and will give everything to help the team deliver for our fans, players, staff, partners and our communities throughout North and South Carolina." Carolina was without a team president since Danny Morrison left the organization more than a year ago. For the last six years, Glick has been instrumental in the development of City Football Group, a multi-national soccer organization that includes Manchester City FC, three-time and current English Premier League champion. City Football Group also includes New York City FC of Major League Soccer, in addition to clubs in the top divisions in Australia, Spain, Japan and Uruguay. "We are thrilled to have Tom join the Panthers family," Tepper said. "He has tremendous experience in professional sports, successfully fostering fan engagement in major cities globally. I know that his record, expertise and drive will be major assets as we look to win on the field and in the community." During his career, Glick also worked for the New Jersey Nets of the NBA before their move to Brooklyn, several minor-league baseball teams and in minor-league hockey. Glick was the first American elected to serve on the Board of the Football League in England. --The Cleveland Browns can breathe a bit easier after each of their top two quarterbacks appear to have escaped serious injuries in Thursday's preseason game. Starting quarterback Tyrod Taylor and rookie Baker Mayfield, the No. 1 overall pick in this year's draft, both had to exit Thursday's 5-0 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles. Taylor injured his non-throwing hand about nine minutes into the game but was able to return. Although X-rays were negative. The NFL Network, citing a source, reported that Taylor dislocated the pinky finger on his left hand. In a posting on his Twitter account Friday, Taylor wrote: "Thanks for the prayers Cleveland. I'm doing well." Browns coach Hue Jackson told reporters after the game that he was optimistic that Taylor will be ready for the regular-season opener. "Any time your quarterback gets nicked like that, you're always concerned," said Jackson, per the Akron Beacon-Journal. "But I think the fact that he was able to go back in the game, that was a good sign. And I know we'll make sure that we take care of it this week, whatever that is, and get him back to where he needs to be. "I feel comfortable and confident that he's going to be OK and that we'll have him." Taylor, acquired in the offseason from the Buffalo Bills, returned in the first minute of the second quarter and played the remainder of the opening half. He finished 11 of 16 for 65 yards and rushed for 5 yards on two carries. "Our medical people said he was fine and he could be out there," Jackson said. "We would not have put him back out there if he was not. We will check everything tonight and see where he is, but hopefully everything will be OK." Mayfield replaced Taylor after he was injured and guided Cleveland to its only offensive points on a 54-yard field goal by Zane Gonzalez. However, the prize rookie and Heisman Trophy winner out of Oklahoma provided a scare of his own when he had to be taken to the medical tent in the fourth quarter to be evaluated for a concussion. Mayfield hit his head on right tackle Shon Coleman's leg and was cleared by an independent neurologist, but Jackson did not send him back into the game. "The lineman got backed up into me, so I followed through, hit him and hit the ground," Mayfield said. "Nothing serious. Doctors are doing their job." --Baltimore Ravens rookie tight end Hayden Hurst is expected to be sidelined at least three weeks because of a stress fracture in a foot. Hurst underwent a procedure Friday to insert a screw in the foot, the NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reported, citing sources. The timetable for his recovery is three to four weeks. The first of Baltimore's first-round picks (No. 25 overall) in the 2018 NFL Draft, Hurst was expected to open the season as the starter before the injury. Hurst had three receptions for 14 yards and a touchdown in his NFL debut at the Hall of Fame Game and added one catch in each of the subsequent preseason games. At South Carolina, Hurst was a walk-on in 2015 and wound up setting the school record for career receptions by a tight end with 100 in three seasons. A first-team All-SEC pick in 2017, Hurst had 44 receptions for 559 yards and two touchdowns. He set personal bests in 2016 with 48 receptions for 616 yards. The Ravens lost two tight ends in the offseason. Dennis Pitta retired because of a hip injury and Ben Watson, the team's second-leading receiver in 2017, left via free agency. Baltimore used its third-round pick to draft rookie tight end Mark Andrews of Oklahoma and also has Maxx Williams and Nick Boyle to provide depth at the position. --The Cincinnati Bengals terminated the contract of defensive tackle Chris Baker, the team announced. Baker was signed by the Bengals in March less than three weeks after his