NFL notebook: Saints' WR Ingram appeals suspension

New Orleans Saints running back Mark Ingram has appealed his four-game suspension for violating the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing drugs, his agents said Wednesday. An arbiter's decision is due by May 16. Barring an overturned judgment, Ingram will sit out games against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Cleveland Browns, Atlanta Falcons and New York Giants. He will be eligible to return to the Saints' active roster on Monday, Oct. 1. Ingram was selected to his second Pro Bowl after rushing for career highs in yards (1,124) and touchdowns (12) last season. He also caught 58 passes for 416 yards. --The Indianapolis Colts signed free agent tackle Austin Howard. Howard spent last season with the Baltimore Ravens after signing a three-year deal. To make room on the roster for Howard, the Colts waived guard Isaiah Williams. The 31-year-old Howard, who has started at least 10 games in each of the last six seasons, has also spent time with the Oakland Raiders, New York Jets and Philadelphia Eagles. Howard, 6-foot-7 and 330 pounds, joins a Colts team that used the sixth overall pick of the 2018 NFL Draft on Notre Dame guard Quinton Nelson and a second-round selection on Auburn guard Braden Smith. Joe Haeg, Denzelle Good and Le'Raven Clark could also compete for the spot. --Quarterback Russell Wilson hopes to receive a contract extension from the Seattle Seahawks before his current deal ends at the end of next season, but according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, Wilson expects the Seahawks will put the franchise tag on him. Wilson has a 2019 salary cap number of $25.286 million, so it will cost the Seahawks $30.34 million to keep him for another season after the expiration of his current deal. The 29-year-old Wilson has been the Seahawks' starting quarterback since they took him in the third round (No. 75 overall) out of Wisconsin in the 2012 draft, and has led them to a 65-40-1 regular season record, never missing a start. --Tackle Donald Penn of the Oakland Raiders will not face charges in a domestic violence case, the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office said. Officers responded to Penn's Los Angeles-area home last April 29 at 9 p.m. after he allegedly slapped his wife's buttocks, grabbed her wrist and poured a drink over her head. The 35-year-old Penn had left his home by the time police arrived to take a report. The next day, Penn and his wife, Dominique, issued a joint statement to TMZ through their representative, Denise White, denying that a physical altercation had taken place. "There was a verbal disagreement, there was NO physical altercation," the statement said. "The two are in the middle of a divorce and it is a hard time for both parties." --New York Giants owner John Mara said that the team is in no particular rush to get a new contract for star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. Beckham is set to play for $8.5 million on the fifth-year option of his rookie deal. "I wouldn't say sense of urgency. The contract will get done when it's supposed to get done," Mara said at the 25th Anniversary Gridiron Gala held by the United Way of New York City. "I think that is the (general manager) Dave Gettleman line. I think I'm going to adopt that. All spring, all summer, as long as it takes." --The San Francisco 49ers added depth to their offensive line by signing guard/tackle Mike Person to a one-year contract. Financial terms were not disclosed for Person, who entered the league as the 49ers' seventh-round pick in the 2011 draft. The 29-year-old did not play in a regular-season game with the club, however. The 6-foot-4, 299-pound Person did compete with the Seattle Seahawks in 2013 and played in all 16 games with the then-St. Louis Rams the following year. He also made 14 starts at center for the Atlanta Falcons in 2015 and played last season with the Indianapolis Colts. --Maurice Hurst plans to use his perceived fall in the 2018 draft as motivation for the upcoming season. The former Michigan defensive tackle was diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat at the NFL Scouting Combine, with the health condition potentially serving as the primary reason he dropped to the fifth round before being selected by the Raiders. The 6-foot-2, 282-pound Hurst has received medical clearance to resume playing football and was allowed to participate fully in Michigan's Pro Day. --Free-agent wide receiver Brandon Marshall is expected to visit with the Seattle Seahawks, multiple media outlets reported. The visit is Marshall's first since being released with a failed physical designation by the New York Giants last month. That designation resulted from