NFL Roundup: 49ers' Smith faces weapons charges

Three felony charges of possession of assault weapons against San Francisco 49ers linebacker Aldon Smith were filed by the Santa Clara County District Attorney, NBCBayArea.com reported Wednesday.

Smith is already facing recent DUI charges and also two civil lawsuits resulting from an alleged shooting that occurred at his 8,000-square foot house in June 2012.

Two people were shot and Smith was stabbed at the house party last year. Smith and former 49ers tight end Delanie Walker were named in the suits by alleged victims of the shooting. They are not accused of firing the weapons but of instigating a situation in which guests ran from the house after hearing shots.

Last month, Smith was placed on an indefinite leave from the 49ers and entered an in-patient rehab for substance abuse. He was arrested by San Jose Police on suspicion of DUI and marijuana possession at 7 a.m. on Sept. 20. Two days later, he played in a game against the Indianapolis Colts.

The third-year pro combined for 33 1/2 sacks the past two seasons. This year, he had 4 1/2 sacks and 18 tackles in three games.

---A day after the Indianapolis Colts placed running back Ahmad Bradshaw on injured reserve, the team announced the signing of running back Daniel "Boom" Herron and free agent linebacker Andy Studebaker.

Herron was on the Cincinnati Bengals' practice squad. A sixth-round draft pick by the Bengals in 2012, Herron has played in three career games. Last year, the former Ohio State player had a blocked punt, four special teams tackles and 5 yards on four rushing attempts.

Studebaker was added to the Colts' 53-man roster. In 70 career games with the Kansas City Chiefs, he totaled 51 tackles, five passes defenses, 2 1/2 sacks, two interceptions, two fumble recoveries and one forced fumble. He was released by the Chiefs on April 1.

Bradshaw suffered a neck injury in the Colts' Sept. 22 victory over the San Francisco 49ers and is expected to undergo surgery. He signed a one-year contract with the Colts in June. While playing for the New York Giants last year, Bradshaw also dealt with a neck injury.

Trent Richardson, acquired two weeks ago from the Cleveland Browns, and backup Donald Brown will be the primary ball carriers going forward for the Colts.

---Houston Texans fans aren't happy about the recent performance of Matt Schaub. So when a man showed up in the quarterback's driveway taking pictures, the family became a little nervous and notified police.

But contrary to earlier reports in Houston, angry fans did not confront Schaub at his house on Monday.

NFL security contacted the Texans and Houston police about the incident. No arrests were made and the uninvited visitor apparently left the scene without any trouble.

Houston police confirmed that Schaub's family contacted them and that there were no angry mobs at the residence.

Schaub was pulled in the second half of Sunday's game against the San Francisco 49ers. In the first quarter, he threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown in an NFL-record fourth consecutive game. Three of his passes were picked off by the 49ers in the Texans' 34-3 loss.

Backup T.J. Yates replaced Schaub in the fourth quarter and finished the game for Houston (2-3).

Schaub is expected to start in the Texans' home game Sunday against the St. Louis Rams.

Texans head coach Gary Kubiak said he is standing by his quarterback.

The Texans are averaging 9.7 points in their past three games, all losses.

---Houston Texans tight end Owen Daniels will miss a minimum of eight weeks after the team placed him on injured reserve with the designation to return, ESPN reported.

Original estimates put Daniels' recovery at four to six weeks from a non-displaced fibula fracture suffered in Sunday's loss to the San Francisco 49ers. With the IR designation, the earliest he could return is a Dec. 5 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

This season, Daniels has 24 receptions for 252 yards and shares the team lead in touchdowns with three. In 2012, Daniels finished with 62 catches for 716 yards and a career-best six touchdowns.

Garrett Graham, who also has three touchdown receptions this season, will replace Daniels in the starting lineup. Rookie sixth-round draft pick Ryan Griffin also is expected to receive more playing time in Houston's two-tight end sets.

---Cleveland Browns coach Rob Chudzinski made it clear that the team has no intention of trading wide receiver Josh Gordon in the near future.

Reports earlier in the week indicated the Browns would consider dealing Gordon for a second-round draft pick. The San Francisco 49ers were reported to be among the teams interested in the second-year receiver.

Chudzinski reiterated his declaration about Gordon last month after the trade of Trent Richardson to the Indianapolis Colts for a first-round draft pick. At that time, Chudzinski also said Gordon was not on the block.

