Well in case you missed them, here are some news and notes from around the National Football League on Wednesday. After all some of you out there have social lives, unlike some reporters.
We will kick things off in New York as according to the The Record, New York Giants tight end Jake Ballard, in addition to recovering from Anterior Cruciate Ligament surgery, is also recovering from micro-fracture surgery. Ballard suspects that both were injured during the Super Bowl, with the ACL being the original injury.
Ballard was already a good candidate to start the 2012 regular season on the physically unable to perform list.
Also, the Giants traded a fifth round pick in this month’s NFL Draft for linebacker Keith Rivers, and have signed free agent guard Sean Locklear.
Next we head over to ESPN where the network announced that it is adding Lisa Salters as the sideline reporter for Monday Night Football. Previously, Salters worked the sidelines for college football and NBA games.
Our next stop takes us to Cincinnati where the Bengals have signed former Dallas Cowboys cornerback Terrance Newman. The signing reunites Newman with Bengals defensive coordinator Mike Zimmerman, who was the Cowboys defensive coordinator from 2000-2007.
The Bengals also announced that they signed guard Jacob Bell and re-signed tackle Dennis Roland.
Next we head to Chicago where the Bears have given a one year extension on the current contract of linebacker Lance Briggs. The extension pays Briggs $17.5 million over the next three years, with three million dollars in the form of a signing bonus.
Denver is our next destination as the Broncos signed defensive lineman Justin Bannan to a one year deal. Bannan started all 16 games for the Broncos in 2010 and left for the St. Louis Rams in 2011.
Finally, we head to Saint Louis as the Rams signed defensive tackle Trevor Laws.
