FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Mac Jones was present at practice on Wednesday and he wasn’t limited at all, according to the Patriots.
The team listed the quarterback on the injury report, but he was a full participant on the backfields at Gillette Stadium. Jones sustained a back injury last week in Miami and needed a trip to the X-ray room postgame, but everything reportedly came back negative. Earlier this week, he said he expected to be good to go against the Steelers this weekend.
“I want to be ready to play against Pittsburgh. I feel good,” Jones said. “I wasn’t feeling too hot after the game. I definitely feel a lot better… I just kept playing, tried to work through it. It’s football. You’re going to get hit. I’ve been hit harder before, I’ll probably get hit harder in the future.”
• Ja’Whaun Bentley has a new toe injury and didn’t participate, and Cole Strange (shoulder), Adrian Phillips (ribs), Joshuah Bledsoe (groin), and Shaun Wade (ankle) were all limited. Strange’s injury is a new one, too.
GIANTS: Starting cornerback Aaron Robinson had his appendix removed and will miss New York’s home opener this weekend against the Carolina Panthers.
Giants Coach Brian Daboll informed reporters of the surgery before practice. He would not say who will start for Robinson, noting there will be a competition at practice this week and a decision will be made Friday.
The most likely candidates are rookie Cor’Dale Flott, Darnay Holmes and practice squad player Zyon Gilbert.
Robinson had four tackles and defended a pass in the season-opening 21-20 win over the Tennessee Titans. The second-year pro moved into the starting lineup this season after New York cut James Bradberry in a spring salary cap move.
STEELERS: Running back Najee Harris expects to be available on Sunday.
Harris injured his left foot late in last week’s 23-20 overtime victory over Cincinnati and was replaced by rookie undrafted free agent Jaylen Warren. Harris’ leg was heavily wrapped in the aftermath, but he was a limited participant in practice on Wednesday and plans to be on the field as Pittsburgh tries to beat the Patriots for just the second time since 2011.
“I’m OK,” Harris said.
Asked what happened on the fourth-quarter carry that ended with his left leg being pinned awkwardly underneath him, Harris shrugged.
“Just football happened,” he said. “Football.”
The injury, whatever it is, does not appear related to the foot issue Harris had at the beginning of training camp.
CHARGERS: Wide receiver Keenan Allen has been declared out for Thursday night’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs because of a hamstring injury.
Allen sustained the injury during the first half of Sunday’s 24-19 win over the Las Vegas Raiders. Allen said he felt a slight pull and the hamstring tightened after he planted his foot to the turf during the second quarter. Despite only seeing 22 snaps, he led the Chargers with 66 receiving yards and was tied for the lead in catches with four.
HELMETS: Guardian Caps helped reduce the number of concussions among NFL players mandated to wear the padded helmets during training camp, according to data from the league.
Offensive linemen, defensive linemen, tight ends and linebackers were required for the first time to wear Guardian Caps during practice between the start of training camp until the second preseason game.
The average number of concussions among those positions groups dropped from 23 over the previous three-year period to 11 this summer. Of those 11 concussions, six were results of a blow to the face mask, which doesn’t have added protection.
COMMANDERS: The NFL’s investigation into owner Dan Snyder is still ongoing, and his status remains unchanged.
League executive Jeff Miller said there’s no timeline for completion of Mary Jo White’s investigation, which includes new allegations stemming from a congressional committee probe into the team’s history of workplace misconduct.
When former employees of Washington’s NFL team first complained in 2020 about rampant sexual harassment by team executives, the team hired attorney Beth Wilkinson’s firm to investigate. The league took over that probe and Wilkinson reported her findings to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.
The NFL fined Snyder $10 million and he temporarily ceded day-to-day operations of the franchise to his wife, Tanya. Wilkinson’s findings have not been released publicly, and leaders of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform have pressed the league to turn over details of that probe.
JETS: The New York Jets are sticking with Joe Flacco as their starting quarterback against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.
Coach Robert Saleh announced the decision to stay with Flacco this week despite a less than inspired performance by the 37-year-old quarterback and the rest of the offense in a 24-9 loss to Baltimore in the regular-season opener.
“There were a lot of things that we as a team could have done to help out a lot during the game, too,” Saleh said. “We’ll give it another run and I think Joe will be a lot better.”
Flacco, starting for the injured Zach Wilson, was 37 of 59 for 307 yards and one touchdown – in the game’s final minute – with one interception while facing constant pressure from the Ravens. Flacco was sacked three times and hit 11 times behind a shuffled offensive line, and his lack of mobility didn’t help.
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