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NFL Roundup: Gronkowski to practice, but doubtful for Sunday

New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski will attempt to practice this week but remains doubtful to play in his first game since he was injured in the regular-season finale in December 2012 against the Miami Dolphins.

Gronkowski missed one month and five games last season between Nov. 22 and Dec. 23 with a broken forearm.

If the tight end doesn't play in Week 3 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he is likely to debut in the Week 4 trip to Atlanta.

Gronkowski hasn't participated in full-contact drills and missed most of the offseason because of multiple surgeries on his forearm, which became infected, and another operation on his back.

---Denver Broncos offensive tackle Ryan Clady will miss several weeks and possibly the entire season with a Lisfranc injury in the arch of his left foot.

An MRI revealed that Clady has a Lisfranc sprain, meaning the metatarsal bone has separated from the tarsus. The most extreme sprains require rest and rehabilitation totaling four months, which would put his earliest possible return as the week before the AFC Championship game.

The Broncos are not expected to act immediately with Clady, a two-time All-Pro who was sidelined most of the offseason by a shoulder injury, pushing Chris Clark into regular repetitions in practice with the first-team offense. Clady was injured late in the fourth quarter of Denver's 41-23 win over the New York Giants.

---New England Patriots wide receiver Danny Amendola has decided not to have surgery for a sports hernia and is expected to return to action in a few weeks, the Boston Herald reported Tuesday.

Amendola missed last week's game because of torn adductors in his hips. He is continuing to recover from that injury, but if Amendola had opted for surgery on his sports hernia, it could have sidelined him an additional three to four weeks.

Amendola had 10 catches for 104 yards in the opener. But with him absent in the second game, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was just 19-for-39 against the New York Jets. The Patriots scored just 13 points in that game, but eked out a 13-10 victory.

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---One more strike and Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon said he's out of the NFL.

Gordon, who was reinstated from a two-game suspension for testing positive for codeine, said Monday that he faces a one-year suspension and a petition for potential reinstatement if he fails another test.

Gordon reportedly failed three marijuana tests in college and has two violations since entering the NFL as a second-round supplemental draft pick in 2012.

---Brandon Meriweather wasn't penalized for a helmet-to-helmet hit that resulted in Green Bay Packers running back Eddie Lacy's concussion, but the Washington Redskins safety is expected to be fined for the fourth time for an illegal hit.

Meriweather isn't facing a one-game suspension for his latest violation, ESPN reported, after he sent Lacy to the locker room on the rookie running back's first carry in the first quarter but also suffered a concussion of his own trying to tackle Packers backup running back James Starks.

---The Pittsburgh Steelers signed cornerback Isaiah Green to the active roster from their practice squad and released kicker Shayne Graham on Tuesday.

Graham was signed by the team last week as insurance behind Shaun Suisham, who had been nursing a sore hamstring. Suisham made a 44-yard field goal in his only attempt during Monday's 20-10 loss at Cincinnati.

Green's stay on the active roster is likely to be determined by the health of Curtis Brown and Cortez Allen. Coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday that he expected Allen to be close to returning for Sunday night's game in Pittsburgh with the Chicago Bears but cautioned that he would be evaluated based on his performance in this week's practice.

---Fullback Owen Marecic, who played at Stanford under coach Jim Harbaugh, signed with the San Francisco 49ers on Tuesday.

Marecic replaces starting defensive lineman Ian Williams on the 53-man roster. Williams is out for the season with a broken ankle, an injury he suffered on a legal cut block at Seattle on Sunday night. Marecic is the first player to play under Harbaugh in the NFL after doing the same at Stanford.

Former first-round pick Glenn Dorsey, in his first season with the 49ers after five seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs, has replaced Williams on the starting defensive line.

---Atlanta Falcons running back Steven Jackson might miss two to four weeks with a thigh injury suffered in Sunday's 31-24 victory over the St. Louis Rams, according to NFL.com.

The Falcons are still listing Jackson as week to week, but a source told NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport that the injury will likely keep the ex-Ram on the sideline for at least the next couple of games. That's bad news for the struggling Atlanta ground attack, which couldn't manage to get anything going in his absence.

Also on Tuesday, linebacker Sean Weatherspoon was placed on injured reserve with a designation to return with a foot injury. He will miss the next eight weeks.

With Weatherspoon out, the Falcons will start undrafted rookie Joplo Bartu, who played 63 snaps Sunday against the St. Louis Rams. Veterans Jamar Chaney and Omar Gaither were signed to improve depth.

---Running back Bernard Scott was waived from the reserve/physically unable to perform list by the Cincinnati Bengals.

Scott would have been the fifth running back on the roster, behind rookie sixth-round pick Rex Burkhead, Cedric Peerman, BenJarvus Green-Ellis and rookie second-round pick Giovani Bernard, who scored two touchdowns Monday against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

An experienced kick returner and third-down back, Scott was recovering from a torn ACL. He was ineligible to be activated until Week 7 from the PUP list.

---Free safety Charles Godfrey was placed on injured reserve with the torn Achilles' tendon that he suffered in the Carolina Panthers' loss at the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.

The Panthers signed safety Robert Lester off the practice squad to fill Godrey's roster spot. Lester was signed as an undrafted rookie out of Alabama in May and joined the practice squad after being waived during Carolina's final roster cuts out of the preseason.

Godfrey is expected to be replaced in the starting lineup by D.J. Moore or Colin Jones.

---Tight end Heath Miller is expected to participate in Pittsburgh Steelers practice this week, coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday.

Miller is recovering from reconstructive knee surgery and did not play in the preseason. He tore all three ligaments in his knee (ACL, MCL, PCL) and had surgery in January. Miller led the Steelers with 71 receptions in 2012 before his Week 15 injury, but Tomlin said Tuesday that no one should expect Miller to "step out of the a phone booth wearing a cape."

The Steelers also expect rookie running back Le'Veon Bell to increase his activity. Bell is unlikely to play Sunday night against the Bears but is progressing from a foot injury.

---The San Diego Chargers signed free agent cornerback Crezdon Butler on Tuesday, the team announced.

To clear roster space for Butler, the Chargers waived defensive end Drake Nevis.

Butler, 26, joins his fifth team in four seasons. He has played in 11 games but never started during his NFL career. He was released at the end of training camp by the Buffalo Bills.