NFL notebook: Ravens CB Smith suspended 4 games

Baltimore Ravens cornerback Jimmy Smith was suspended four games on Tuesday for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy. Smith will be eligible to return to the roster on Oct. 1, but will miss games against the Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals, Denver Broncos and Pittsburgh Steelers. The disciplinary action stemmed from a custody case involving Smith's ex-girlfriend, who in February 2017 filed a petition alleging that Smith has a "history of substance abuse and illicit drug usage" and "a history of being physically violent" toward her. Smith, who was seeking sole custody of the couple's child, denied all the charges when they came to light in November, but he was apologetic for his actions in a statement released by the team Tuesday. --Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Eli Rogers received a one-game suspension for violating the NFL policy on substance abuse. The suspension, which will force Rogers to sit out Week 1, likely will not affect the Steelers for the season opener. Rogers is expected to open the season on the physically unable to perform list. Rogers, who agreed to a one-year contract with Pittsburgh last month, is eligible to return from suspension on Sept. 10. --Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Nick Foles will play in Thursday's preseason game against the Cleveland Browns, coach Doug Pederson announced. Foles sustained a mild strain to his throwing shoulder in the second quarter of last Thursday's game against the New England Patriots after being hit by defensive end Adrian Clayborn. The Super Bowl LII Most Valuable Player clutched his arm as he went to the turf, ending his evening after completing just 3 of 9 passes for 44 yards. While Foles was back at practice on Sunday, fellow quarterback Carson Wentz returned to 11-on-11 drills at practice this week. Wentz, who is splitting first-team reps with Foles, will not play versus the Browns as he bids to return from tearing his ACL and LCL against the Los Angeles Rams on Dec. 10. --Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon could rejoin the team for practice as early as Saturday. Browns coach Hue Jackson, in a briefing with reporters, said he expected Gordon to be back practicing "very soon." Gordon returned to the team last weekend after completing a health treatment program that has kept him away from the team since the start of training camp. Although Gordon has yet to be cleared to practice and already has been ruled out of Thursday's preseason matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles, Jackson said the goal is to have him ready for the regular season opener -- and possibly the final exhibition game versus the Detroit Lions. --Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook could make his preseason debut Friday night against the Seattle Seahawks. Cook sat out the first two exhibition contests and has not played since suffering a torn ACL that ended his 2017 rookie campaign after four games. Vikings offensive coordinator John DeFilippo told the Star-Tribune of Minneapolis that he will sit down with head coach Mike Zimmer this week to map out a strategy for Cook. --Less than 24 hours after signing Adrian Peterson, Washington Redskins coach Jay Gruden expressed hope that the veteran running back would be available for Friday's preseason game versus the Denver Broncos. Peterson has not played since late November when a neck injury ended his season with the Arizona Cardinals. Part of the reason for Gruden's optimism for Peterson being ready to play on Friday was based on the way he impressed the coaching staff during Monday's workout. "Really signed him because of the workout. Not just early in the workout but late in the workout," said Gruden, per the NFL Network. "He wasn't even breathing heavy. He's in fantastic physical shape." --Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck couldn't have been happier about getting re-acquainted with linebacker Terrell Suggs during Monday's preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens. Luck, after all, missed the entire 2017 season while rehabbing his surgically repaired shoulder. The 28-year-old was no worse for wear after being on the receiving end of a blindside sack from Suggs, who immediately helped the quarterback off the turf. "I told someone after the game, 'I'm sort of happy to get sacked by Suggs, a legit sack,'" Luck said. "I landed on my right elbow sort of reminiscent of how I injured my shoulder a couple of years ago (in Week 3 of the 2015 season). I didn't feel anything. Didn't give it a second thought. That's a big deal for me, being able to