release by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. "Never easy getting cut, but, hey, it's part of the business," Baker wrote on his Twitter account while thanking Cincinnati coach Marvin Lewis and general manager Mike Brown for the opportunity. Baker will receive $300,000 from the Bengals, who will not have to pay the remainder of his $3 million salary. Entering his ninth NFL season, Baker lasted only one season with the Buccaneers after signing three-year, $15.75 million contract. He had 33 tackles in 15 games in 2017, but his effort was questioned by the team. Baker had five productive seasons with the Washington Redskins (2011-16) before signing with Tampa Bay. The 30-year-old has 12.0 sacks in 93 games (56 starts), including a career-best 6.0 to go along with 53 tackles in 2015 with the Redskins. Baker also was hurt by a numbers game with the Bengals, who have an ample number of solid defensive linemen on the roster. Andrew Billings has been impressive during the preseason, and Michael Johnson, Sam Hubbard and Jordan Willis all can play defensive tackle. --The NFL is a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately league, and not even the reigning Super Bowl Most Valuable Player is immune to that. Quarterback Nick Foles struggled in the Philadelphia Eagles' third preseason game, committing three turnovers in a lackluster 5-0 loss at the Cleveland Browns on Thursday night. Foles final numbers -- 13 of 17 for 127 yards -- seemed more than passable, but he was intercepted twice and also fumbled. Eagles coach Doug Pederson could not hide his disappointment when he was asked by FOX Sports sideline reporter Erin Andrews if Foles would play in the third quarter. "I'm done; I've seen enough," Peterson said. "It's very disappointing. He was calm before the game, I thought he'd settled in." Peterson later attempted to clarify his remarks, making a point that he was frustrated with the performance of his entire offense. "We had six possessions. We had two interceptions, two fumbles. We had a sack safety, and we had a turnover on downs. That's an offensive performance, so I was displeased with what our first offense executed," Peterson said after the game. "I'm disappointed in the offense. I don't want to single out one player, so don't put this all on Nick. I'm disappointed in the offense. It's obviously not what you want in the third preseason week." Foles also struggled in the previous preseason matchup against the New England Patriots, completing only 3 of 9 passes for 44 yards before he was knocked out of the game with a mild strain to his throwing shoulder. The MVP of Super Bowl LII after replacing an injury Carson Wentz in December and sparking Philadelphia on its championship run, Foles did not seem overly concerned with Thursday's subpar effort. "There's times when I feel good and times when I'm making mistakes," Foles told reporters. "It's as simple as that. I just have to keep being critical of myself, keep watching the film and understanding what's going on. I have to keep playing, keep going through it. Obviously, I haven't been myself and I expect a lot of myself, but I have to keep learning. "I've played this game a long time, I know how to address this and keep moving forward while keeping that positive outlook." Foles is drawing added scrutiny because of the uncertainly surrounding Wentz, who hopes to be back for the regular-season opener after tearing his ACL and LCL in December. "He finished the season pretty well last year," Pederson said of Foles. "We know who he is and what we need to do to get him ready to go, and again, we're still pretty vanilla offensively. We haven't done any of our RPO game. Those are all things that are part of his strengths, too, so we've got to make sure that when we put game plans together moving forward, that we're utilizing his strengths too." --Cleveland Browns rookie cornerback Denzel Ward will have an MRI after exiting Thursday's preseason game against Philadelphia because of a back injury. Ward was hurt in the first quarter after he went low to tackle Eagles tight end Zach Ertz on a short completion in the right flat. The second of Cleveland's two first-round picks (No. 4 overall) in the 2018 NFL Draft, Ward remained on the ground for a lengthy time before leaving the game. He did not return. "We will do everything we can just to make sure, but we will definitely do the imaging and report just to make sure we know everything that is going on with his back," Browns head coach Hue Jackson told the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Cleveland obviously has lofty expectations for Ward, who was labeled by defensive coordinator Gregg Williams "one of the best press guys" that he had seen coming out of the draft in recent years. Ward was a somewhat surprising pick for Cleveland, which took him one spot ahead of Bradley Chubb, the pass-rushing standout from North Carolina State who was widely considered the top defensive player in