Even though outside linebacker Aldon Smith’s nine-game suspension ended on Tuesday, coach Jim Harbaugh of the San Francisco 49ers said there is no guarantee he would be ready to play on Sunday against the New York Giants.

Smith returned on a day when FOX Sports reported that inside linebacker Patrick Willis is expected to undergo season-ending surgery on his left big toe. Willis was placed on injured reserve on Tuesday.

Smith was suspended in August for violating the league’s policy on personal conduct and substance abuse. He was allowed to be with the 49ers (5-4) during his suspension, but could not participate in on-field activities.

“We’re not ready to jump to predict (when he will play),” Harbaugh said, noting that Smith had not taken part in any football activities. “Excited to have him back playing football, with the team. I think that’s where the hope, the excitement lies right now.”

Smith reportedly participated in the 49ers’ walk-through practice on Tuesday. The 49ers have a roster exemption on Smith until Oct. 17.

The 49ers also signed running back Alfonso Smith, who was with the team in training camp before being released on Aug. 30.

–Quarterback Cam Newton has a right foot injury the Carolina Panthers believe might be the result of compensating for the lingering soreness in his left ankle, according to media reports.

However, coach Ron Rivera opened his news conference on Tuesday by denying that Newton has a foot injury and does not know where the report came from, but there is no doubt that Newton is hobbling.

Newton was unable to avoid the pressure of the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night and was sacked nine times in a 45-21 defeat. He also was observed stretching what might be a groin or hamstring injury.

In addition, Newton, who had offseason surgery on his left ankle, is battling a thumb issue on his throwing hand. However, he has not missed practice time since September and is expected to start on Sunday against Atlanta.

–Veteran offensive lineman Richie Incognito spent Tuesday with the Denver Broncos, a team searching for the right combination in the face of multiple injuries.

Reports claimed Incognito worked out for the Broncos and that the meeting was productive, but that he left Denver without a contract offer.

With running back Ronnie Hillman (foot) out at least two weeks and right tackle Paul Cornick (shoulder) likely to sit for the second consecutive game, quarterback Peyton Manning could have multiple players in new positions against the St. Louis Rams this week.

Incognito was a Pro Bowl guard with the Dolphins but could play right tackle. He has not played since he was suspended by Miami in the Jonathan Martin hazing episode.

At Oakland last week, Denver moved center Manny Ramirez to right guard — where he started in 2012, shifted right guard Louis Vasquez to right tackle and inserted veteran Will Montgomery at center. This allowed the Broncos to field the most experienced starting line that their roster allowed, and Montgomery’s agility helped stop the A-gap blitzes that helped the New England Patriots thrive in Week 9.

The moves on the line yielded some initial success. Denver averaged 4.4 yards per carry and did not allow a sack, and only permitted three quarterback pressures. Only four penalties in the red zone sullied its performance.

“From a mindset, attitude-wise, everybody’s going to be more comfortable in their comfort zone. We pushed that envelope a little bit,” said Broncos coach John Fox. “Other than some pre-snap stuff, I thought they did very, very well.”

Montgomery started 48 games with Washington in the previous three seasons, so returning to a reserve role he last previously held in 2010 was a setback, but he looked none the worse for the time on the bench.

The Dallas Cowboys activated defensive tackle Josh Brent on Tuesday, almost two years after a drunken-driving crash that killed a teammate and led to his conviction for intoxication manslaughter.

The NFL granted his petition for reinstatement before this season but suspended him for the first 10 games.

Brent has been practicing with the Cowboys for two weeks, but coach Jason Garrett has not indicated when he will be ready to play, saying he is overweight.

The 26-year-old Brent last played in a game on Dec. 2, 2012, six days before the crash that killed teammate Jerry Brown in the Dallas suburb of Irving.

–Running back Adrian Peterson should know his playing status by Nov. 22 based on the timeline mandated in the collective bargaining agreement for hearing grievances.

The NFL Players Association filed an expedited, non-injury grievance on behalf of Peterson, requesting removal from the Commissioner’s Exempt list. The official grievance was filed Monday, requiring a hearing within seven days and a ruling no more than five days later.

Peterson’s plea bargain on child abuse charges in Texas last week ended the legal process but the Minnesota Vikings said he will remain on the Commissioner-Exempt list while the league reviews the case under the personal conduct policy.

“In regards to Adrian Peterson’s status with the Minnesota Vikings, at this time his potential reinstatement is under NFL guidelines,” the Vikings said in a statement. “As an organization, we respect and understand the league’s process. In the interim, our focus is on the team and preparing for this weekend’s game against the Bears.”

