James suffered a stress fracture in his fifth metatarsal during practice Thursday and was in a walking boot Friday. The three-month timetable leaves open the possibility of James returning from injured reserve for the end of the regular season and the playoffs.
“His production, his intangibles, we’re going to miss him a lot,” head coach Anthony Lynn said Friday. “But we’re a team. I think we have a good team, and we have guys that will step up, and we’ll be fine.”
James recorded 105 total tackles, 3.5 sacks and three interceptions last season after being selected with the 17th overall pick of the 2018 NFL Draft. The 23-year-old earned Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors and was the first rookie in franchise history to eclipse 100 tackles.
—New England coach Bill Belichick made no commitment as to the role wide receiver Josh Gordon will have when he returns to the team.
Gordon, the talented but troubled receiver whose career has been thrown off course by substance abuse issues, was reinstated from suspension on a conditional basis by the NFL on Friday.
“For the past eight months, Josh’s situation has been entirely a league matter. When Josh returns to our program, we will evaluate the entire situation and do what we feel is best for Josh and the team,” Belichick said in a statement released by the team.
—Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht received a three-year contract extension earlier this year, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
The deal came just days after he lured Bruce Arians out of retirement to coach the team.
Licht is now under contract through 2023, which coincides with Arians’ contract with the team. Just a year ago, Licht had been rumored to be on the hot seat after the team missed the playoffs for the 10th consecutive season.
—Authorities in Las Vegas have decided not to bring charges against Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott over a May 19 incident, according to TMZ Sports.
Security guard Kyle Johnson had pressed charges against Elliott over an incident at the Electric Daisy Carnival at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Elliott’s camp accused Johnson of extortion in a statement released to the NFL Network after the charges were made.
—Josh McCown was lured out of retirement to sign with the Philadelphia Eagles.
McCown announced his retirement and joined ESPN as an NFL analyst, ending a 17-year career that spanned 10 teams. But he’ll make it 11 when he officially signs with the Eagles, a team that can’t seem to keep a backup healthy this preseason.
Nate Sudfeld suffered a broken wrist in the preseason opener, and his audition to be the No. 2 quarterback behind Carson Wentz was derailed by surgery. Sudfeld could be ready to return in mid-September, head coach Doug Pederson said. No. 3 quarterback Cody Kessler was diagnosed with a concussion following a hit in Thursday’s game.
—The Pittsburgh Steelers are honoring the memory of Darryl Drake, their late wide receivers coach, with a helmet decal.
The yellow decal with the initials “DD” will debut in Saturday night’s preseason home game against the Kansas City Chiefs and will be worn throughout the 2019 campaign.
—Almost one year after suffering a gruesome knee injury during a preseason game, Jacksonville Jaguars receiver Marqise Lee returned to practice.
The Jaguars removed the 27-year-old veteran from the physically unable to perform list. Lee suffered a torn left ACL during the Jaguars’ third preseason game on Aug. 25, 2018 against Atlanta.
