NFL notebook: Bowlen, Brandt finalists for Hall of Fame

Longtime Denver Broncos owner Pat Bowlen and former Dallas Cowboys executive Gil Brandt were named as contributor finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2019. Bowlen, who had to step down from his daily duties of the Broncos in 2014 while battling Alzheimer's disease, and Brandt were selected from a list of 10 finalists Thursday by the Hall of Fame contributor committee in Canton, Ohio. The duo will be on the final ballot for Hall of Fame voting along with Seniors Finalist Johnny Robinson and five candidates from the modern era. Bowlen was the majority owner of the Broncos since 1984, overseeing the club during a span in which it advanced to the Super Bowl seven times and won it on three occasions. Brandt spent 29 of his 34 years in the NFL with the Dallas Cowboys, helping build a franchise that would become known as "America's Team." To be elected to the Hall of Fame, candidates must receive the same 80 percent voting support by the 48-member Selection Committee on "Selection Saturday," next Feb. 2 in Atlanta. --Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and head coach Jason Garrett said they are more concerned about Travis Frederick's health than the state of their offensive line in the wake of the center's announcement that he has Guillain-Barre syndrome. According to mayoclinic.org, Guillain-Barre syndrome is a rare disorder in which your body's immune system attacks your nerves. Per the website, most people recover from Guillain-Barre syndrome, though some may experience lingering effects such as weakness, numbness or fatigue. "The biggest thing we've been worried about in this organization is his health, his long-term health, his individual well-being as opposed to how it impacts us as a team or impacts him as a player," Jones said of the four-time Pro Bowl selection. "His well-being is the most important thing. Right now, I'm just pleased that we've got our finger on it, for him and his family." --San Francisco 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman is excited to play in his first game since November. Sherman, who has been plagued by a tweaked hamstring in training camp, has been sidelined from game action since sustaining a ruptured right Achilles tendon last season. He'll face former Stanford teammate Andrew Luck and the Colts in Indianapolis on Saturday. "I'm not concerned about how (the injuries are) going to respond," Sherman said, via the San Jose Mercury News. "I'm more concerned about my game shape and making sure I can still go every single play, because I haven't played in eight months. ... It's important just for defensive-continuity standpoint, everybody knowing where people are going to be on game day. You don't want the first time you communicate with somebody else to be with live bullets out there." Sherman signed a three-year, $39 million free-agent contract with the 49ers just two days after he was released by the Seattle Seahawks. --The Oakland Raiders signed free-agent cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and waived safety Obi Melifonwu, the team announced. Rodgers-Cromartie, who worked out for the Raiders on Wednesday, also received interest from the Los Angeles Chargers and Seattle Seahawks. Rodgers-Cromartie was released by the New York Giants in March after spending four seasons with the club. The two-time Pro Bowl selection started five of the 15 games in which he played last season and failed to record an interception for the second time in his career. Melifonwu, a second-round pick in the 2017 draft, has been sidelined since early this month and was waived with an injury designation. --The Tampa Bay Buccaneers placed running back Charles Sims on injured reserve, the team announced. Sims, who was re-signed by the team on the eve of the draft in April, suffered a knee injury on the opening kickoff of Saturday's preseason game against the Tennessee Titans. In his fifth season with the Buccaneers, Sims appeared in all 16 games in 2017, serving primarily as a third-down back. He had only 21 carries for 95 yards and added 35 receptions for 249 yards and one touchdown. A third-down draft pick of Tampa Bay out of West Virginia in 2014, Sims had his best season in his second year with the team. Sims amassed more than 1,000 yards from scrimmage in 2015, rushing for 529 yards on 107 carries and reeling in 51 catches for 561 yards and four scores. --The Pittsburgh Steelers signed linebacker Vince Williams to a four-year contract, the team announced Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed by the team, but the NFL Network reported the pact was more than $20 million. Williams started all 16 games for the first time last season -- his fifth with the Steelers -- and established career highs with 88 tackles and 8.0 sacks. He also had an interception. A sixth-round draft choice of Pittsburgh in 2013 out of Florida State, Williams started 11 of 15 games during his rookie campaign, notching 53 tackles. --The Detroit Lions acquired outside linebacker Eli Harold from the San Francisco 49ers, the teams announced. The 49ers said in a press release that they received an undisclosed draft choice in the trade for Harold. Per NFL Network's Mike Garafolo, the 49ers will receive the Lions' seventh-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. Harold recorded 34 tackles and two sacks in 2017 while playing in all 16 games for the third straight season. The 24-year-old has collected 85 tackles, five