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NFL notebook: Pierre-Paul out at least 5 to 6 months

[May 11, 2019]

Tampa Bay Buccaneers pass rusher Jason Pierre-Paul will miss five to six months as a best-case scenario due to the broken neck he suffered in a car accident last week, head coach Bruce Arians told reporters on Friday.

A decision on whether Pierre-Paul will need neck surgery hasn't yet been reached. "Very unfortunate," Arians said of the situation. "All we can do is just pray and hope for the best and hope it's one of those five- or six-month things and go from there."

Pierre-Paul was injured in the early morning hours of May 2 when he lost control of his Ferrari and it veered off the road and crashed into a concrete barrier. It was raining at the time of the accident, according to the crash report. Pierre-Paul was not ticketed at the scene.

The loss of Pierre-Paul would be a big blow as even the hopeful scenario outlined by Arians would have him missing six to 10 games. Not having him at all in 2019 is also possible. Pierre-Paul had a team-best 12.5 sacks last season, his first with the Bucs after playing eight years for the New York Giants.

--If quarterback Kyler Murray's first day of rookie minicamp with the Arizona Cardinals didn't start so smoothly, he has an excuse: It must be the shoes. Murray was missing his usual cleats, which weren't delivered to the practice facility in time for the start of minicamp.

"My feet hurt a little bit," Murray said. "It's been a long time since I put cleats on. I've been running around. The cleats were pretty new."

Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury expects the proper pair to arrive by Saturday's practice, so he wasn't too worried about Murray's quick feet. Other than the shoe issue, Murray was happy with his first day, saying "it was great" to work with Kingsbury.

--Despite raising eyebrows in the New York media by skipping voluntary team workouts two months after signing a contract with $27 million guaranteed, new Jets running back Le'Veon Bell intends to participate in the team's mandatory minicamp in June.

Per the New York Daily News, coach Adam Gase confirmed that his star free agent pickup said he will show up when the Jets convene on a mandatory basis from June 4-6. Bell liked his Miami-area digs for offseason training as a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers, including his full year spent in relative exile as a holdout.

The Daily News on Friday characterized the Jets as not "particularly pleased" that Bell, 27, has not shown up for the voluntary portion of the Jets' offseason schedule, despite most other veterans attending.

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul (90) works out prior to the game against the Carolina Panthers at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports - 11775046

--Defensive end Ezekiel Ansah, who has 48 career sacks, officially signed one-year, $9 million contract with the Seattle Seahawks.

The signing of Ansah figures to help make up for the departure of Frank Clark, who was recently dealt to the Kansas City Chiefs after leading the team with 13 sacks last season. Defensive end Nate Orchard was released to open a roster spot for Ansah. The four-year veteran was signed by Seattle last month.

Coming off shoulder surgery after missing nine games in 2018, Ansah expects to be cleared by mid-August, according to the NFL Network. Ansah, who turns 30 on May 29, had four sacks and seven quarterback hits in seven games (two starts) while playing on the franchise tag ($17.1 million) for Detroit last season.

--The New England Patriots agreed to terms with receiver Dontrelle Inman on a one-year deal, according to multiple reports.

Inman, 30, caught 28 passes for 304 yards and three touchdowns in nine games for the Indianapolis Colts last season. Inman's best season came in 2016, when he established career highs of 58 receptions, 810 yards and four touchdowns for the then-San Diego Chargers.

Inman played for the Chargers from 2014-17 -- including four games in 2017 after the move to Los Angeles -- and also played for the Chicago Bears (eight games in 2017). He has 158 career receptions for 2,101 yards and 11 scores in 58 games (34 starts).

--Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Kendell Beckwith will miss a second consecutive season after being placed on the reserve/non-football injury list.

Beckwith missed 2018 after having surgery to repair a broken ankle suffered in a single-car accident near his home in Louisiana. According to ESPN, there are fears his injury could be career-ending. He returned to practice late last season, but after three weeks, the team declined to add him to the active roster.

Beckwith, 24, played in all 16 games (11 starts) as a rookie third-round pick in 2017, collecting 73 tackles, two passes defensed and a sack. His NFL debut was his first in-game action since suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in November 2016 during his senior season at LSU.

--Field Level Media

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