The NFL rejected an attempt at immediate reinstatement by Peterson. The NFL said a review of facts and court documents would be required before Peterson’s fate is determined.

Peterson has not played for the Vikings since Week 1 but is being paid his full salary — $11.25 million for the 2014 season — while away from the team.

The NFLPA said Monday it would seek rapid resolution of the breach of contract.

“We asked the NFL to honor the terms of that agreement last week and as of now, they have failed to respond or comply,” said the NFLPA in a statement. “It is our obligation to protect all players’ rights, and we will pursue any and all breaches of any contract between a player and his team or the NFL.”

On Nov. 4 in Montgomery County, Texas, Peterson pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor assault charge, was placed on probation and ordered to pay a $4,000 fine. The charge was reduced from felony child abuse for an incident in which Peterson admittedly used a tree branch to whip his 4-year-old son.

–Coach Rex Ryan of the New York Jets labeled as “bush league” a dive that safety Mike Mitchell of the Pittsburgh Steelers made over the line of scrimmage at quarterback Michael Vick late in Sunday’s game when the Jets were running out the clock.

On Tuesday, coach Mike Tomlin of the Steelers agreed.

“It was not professional,” Tomlin said at his weekly news conference. “We don’t want to play football like that. Mike is an emotional guy, he’s new to us, learning how we do business.

“(Mitchell) came over and said something to me prior to that sequence on the sideline. I couldn’t hear what he said. I just kind of acknowledged him and nodded. I guess that he assumed that I gave him those instructions, the OK for him to do that.

“I showed that play to the team (on Monday) and just wanted to be very clear about how we play and what it is we value.”

Mitchell tried to time the snap on a play in which the Jets were lined up in “Victory Formation,” with Vick planning to take a knee to run out the clock.

–The Chicago Bears made three roster moves on Tuesday, waiving wide receiver Santonio Holmes, signing wide receiver Rashad Lawrence to the practice squad and releasing linebacker Terrell Manning from the practice squad.

Holmes, the Super Bowl XLIII MVP for the Pittsburgh Steelers, has 389 receptions for 6,030 yards and 36 touchdowns in nine NFL seasons with Steelers, the New York Jets and the Bears.

However, he had only eight receptions for 67 yards and nine punt returns for 50 yards for the Bears this season.

Lawrence entered the NFL this season as an undrafted rookie free agent with Washington out of Northwestern.

Manning appeared in three games for the Bears this season and nine during his three-year NFL career.

–Nose tackle Brandon Mebane of the Seattle Seahawks probably is lost for the season because of a right hamstring injury, according to ESPN.

Mebane, who coach Pete Carroll said was having the best season of his career, sustained the injury during Sunday’s game against the New York Giants.

Reportedly, Mebane is deciding whether to have surgery or allow the injury to simply heal, which would probably take a minimum of six weeks.

–Rookie wide receiver Allen Robinson of the Jacksonville Jaguars will miss the rest of the season because of a stress fracture in his foot, coach Gus Bradley announced.

Robinson leads the Jaguars with 48 receptions for 548 yards and two touchdowns.

–Two weeks overdue with the couple’s first daughter, Kristen Stanton gave new meaning to delivering under pressure Monday night.

With Drew Stanton set to make his fourth start of the season and permanently take over the starting job vacated when Carson Palmer tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee Sunday, the Stantons welcomed a healthy baby girl Monday night. Head coach Bruce Arians had jokingly offered a public plea for “Kristen to hurry up” to prevent Drew Stanton from missing any practice time this week. Players are off Tuesday.

Stanton replaced Palmer on Sunday, leading the first-place Cardinals (8-1) to their fifth straight victory.

“As far as our football team, everybody in our locker room including myself has all the confidence in Drew,” Arians said. “You all, too, should by now. He’s proven to everybody that he’s more than capable of finishing the job that this team has started.”

Teammates were outwardly supportive of Stanton, who was drafted 47th overall by the Detroit Lions but his opportunities have been limited throughout his career. When he landed in Arizona, following Arians from Indianapolis, his last game action was in 2010.

“Drew is extremely well-prepared,” teammate Larry Fitzgerald said. “It just seems like he hasn’t had any luck. He went to New York, and they brought in Tim Tebow. He went to Indianapolis, and they drafted Andrew Luck. He came to Arizona, and we trade for Carson Palmer. Everywhere he’s been, his opportunity has been doused. But we have total faith in Drew.”

Stanton is 2-1 as a starter this season, filling in when Palmer was dealing with a nerve issue in his right shoulder.