sacks, two fumble recoveries and one forced fumble in 48 career games since being selected by San Francisco in the third round of the 2015 NFL Draft. The 6-foot-3, 257-pound Harold reportedly was on the roster bubble with the 49ers. --Tennessee Titans wide receiver Rishard Matthews could return from the physically unable to perform list next week. Matthews has been sidelined with an undisclosed injury, but Titans beat reporter Paul Kuharsky, citing sources, wrote that Matthews has been rehabbing from surgery for a torn meniscus. Tennessee linebacker Derrick Morgan also suffered a meniscus injury in Saturday's preseason game against Tampa Bay and also underwent a surgical procedure, according to Kuharsky. A source with knowledge of the injury said the injury could sideline Morgan for four to five weeks. Matthews, who signed a one-year contract extension on Tuesday, reportedly underwent surgery during the first week of August. --The next time Todd Gurley sees the playing field, it will be Week 1 of the regular season. Gurley has yet to play in the preseason and will sit out again when the Los Angeles Rams face the visiting Houston Texans on Saturday afternoon Rams coach Sean McVay said that Gurley may not be the only one of the team's elite offensive players to miss Saturday's game. McVay still is unsure if starting quarterback Jared Goff will see any action. "We'll find out. There's a lot of things going into it," said McVay, per the team's official website. "So, like we talked about these guys up front, that has an effect on what we end up doing. So, to say that we've decided that yet wouldn't be true." --Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones has a personal interest in his team's preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. While Jones will not play against Jalen Ramsey and the Jaguars, Matt Ryan is scheduled to test the mettle of the brash cornerback. Ramsey took issue with nearly every NFL quarterback in a recent interview with GQ, labeling Ryan -- the 2016 NFL Most Valuable Player -- as "overrated" in the magazine article. "He hasn't faced Matt yet, but everybody is entitled to their own opinion," Jones said, per the Atlanta Journal Constitution. "We are not going to go back and forth with things like that. ... Well, he'll have his opportunity on Saturday to go against Matt. I'm looking forward to it and I know that Matt probably is, too." Jones is being held back for precautionary reasons, even though the five-time Pro Bowl selection doesn't have an injury. --The Pittsburgh Steelers signed kicker Chris Boswell to a five-year contract, the team announced. Although financial terms of the deal were not disclosed by the club, the NFL Network reported it was worth just under $20 million, making Boswell among the league's top-paid kickers. Boswell earned his first Pro Bowl selection in 2017 by converted 35 of 38 field goal attempts, including all four chances from beyond 50 yards. Entering his fourth season with the Steelers, Boswell came through repeatedly in the clutch by nailing four game-winning field goals last year -- three of them as time expired. --Dallas Cowboys right tackle La'el Collins was walking with a noticeable limp and had his left ankle heavily taped at practice, according to ESPN. The Cowboys already are missing two of their top interior linemen. Center Travis Frederick is out indefinitely while receiving treatment for Guillain-Barre syndrome -- an auto-immune disease. Pro Bowl guard Zack Martin is sidelined with a hyperextended knee. Collins started all 16 games at right tackle for Dallas in 2017. He was shifted from guard to tackle prior to last season and signed a two-year, $15.4 million extension. --Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry said he is learning a great deal from former franchise star Eddie George. George was overheard offering pass-protection tips to his fellow former Heisman Trophy winner during a conversation just outside the training facility at Saint Thomas Sports Park in Nashville, Tenn. "He's a great guy and a legend here," Henry said of George, per the Tennessean. "Just giving me some tips and stuff that could help me improve my game. That's the type of guy he is. He's willing to help. Anything he can help me improve on, he's going to do it if he's around me." Henry reportedly fared well with pass protection against Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebackers during a recent joint practice. --Buffalo Bills linebacker Keenan Robinson has elected to retire, the team announced. The Bills placed the 29-year-old Robinson on the reserve/retired list. Per NFL Network's Mike Garafolo, Robinson said he didn't feel like he was physically able to play in a seventh professional season. Robinson signed with the Bills after spending the last two seasons with the New York Giants. He made 32 tackles while being limited to just six games in 2017 due to a concussion and a quad injury after playing in all 16 contests in the previous season. --The Indianapolis Colts signed free agent defensive tackle Brandon Banks, the team announced. In a corresponding move, Indianapolis waived wide receiver Matt Hazel with an injury designation. Banks spent time on the Washington Redskins' active roster and practice squad as a rookie in 2017. He appeared in one game and collected one tackle. Hazel signed with the Colts earlier this month. He has appeared in nine NFL games, including one start, with the Miami Dolphins and Colts, making one catch for one yard.