Chargers Sign James Jones
5:04pm: The signing is now official, and the Chargers have waived/injured wide receiver Jamaal Jones to create a roster spot, tweets Eric Williams of ESPN.com
2:58pm: The Chargers have agreed to sign James Jones, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Jones met with the Chargers on Tuesday morning and San Diego apparently liked what they saw from him. 
[RELATED: Impact Rookies — San Diego Chargers]
Jones led the Packers in 2015 with 890 receiving yards off of 50 receptions. He also led Green Bay’s wide receivers with eight touchdowns. That was a different stat line than 2014, a year in which he corralled a career-high 73 receptions for just 666 yards and six touchdowns for the Raiders.
As Stevie Johnson deals with a knee injury, the Chargers are looking for an experienced fill-in to help round out their group of receivers and Jones could be that guy. As shown on Roster Resource, Johnson is slated to work behind Keenan Allen and offseason pickup Travis Benjamin in the club’s wideout pecking order, but an ACL issue has put his season in jeopardy. The Bolts – who also have Tyrell Williams, Dontrelle Inman, Javontee Herndon, Torrence Allen, and Isaiah Burse on the depth chart – are waiting on a second opinion to see if Johnson will be able to suit up this year. In his first year with the Bolts, Johnson battled injuries and posted respectable production in 10 games, racking up 45 catches on 65 targets for 497 yards and three touchdowns.
The Chargers also worked out Brian Hartline and Lance Moore on Tuesday, but it sounds like they might not have a need for either player now that Jones is in the fold.
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No Charges For Tarvaris Jackson
Free agent quarterback Tarvaris Jackson will not be prosecuted following an alleged dispute with his wife in June, according to TMZ Sports. Jackson, 33, was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after he was said to have pointed a loaded gun at his wife. For his part, Jackson told police that his wife had threatened to stab him with a knife. 
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Earlier this offseason, there was talk of the Seahawks re-signing Jackson, but Seattle seems to have moved on. In late April, Seahawks coach Pete Carroll and GM John Schneider indicated that they were still in talks with Jackson about a return. However, that was before they inked former TCU signal caller Trevone Boykin and ex-BYU QB Jake Heaps. Last year, Jackson appeared in four games for the Seahawks and completed four of six passes.
In other Seahawks news, defensive end Chris Clemons informed the team that he is retiring last week. Seattle also extended coach Pete Carroll through 2019.
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Cowboys To Sign LB James Morris
The Cowboys announced that they have signed linebacker James Morris. Morris was one of three players to work out for the team on Tuesday morning. Dallas also auditioned former Eagles linebacker Emmanuel Acho and Georgia Tech product Quayshawn Nealy, but it is Morris who came away with the job. 
[RELATED: Latest On Rolando McClain]
Morris, 24, spent the 2015 season with the Giants and appeared in six regular season games. In May, the Giants cut him loose as they shuffled the roster. Even though 2015 marked Morris’ first year with NFL burn, he also spent time with the Patriots taxi squad in 2014 and won a Super Bowl ring for his efforts.
Cowboys VP Stephen Jones says the club will likely use Wednesday’s day off to evaluate more players at other positions, according to a team press release. Jones indicated that the team will bring in some defensive tackles, safeties, and offensive linemen tomorrow. The team could particularly use reinforcements at DT as Tyrone Crawford sits out with a back injury.
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Ravens Release Trent Richardson
The Ravens waived running back Trent Richardson, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. 
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Richardson underwent arthroscopic knee surgery to repair an existing condition, putting him on the shelf at a time when he was fighting for a spot on the Ravens‘ roster. Richardson, who just turned 26, agreed to a one-year contract for the veteran’s minimum earlier this offseason, joining a Baltimore running back corps that already included Justin Forsett, Javorius Allen, Lorenzo Taliaferro, Terrance West, and rookie Kenneth Dixon, as shown on Roster Resource. Richardson may be given an injury settlement along with his release.
In an interview in June, Richardson vowed to end his NFL story by “putting on a yellow jacket” at a Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
“People wrote him off, he came back and did some amazing things. He always had the pedigree. He just had to get back to the guy that we know,” Richardson said, narrating his own hypothetical 30 for 3o.
T-Rich, the former No. 3 overall pick of the 2012 draft, has a career average of just 3.3 yards per carry, and it remains to be seen whether he will be given another shot in the NFL.
