UNDATED (AP) — The NFL’s suspension of Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict has been reduced from five to three games following appeal.
Burfict was punished for his egregious hit on Chiefs running back Anthony Sherman during a preseason game. He leveled Sherman on a pass play in which he wasn’t the intended target.
Burfict will miss the first three games of the regular season and will be eligible for Cincinnati’s game in Cleveland on Oct. 1.
Also in the NFL:
— A person with knowledge of the deal says free-agent linebacker Ahmad Brooks has accepted a one-year package with the Packers. The 33-year-old Brooks was released by the 49ers last week and joins a team in need of outside linebacker depth behind starters Clay Matthews and Nick Perry.
— The Texans are planning to head home to flood-ravaged Houston after their final preseason game against the Cowboys was canceled. The game had been moved from Houston to Arlington, Texas, because of widespread flooding of Harris County in the wake of Hurricane Harvey. The decision to cancel Thursday night’s game altogether was announced when the Texans said local authorities had found a safe route for the team to drive the 250 miles home.
— Jaguars owner Shad Khan would be willing to swap home dates with the Texans while Houston recovers from Hurricane Harvey. The Jaguars are scheduled to open the season in Houston on Sept. 10. The Texans play in Jacksonville on Dec. 17.
— The Raiders have signed wide receiver Seth Roberts to a two-year contract extension through 2019. Roberts has 70 career catches for 877 yards and 10 touchdowns since signing with Oakland as an undrafted free agent in 2014.
— The Browns have traded offensive lineman and former first-round pick Cam Erving to the Chiefs for a 2018 fifth-round draft pick. It ends a disappointing stay in Cleveland for the No. 19 overall pick in 2015.