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NFL notebook: Browns’ Manziel works out under Gruden
The Sports Xchange
Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel worked on his mechanics with Super Bowl-winning coach Jon Gruden as a tutor just days before training camp gets started this coming week.
Manziel, in his second NFL season, spent part of the past week working with the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Oakland Raiders head coach in Tampa, Fla., concentrating on film study and throwing mechanics, according to Charlie Campbell of WalterFootball.com.
Gruden is an analyst for ESPN’s Monday Night Football, and part of his pre-draft work includes working with incoming NFL quarterbacks on the network’s “Gruden’s QB Camp.”
Manziel won the Heisman Trophy at Texas A&M in 2012 and was Cleveland’s first-round draft pick last year, but his off-field behavior led to a lot of criticism.
Manziel has taken steps to clean up his life this offseason, putting a disastrous rookie season behind him after spending 10 weeks in a rehab center earlier this year.
Manziel started two games and completed 18 of 35 passes for 175 yards, and added nine rushes for 29 yards last season. He was placed on injured reserve after injuring his hamstring in Week 16 against the Carolina Panthers.
Josh McCown, 35, opens camp as the firm starter. The 13-year NFL veteran signed a three-year contract with the Browns. Manziel is expected to be the backup, competing with Thad Lewis and Connor Shaw during camp.
—Arizona Cardinals rookie wide receiver Damond Powell was shot outside his home in Toledo, Ohio.
Powell was wounded Friday night when he was shot in the face, but police said his injures do not appear to be life-threatening.
According to the Toledo Police Department, the 22-year-old Powell was shot around 8:36 p.m. while sitting in a car with some friends in the driveway of his home. Witnesses said shots came from a car and reported seeing three men wearing masks in a gold-colored vehicle.
The 5-foot-11, 180-pound Powell was signed as a free agent on May 5 after two years at the University of Iowa. At Iowa, he played in all 26 games and had 31 receptions for 608 yards and five touchdowns.
The Cardinals released a statement Saturday regarding Powell.
“We are aware that Damond Powell was the victim of a shooting last night in Toledo, where he remains hospitalized,” the team statement said. “We have been in communication with his family to offer whatever support and resources we can provide. We will continue to monitor and provide updates as appropriate.”
—The Pittsburgh Steelers signed general manager Kevin Colbert to a two-year contract extension Saturday that will keep him with the team through the 2018 NFL Draft.
Colbert’s deal comes two days after the Steelers reached a two-year extension with head coach Mike Tomlin that goes through the 2018 season.
Colbert, 58, is entering his 16th season with the Steelers and his fifth year as the team’s general manager. He joined the Steelers on Feb. 15, 2000, and served as the director of football operations for his first 11 years with Pittsburgh.
In Colbert’s 15 seasons with the Steelers, he has helped assemble teams that have won two Super Bowls (XL and XLIII), three AFC Championships, seven division titles, earned nine playoff berths and had 11 winning seasons. The Steelers have had just one losing season during his tenure.
—The Indianapolis Colts agreed to contract terms with cornerback D’Joun Smith and defensive end Henry Anderson.
Smith was selected by the Colts in the third round of the 2015 NFL Draft. He played in 44 games, including 34 starts, at Florida Atlantic and had 120 tackles, one sack, 29 passes defensed, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and nine interceptions.
Anderson was picked by the Colts in the third round of this year’s draft. He played in 48 games, including 35 starts, at Stanford and finished with 140 tackles, 17 sacks, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and seven passes defensed.
—The Cardinals and tight end Jermaine Gresham agreed to terms on a one-year contract.
Gresham, recovering from back surgery, visited the Cardinals on Tuesday. He also reportedly had received interest from the New Orleans Saints and Oakland Raiders.
The two-time Pro Bowl tight end underwent surgery to repair a herniated disk in his back in March, ruining any chance he had at receiving a lucrative contract this year. The condition was discovered during a free-agency visit.
Gresham spent his first five years with the Cincinnati Bengals, who drafted him in the first round in 2010. He caught 280 passes for 2,722 yards and 24 touchdowns for the Bengals.
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