–Not an inside linebacker, Clay Matthews can settle for being a versatile matchup problem, if Green Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy’s plan works.

“We’ll see what it means moving forward,” Matthews said of his Sunday night performance at inside linebacker, including a sack and 11 tackles. “Obviously, it’s a little premature to say this is a switch to middle linebacker or whatever you want to call it.”

The playmaking outside linebacker opened the game standing beside A.J. Hawk at inside linebacker in Green Bay’s four-linebacker formation. While it was Matthews’ first start at the inside spot in his six-year pro career, he has lined up across the formation in situational packages at other points in the season.

Giving him a more extended look at inside ‘backer Sunday came about during Green Bay’s preceding bye week as defensive coordinator Dom Capers looked at ways to bolster his unit’s league-worst run defense.

“Clay gives us a bigger guy inside,” Capers said Monday about the 6-foot-3, 255-pound Matthews. “Obviously, he’s an outstanding player, and I think he’s an outstanding player whether he’s playing inside or outside. I like the fact that we can play him both places. I think it becomes harder for people to prepare for where he’s going to be.”

With the Bears seemingly caught off-guard by Matthews’ alignment, Green Bay’s defense responded by allowing just 55 rushing yards and a puny average of 2.3 yards per attempt in the rematch with Chicago, though the Bears were forced to throw after they fell behind 14-0 in the first quarter. The Packers allowed a season-high 235 rushing yards in the teams’ first meeting in September.

One of Matthews’ two tackles for loss in Sunday’s game included sniffing out an end-around run by receiver Chris Williams for an eight-yard loss. Matthews had nine solo tackles in the game.

By moving Matthews inside, Capers was able to pair Nick Perry, who is stout against the run, opposite Julius Peppers as the starting outside linebackers.

Matthews, who had only 2.5 sacks in Green Bay’s first eight games this season, also created havoc for Bears quarterback Jay Cutler when the linebacker moved outside in passing situations.

“I had like a five-day crash course on middle linebacker over this past week,” Matthews said. “So, going out, there were some reservations about how I was going to play. But, I think when it really comes down to it, in hindsight, it’s just about being an athlete and will and want-to and getting to the ball. Obviously, you have to know where you fit.”

Capers and McCarthy said Monday there’s nothing imminent for Matthews to become a permanent inside linebacker.

“Clay Matthews is not an inside linebacker,” McCarthy asserted. “He’s a football player. It’s really you go back to the meetings in the spring, we talked about it in OTAs (organized team activities), the focus was to play more players on defense, move Clay around and create challenges for the (opposing) offense. So, we’ll see where he plays this week.”

The Packers (6-3) are now getting ready to play host to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.

–Rodgers on Sunday night showed no lingering effects from a pulled hamstring he sustained in the Packers’ pre-bye loss at the New Orleans Saints two weeks earlier. Rodgers passed for a team-record-tying six touchdowns – all in the first half – in Green Bay’s 55-14 rout of the rival Chicago Bears at Lambeau Field. Rodgers finished 18-for-27 for 315 yards with no turnovers for an exceptional passer rating of 145.8 before he exited the game midway through the third quarter.

–Fullback Kiero Small was waived by the Cleveland Browns, who re-signed Ray Agnew.

Agnew was released four weeks ago when the Browns filled his roster spot by signing Small.

Small, a seventh-round draft pick, was on the practice squad for the first six weeks. He was evelated to the active roster when the Browns waived Agnew and started the past three games for the Browns, including their 24-3 win against Cincinnati last Thursday.

Agnew, who originally signed with the Browns as an undrafted free agent this year, started the first six games this season and recorded two carries for two yards and two receptions for 15 yards. He was waived on Oct. 20.

–Rookie guard Kadeem Edwards of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was placed on injured reserve on Tuesday because of a foot injury.

The 6-4, 313-pound Edwards, who was selected by the Buccaneers in the fifth round of the 2014 NFL draft, has not played in any of the team’s nine games this season.

The Buccaneers also released linebacker Denicos Allen from the practice squad.

Nose tackle Barry Cofield Jr. was activated from the Reserve/Injured list (designated for return) on Tuesday by the Washington Redskins.

Cofield (6-4, 303) returns after having started 49 regular season games and one postseason game since joining the Redskins as an unrestricted free agent on July 29, 2011.

The ninth-year NFL veteran has recorded 94 tackles (48 solo), 8.0 sacks, 15 passes defensed, one forced fumble and two fumbles recovered with the Redskins.

The Redskins also released linebacker Jackson Jeffcoat, who appeared in one game after being placed on the 53-man roster on Oct. 7.