The Sports Xchange

The New England Patriots were cleared by the NFL on Wednesday to reinstate John Jastremski and Jim McNally, the suspended employees who allegedly took air out of game balls in the Deflategate scandal.

“Last week, the New England Patriots requested the reinstatement of both John Jastremski and Jim McNally. The Patriots have satisfied the league’s requirements for reinstatement and the league has granted permission for the employees to return,” the NFL said in a statement.

The Patriots suspended Jastremski, the team’s equipment assistant, and McNally, the team’s officials locker room attendant, after the Ted Wells investigation into whether quarterback Tom Brady and the Patriots conspired to break rules by intentionally deflating game balls in the AFC Championship game.

Jastremski and McNally became central figures in the case due to text messages they exchanged in the weeks and months before the January game against the Indianapolis Colts. In one of the texts found in the probe, McNally referred to himself as “the deflator.”

—The Baltimore Ravens officially signed outside linebacker Jason Babin to a one-year contract as a replacement for injured veteran Terrell Suggs.

Baltimore also placed Suggs on injured reserve. Suggs, 32, suffered a torn left Achilles’ tendon during a fourth-quarter pass rush in Sunday’s 19-13 loss to the Denver Broncos and will miss the rest of the season.

Babin’s agreement is for the veterans minimum, according to reports. The two-time Pro Bowler (2010-11) and 11-year NFL veteran has produced 371 total tackles, 64.5 sacks and 14 forced fumbles in 146 games (94 starts).

—New York Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul says “don’t believe the hype” after posting a workout video Wednesday.

The 14-second video on Instagram came after reports that JPP not only is missing an index finger but apparently also lost part of his right thumb in a Fourth of July fireworks accident. ESPN reported Tuesday that Pierre-Paul had his right middle finger repaired in an additional surgical procedure and that the tip of his right thumb is gone. The middle finger was repaired before he underwent a physical for the Giants on Sept. 7 and then returned to his home in Florida to work out.

A source told ESPN on Wednesday that the Giants don’t plan to see Pierre-Paul for another five or six weeks and that if the hand isn’t healed to their satisfaction by then, they will consider rescinding his $14.81 million franchise tender. Pierre-Paul has yet to sign the franchise tender.

The video does not show a clear image of Pierre-Paul’s bandaged right hand.

—Giants running back Rashad Jennings has apologized to quarterback Eli Manning and coach Tom Coughlin for admitting he was told not to score a touchdown late in Sunday night’s loss to the Dallas Cowboys.

Coughlin and Manning have each owned their parts in the Giants’ disastrous clock management that gave the Cowboys enough time for the game-winning score.

Manning, losing track of the number of timeouts the Cowboys had left, confirmed Monday that he instructed Jennings not to score a touchdown on two late running plays during a 27-26 loss to the Cowboys. The Giants led by three points and had the ball inside the Dallas 5-yard line with under two minutes left when Manning told Jennings not to cross the goal line. New York settled for a field goal and Dallas responded with the winning drive.

—Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones has been fined $35,000 by the NFL for Sunday’s incident when he slammed Oakland Raiders receiver Amari Cooper’s head into his helmet.

Jones confirmed the fine Wednesday and said he will appeal.

Cooper had his helmet removed and his head slammed into it by Jones during Cincinnati’s 33-13 victory. Jones was penalized for unnecessary roughness, but avoided an ejection. The NFL said Monday that Jones would not be suspended for the incident.

—Atlanta Falcons strong safety William Moore has been fined upwards of $23,000 for a hit during Monday’s game with the Philadelphia Eagles, according to a report by ESPN.com.

Moore was disciplined by the NFL for a third-quarter hit on Philadelphia receiver Jordan Matthews in which he appeared to lead with the crown of his helmet. Moore was not penalized on the play and plans to appeal the fine.

—Cleveland Browns starting quarterback Josh McCown is still in concussion protocol and won’t be cleared to practice until at least Friday.

Head coach Mike Pettine said he will make a decision then on whether or not McCown will start in Sunday’s home opener against the Tennessee Titans as Johnny Manziel continues to prepare to start. Manziel would be making his second career start, going up against fellow Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota.

Pettine said Manziel is still suffering from elbow tendinitis and will be limited in practice.

—The Houston Texans are reportedly preparing Ryan Mallett to start at quarterback against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.

Mallett replaced Brian Hoyer in the fourth quarter of the season-opening loss against Kansas City and was 8-of-13 passing for 98 yards and one touchdown.

Houston coach Bill O’Brien hasn’t publicly named a starter and said he would wait until Sunday to announce his decision.

—Carolina Panthers All-Pro middle linebacker Luke Kuechly missed Wednesday’s practice and his availability for Sunday’s game is questionable because of a head injury.

Kuechly wore his practice jersey and a baseball cap to the practice field with the team’s head athletic trainer. Kuechly, who signed a $62 million contract extension last week, was injured in the Week 1 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars.