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Chargers Working Out WRs
12:58pm: In addition to Jones and Hartline, the Chargers are also working out Lance Moore, according to Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Moore hooked on with the Lions last year and hauled in 29 passes for 337 yards and four touchdowns. In the year prior, he was used sparingly as a member of the Steelers. Moore spent the 2006-2013 with the Saints, where he was often a key contributor in their offense.
9:36am: The Chargers are hosting veteran wide receiver James Jones on a visit today, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). San Diego will also work out Brian Hartline, Rapoport adds (Twitter link). 
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As Stevie Johnson deals with a knee injury, the Chargers are looking for an experienced fill-in to help round out their group of receivers. As shown on Roster Resource, Johnson is slated to work behind Keenan Allen and offseason pickup Travis Benjamin in the club’s wideout pecking order, but an ACL issue has put his season in jeopardy. The Bolts also have Tyrell Williams, Dontrelle Inman, Javontee Herndon, Torrence Allen, and Isaiah Burse on the depth chart, though none of those players offer a resume like that of Jones or Hartline. In his first year with the Bolts, Johnson battled injuries and posted respectable production in 10 games, racking up 45 catches on 65 targets for 497 yards and three touchdowns.
In June, Jones said that he would “love” to join the 49ers, though he acknowledged that he was not in a position to be choosy. Jones led the Packers in 2015 with 890 receiving yards off of 50 receptions. He also led Green Bay’s wide receivers with eight touchdowns. That was a different stat line than 2014, a year in which he corralled a career-high 73 receptions for just 666 yards and six touchdowns for the Raiders.
Hartline, 29, suffered a broken collarbone during a December win over the 49ers and immediately underwent surgery to correct the issue. This offseason, the Browns released him. The local product, who played his college ball at Ohio State, finished his first and only season in Cleveland with 46 catches, 523 yards, and a pair of touchdowns. There hasn’t been much interest in Hartline since he was cut loose in March.
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Cowboys Auditioning LB Emmanuel Acho
The Cowboys are working out former Eagles linebacker Emmanuel Acho, according to a source who spoke with Brandon George of The Dallas Morning News. James Morris of Iowa and Quayshawn Nealy of Georgia Tech will also get a look from the Cowboys. Dallas has an open roster spot at linebacker after releasing Darius Eubanks over the weekend. 
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Of course, the Cowboys are also putting a greater emphasis on finding linebacker help given their situation with Rolando McClain. McClain is facing a ten-game suspension for his latest violation of the league’s substance abuse policy and, earlier today, it was reported that he is now struggling with codeine abuse, putting his NFL future in question. Two weeks ago, the Cowboys added depth at linebacker with the signing of Justin Durant, but they’re still on the hunt for players that can help.
Acho, a sixth-round draft pick of the Browns in 2012, played his high school football in Dallas and made a name for himself as a member of the Texas Longhorns. Acho appeared in 14 games for the Eagles in 2014 but was cut loose during the 2015 season without having appeared in a game. He did not hook on with another team, though he did audition for the Raiders in December.
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Latest On Cowboys, Rolando McClain
Rolando McClain‘s return to prominence with the Cowboys was one of the NFL’s great comeback stories in recent memory. Unfortunately, McClain’s story has taken a strange and sad turn, putting his football future in doubt. The linebacker is regularly abusing purple drank – a combination of codeine-based cold medication and soda – and is nowhere near football shape, a source tells Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link). 
[RELATED: Cowboys Notes: Frederick, Tulloch, Freeney, Foles]
McClain’s substance abuse problem has led to him gaining 40 pounds, which means that he would face an uphill battle back to the field if he made an attempt to rededicate himself. McClain was MIA for the team’s charter flight to training camp in Oxnard, Calif. last week, a bad sign after he was suspended for the first 10 games of the regular season for a substance abuse policy violation.
From a football perspective, the Cowboys were counting on McClain to deliver this season after he graded as Pro Football Focus’ 28th-best linebacker in 2015. Many have accused owner Jerry Jones of showing preferential treatment towards the talented linebacker and his perceived coddling has not brought about the desired results for the team. At this point, it sounds like we might not see McClain in a Cowboys uniform again.
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Bengals Sign Ryan Hewitt To Extension
11:00am: Hewitt’s three-year extension is worth $7.5MM, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). As part of the deal, he received $1.5MM guaranteed in the form of a signing bonus.
