FRISCO, Texas — Dallas Cowboys left tackle Tyron Smith is expected to return at some point this season after sustaining a torn left hamstring that also injured the knee, team owner and general manager Jerry Jones said Thursday.

Jones said during an appearance on ESPN that he wasn’t sure if Smith’s injury would require surgery but that the eight-time Pro Bowler would return late in the season.

A person with knowledge of the injury, which happened in practice Wednesday night, said Smith had a torn hamstring with a knee fracture that resulted from the tendon pulling away from the bone. ESPN first reported the injury.

Speaking to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because there was no official announcement of the injury, the person said it appeared Smith would be sidelined until December.

Smith was injured during 11-on-11 drills when he went to engage linebacker Leighton Vander Esch about 5 yards downfield before crumpling to the turf. He walked off the field without help and later walked past reporters outside the locker room.

The 31-year-old Smith has been hampered mostly by back, neck and ankle injuries in recent years. Smith has missed at least three games each season since 2016. He played just two games in 2020 before season-ending neck surgery.

Rookie first-round pick Tyler Smith could replace him. Tyler Smith has been working at left guard but was the starting left tackle at Tulsa. He missed both practices this week with an ankle injury.

The injury is a major blow to an offensive line that was already in transition.

The Cowboys were counting on Smith and five-time All-Pro right guard Zack Martin as the anchors for a unit that is young and relatively inexperienced at the other three spots. Dallas probably just added a fourth spot to that concern.

PATRIOTS: Malcolm Butler’s reunion with the New England Patriots is officially over.

According to the NFL transaction wire, the Patriots officially released Butler with an injury settlement, ending his second run with the team.

The Patriots placed Butler on season-ending injured reserve last week after an undisclosed injury. The veteran cornerback played in the team’s preseason opener and injured his hip in that game, according to the Athletic. Shortly after, Butler’s season was over as he was placed on IR before the start of the regular season, which does not allow for players to return.

SAINTS:  The velocity with which Jameis Winston threw this week, and his form on a baseball-style slide during a scramble, generated talk of the New Orleans Saints quarterback’s background as a two-sport athlete in college.

Such displays of all-around athleticism are a welcome sight for the Saints as Winston works to come back from reconstructive surgery on his left knee last year, as well as from a sprained right foot earlier in training camp.

“I can’t wait to step back on the field and compete some more,” Winston said after the Saints’ last practice before their preseason finale against the Los Angeles Chargers on Friday night. “One thing I know is I will not take this opportunity for granted ever again.”

Saints Coach Dennis Allen declined to say whether Winston would play against the Chargers. If he doesn’t, Winston’s scheduled start against Atlanta in New Orleans’ regular-season opener on Sept. 11 would be his first live action since last Halloween, when his ACL was torn during a tackle by Tampa Bay linebacker Devin White.

BROWNS: Former center JC Tretter announced his retirement after eight seasons in the NFL.

Tretter, who will continue to serve as president of the NFL Players Association, only missed one game for Cleveland over the past five seasons despite battling injuries. He said on Twitter that he’s decided “to stop playing when I wanted to – on my own terms.”

While he’ll no longer be on the field, Tretter will stay close to the game as union president. Tretter was instrumental in setting up team COVID-19 protocols and helping the league navigate pandemic-related challenges during the 2020 season.

The Browns released the 31-year-old Tretter in March – shortly after he was elected to a second term – in a salary-cap move that saved $8.25 million. There had been speculation Cleveland might re-sign him after starter Nick Harris suffered a season-ending knee injury in the exhibition opener.

However, the Browns elevated Ethan Pocic to the starting lineup and Tretter remained unsigned before deciding to retire.

Green Bay drafted Tretter in the fourth round in 2013 from Cornell. He spent three seasons with the Packers before the Browns signed him as a free agent in 2017.

• Jacoby Brissett, set to fill in as Cleveland’s starter while Deshaun Watson serves his upcoming 11-game NFL suspension, will start Saturday night’s exhibition finale against the Chicago Bears.

