FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Quarterback Danny Etling’s tenure with the Patriots has come to an end.

The Patriots completed a trade with Atlanta on Tuesday to acquire tight end Eric Saubert for a conditional draft pick. The Patriots released Etling to make room for Saubert on the 53-man roster.

Etling, a seventh-round pick out of LSU in 2018, spent last season on the practice squad. After the Patriots drafted Jarrett Stidham in April, Etling tried to convert to wide receiver. But competition at the position pushed him far down the depth chart.

Saubert, who is entering his third season, had five catches for 48 yards for the Falcons in 2018. He played in 16 games with one start. He had one catch for 7 yards in the Falcons’ first two preseason games.

GIANTS: Wide receiver Golden Tate has had the appeal of his four-game suspension for a violation of the NFL’s policy on performance enhancers turned down.

The decision by an independent arbiter means the 10-year-veteran will miss the first four games of the regular season, starting with Dallas on Sept. 8.

Advertisement

Tate, who signed a $37.5 million contract as a free agent with the Giants in March, announced the suspension in a Twitter post on July 27. He said he intended to appeal it and felt his case had merit because he was using a fertility drug prescribed by a doctor.

The appeal was heard by a member of an independent appeals panel in New York last week.

The NFL allows players to use fertility drugs but they must obtain a therapeutic use exemption prior to using them. The league has insisted players are responsible for the drugs and supplements they take and advises them to talk to team trainers and medical personnel before using them.

Certain fertility drugs can help athletes boost performance or mask doping. Some fertility drugs bought on line are not approved by the FDA.

COLTS: The Indianapolis Colts believe lingering pain in Andrew Luck’s lower left leg will likely force their starting quarterback to miss the rest of the preseason.

They’re still unsure about his availability for the Sept. 8 season opener against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Advertisement

Colts GM Chris Ballard said additional testing revealed Luck appears to be suffering from an injury near the front of his ankle, something his previously diagnosed strained left calf might have exacerbated.

RAIDERS: Antonio Brown walked onto the Oakland Raiders practice field in his familiar No. 84 jersey surrounded by cameras and received warm greetings from teammates.

His weeklong absence to deal with his frostbitten feet and a grievance with the NFL over the use of a helmet has ended and now he’s eager to get back on the field as soon as he can.

“I’m extremely grateful to be here,” Brown said during a short news conference. “I’ve been dealing with a lot of adversity. I’m excited to be back and see my teammates and get in the groove of things.”

Brown has not participated in a full practice for the Raiders after starting training camp on the nonfootball injury list with injuries to his feet that reportedly came from frostbite suffered while getting cryotherapy treatment in France. Agent Drew Rosenhaus called the injuries on Brown’s feet “brutal” and Brown left camp last week to meet with a specialist.

Coach Jon Gruden said he didn’t know whether Brown would play in an exhibition game but was confident he’d be healthy enough for the season opener Sept. 9 against Denver.

Advertisement

PACKERS: Coach Matt LaFleur said QB Aaron Rodgers and the rest of the first-team offense and first-team defense will play for about “a quarter or so” on Thursday when Green Bay heads to Baltimore to face the Ravens in their second preseason game.

JETS: The New York Jets have signed veteran cornerback Marcus Cooper for depth in their depleted secondary.

The team also announced it waived tight end Nick Truesdell to make room on the roster.

Cooper has played in 74 games, including 28 starts, in stints with San Francisco, Kansas City, Arizona, Chicago and Detroit in six NFL seasons. He was released by the Lions on Monday.

BEARS: The Chicago Bears waived wide receiver Emanuel Hall.

Hall, who played in college at Missouri, was signed as an undrafted free agent in April but had sports hernia surgery in the spring and missed organized team activities and minicamp.

Hall had been unable to practice much at training camp.


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.