lose that thought bubble." --Tampa Bay Buccaneers left tackle Donovan Smith sustained an apparent right leg injury after he had his legs rolled up during practice. Smith remained on the grass and needed assistance to stand after being injured during an 11-on-11 drill. The 25-year-old tossed his helmet in frustration and left the field with members of the medical staff for further evaluation. Smith protects the blind side of quarterbacks Jameis Winston and Ryan Fitzpatrick. The 6-foot-6, 338-pound has yet to miss a game in his first three seasons with the Buccaneers, who open the regular season against the New Orleans Saints on Sept. 9. Bucs safety Justin Evans was carted off the practice field with an undisclosed injury. The 22-year-old Evans recorded 66 tackles and three interceptions in 14 games last season after being selected in the second round of the 2017 draft. --Dallas Cowboys center Travis Frederick has been seeking more medical options to resolve the repeated stingers he has suffered in practice. Frederick met with a spine specialist prior to the Cowboys' preseason game over the weekend to determine if rest is the best course of treatment, the Dallas Morning News reported. One option still that has not been ruled out, sources told the newspaper, is surgery. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, in his weekly appearance on 105.3 The Fan, expressed hope that rest will allow Frederick's nerve irritation to subside. Frederick had contacted neck and spine specialist Dr. Robert Watkins in Los Angeles to make sure he was not dealing with a more severe injury. --Carolina Panthers rookie wide receiver D.J. Moore was cited for driving 113 mph last month in Charlotte, N.C. Moore, Carolina's first-round pick (No. 24 overall) in the 2018 NFL Draft, will have a court date on Oct. 2, according to the Charlotte Observer. The 21-year-old Moore was charged with speeding, and speeding in a work zone over 80 mph. He was stopped on Interstate 77 at 2:52 a.m. on Aug. 10. The police report described Moore as "polite and cooperative" after he was pulled over, which occurred after the Panthers returned home from a preseason game at Buffalo. Moore had four receptions for 75 yards against the Bills in his NFL debut. --Dallas Cowboys right guard Zack Martin said he avoided a major injury during the team's preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals this past weekend. Martin's assessment fell in line with the report of NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, who wrote that the four-time Pro Bowl guard sustained no ligament damage but instead a hyperextended knee and bone bruise. The 6-foot-4, 309-pound Martin is targeting a return in the season opener versus the Carolina Panthers on Sept. 9. --Carolina Panthers left tackle Matt Kalil will undergo an arthroscopic procedure on his right knee after consulting with Dr. James Andrews, the team announced. Kalil had been dealing with a sore knee that kept him out of practice. With the 29-year-old Kalil sidelined, Taylor Moton moved from right to left tackle and Jeremiah Sirles stepped in at right tackle. Carolina's offensive line has been ravaged by injury this offseason, as starting right tackle Daryl Williams sustained a dislocated kneecap and an MCL sprain and left guard Amini Silatolu is in need for surgery on a torn meniscus. --Tennessee Titans wide receiver Rishard Matthews has agreed to a one-year contract extension through the 2019 season, the team announced. While the Titans did not divulge the financial terms of the deal, ESPN's Field Yates reported that the extension is a team option with a base value of $7.75 million for the 2019 campaign. Matthews, who was set to become a free agent after this season, is currently on the physically unable to perform list with an undisclosed injury. Per Yates, Matthews has $875,000 available in per-game roster bonuses in 2018 and $500,000 in additional incentives added to the $850,000 that were already included in his contract. Matthews recorded 53 receptions for 795 yards and four touchdowns in 14 games last season, his second with the Titans. He posted career highs in catches (65), yards (945) and touchdowns (nine) in 2016. --The New Orleans Saints are expected to part ways with running back Terrance West, multiple media outlets reported. West had been battling Jonathan Williams, Shane Vereen and sixth-round rookie Boston Scott for backup responsibilities behind Alvin Kamara, who was the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2017. Coach Sean Payton told reporters that the team doesn't plan to overwork Kamara with fellow running back Mark Ingram set to serve a four-game suspension for violating