NFL notebook: AB reportedly good to play for Pats

Brown, the subject of a civil suit by his former trainer alleging rape and
sexual assault, was under consideration for the Commissioner's Exempt List,
according to USA Today on Friday. Commissioner Roger Goodell, however, will
not enact his authority in the matter at this time, per the report.

Whether Brown will be active and on the field for the Patriots at Miami after
three days of practice is up to Patriots head coach Bill Belichick. Multiple
reports indicate the Patriots were not aware of the civil suit Saturday when
they agreed to a one-year deal with Brown hours after he was released by the
Oakland Raiders.

Brown, 31, inked a reported one-year, $15 million deal that includes a $9
million signing bonus and a $20 million team option for 2020.

--The Miami Dolphins, the Patriots' opponent this weekend, have given
defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick permission to seek a trade, but the club is
seeking a first-round pick in return, ESPN reported.

Agent Joel Segal has had contact with a number of teams, according to the
report. Fitzpatrick, the 11th overall pick in the 2018 draft, is unhappy with
playing cornerback, nickel cornerback and safety, the report stated. Miami, a
59-10 loser to Baltimore in Week 1, has traded left tackle Laremy Tunsil, wide
receiver Kenny Stills and linebacker Kiko Alonso since the end of preseason.

Also on Friday, the point spread for the Patriots-Dolphins game climbed to
18.5 points. Only one team in NFL history has been a 20-point favorite in
September -- the New York Jets were favored by 20 over the Buffalo Bills in
1968. The Bills won the game 37-35.

--When the Washington Redskins take the field Sunday for their home opener
against the Dallas Cowboys, they will do so very shorthanded. The team
announced that tight end Jordan Reed will miss his second straight game
because of concussion, while defensive end Jonathan Allen will sit because of
a grade 1 knee sprain sustained in the season opener.

The team also put running back Derrius Guice on injured reserve after he
underwent surgery for a torn meniscus in his right knee, though the team is
hopeful he can return after eight weeks. He missed his rookie season in 2018
after suffering a torn left ACL in a preseason game.

Finally, the team signed cornerback Aaron Colvin one day after his release by
the Houston Texans became official.

More injury news ...

--San Francisco 49ers rookie defensive end Nick Bosa returned to practice but
remains listed as questionable for Sunday's game at Cincinnati. Bosa, who
aggravated an ankle injury in a 31-17 season-opening win at Tampa Bay,
registered one sack and three quarterback hits during his NFL debut. ...
Oakland placed rookie first-round pick Johnathan Abram on injured reserve and
signed defensive back Juston Burris. Abram, a safety, injured his shoulder
early in the Raiders' 24-16 season-opening victory against visiting Denver on
Monday night and is expected to miss the rest of the season.

--Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Yannick Ngakoue won't play at Houston
because of a hamstring injury sustained in the team's season-opening home loss
to Kansas City. ... New York Giants wide receiver Sterling Shepard won't play
against the visiting Buffalo Bills because of a concussion. He had six
receptions for 42 yards in a season-opening loss to the Dallas Cowboys.

-- New York Jets running back Le'Veon Bell will return to practice on Saturday
after sitting out two days with an ailing shoulder. The team will be without
quarterback Sam Darnold (mononucleosis) against Cleveland on Monday night,
while inside linebacker C.J. Mosley (groin) and defensive tackle Quinnen
Williams (ankle) are making progress but not a lock to play, head coach Adam
Gase said.

Around the league ...

--Jets defensive coordinator Gregg Williams dismissed Odell Beckham Jr.'s
accusation that he told his players to injure the wide receiver during a
preseason game when he was an assistant with the Browns in 2017. Beckham, now
with Cleveland, told reporters on Thursday that he needed to watch out for
"cheap shots" and "dirty hits" during Monday night's game pitting the Browns
against New York because Williams "likes to teach" those tactics.

--The two eldest daughters of late Denver Broncos owner Pat Bowlen filed a
motion in a Colorado court seeking to have his trust invalidated, contending
he didn't have the mental capacity to know what he was signing when the trust
was formed. In August, a judge dismissed a suit filed by Bill Bowlen, Pat's
brother, seeking to remove the Patrick D. Bowlen Trust, executed in 2009. The
NFL is serving as the arbitrator in the fight over the ownership of the
Broncos at request of the trust.

--Wide receiver Torrey Smith announced his retirement after eight seasons in
the NFL. Smith, a 2011 second-round draft pick by Baltimore who was released
by the Carolina Panthers on Sept. 1, won Super Bowls with the Ravens in his
second season and Philadelphia two seasons ago.

--Field Level Media