Brissett has yet to see any action during the preseason but will finally get some snaps with the first-team offense in a game setting. Coach Kevin Stefanski doesn’t know exactly how long Brissett and Cleveland’s other starters will be on the field.

BENGALS-RAMS: A brawl between the Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Rams put an early end to their joint practice session, with Rams star Aaron Donald repeatedly swinging a helmet at Bengals players before getting thrown to the ground.

Players threw fists and helmets during scuffles leading up to a final free-for-all with Donald, a three-time AP Defensive Player of the Year and eight-time Pro Bowler, getting thrown to the ground after swinging a helmet.

Bengals Coach Zac Taylor downplayed the event, saying: “Emotions run high. We’ve been working together for two days now, and that’s just some real competitive guys getting into it.”

Things got chippy in the middle of the second day of the joint practice, when Cincinnati offensive lineman La’el Collins blocked Donald as quarterback Joe Burrow completed a long pass to Ja’Marr Chase. On the next play, Collins scuffled with linebacker Leonard Floyd, ripping off the defender’s helmet and tossing it.

Collins was involved in another scuffle before the final sideline-clearing fight.

The Bengals and Rams, who played in the Super Bowl in February, face each other in the final preseason game on Saturday night in Cincinnati.

In 2019, the Browns’ Myles Garrett was suspended six games for using his helmet to smash Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph over the head during a regular-season game.

JETS: Frustrated wide receiver Denzel Mims has requested to be traded, according to a statement released by his agent.

“It’s just time,” agent Ron Slavin wrote. “Denzel has tried in good faith, but it is clear he does not have a future with the Jets.”

Mims, a second-round pick in 2020 out of Baylor, has struggled to find a role with the Jets. He has just 31 catches for 490 yards and no touchdowns in 20 games over two seasons.

He dealt with hamstring issues as a rookie, a case of food poisoning that caused him to lose 20 pounds last offseason, a bout with COVID-19 last season and saw his role in the offense dwindle to nearly nonexistent.

He was still low on the depth chart this summer, no better than sixth behind Corey Davis, Elijah Moore, Garrett Wilson, Braxton Berrios and Jeff Smith.

The Jets had no immediate comment.

THURSDAY’S GAMES

CHIEFS 17, PACKERS 10: Patrick Mahomes walked onto the field for a poignant penalty, then the Chiefs and Packers rested most of their starters in their preseason final, which host Kansas City won behind two touchdown passes from Shane Buechele.

The third-stringer outplayed longtime Chiefs backup Chad Henne, throwing for 166 yards with both of his scoring strikes to journeyman tight end Matt Bushman, who later left with a shoulder injury and did not return.

The Packers’ Jordan Love threw for 148 yards with an interception in his final work before Aaron Rodgers takes over for the regular season. Trent Goodson ran for 28 yards and a score as he tries to win the No. 3 running back job for Green Bay.

The lasting memory  wasn’t the score or a play, though, but Mahomes’ penalty.

It came after the first-team Chiefs defense forced the Packers, playing their starting offensive line with Love and a host of backups, to a 3-and-out to start the game. Mahomes headed onto the field with most of Kansas City’s starting offense and lined them up in a choir huddle – the old-fashioned style favored by Hall of Fame quarterback Len Dawson.

Mahomes allowed the clock to run out but the delay-of-game penalty was announced not on his No. 15 but on No. 16, the number that Dawson wore during his playing days. It was among the many tributes to the Chiefs’ icon and longtime NFL broadcaster, who died this week at the age of 87.

“Obviously, we’re praying for his family,” Mahomes said, “but he did so much to impact the Kansas City community and this organization. We wanted to do something, a little token to show our appreciation.”

TEXANS 17, 49ERS 0: Davis Mills threw a touchdown pass to Chris Moore to help Houston beat visiting San Francisco in the preseason finale for both teams.

Mills was 6 for 10 for 58 yards with an interception. He played the entire first half and the first drive of the second half, finishing off his night with a 16-yard touchdown pass to Moore.

San Francisco starting quarterback Trey Lance was 7 for 11 for 49 yards on three scoreless drives. Two of the drives ended in punts and one ended on downs.

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