Earlier this afternoon, we learned that Steve Smith‘s agent, Derrick Fox, isn’t entirely convinced that the Ravens wideout will retire at season’s end. That’s not the only news out of the AFC North today though, so let’s dive in and round up a few more items…
- Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel is not expected to receive discipline from the NFL for his role in an off-field incident earlier this month, sources tell Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). However, the league has maintained that its investigation isn’t yet complete, so there’s no official word on Manziel yet.
- Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict, who opened the season on the physically unable to perform list, returned to practice today, as Jim Owczarski of the Cincinnati Enquirer writes. Burfict won’t play right away, but the Bengals now have three weeks to either activate him to their 53-man roster or shut him down for the year.
- Despite not playing in an NFL regular season game since 2013, and not receiving a workout this year, former Ravens running back Ray Rice continues to train in the hopes of getting another shot, according to Luke Broadwater of the Baltimore Sun. Of course, even putting aside the elevator video that continues to haunt him, the longer Rice’s absence from the league lasts, the less likely it becomes that he’ll get another opportunity.