an ankle injury that ended Marshall's 2017 season. Marshall, 34, signed a two-year contract with the Giants last season and played only five games before being placed on injured reserve. He had only 18 catches for 154 yards and no touchdowns in that stretch. A six-time Pro Bowl selection, Marshall has had more than 100 receptions six times in his career and more than 1,000 receiving yards eight times, including 1,502 in 2015 with the Jets. Marshall has 959 receptions for 12,215 yards and 82 touchdowns in 172 career contests for the Denver Broncos, Miami Dolphins, Chicago Bears, Jets and Giants. --New York Jets wide receiver Quincy Enunwa is pleased with his recovery from neck surgery and said that he thinks he'll be able to participate in the club's first organized team activity on May 22. Enunwa reported "no setbacks" in his recovery from the surgery that sidelined him for the entire 2017 season. He said he has been "doing everything with the guys" in the first phase of offseason work. The 25-year-old Enunwa enjoyed a career season in 2016, recording 58 receptions for 857 yards and four touchdowns. He has 80 catches for 1,172 yards and four touchdowns in 29 career games since being New York's sixth-round pick in 2014 out of Nebraska. --The Philadelphia Eagles will add depth to their backfield with the expected signing of running back Matt Jones. NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported that Jones won a three-man competition for the available spot. Jones was released by the Indianapolis Colts after the 2018 draft. --Chicago Bears first-round pick Roquan Smith said in a video post on Twitter that a majority of his personal belongings were recovered and returned by police. Smith, who was the eighth overall pick of the 2018 draft, was the victim of theft over the weekend in Athens, Ga. Taken from the linebacker's car were a team-issued iPad as well as his Rose Bowl and national championship jerseys. The Bears told the Chicago Tribune on Tuesday that the iPad was wiped clean remotely, which resulted in no compromise of team information. Also taken from Smith's car were a 2017 University of Georgia football helmet, a Georgia "Athlete of the Year" trophy, four pairs of Bose headphones, a Bose Bluetooth speaker, two watches, a pair of Costa sunglasses and a pair of Nike athletic shoes. Athens-Clarke County Police public information officer Epifanio Rodriguez told the Chicago Tribune that they were able to identify a suspect thanks to a fingerprint. --Former Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez has transitioned quite well from the football field to the political arena. Gonzalez, who was also a former Ohio State standout, defeated two other Republican candidates in the primary for Ohio's 16th Congressional district, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported. The 33-year-old Gonzalez garnered 53 percent of the vote to topple Ohio state senator Christina Hagan and physician Michael Grusenmeyer for a slot in the race for Rep. Jim Renacci's seat. He'll face Susan Moran Palmer in the 16th Congressional district race in November. Former Colts quarterback Peyton Manning and Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam donated to Gonzalez's campaign, per Cleveland.com. Gonzalez recorded 99 receptions for 1,307 yards and seven touchdowns in 40 career games since being selected with the 32nd overall pick of the 2007 NFL Draft. His playing career ended in 2011. --Raiders coach Jon Gruden likes what he sees in the team's revamped wide receivers corps. Jordy Nelson arrived in free agency while the Raiders traded for Martavis Bryant and Ryan Switzer. In turn, last year's leading receiver, Michael Crabtree, is now with the Baltimore Ravens while Cordarrelle Patterson is with the New England Patriots. "We've got a competitive situation here at wide receiver," Gruden said, via NBC Sports Bay Area. "So I like that." --Former Seattle Seahawks defensive end Cliff Avril has taken a job with Seattle's 950 KJR-AM, but says he still hopes to continue his NFL career. The 32-year-old Avril, who was released by the Seahawks recently because of a career-threatening neck injury, told Bob Papa and Ed McCaffrey on SiriusXM FNL Radio that he has been contacted by "a few" teams asking about his availability. " ... For me it's all about just seeing what the doc says," Avril said. "I'm not really too concerned about where I might end up or anything like that. I actually just told everybody that I'm going to be working at a radio station, KJR 950 in Seattle. We'll see how it shakes out, though." The Seahawks released Avril with a failed physical designation. He said he is feeling "a lot better" in his recovery but admits being cleared by a doctor to play again might be a big hurdle.