Gordon has 18 receptions for 303 yards and two touchdowns this season. As a rookie in 2012, Gordon played in all 16 regular-season games and had 50 receptions for 805 yards and five touchdowns.

---Linebacker Kion Wilson, who started two games as an injury replacement for Larry Foote this season, was released by the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The move came a day after coach Mike Tomlin said Vince Williams would continue to get the majority of the snaps in place of Foote.

Wilson has 11 tackles while appearing in all four games this season, but the Steelers' 25th-ranked run defense has been a major disappointment. Tomlin also announced Cameron Heyward will start at defensive end in place of Ziggy Hood.

On offense, the Steelers are benching left tackle Mike Adams, with Kelvin Beachum and newly-acquired Levi Brown battling to replace him.

---The Carolina Panthers promoted center Brian Folkerts to the active roster from the practice squad and signed wide receiver Marvin McNutt from the Miami Dolphins' practice squad.

Folkerts started the season on the 53-man roster but was inactive for the first two games. He then was waived and re-signed to the Panthers' practice squad.

McNutt began the season on the Dolphins' practice squad. A sixth-round draft pick in 2012 by Philadelphia, he played in four games as a rookie with the Eagles last year.

The Panthers also signed linebackers Ben Jacobs and Jeff Tarpinian to the practice squad.

---Defensive end Brian Robison reached agreement on a contract extension with the Minnesota Vikings.

The four-year, $28 million extension includes $13 million guaranteed, according to reports. Robison is in the final year of a three-year contract he signed in 2011.

The 30-year-old Robison has 10 tackles, one sack and 11 quarterback hurries in four games this year. In the previous two seasons, he totaled 16.5 sacks. The seven-year pro has 31 career sacks.

Vikings defensive end Jared Allen, defensive tackles Kevin Williams and Fred Evans and backup defensive end Everson Griffen remain unsigned past this season. Allen, 32, had 34 sacks the previous two years.

---The New York Jets placed linebacker Antwan Barnes on injured reserve after he suffered a knee injury in Monday night's victory over the Atlanta Falcons.

Linebacker Ricky Sapp was elevated to the active roster to take Barnes' place.

The oft-injured Barnes is in his first season season with the Jets. He had two sacks and three tackles in four games as part of the team's linebacker rotation and nickel packages.

The eight-year veteran played for the San Diego Chargers in 2012 and suffered a late-season hamstring injury that forced him to go on IR He has played in all 16 regular-season games just once during his career.

---The Oakland Raiders signed veteran free agent defensive tackle Daniel Muir and re-signed offensive lineman Jack Cornell to the practice squad.

The 30-year-old Muir last played for the New York Jets in 2012, making three tackles in three games.

A six-year NFL veteran, Muir has played in 46 games and started 26 with the Jets, Indianapolis Colts and Green Bay Packers. He has 130 career tackles, including 100 solos, and 1/2 sack.

---Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder isn't bowing to the growing pressure to change the franchise's nickname.

Snyder sent a letter to season ticket-holders stating his reasoning for wanting to keep team's name despite the president of the United States and other public officials suggesting that it's time to discard a term that some consider offensive.

Snyder cited a recent poll of nearly 1,000 Native Americans showing that 90 percent did not find the name to be offensive. He also pointed to a Richmond Times Dispatch story in which three Native American tribal leaders in Virgina did not have a problem with using Redskins.

Snyder used a gentler tone in the letter in contrast to his more defiant statement in May when he told USA Today that the team would "NEVER" bow to pressure.

---One day after re-signing him and placing him on the practice squad, the Chicago Bears on Wednesday elevated defensive tackle Christian Tupou to the 53-man active roster.

The 6-2, 290-pound Tupou, who was cut at the end of training camp this season, will replace defensive Nate Collins, who was placed on injured reserve with a torn ACL in his knee.

A rookie from USC, Tupou, who was undrafted and unsigned in 2012, played in all four of the Bears' preseason games this year and had four tackles and one sack

Collins played in the Bears' first five games, starting two, and recorded 12 tackles, one sack and one tackle for loss before being injured vs. New Orleans on Sunday.

---Detroit Lions center Dominic Raiola apologized directly to the director of the University of Wisconsin marching band, issued a public apology and made a financial donation to the band as penance for verbally abusing members of the tuba section before the game Sunday in Green Bay.

However, he denied making a homophobic slur, which he had been accused of doing.

Both the Lions and the NFL said no further fines or penalties would be levied in the case.