10:09am: The deal is now official, the team has announced.
9:21am: The Bengals and Ryan Hewitt have agreed to a three-year contract extension, league sources tell Jim Owczarski of the Cincinnati Enquirer. The new deal pact will keep Hewitt in place through the 2019 season. 
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Before the new accord, Hewitt was slated to earn $600K this year before hitting the open market after the upcoming season. The Bengals did not want to chance losing him and have been since the spring to get an extension done.
Hewitt joined the Bengals as a UDFA out of Stanford in 2014 and immediately found playing time, seeing 11 starts as a rookie. Last year, Hewitt started 12 times and appeared in 15 games overall, catching 18 passes for 185 yards.
To find out which current Bengals rookies can hit the ground running in their first year, check out Dave-Te Thomas’ Impact Rookies entry on Cincinnati.
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Saints To Sign Matt Shaughnessy
The Saints will add a veteran defender to their front seven as training camp gets underway, as the club has agreed to terms LB/DE Matt Shaughnessy, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Terms of the deal haven’t been announced, but it’s likely for the veteran’s minimum.
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New Orleans has signed a number of experienced options to aid a defense that ranked among the worst in league history in 2016, having inked deals with James Laurinaitis, Craig Robertson, Nick Fairley, and Nathan Stupar over the offseason. And more recently, the Saints have agreed to terms with veterans such as Roman Harper, Darryl Tapp, C.J. Wilson, and — on offense — Hakeem Nicks. Given New Orleans’ tight cap situation, the team is somewhat forced to rely on low-cost additions (specifically, minimum salary benefit deals) to augment their roster.
Shaughnessy, 29, didn’t appear in the NFL last season after spending the first six years of his career with the Raiders and Cardinals. In 75 career games (48 starts), Shaughnessy has picked up 144 tackles, 18.5 sacks, four fumble recoveries, and three forced fumbles. The Saints have already gotten an up-close look at the veteran edge defender, having auditioned him in both May and June.
In other Saints news, the team worked out free agent cornerback Kevin White today, reports Josh Katzenstein of NOLA.com. White, an undrafted free agent in 2015, signed with the Falcons last summer but didn’t make Atlanta’s final roster.
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AFC Notes: Bush, Hopkins, Taylor, Raiders
New Bills signee Reggie Bush isn’t committing to playing beyond 2016, as Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link) reported — prior to Bush agreeing to terms — that the veteran running back wanted to play at least one more season to “round out” his career. Bush, 31, waited to find a new club because he wanted to make sure his ACL injury, suffered when he slipped on the concrete at the Edward Jones Dome last year, was fully healed, per Cole. And while Buffalo has seen its running back depth chart depleted by off-the-field drama, Bush figures to act mainly as a returner, although he could see some work in package plays alongside LeSean McCoy, tweets Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News.
Here’s more from the AFC:
- DeAndre Hopkins ended his holdout after a single day over the weekend, and speaking to reporters today, the Texans explained the goal of his decision. “I wasn’t trying to send a message or anything like that,” Hopkins said, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. “I was doing what I felt was best for me and my family.” Hopkins will earn under $1.5MM during the upcoming season, but reports yesterday indicated Houston was willing to discuss his contract. Owner Bob McNair echoed that sentiment today, telling reporters the club would “deal with [Hopkins’] contract at the proper time,” although Wilson adds that the Texans remain against negotiating this year.
- The Broncos aren’t expected to welcome defensive tackle Phil Taylor back to the club in 2017 after placing him on injured reserve yesterday, according to Troy Renck of Denver7 (Twitter link). In fact, Taylor might be off Denver’s roster in the very near future, as Mike Klis of 9NEWS reports that Taylor’s MRI came back positive — as such, Taylor could be released off IR with an injury settlement. Taylor, a former first-round pick, was signed by the Broncos in February after spending last season out of the NFL while dealing with knee injuries.
- Elsewhere in the AFC West, the Raiders will field as many as four new starters on their revamped defense, and that number could include two rookies — defensive lineman Jihad Ward and safety Karl Joseph — says Cole in a separate video. Just this morning, scouting guru Dave-Te Thomas analyzed Oakland’s rookie class, noting that Joseph has the ability to line up against tight ends and a nose for the ball, while adding that undrafted free agent defensive lineman Darius Latham (Indiana) could also play a role.