Oct 26, 2015; Glendale, AZ, USA; Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Steve Smith Sr. (89) against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Cardinals defeated the Ravens 26-18. Photo Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Steve Smith is easing back into activity but his recovery from a torn Achilles is likely to limit the 37-year-old into the early part of the regular season.
“I don’t know when I’m coming back,” he said. “I just know I have to be able to do something in training camp to be able to play for the season. That’s just the way I operate. I can’t go from doing absolutely nothing (and) sitting on my butt for all of training camp and then go out there and play.”
The Ravens were led in receptions last season by Kamar Aiken’s 75, but are counted on multiple players to recover from injuries to make an impact on their downtrodden offense in 2016.
Smith, tight end Dennis Pitta (hip) and wide receiver Breshad Perriman, a first-round pick in 2015 who missed his entire rookie season with a knee injury, are all key to the Ravens bouncing back from a 6-10 season.
Perriman’s status is up in the air. He partially tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and is scheduled for surgery Tuesday. His availability for the 2016 season will be known only after surgery is performed and the severity of the injury can ascertained.
Smith initially planned to retire after last season but when he ended up on injured reserve, the competitive veteran said he’d be back.
For now, the Ravens aren’t quite sure when he’ll return. Smith only knows it will happen, but the timetable is a bit of a mystery that is subject to change based on how he feels on the field.
“I’m just taking it one day at a time, allowing my injury to heal and strengthen myself,” Smith said. “I’m trying to be methodical and patient, which I’m not any of those. So it’s been good. It gives me a different perspective.”
–Guard Ben Grubbs, released by the Kansas City Chiefs on March 9 after he failed his physical because of a neck injury, apparently will retire it was reported on Monday by ESPN.
Grubbs was considered the Chiefs’ best lineman last season but he missed the last nine games because of the injury after signing a $24-million contract extension when he was acquired from the New Orleans said before the start of the year.
The 6-3, 310-pound Grubbs, 32, was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the first round (29th overall) out of Auburn in 2007 and was a starter in all nine of his NFL seasons with the Ravens, Saints and Chiefs.
–Another wide receiver joined the Detroit Lions on Monday with veteran slot target Andre Roberts agreeing to a one-year deal.
The Lions have signed three receivers since Calvin Johnson retired, and spent Monday visiting with 35-year-old free agent wideout Anquan Boldin. Boldin played for the Ravens in 2012 when Jim Caldwell was offensive coordinator.
Roberts caught just 11 passes with the Washington Redskins last season and was released last month.
Roberts had a breakout season with the Arizona Cardinals in 2012, with 64 receptions for 759 yards, but never equaled that production in Washington.
Injuries are thinning the Lions’ receiver corps this summer with Jeremy Kerley absent from organized team activities last week with an undisclosed injury and Corey Fuller, a candidate for the No. 5 receiver role, out after foot surgery last week.
Roberts has experience returning kickoffs and punts.
Boldin was a second-round pick in 2003 and has played for the Cardinals, Ravens and 49ers. He had 69 receptions for 789 yards and four touchdowns in 2015 with the 49ers but averaged only 11.4 yards per reception, the second-lowest total in his 14 NFL seasons.
–The Detroit Lions announced Monday that cheerleaders will be added for the 2016 season.
There are now six NFL teams without an affiliated cheerleading squad — the Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears, Cleveland Browns, Green Bay Packers, New York Giants and Pittsburgh Steelers.
“The Ford Family is unwavering in their commitment to improving the Detroit Lions fan experience on and off the field,” Lions president Rod Wood said in a statement. “After thorough consideration and receiving input from our fans through season ticket member surveys and focus groups, we believe that this is an opportunity to elevate our game day entertainment.”
Auditions for the Lions’ cheerleaders will begin on Saturday, June 25 at Ford Field with call-backs the remainder of the weekend. Following auditions, there will be a five-day training camp for finalists in mid-July.
