NFL roundup: Gronkowski out, Washington back for Pats
New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski did not make the trip to Buffalo for Sunday's season opener against the Bills, according to NFL.com.
Gronkowski, coming back from multiple forearm and back surgeries, was listed as doubtful on the team's injury list Friday.
Gronkowski missed the preseason but returned to practice this week. Coach Bill Belichick said Gronkowski is considered day-to-day, although he reportedly has been expected to miss the Patriots' first two games. New England has a quick turnaround as it hosts the New York Jets on Thursday.
Undrafted rookie Zach Sudfeld is expected to be the Patriots' primary receiving threat among tight ends in Gronkowski's absence.
Also, the Patriots re-signed running back/kick returner Leon Washington and promoted offensive lineman Josh Kline from the practice squad. They released defensive linemen Jermaine Cunningham and Justin Francis off injured reserve.
Washington had 22 carries for 83 yards with one touchdown and handled kickoff and punt return duties for the Seattle Seahawks last year. He spent 2006-09 with the Jets before heading to Seattle in 2010.
The Patriots cut Washington during the final round of roster cuts last week. He reportedly drew interest from the New York Jets, among other teams. He is expected to play against the Bills.
---The New York Jets are releasing quarterback Brady Quinn on Saturday and then plan to re-sign him Monday, according to ESPNNewYork.com.
The Jets did not plan to activate Quinn for Sunday's season opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and 4 p.m. ET Saturday is the deadline when veterans' salaries become guaranteed.
With Mark Sanchez out with a shoulder injury, the Jets signed Quinn to a one-year, $715,000 contract last Monday. The Jets want to keep Quinn around since their only healthy quarterbacks are rookie Geno Smith and Matt Simms. Neither has played in an NFL game.
Coach Rex Ryan said Friday he is leaning toward starting Smith and using Simms as the No. 2. Ryan does not like to activate three quarterbacks for a game, saying, "If you're (planning) on playing your third quarterback, you're probably not going to win. That's generally the reason. ... That's why, unless you have an injury going in, normally you don't dress three."
If the Jets are able to re-sign Quinn on Monday, they will have four quarterbacks on their roster, which is rare.
After getting released, Quinn will still make $45,000 this week.
The Jets might use the open roster spot to sign wide receiver Michael Campbell from the practice squad. Starter Santonio Holmes is questionable as he is recovering from foot surgery.
---Cincinnati Bengals offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth is out for Sunday's game against the Chicago Bears.
Whitworth, a Pro Bowler, was previously listed as doubtful as he is coming off knee surgery. He did not practice during the week.
He will miss his first start in more than four seasons, ending a consecutive streak of 67 starts.
Defensive tackle Domata Peko will take over as the team leader in consecutive starts with 52 and defensive end Michael Johnson will play in his team-high 68th straight game.
Anthony Collins, a sixth-year player out of Kansas, will start in place of Whitworth. He also filled in for Whitworth in the preseason. He played five games last season. It is Collins' first start since 2011.
---Houston Texans safety Ed Reed will not start Monday night's season opener against the San Diego Chargers but could play, coach Gary Kubiak said Saturday.
Reed is considered a game-time decision as he is coming off hip surgery.
Reed was limited in practice during the week. He was on the physically unable to perform list during training camp and the preseason. He had surgery in April. He believes he sustained the torn labrum during the AFC championship game against the New England Patriots in January.
The nine-time Pro Bowler had injections two weeks ago to help in his recovery.
Shiloh Keo will start in Reed's place.
---The Miami Dolphins finalized a four-year contract extension with linebacker Koa Misi Friday night, the team announced.
The deal is worth $17 million, according to FOX Sports.
Misi was entering the final year of his rookie deal. He is now signed through 2017.
Misi had 65 tackles, 3.5 sacks and two forced fumbles last year. For his career, he has 140 tackles, nine sacks and five pass deflections.
---The Dallas Cowboys placed defensive end Ben Bass on injured reserve Saturday.
Bass is out for the season with a separated shoulder he sustained in practice this week. Bass played in two games for the Cowboys last season.
The Cowboys re-signed defensive tackle Jerome Long to take Bass' roster spot. They waived Long on Aug. 31.
Long spent most of last season on the Kansas City Chiefs' practice squad. He was signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars late last season but was waived in the offseason. He was then signed by Dallas in June.
The Cowboys are thin at defensive line with starters Jay Ratliff (hernia) on the physically unable to perform list and Anthony Spencer (knee) doubtful for Sunday night's game against the New York Giants.
---The Oakland Raiders placed injured left tackle Jared Veldheer on the injured reserve-designated to return list on Saturday.
The team hopes that Veldheer, who had triceps surgery in August, can still play this season.
The Raiders also announced that they signed tackle Matt McCants from the practice squad. He was a sixth-round draft choice of the New York Giants in 2012.
Right tackle Khalif Barnes is moving over to left tackle for Sunday's season opener against the Indianapolis Colts. Second-round draft pick Menelik Watson is out with a knee injury.
---Free agent wide receiver Brandon Lloyd is planning to retire, according to CBS Sports' Jason LaCanfora.
Lloyd was let go by the New England Patriots after last season. Lloyd was a salary-cap casualty as he was due $3 million this season.
Lloyd started 15 of 16 games and had 74 catches for 911 yards with four touchdowns for New England in 2012, his only year with the Patriots.
He also played for the San Francisco 49ers (2003-05), Washington Redskins (2006-07), Chicago Bears (2008), Denver Broncos (2009-11) and St. Louis Rams (2011).
In 128 NFL games (88 starts), Lloyd has 385 receptions for 5,695 yards with 35 touchdowns.
