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NFL notebook: Luck aims to play in preseason opener

[July 26, 2018] The Indianapolis Colts expect to play quarterback Andrew Luck in their preseason opener against the Seattle Seahawks on Aug. 9, coach Frank Reich said on Wednesday.

Luck reported to training camp this week and is expected to practice Thursday and Friday and then again on Sunday night after a rest day.

The 28-year-old quarterback, whose recovery stalled multiple times following January 2017 shoulder surgery, sat out the preseason and regular season but has slowly progressed since.

Luck is less than two months into a throwing program, but general manager Chris Ballard said the QB is following the prescribed routine to be ready for Week 1 of the 2018 regular season.

--Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald did not report to the start of training camp as he continues to seek a new, long-term contract similar to those given to his teammates in recent days, according to media reports.

This marks the second consecutive year he has held out. Last season, he didn't join the Rams until the day before the season opener in September. He played in 14 games and posted 11 sacks and led the league with 91 quarterback pressures.

Donald, 27, is in the last year of his rookie contract, which is due to pay him $6.8 million. Chris Wesseling of NFL.com reported that if Donald doesn't show up at least one month before the first game of the season, his free agency would be pushed back a year. He is due to become a free agent after the 2018 season.

--Atlanta Falcons head coach Dan Quinn and general manager Thomas Dimitroff signed three-year contract extensions through the 2022 season, the team announced.

Dimitroff, 52, is entering his 11th season with the Falcons. He hired Quinn -- then defensive coordinator of the Seattle Seahawks -- in 2015 to replace Mike Smith in Atlanta.

Quinn, 47, has a 29-19 record in three regular seasons as coach of the Falcons. He previously helped the Seahawks to consecutive Super Bowls in 2013 and 2014.

--Four-time Pro Bowl cornerback Richard Sherman declared himself "100 percent" and was cleared to begin practice with his new team, the San Francisco 49ers.

The 30-year-old, who required season-ending surgery on a ruptured Achilles in November, received a $2 million bonus for passing his pre-training camp physical.

Sherman, who played his first seven seasons with the Seattle Seahawks, signed a three-year, incentive-laden deal with the 49ers in March.

--With a sudden need at wide receiver, the Cleveland Browns are mulling over a number of players who could step in. Dez Bryant apparently is among them.

General manager John Dorsey told reporters that the former Dallas star is among those players under consideration.

Released by the Cowboys in April, Bryant, 29, has not received great interest on the open market. Bryant's production declined in 2017, when he posted 69 receptions for 838 yards, and he lasted topped 1,000 yards in 2014 when he recorded a career-best 16 touchdown catches.

--Rookie first-round pick Josh Allen has signed a four-year deal with the Buffalo Bills, the team announced.

Allen's deal is worth just over $20 million and includes a fifth-year option. In 2017, the seventh overall pick -- wide receiver Mike Williams of the Los Angeles Chargers -- signed a four-year, $19.7 million deal.

The Bills have never drafted a quarterback higher than the No. 7 overall pick. Allen worked his way into the first-team offense on a timeshare basis in June.

--The Cleveland Browns signed cornerback Denzel Ward, the No. 4 pick in the 2018 draft, to a rookie contract worth just over $29 million over four years.

The signing bonus is $19.5 million, and the Browns hold a fifth-year option.

The former Ohio State cornerback is said to be a favorite of defensive coordinator Gregg Williams and is expected to take over immediately as the team's No. 1 corner.

--Odell Beckham Jr. is ready to go at New York Giants training camp, but head coach Pat Shurmur intends to take the long view with his No. 1 wide receiver.

The 25-year-old was limited for much of the offseason recovering from ankle surgery and was held out of team drills during minicamp.

Shurmur said the focus for Beckham will be playing in the regular-season opener on Sept. 9 against Jacksonville.

--Defensive end Khalil Mack reportedly will not show up for the start of the Oakland Raiders' training camp on Thursday.

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Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck (12) throws a pass against the Denver Broncos at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports / Reuters Picture Supplied by Action Images

With no apparent progress on a contract extension, the two-time All-Pro and three-time Pro Bowl selection also did not attend the team's voluntary offseason workouts in the spring and Oakland's mandatory minicamp in June.

The 27-year-old is set to make nearly $14 million this season under his fifth-year option. NFL Network's Steve Wyche reported earlier this offseason Mack is seeking more than $65 million in guaranteed money in his next contract.

--Cornerback Sam Beal, whom the Giants selected two weeks ago in the NFL supplemental draft, likely will miss the 2018 season with a shoulder injury, according to multiple reports.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported that Beal dislocated his shoulder in a "weird practice accident" and could undergo surgery.

The Giants took Beal, from Western Michigan, in the third round of the recent supplemental draft and signed him to a four-year deal. He declared for the draft after the school ruled him academically ineligible for the 2018 season.

--Wide receiver Eli Rogers signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers on a one-year deal, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Rogers sustained an ACL tear in the Steelers' playoff loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in January but has had a quick recovery. After the Steelers passed on tendering him an offer as a restricted free agent, Rogers met with the Cleveland Browns and the Kansas City Chiefs before returning to Pittsburgh.

He had 18 catches for 149 yards and one touchdown in 14 regular-season games as the team's fourth receiver last year.

--New York Jets cornerback Rashard Robinson has been suspended for four games without pay for violating the NFL's substance-abuse policy, the league announced.

Robinson was arrested on a marijuana possession charge in New Jersey last December. Police said Robinson had marijuana-laced candy in his vehicle. The case is still pending.

Robinson will be eligible to return to the Jets' active roster on Oct. 1, one day after the team's game against the Jaguars and in time for New York's Week 5 matchup with Denver.

--Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones isn't waiting for the NFL and its players association to come to an agreement on a policy regarding whether players must stand at attention during the national anthem. He already has decided what his team will do.

"Our policy is you stand during the anthem, toe on the line," Jones said in a news conference.

Jones said the Cowboys also will not tolerate players remaining in the locker room during the anthem instead of standing on the field.

--Giants general manager Dave Gettleman's cancer is in remission, multiple outlets reported.

Gettleman was diagnosed with lymphoma earlier this year and revealed the diagnosis on June 5. He has been undergoing chemotherapy.

--Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly received good news from his doctors, as MRI and CT scans done in a New York City hospital were "clear," his wife, Jill, announced on Instagram. She went on to write that doctors found "no evidence" of cancer in a statement posted under a photo of Kelly giving the thumbs up sign.

Kelly has been battling cancer off and on for five years. He had surgery in 2013 to remove squamous cell carcinoma of the upper jawbone.

--Trent Richardson, a former first-round NFL draft pick, said he's returning to play football in Alabama.

The ex-Crimson Tide running back told AL.com that he intends to sign with the Alliance of American Football league's team in Birmingham. The new league will begin play in February. He eventually hopes to return to the NFL, he said.

0The Minnesota Vikings made Richardson the No. 3 overall pick in the 2012 draft, then traded him to Cleveland in a draft-day move. He had a promising rookie season, but he hasn't played in the NFL since 2014.

--Field Level Media

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