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Dee Milliner, expected to be the New York Jets' No. 1 cornerback, was helped from the field after injuring his left ankle at practice Sunday in Corland, N.Y., a half-hour after rookie Dexter McDougle was carted off after tearing a ligament in his left knee.
Veteran Dimitri Patterson, projected as a possible starter opposite Milliner, missed practice for the second straight day with ankle and calf injuries — making the Jets' secondary extremely thin. Their next preseason game is at Cincinnati next Saturday.
Milliner went down after defending wide receiver Quincy Enunwa on a long pass and writhed in pain on the sideline at SUNY Cortland on Sunday. McDougle was hurt during a one-on-one drill with receiver Stephen Hill, who jumped over the cornerback to catch a pass.
'Thankful' Joseph rejoins Vikings
Defensive tackle Linval Joseph has rejoined the Minnesota Vikings after being shot in the leg at a bar, and he is expected to recover in time for the start of the regular season.
Joseph took part in meetings Sunday morning, but he probably will be held out of practice for the next week or two.
General manager Rick Spielman says an examination by the team's medical staff of the wound around Joseph's calf revealed no cause for concern. Spielman says "there was no wrong done by Linval" after an exhibition game Friday night when a man opened fire at a downtown night club and injured nine people, including Joseph.
In a statement distributed by the Vikings, Joseph says he's "extremely thankful" the injury was minor.
Browns set timeline for QB decision
The Cleveland Browns' quarterback derby is heading down the homestretch. Coach Mike Pettine said Sunday he plans to name his starting quarterback shortly after the team's Aug. 18 preseason game in Washington.
The winner of the competition between Brian Hoyer and rookie Johnny Manziel will start Cleveland's third preseason contest — Aug. 23 at home against the Rams — and sit out its final game Aug. 28 against Chicago.
Hoyer, who is recovering from reconstructive right knee surgery, started the Browns' preseason opener Saturday in Detroit. The Northeast Ohio native completed 6 of 14 passes for 92 yards, leading the first-team offense to two field goals in three drives in a 13-12 loss.
Manziel was 7 of 11 for 63 yards while playing most of the second quarter and all of the third. The No. 22 overall draft pick out of Texas A&M led Cleveland to one field goal in four possessions.
Contrite Bennett rejoins Bears
A contrite Martellus Bennett returned from suspension Sunday to practice with the Chicago Bears. Bennett was suspended and fined an undisclosed amount by the team for slamming cornerback Kyle Fuller to the turf after Fuller had knocked him to the ground in a non-tackling scrimmage.
"I think I could have handled the situation differently," Bennett said. "I think everything in life is about learning lessons."
Bennett had been involved in several other practice scrapes since joining the team as a free agent last year.