NFL Notebook: Gronkowski leaves practice

New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski pulled up with a possible injury while running a route during a joint practice with the Chicago Bears on Monday.

According to ESPN.com, Gronkowski took himself out after going for a pass from quarterback Tom Brady in 7-on-7 drills along the sideline. The severity of the injury was unknown.

Gronkowski, 27, walked to the sideline after the play and met with a trainer before heading to the lower practice field. After about 10 minutes there, he retreated to the locker room, ESPN reported.

— New Orleans Saints rookie defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins, the team’s first-round pick, was carted off the field with an apparent broken fibula.

Rankins, who was drafted with the 12th overall pick out of Louisville, was injured during goal-line drills at the training camp site in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va.

NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport reported that the Saints believe Rankins has a broken fibula, citing a source. He will have surgery this week and is expected to miss six to eight weeks before receiving a second opinion, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported.

— Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon was activated from the non-football injury list and returned to practice.

Gordon’s participation in practice was his first since December 2014. The 25-year-old had been reinstated from a one-year suspension on July 25, but a quad injury kept him on the sideline for an additional two weeks.

Gordon has run afoul from the NFL due to multiple violations of the league’s substance-abuse policy. He also will sit out the first four games of the upcoming season, although coach Hue Jackson told reporters that he has yet to decide if Gordon will play against Atlanta in Thursday’s preseason contest.

— Tampa Bay Buccaneers starting right tackle Demar Dotson received a three-year contract extension.

NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport reported the deal for the 30-year-old Dotson is worth approximately $6 million per season and runs through the 2019 season.

Signed as an undrafted free agent out of Southern Mississippi in 2009, Dotson started all 16 games during the 2013 and 2014 seasons before sustaining a torn MCL last summer. Dotson, who is 6-foot-9, 315 pounds, made three starts and played in just six contests in 2015. In seven seasons, he has played in 76 career games (52 starts).

— The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced that former Seattle Seahawks safety Kenny Easley has been selected as a senior finalist for the Class of 2017.

The Seniors Committee gathered in Canton, Ohio, on Monday and named its finalist in Easley, who was selected with a first-round pick by Seattle in 1981 and played in seven seasons with the club.

Easley recorded 32 interceptions, 11 fumble recoveries and eight sacks in 89 games with the Seahawks, earning AFC Defensive Rookie of the Year honors in 1981 and the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award three years later.

— Cincinnati Bengals rookie defensive tackle Andrew Billings underwent knee surgery to repair a torn meniscus and could miss the entire season, according to multiple reports.

Selected in the fourth round of the 2016 draft, Billings was carted off the field during a joint practice with Minnesota on Wednesday. While playing for Baylor, the 21-year-old was named Big 12 co-Defensive Player of the Year in 2015.

The 6-foot-1, 311-pound Billings was expected to provide depth as a run stopper behind Geno Atkins for the Bengals, who still have Domata Peko, Marcus Hardison, Pat Sims, DeShawn Williams and Brandon Thompson on the roster.

— Denver Broncos defensive end Vance Walker was carted off the field with a right leg injury.

Walker, who had just returned to practice from an ailing back, sustained an injury to his right leg during 7-on-7 drills and remained on the ground for several minutes as he was tended to by team trainers. The 29-year-old is expected to undergo an MRI exam to determine the severity of the injury.

“Fingers crossed when that happens,” coach Gary Kubiak told the Denver Post. “Didn’t really see it. It was one of the early plays in practice. He and (offensive lineman) Max (Garcia) were tied up and he went down. We just have to see. Sit here and hope for the best.”

— Baltimore Ravens outside linebacker Terrell Suggs, who tore his left Achilles in the 2015 opener, was activated off the physically unable to perform list and participated in practice for the first time since the season-ending injury.

The 33-year-old Suggs, a six-time Pro Bowl linebacker, had been rehabbing at the team’s practice facility and expressed optimism about his return.

Suggs, who also tore his right Achilles in 2012, has 106.5 career sacks. The 2011 NFL defensive player of the year has recorded double-digit sacks in his last four full seasons.

— The Detroit Lions signed free agent Andrew Quarless despite the tight end facing a two-game suspension for firing a gun in public.

Quarless, who played the previous six seasons with the Green Bay Packers (2010-15), was suspended under the league’s personal-conduct policy as a result of the incident in Miami Beach on July 4, 2015. He was sentenced to one year of probation and given a $1,000 fine after pleading no contest in November.

“We are aware of the upcoming NFL suspension of Andrew Quarless,” Lions general manager Bob Quinn said in a statement. “We have thoroughly researched the incident that caused the suspension and have talked at length with Andrew about this. Andrew has been forthright and honest about the situation and he has gone through the process within the legal system. As an organization we are comfortable with adding Andrew to the roster and look forward to seeing him compete for the rest of the preseason.”

— The Buffalo Bills activated Karlos Williams from the active/non-football illness list after the second-year running back passed his physical.

Williams, who showed up for offseason workouts 20-25 pounds overweight, has been suspended for the first four games of the regular season for violating the NFL’s substance-abuse policy.

The 23-year-old Williams is eligible to participate in preseason activities. He had been working on the side during training camp with the strength and conditioning staff to lose the weight.

— The Bills signed veteran outside linebacker Kroy Biermann after IK Enemkpali tore his right ACL in Saturday night’s preseason opener.

Biermann’s deal is for one year, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Enemkpali was waived/injured to make room for Biermann.

The 30-year-old Biermann, who worked out Monday morning and signed a contract in the afternoon, has played his entire career for the Atlanta Falcons, who made him a fifth-round pick in the 2008 draft.

— Quarterback Thad Lewis is out for the season with a torn ACL, San Francisco 49ers coach Chip Kelly said.

Lewis, a college free agent out of Duke in 2010, was hurt on a 1-yard run in the third quarter of Saturday’s preseason opener against the Houston Texans.

The 49ers’ No. 2 quarterback in the game, Lewis was 12 of 21 for a team-high 97 yards before being lifted for rookie Jeff Driskel.

— The Arizona Cardinals addressed their secondary by re-signing Tyrequek Zimmerman to a contract and waiving fellow safety Durell Eskridge.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed for Zimmerman, who was released by Arizona on Aug. 4. The 23-year-old spent training camp with Seattle last year, but has yet to play in the NFL.

Zimmerman recorded 266 tackles, two sacks and three interceptions during his collegiate career with Oregon State.

— The Indianapolis Colts claimed guard Donovan Williams off waivers from the Chicago Bears.

Williams, an undrafted free agent out of Louisiana-Lafayette, was signed by Chicago in mid-May and waived on Saturday.

To clear a roster spot for Williams, the Colts waived punter Michael Palardy. The former University of Tennessee punter has never played in an NFL game, although Palardy has spent time with Carolina, St. Louis and Oakland prior to signing with the Colts earlier this month.