Chargers running back Melvin Gordon followed up a disappointing rookie season by undergoing microfracture knee surgery.
The San Diego Union-Tribune reported Tuesday that Gordon had the surgery in January and should be ready for training camp in July. The typical recovery time ranges from 5-7 months.
“I’m getting better. I’m getting better,” Gordon said. “I’m not where I want to be, but I think I’m ahead of schedule. I’m sprinting pretty well. I’m cutting.”
The 23-year-old who had a 2,000-yard season in college said there is no risk he will miss training camp.
Gordon had torn cartilage in his left knee. A first-round pick out of Wisconsin in 2015, Gordon averaged 3.5 yards on 184 carries (641 yards) as a rookie, but part of the challenge was a constantly evolving offensive line that suffered injuries at every position.
Gordon never had 20 carries in a game and missed the final two games of the season — at Miami and at Denver — after averaging 2.5 yards per carry in the two previous games. He started 12 games but was in and out of coach Mike McCoy’s doghouse because of fumbling issues (four lost).
Gordon had six total fumbles and said in December he understands bad plays will send him to the bench.
“We’ve got to get better. You can’t give it away,” he said.
–The Dallas Cowboys may have a fully healthy Tony Romo participating in organized team activities later this month.
Romo is recovering from left collarbone surgery and has impressed quarterbacks coach Wade Wilson during recent workouts.
“He’s looking good,” Wilson told the Dallas Morning News. “We had two practices where we’ve been out here on the field with the guys and he’s done everything. He’s throwing, he’s got good velocity on all of his throws, great movement in his legs.
“He looks like he’s re-energized because he hadn’t played, you know, missed the majority of the season. So he’s real energized and anxious to get going.”
Romo broke the collarbone twice last season and played in just four games. He also broke the same collarbone in 2010.
–Now that Johnny Manziel is gone from Cleveland, he’s putting his house on the market.
The former Browns quarterback’s three-bedroom home is currently listed on Realtor.com for $489,900. The half-acre property, located on a golf course in suburban Avon, was purchased in 2015 for $438,400 by a trust controlled by Texas attorney Bradley Beckworth, who represents Manziel and his family.
The 2,700-square-foot home was built in 2006 as a model and included a three-car garage, a finished basement and access to a pool, tennis courts and golf.
–Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman is betting that the Oakland Raiders will indeed be moving to the gambling capital of the world.
Goodman is confident the relocation will occur as long as the state doesn’t mess up the process.
“The Raiders will come if Nevada handles this properly,” Goodman said during an ESPN podcast.
Momentum toward a possible move increased after owner Mark Davis pledged $500 million toward the construction of a $1.4 billion, 65,000-seat stadium in a meeting with the Southern Nevada Tourism Infrastructure Committee on April 28.
Goodman said the Raiders aren’t using the city as leverage to get a better deal in Oakland or elsewhere.
–Wide receiver Danny Amendola preferred to take a pay cut with the New England Patriots rather than hit the free agent market and test his value.
The veteran agreed to a new contract with the Patriots that maxes out at $1.6 million for the 2016 season, a significant drop from the $4.4 million he was making in his previous contract.
The revised deal includes $1.25 million in guaranteed base salary, a $100,000 signing bonus and $250,000 for roster bonuses up to 10 games.
Last season, Amendola contributed 65 catches for 648 yards and three touchdowns for the Patriots.
–Safety Karl Joseph signed a four-year deal with the Oakland Raiders worth $11.89 million, including team option for a fifth year.
Joseph, a hard-hitting safety from West Virginia, will wear No. 42, befitting the comparisons he’s drawn to all-time great Ronnie Lott. He was the 14th overall pick in the 2016 draft.
Joseph, 22, was at the team facility in Alameda for the first time Monday for rookie minicamp. He was not hosted by the Raiders before the draft and spent April 28, the date of the 2016 NFL Draft, in Haiti.
Part of a concerted effort to upgrade the secondary, Joseph is projected as a starter at safety. He played 42 games at West Virginia despite a season-ending knee injury in October and tallied 284 tackles with a school-record eight forced fumbles and eight interceptions.
–Second-round pick A’Shawn Robinson signed with the Detroit Lions, and general manager Bob Quinn is still more than slightly stunned the Alabama defensive tackle was available with the 46th pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.
The Lions now have all 10 draft picks from the 2016 class signed to contracts.
“We did extensive work on A’Shawn,” Quinn said. “He came up here for a pre-draft visit, and we felt really good about the grade we had on him. And we really thought at the end of the day, he’d probably go somewhere, 17 to 34, that would be our (projected) range. And I think we were very fortunate to get him at 46.”
–The Cincinnati Bengals signed rookie linebacker Nick Vigil to an undisclosed contract.
The 6-foot-2, 239-pound Vigil was selected in the third round of the NFL Draft last month.
At Utah State last season, Vigil led the Mountain West and ranked sixth nationally with 11.1 tackles per game. He also played running back and was the only player to lead his team in tackles and rushing yards in the same game, against Brigham Young.
–The Carolina Panthers and third-round pick Daryl Worley agreed to a four-year contract.
Worley, a cornerback from West Virginia, had 10 college interceptions before bypassing his senior season.
Worley was one of the three cornerbacks the Panthers selected during the draft. Carolina has a need at the position after letting Pro Bowler Josh Norman depart.
The other cornerbacks selected by the Panthers are Samford’s James Bradberry in the second round and Oklahoma’s Zack Sanchez in the fifth.
–Former Augustana running back CJ Ham signed with the Minnesota Vikings.
To create a roster spot, the Vikings waiving safety John Lowdermilk.
Ham, 6-0, 237, participated in rookie minicamp and will be part of the 90-man roster Minnesota carries this offseason. Ham rushed for 1,043 yards and 15 touchdowns in 12 games at Augustana last season.
Ham, who is from Duluth, won the Glen Galligan Award in November 2015. The award honors the top senior football player in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.