the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing substances. West was signed to a contract in June following a workout with other free-agent running backs. He had seven carries for 36 yards during the preseason, highlighted by a 21-yard scamper last week against the Arizona Cardinals. --Injuries continued to plague the San Diego Chargers after cornerback Casey Hayward was forced to exit practice. Hayward was hurt was trying to defend wide receiver Mike Williams, pulling up and grabbing his hamstring, according to the Los Angeles Times. He left the field and went into the medical tent. However, Chargers coach Anthony Lynn told reporters after practice that he thought Hayward "would be fine." Los Angeles has been riddled with injuries in its defensive backfield. Cornerback Jason Verrett, a former first-round draft pick and Pro Bowl selection in 2015, suffered a season-ending torn ACL early in training camp. On Sunday, the Chargers learned that safety Jaylen Watkins was lost for the season due to a torn ACL. --Green Bay Packers running back Jamaal Williams returned to practice. Williams had to exit last Thursday's preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers with an ankle injury, but he was in full pads Tuesday, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Green Bay's leading rusher a year ago, Williams is among a cluster of players battling for the starting job in the team's crowded backfield. The second-year running back had only two carries for two yards and added one reception for six yards in the Packers' 51-34 drubbing of the Steelers. --Punter Jon Ryan is expected to sign a contract with the Buffalo Bills, one day after being released by the Seattle Seahawks. NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported that Ryan is flying to Buffalo to make it official. Ryan spent the last 10 years with the Seahawks, averaging 45.0 yards per punt. He holds the Seahawks' franchise record for most punts (770), most punt yards (34,491), most punts inside the 20 (276), longest punt (77) and consecutive games played (159). The 36-year-old ranked last among NFL punters this preseason, however, with just 29.8 net yards per punt. --Wide receiver Victor Cruz announced that he is retiring from the NFL and joining ESPN as a league analyst. Cruz declared his intentions in a video on Uninterrupted. Cruz spent six seasons with the New York Giants before signing with the Chicago Bears in 2017. He had big campaigns from 2011-2013, catching 241 passes for 3,626 yards and 23 touchdowns in 46 games. A Pro Bowl selection in 2012, Cruz had 21 receptions for 269 yards in four playoff games and caught a touchdown pass in the Giants' 21-17 victory over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI. --Former Dallas Cowboys defensive end George Andrie died Tuesday morning. He was 78. Andrie, a member of the Cowboys' famed "Doomsday Defense," passed away due to congestive heart failure, the Dallas Morning News reported. He also suffered from dementia. A sixth-round draft choice of Dallas in 1962, Andrie spent his entire 11-year career with the Cowboys, earning Pro Bowl honors in five consecutive seasons from 1965-69. Andrie won a Super Bowl ring with the Cowboys but he was best known for a play in one of the league's most famous games. During the NFL championship game -- which was dubbed the "Ice Bowl" -- between the Cowboys and Green Bay Packers in 1967, Andrie returned a fumble 7 yards for a touchdown. --NFL lineman Richie Incognito was arrested on disorderly conduct charges following an altercation at an Arizona funeral home on Monday. Incognito, who was released by the Buffalo Bills in May, threatened to shoot employees at the mortuary after he became upset while making arrangements for his father, according to police in Scottsdale, Ariz. Scottsdale officers responded to a disorderly conduct call at 3:30 p.m. on Monday afternoon," police said in a statement released Tuesday. --Bears rookie linebacker Roquan Smith missed most of practice Tuesday because of tightness in his left hamstring. "It's more precautionary than anything," Bears coach Matt Nagy said, via the Chicago Tribune. "That's exactly why we do what we do. You put him in early, and he's not ready, then something like this happens where it gets worse, so we just want to be really cautionary with it." The injury leaves Smith's availability for his first preseason appearance Saturday against the Chiefs at Soldier Field in doubt. "I don't know. It's probably an hour-by-hour thing right now," Nagy said. "We just have to see how he responds tomorrow and have a better idea." Smith has participated in just three practices in the preseason after ending a contract holdout last week.