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National Football League roundup

[September 09, 2016] Sept 8 (The Sports Xchange) - New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski could be on the sideline Sunday night for the first game of the 2016 season against the Arizona Cardinals.

Gronkowski said his injured hamstring, which dates to Aug. 15 in training camp, continues to be bothersome to the point that he isn't ready to guarantee he'll play at University of Phoenix Stadium.

"It boils to a coaching decision, the medical team, and myself. We'll all get together and collaborate and see where I'm at," Gronkowski said.

Already the Patriots are counting on a first-time starting quarterback to lead the offense in the absence of Tom Brady, who is serving a four-game suspension.

Gronkowski is on the injury report and was listed again Thursday as a limited participant. A reporter asked if he was "100 percent" healthy. Gronkowski said no.

The Patriots would turn to tight end Martellus Bennett, acquired in the offseason from the Bears, if Gronkowski can't play.

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San Diego Chargers top draft pick Joey Bosa is not expected to play in Sunday's season opener against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Chargers general manager Tom Telesco told a local radio station that the rookie defensive end is dealing with a "minor" hamstring injury and is unlikely to be available Sunday.

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Seattle Seahawks rookie right guard Germain Ifedi is expected to be sidelined for at least three weeks due to a high ankle sprain.

Ifedi, Seattle's first-round draft pick, suffered the injury during Wednesday's practice. He was scheduled to start Sunday's opener against the Miami Dolphins.

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Dallas Cowboys restructured the contract of veteran tight end Jason Witten on Thursday and created $2.75 million in salary cap space.

Witten was scheduled to make $6.5 million in salary this season but he agreed to a restructuring that turned $5.5 million of it into a signing bonus

The move also gives Witten a very high cap number of $12.262 million next season, according to spotrac.com. Witten is slated to earn $7.4 million in salary in 2017.

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Colin Kaepernick and the Seattle Seahawks are division rivals, but the San Francisco 49ers backup quarterback might have found allies in his ongoing attempt to increase awareness by kneeling during the national anthem.

Seahawks cornerback Jeremy Lane and United States Women's National Team soccer player Megan Rapinoe also knelt during the anthem recently and said they did so in support of Kaepernick's message.

The group could expand greatly this week.

Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner hinted the team could join Lane before the Week 1 game in Seattle on Sunday against the Miami Dolphins. Wide receiver Doug Baldwin also said he was planning to support Lane.

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Defensive end Jared Odrick was diagnosed with a concussion on Thursday, putting his availability in doubt for Sunday's regular-season opener against the Green Bay Packers.

Odrick appeared on the initial injury report for Week 1 on Wednesday with a jaw injury.

The Jaguars announced Thursday morning that further examination revealed a concussion.

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Kevin White's long-awaited debut could be on hold for another week.

White, a first-round pick of the Chicago Bears in 2015, sat out last season with a lower-shin injury and was limited in Thursday's practice with a hamstring injury. He was not on the injury report Wednesday.

The Bears open the 2016 regular season at Houston on Sunday. (Editing by Andrew Both)

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