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Aaron Patrick, an outside linebacker for the Denver Broncos, filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the NFL, ESPN, the Los Angeles Chargers and others after tearing his ACL in a sideline collision. The suit comes at a time when game-day conditions at NFL games have come under increased scrutiny.

Patrick was injured during Denver’s Oct. 17 overtime loss to the Chargers at SoFi Stadium, when according to the lawsuit filed in California Superior Court, he collided with an improperly positioned NFL replay liaison as he knocked punt returner DeAndre Carter out of bounds. The suit contends that Patrick, with his momentum carrying him off the field, stepped awkwardly on a mat covering wires that connect to the on-field replay system and collided with the liaison.

The lawsuit by Patrick, a 25-year-old, second-year player whose season was ended by the injury, asks for unspecified damages for lost earnings, bonuses he cannot qualify for, medical expenses and pain and suffering.

“Player safety should be the foremost of importance to the NFL and its owners,” attorney William Berman said in a news release (via the Denver Post). “The NFL is a multi-billion-dollar sports enterprise and business, and it needs to do everything possible to protect its players from noncontact game injuries. As for Patrick’s injuries, Sofi Stadium should have the state-of-the-art equipment to protect for player safety, and not use the type of $100 mats that you would expect to see in a restaurant kitchen.”

The suit, which claims all of the named defendants were negligent, is somewhat reminiscent of a lawsuit won by former NFL running back Reggie Bush. His 2015 season with the San Francisco 49ers was cut short when he tore his meniscus as he slipped on concrete next to the field at Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis, where the Rams were then based. Bush was awarded nearly $12.5 million in damages in 2018.

BROWNS: Deshaun Watson is practicing with the Browns for the first time since his 11-game NFL suspension started in August.

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Watson, who was accused of sexual misconduct by more than two dozen women in Texas, returned to the field with his teammates on Wednesday.

It was his first practice since Aug. 30, 12 days after the three-time Pro Bowl quarterback reached a settlement with the league, agreeing to his multi-game ban, a $5 million fine and to undergo treatment and counseling. The league ruled Watson violated its personal conduct policy.

As long as he meets requirements, Watson can play on Dec. 4 when the Browns visit Houston, which drafted him in 2017. Watson spent four seasons with the Texans before he demanded a trade and was eventually dealt to Cleveland in March for a slew of draft picks, including three first-rounders.

RAMS: Quarterback Matthew Stafford is expected to play this weekend after missing one game in the NFL’s concussion protocol.

Stafford participated fully in practice with the Rams on Wednesday, and the Super Bowl-winning veteran is on track to come out of the protocol in time to face the Saints in New Orleans on Sunday, Coach Sean McVay said.

SAINTS: Coach Dennis Allen won’t make a quarterback change this week. In announcing Wednesday that Andy Dalton would remain in the lineup Sunday against the Rams, the first-year coach stressed that New Orleans’ anemic offensive performance during its past two games stems from more than the performance of a single player.

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COMMANDERS: Taylor Heinicke is set to start at quarterback again for Washington when they visit the Texans this weekend, Coach Ron Rivera said Wednesday.

Carson Wentz did not take part in the team’s walkthrough and instead worked out on an outdoor practice field. Rivera said Wentz has been cleared to throw but has not been designated to return to practice after having surgery to repair a broken finger on his throwing hand.

EAGLES: Philadelphia made a flurry of roster moves Wednesday afternoon, signing veteran defensive tackle Linval Joseph and placing Dallas Goedert and Marlon Tuipulotu on injured reserve.

Joseph, 34, played for the Los Angeles Chargers last season and figures to take Tuipulotu’s role as the short-term replacement for Jordan Davis at the heart of the Eagles’ defense. The 6-foot-4, 329-pound lineman is a capable nose tackle who can plug multiple gaps, something the Eagles defense has missed significantly since the rookie Davis went on injured reserve with a high ankle sprain.

Goedert and Tuipulotu will miss at least four games after being placed on IR. Goedert suffered a shoulder injury in the Eagles’ 32-21 loss to Washington on Monday and, while the injury shouldn’t sideline the tight end for the rest of the season, he is expected to miss extended time.

TEXANS: Houston claimed receiver Amari Rodgers off waivers Wednesday a day after he was released by the Green Bay Packers.

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The Packers sent two picks to Tennessee to trade up to select him in the third round with the 85th overall pick in last year’s draft. But he didn’t do much in his time in Green Bay and had just 95 yards receiving in limited action in 1 1/2 seasons.

CHIEFS: Quarterback Patrick Mahomes was missing his top three wide receivers in practice Wednesday because of injuries and illness, and the situation might not be a whole lot better when Kansas City visits the Chargers this weekend.

JuJu Smith-Schuster remained in the concussion protocol after taking a helmet-to-helmet hit from Jacksonville safety Andre Cisco in last Sunday’s win over the Jaguars. The Chiefs were also missing Mecole Hardman, who missed the 27-17 win over the Jaguars with an abdominal injury, and Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who was dealing with an illness that popped up over the past couple of days.

FALCONS: Atlanta cornerback A.J. Terrell returned to practice on Wednesday after missing three games with a hamstring injury.

Coach Arthur Smith said he is “hopeful” Terrell, the team’s top defensive back, can return for Sunday’s game against the Chicago Bears.

Terrell suffered the injury on Oct. 16 against San Francisco and tried to return the following week, when he was on the field for only eight plays against Cincinnati. He was inactive the past three games.

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Following practice, Terrell said his status for Sunday’s game is “in the air.”

LAWSUIT DISMISSED: A judge has dismissed NFL kicker Josh Lambo’s lawsuit against the Jacksonville Jaguars in which Lambo sought back pay and damages for emotional distress caused by former head coach Urban Meyer.

Judge Gilbert Feltel Jr., of the Florida 4th Circuit Court in Duval County, dismissed the suit without prejudice on Nov. 8. He gave Lambo 21 days to amend and refile the complaint. Lambo’s attorney, Betsy Brown, said Wednesday she intends to do so.

The Jaguars filed a motion to dismiss in July, arguing that Lambo’s suit did not fall under the Florida Whistleblower Act. The team said Lambo was not a whistleblower or a victim of retaliation, adding that he was released because of “his unsatisfactory performance on the football field.”

The team also argued that while Lambo’s suit alleges wrongdoing on Meyer’s part, it fails to show Meyer’s actions were committed within the scope of his employment or ratified by the team.

Lambo sued the Jaguars in May, claiming Meyer and the team created a hostile work environment. According to the lawsuit, Lambo says his performance suffered as a result of being kicked and verbally abused by Meyer. Lambo had been seeking a jury trial and back pay owed from his 2021 salary ($3.5 million) with interest as well as “compensation for any special damages sustained as emotional stress and reputational harm and litigation fees,” among other costs.

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