If Kuechly can’t play Sunday, A.J. Klein will fill in at middle linebacker and rookie Shaq Thompson will start at strong-side linebacker, coach Ron Rivera said.

—Running back Todd Gurley will get some work with the first team this week and head coach Jeff Fisher didn’t rule out the rookie first-round pick for Sunday’s game at Washington.

Gurley is recovering from reconstructive knee surgery in November 2014 during his final season at Georgia. The Rams limited him during offseason workouts and didn’t expose him to contact in training camp.

Fisher said the final call on Gurley will be made with input from medical staff and team personnel, and wouldn’t be left up to Gurley or Fisher alone.

—New York Jets coach Todd Bowles said there is no change in the timetable for quarterback Geno Smith, who has been out since suffering a broken jaw when he was punched in the locker room.

Bowles told reporters Wednesday that Smith will be inactive for at least one more game — Week 2 against the Indianapolis Colts on Monday night. Smith is still recovering and not practicing after his jaw was broken in two places when he was punched by then-teammate and current Buffalo Bills linebacker IK Enemkpali on Aug. 11.

In Smith’s absence, quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick threw two touchdown as the Jets routed the Cleveland Browns 31-10 last Sunday.

—Jacksonville Jaguars tight end Julius Thomas was cleared for limited practice.

Thomas, still wearing a cast on his hand, participated in individual drills. He had his helmet on and was doing conditioning drills on a side field.

Thomas, a two-time Pro Bowl selection who signed a five-year, $46 million contract with the Jaguars during the offseason as a free agent, underwent surgery on his injured finger suffered in a preseason game. The Jaguars are hopeful that Thomas could return for their Week 4 game against the Indianapolis Colts on Oct. 4.

—Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning made a heartfelt gesture by bringing an Indiana woman dying of breast cancer to Sunday’s season-opening game.

Kari Barnett Bollig, a longtime Manning fan while he played for the Indianapolis Colts, has Stage 4 breast cancer, which has spread throughout her bones and into her lungs.

When Manning left for Denver, Bollig said she still felt a certain connection to him. After getting the news she is dying, Bolling started writing letters to people thanking them for contributing to her life. Manning was among those she thanked.

Bollig did get a call from the future Hal of Famer, telling her that he read the letter and wanted to meet her. Manning flew Bollig and her husband to Denver, spent time with them and got them sideline passes for Sunday’s game against the Baltimore Ravens.

—The New England Patriots re-signed linebacker Dekoda Watson and reportedly acquired wide receiver and kick returner Keshawn martin in a trade with the Houston Texans.

Watson, 27, was released by the Patriots on Aug. 31 after he was signed as a free agent on May 12. The 6-foot-2, 245-pounder, has played in 70 NFL games, with seven starts, and has registered 120 tackles, three sacks, one interception, four passes defensed, two forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries during his five-year NFL career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2010-13), Jacksonville Jaguars (2014) and Dallas Cowboys (2014).

Martin was a fourth-round pick out of Michigan State in 2012 and totaled 416 yards and three touchdowns on 38 receptions while also contributing on special teams.

In addition, the Patriots signed linebacker Eric Martin to the practice squad and released linebacker Alex Singleton and defensive lineman Jimmy Staten from the practice squad.

—The Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed linebacker Orie Lemon and added three players to the practice squad.

The 6-foot-1, 242-pound Lemon spent this past offseason and preseason with the Bucs, and played for the team in 2014. Lemon, who was waived last month with an abdominal injury, had 17 tackles on defense and six on special teams last year.

The team signed cornerback Isaiah Frey, defensive tackle Derrick Lott and linebacker Julian Stanford to the practice squad.

—The Philadelphia Eagles signed offensive lineman Julian Vandervelde to the active roster.

Vandervelde replaces center David Molk, who was placed on injured reserve with a torn biceps. Vandervelde was a fifth-round pick in 2011 and he appeared in 14 games in 2013.

The Eagles also waived/injured Brian Mihalik from the practice squad and signed tight end Connor Hamlett.

—Defensive end Lavar Edwards signed with the Chicago Bears.

A fifth-round pick out of LSU in 2013, Edwards has appeared in 11 contests with one start over two seasons with the Tennessee Titans (2013) and Dallas (2014), recording 10 tackles, one tackle for loss and one pass breakup.

—The Washington Redskins signed linebacker Houston Bates to their practice squad Wednesday.

Bates was waived by the Redskins on Monday. The Redskins signed Bates, an undrafted rookie, to a free-agent deal in May.

—Receiver Terrelle Pryor has lined up workouts with the Seattle Seahawks and New York Jets, according to published reports.

Pryor is slated to work out with the two teams next week. He reportedly worked out with the New England Patriots earlier this week.

The former quarterback was released last week by the Cleveland Browns. He played three seasons with the Oakland Raiders before switching to receiver.