NFL notebook: Panthers LB Davis gets 4-game PED suspension

[April 07, 2018]  Carolina Panthers veteran linebacker Thomas Davis announced Friday that he violated the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing drugs. Davis will miss the first four games of the 2018 season due to the transgression.

"I was completely caught off guard by this," Davis said while announcing his suspension in a video on Twitter. "I've never in any way done anything to try to intentionally cheat the game.

"I've taken the same supplements for the last seven or eight years and never had any issues, been tested numerous times over the years while taking the same stuff. Unfortunately, this is some of the things that happen when you take supplements. I've never tested positive for steroids or HGH. This is not one of those situations. It ended up being an estrogen blocker that triggered a positive test for me."

Davis has started 146 regular-season games (out of 164 played) since breaking into the NFL in 2005 and has career totals of 1,015 tackles, 28 sacks, 18 forced fumbles and 13 interceptions. He has posted more than 100 tackles in six different seasons.

--Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly has been moved out of the intensive care unit after having surgery for oral cancer last week in New York City.

"Mr. Kelly continues to make solid progress in his recovery from extensive surgery for his oral cancer," said Dr. Mark Urken of Mount Sinai West in a statement, via NFL.com. "He has been moved out of the intensive care unit and made that transition by walking, on his own, from the unit to the inpatient floor where he will continue the next phase of care. He is still several days away from resuming swallowing and taking nutrition by mouth."

The retired Buffalo Bills great was diagnosed with cancer in his jaw and had his first surgery in 2013. He needed surgery again the following year after the cancer spread to his nasal cavities. Kelly, 58, revealed last month that the disease had returned, and he underwent 12 hours of surgery last week.

--The Washington Redskins acquired quarterback Kevin Hogan from the Cleveland Browns, both teams announced.

Washington also received a 2018 sixth-round pick (No. 205 overall) from Cleveland and shipped its sixth-round selection (No. 188) to the Browns.

Hogan played in eight games (one start) for the Browns over the past two seasons while passing for 621 yards and four touchdowns. He threw seven interceptions in 101 passing attempts.

--The New Orleans Saints have signed Chicago Bears restricted free-agent wideout Cameron Meredith to an offer sheet, according to multiple reports.

The Bears now have five days to match the offer, which is a two-year deal reportedly worth up to $10 million with more than $5 million guaranteed.

Chicago assigned an original-round tender to Meredith in March, rather than a more expensive first- or second-round tender. Because Meredith was undrafted when he entered the league in 2015, the Bears would receive no compensation if they decline to match the Saints' offer.

--Former Wisconsin cornerback Nick Nelson will require surgery for a torn meniscus suffered during a private workout for an NFL team.

He was injured in the first five minutes of a workout for the Detroit Lions, according to NBC Sports. Nelson will have surgery on the knee next week and is expected to need three to four months to recover, according to the NFL Network.

Projected as a middle-round pick, Nelson is one of the top-rated corners in the draft. He spent one year with the Badgers after two years at Hawaii.

--Field Level Media

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