LDN - Sports

NFL notebook: Eagles' Jeffery undergoes shoulder surgery

[February 22, 2018] Alshon Jeffery played 19 games, including Super Bowl LII, with a torn rotator cuff, and he likely will miss training camp and most of the preseason recovering from surgery.

Jeffery, who was injured in the 2017 preseason, had shoulder surgery Wednesday. He joined the Eagles on a one-year deal in free agency and signed a long-term extension during the season.

Jeffery, 28, played 82 percent of offensive snaps with the Eagles last season, catching 57 passes for 789 yards and nine touchdowns.

Jeffery was one of the standouts of the Super Bowl for the Eagles with a 34-yard touchdown reception from Nick Foles. In Philadelphia's three-game playoff run, he had 12 receptions for 219 yards and three touchdowns.

--Left tackle Joe Thomas will decide whether to play for a 12th season with the Cleveland Browns or retire from the NFL in the next few weeks.

Thomas said he plans to determine his plans for 2018 before the start of free agency March 14.

Last season ended in October for Thomas after he sustained a torn triceps and was placed on injured reserve, snapping an 11-year streak in which he played 10,363 consecutive snaps. Thomas said he is spending the usual amount of time at the team facility in Berea, Ohio, and recently met with new offensive coordinator Todd Haley.

--Adam Vinatieri plans to play next season at age 45 and is near a deal to return to the Indianapolis Colts for a 13th season.

According to multiple reports, Vinatieri will finalize a one-year contract with the Colts on Friday, setting the stage for his 23rd NFL season. He spent 10 years with the New England Patriots before signing with Indianapolis as a free agent in 2006.

Vinatieri has 2,487 career points and could overtake all-time scoring leader Morten Andersen (2,544) in 2018 with 59 points. Vinatieri had 20 or more field goals in 21 of his first 22 seasons.

--Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier continues to recover from a late-season severe spinal injury and will not be satisfied until he plays in the NFL again.

Shazier, appearing on teammate Roosevelt Nix's podcast which was posted to social media Tuesday night, also shared that his goal is to play well enough to make it to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

"I've gotta get back, bro," Shazier told Nix of his desire to play again.

--Baltimore Ravens tight end and pending free agent Crockett Gillmore has gained about 40 pounds and will play on the offensive line moving forward, according to the Baltimore Sun.

The Sun reports Gillmore -- listed by the Ravens at 266 last summer -- is up to 305 pounds and has been working at former Pro Bowl center LeCharles Bentley's offensive line academy.

Gillmore, 26, will hit unrestricted free agency on March 14 having played in just 17 games over the last three seasons due to numerous injuries. Gillmore sustained tears of the meniscus and medial collateral ligament in his knee in training camp last July, forcing him to miss the entire 2017 season.

--The Denver Broncos are expected to discuss trading quarterback Trevor Siemian during conversations with opposing teams at the NFL Scouting Combine next week, according to an NFL Network report.

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Siemian, 26, won the team's starting job during training camp in each of the last two seasons but will likely be the odd man out as the team looks to upgrade at quarterback in free agency or the draft. Paxton Lynch, whom Denver traded up to take in the first round in 2016, is expected to remain on the roster.

--The New York Giants re-signed guard John Greco, who was scheduled to hit free agency on March 14.

Greco, who will turn 33 in March, has four seasons of experience with incoming head coach Pat Shurmur, including two years each with the Rams (where Shurmur was offensive coordinator from 2009-10) and Browns (where Shurmur was head coach from 2011-12).

He played in six games as a reserve for the Giants last season after starting all 56 games in which he appeared over the previous four campaigns in Cleveland.

--Former Indianapolis Colts cornerback and two-time Pro Bowler Vontae Davis visited the Oakland Raiders on Wednesday, according to an NFL Network report.

Davis was released by the Colts in November after seeking additional medical opinions and opting to have season-ending surgery to correct a core muscle injury. He was cleared in his recovery last week and can sign with a new team at any time.

Davis, who will turn 30 in May, visited the Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns and San Francisco 49ers over the last week and could also visit the New England Patriots, based on published reports.

--Marty Hurney was named general manager of the Carolina Panthers on Wednesday.

Hurney, who became interim GM in July when Dave Gettleman was fired and also held the same post with the team from 2002-12, will oversee personnel and report to interim CEO Tina Becker.

The NFL looked into allegations of harassment and a restraining order filed by Hurney's ex-wife, Jeanne, prompting the Panthers to place Marty Hurney on paid administrative leave on Feb. 4. When a judge denied the restraining order and the NFL found no wrongdoing, Marty Hurney was reinstated.

--The Tampa Bay Buccaneers hired Brentson Buckner as defensive line coach after he spent the past five seasons in the same position for the Arizona Cardinals.

During his time in Arizona (2013-17), the Cardinals recorded 203 sacks, tied for the seventh-most in the NFL. In 2016, Arizona led the league with 48 sacks, the third-highest single-season mark in franchise history, under the 46-year-old Buckner's guidance.

--New Orleans Saints owner Tom Benson was admitted to the hospital with flu symptoms, the team announced.

The 90-year-old Benson, who also owns the NBA's New Orleans Pelicans, is "resting comfortably" at Ochsner Medical Center.

--Field Level Media

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