The Lions’ cheerleaders will be introduced in August and will make their regular-season debut at the home opener on Sept. 18 against the Tennessee Titans.
The cheerleaders will be coached by Rebecca Girard-Smoker, who joins the Lions after more than 25 years of experience in sports entertainment working with the NBA, WNBA, AFL, MLB and NCAA. She spent 10 seasons with Palace Sports and Entertainment as the team director for the Detroit Pistons Dance Team.
“We have maintained all along that if we added cheerleaders it would be done the right way and hiring Rebecca is a great first step,” Wood said. “Her experience locally and nationally will ensure that Detroit Lions cheerleaders will be great representatives of our team as well as ambassadors to the community.”
–Defensive lineman Bryan Robinson, who had a 14-year NFL career, has died at age 41.
According to the Chicago Tribune, Robinson was found in a Milwaukee, Wis., motel room and pronounced dead late Saturday night.
Milwaukee Police said they are investigating the situation as a sudden death. The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner told the newspaper that results of an autopsy and a toxicology report are pending.
Robinson played with the St. Louis Rams, Chicago Bears, Miami Dolphins, Cincinnati Bengals and Arizona Cardinals. He played in Super Bowl XLIII with Arizona and retired after the 2010 season.
Robinson, undrafted out of Fresno State, finished his NFL career with 24 sacks.
–Curley Johnson, who punted for the New York Jets in the 1960s as a member of their Super Bowl III-winning team, has died. He was 80.
John “Curley” Johnson died at his home in Granbury, Texas, on Sunday.
Johnson also was a running back, tight end and kickoff returner early in his career, and became the first top punter for the New York Titans and Jets.
Johnson held the franchise record for gross punting average for nearly 50 years. He had set the franchise mark with a gross punting average of 45.3 yards until it was broken in 2012.
Johnson’s final punt for the team came with 15 seconds left in the Jets’ 16-7 upset win over the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III.
Johnson was a 1957 draft pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers and joined the New York Titans in 1961. The franchise became known as the Jets in 1963, and he played for them through the 1968 season and the Super Bowl. He was traded to the New York Giants for his final season in 1969.
–The Philadelphia Eagles agreed to terms on Monday with defensive tackle Fletcher Cox on a six-year contract extension.
Cox, who was selected by the Eagles in the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft (12th overall), has appeared in 64 games (58 starts) and made 308 tackles (232 solo), including 31.5 tackles for losses and 22 sacks in his four-year career.
The Pro Bowl performer has started 49 consecutive games, including playoff games, since becoming a full-time starter in Week 8 of his rookie season.
Cox was voted by his teammates as the Eagles’ 2015 Ed Block Courage Award winner.
–Wade Phillips waited nearly 40 years to see his name adorn a Super Bowl ring. The veteran defensive coordinator still is waiting, however, even after the members of the Denver Broncos received their jewelry on Sunday.
It’s not that 68-year-old Phillips didn’t get a diamond-encrusted ring … it’s just that it had the wrong name.
Phillips received his championship ring with the name “Peters” on the side. No worries as a Jostens representative apologized and the company is sending a new ring within a week, Phillips posted on his official Twitter site.
If you’re wondering, Denver assistant director of college scouting Adam Peters received his ring with the proper name on it.
Phillips oversaw a dominating defense that handcuffed Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50. The Broncos’ defense finished atop the league in most major defensive categories.
–Former NBA player Nate Robinson is attempting to tackle another sport.
Robinson had a tryout with the Seattle Seahawks on Monday, the Washington Post initially reported. The Seattle Times noted that the 32-year-old was trying out as a defensive back.
Robinson, who had been playing basketball in Israel, attended the University of Washington on a football scholarship. The 5-foot-9 Seattle native opted to concentrate on basketball, however, and was selected with the 21st overall pick in the 2005 NBA draft.
A three-time slam dunk champion, Robinson averaged 11.0 points and 3.0 assists during his career with eight NBA teams.