the draft. A consensus All-American at Ohio State in 2017, Ward appeared in 11 games and had two interceptions, 15 passes defensed and 37 tackles. Shortly after the draft, Browns general manager John Dorsey said Ward possesses all the requisite tools to be a shutdown cornerback, citing his vertical speed, quickness and "great" ball skills. --The Indianapolis Colts signed free agent cornerback Juante Baldwin, the team announced. In a corresponding move, Indianapolis waived quarterback Brad Kaaya with an injury designation. Baldwin returns to the team after he was waived late last month. He was signed by the Colts in mid-June after participating in a tryout during the team's minicamp. The 5-foot-11, 188-pound Baldwin spent two seasons at Pittsburgh State. He started all 12 games in 2017 and compiled 30 tackles (20 solo), 2.0 tackles for loss, three interceptions and one forced fumble. Baldwin sat out the 2016 season as a redshirt after his transfer from Friends University. Kaaya was signed to Indianapolis' active roster in December 2017. He had spent time on both the active roster and practice squad of the Detroit Lions last season. The former Miami (Fla.) standout was a sixth-round draft choice of the Lions in 2017, and also saw time with the Carolina Panthers' practice squad. Kaaya started all 38 career games he played at Miami and finished with 9,968 passing yards with 69 touchdowns and 24 interceptions. He left the school as its career passing leader. If Kaaya clears waivers, he will revert to the Colts' injured reserve list. --The New York Jets signed running back Charcandrick West, the team announced. The move comes two days after West was released by the Kansas City Chiefs. West had been sidelined for most of training camp because of a concussion before being cleared for padded practice on Tuesday. West saw sparse action with the Chiefs last season -- his fourth with the club. He was limited to 18 carries for 72 yards and two touchdowns, as rookie Kareem Hunt served as the primary ball carrier. An undrafted free agent out of Abilene Christian in 2014, West had his best season with Kansas City in 2015. He led the team in rushing with 634 yards and four touchdowns, and added 20 receptions and a score in 15 games, including nine starts. West rushed for 293 yards and a touchdown in 2016, but he set a career best with 28 receptions -- one more than last season -- and two more touchdowns. The 5-foot-10, 205-pound West is one yard shy of 1,000 rushing yards for his career. He has 75 catches for 552 yards in 49 games (11 starts). West joins a crowded backfield in New York that is headed by Isaiah Crowell, Bilal Powell and Thomas Rawls. Elijah McGuire, expected to compete for the primary backup job to Crowell, sustained a broken foot during the team's first training camp practice. --Tight end Julius Thomas, who was released by the Miami Dolphins in March, announced that he his retiring after seven years in the NFL. Thomas, who wrote a retirement letter on The Players' Tribune, said he will pursue a doctorate in psychology. "I'm ready to admit that I'm OK with giving up the identity of "Julius the football player," Thomas wrote. "I'm OK with not being recognized as an NFL athlete -- because I'm more than that. I have stepped out of my identity before, and I will continue to do it again and again throughout life. "I believe helping others is what I'm supposed to be doing at this point in my life. Hopefully, I can help by encouraging more of my peers to connect with who they are outside of the game. If ultimately that's what I'm remembered for, I'd be very thankful." The 30-year-old Thomas added that he began auditing a psychology class during the offseason and realized he has become passionate on the subject. After considering signing with another team before training camp, Thomas decided it was time to call it quits. "Football has serious cognitive risks, but there's still a lot to learn about the extent of them and ways they can be mitigated," he wrote. "The ability to assist with the latest research being done on brain trauma and the pursuit to better understand CTE. To study it not just from the perspective of a psychologist or a clinician, but also as a person who has played for several years at the highest level, is something that excites me. It fills me with a sense of purpose. It's a way to help while growing intellectually that I had been searching for. I know I have so much to learn, but that's what I'm most looking forward to." The 6-foot-5, 262-pound Thomas played football and basketball at Portland State before being selected in the fourth round (No. 129 overall) of the 2011 draft by the Denver Broncos. Thomas played with the Broncos from 2011 to 2014 before signing a free-agent contract with Jacksonville and playing two years with the Jaguars before finishing his career last season with Miami. Selected to the Pro Bowl in 2013 and 2014, Thomas caught 226 passes for 2,406 yards and 36 touchdowns in his career.