TEMPE, Ariz. -- Michael Staten saw it before anyone else did.

How Kyler Murray outthought and outmaneuvered his opponents. How Murray processed information, quickly solving problems. How he won gracefully and humbly and led by example. How he became popular despite being soft-spoken.

And Staten saw Murray win. A lot. But not on the football field. Not on the baseball diamond either.

No, Staten witnessed all of these traits while Murray sat behind a chessboard.

Years before Murray was a Texas high school football and baseball legend, before he was a Heisman winner at Oklahoma, before he was a first-round pick of the Oakland A's and the No. 1 pick in the 2019 NFL draft, before he was the face of the Arizona Cardinals -- who on Thursday face the unbeaten San Francisco 49ers (8:20 p.m. ET, Fox/NFL Network) -- Staten recruited him to the chess club at Degan Elementary School in Lewisville, Texas.

And since leaving Degan 12 years ago, Murray's passion for chess has remained a quiet part of who he is. It has shaped his strategy and confidence on the field, while sharpening his mind off it.

Murray was in fourth grade when Staten, a science teacher at Degan, introduced him to chess.

By then, the young prodigy was already winning championships in youth football and baseball while dominating his uncles in Scrabble and Connect 4. Murray's mom, Missy, used board games in Kyler's childhood as a way of teaching her son how to use his head critically and strategically.

Staten had gotten to know Murray during recess football games on the playground. The teacher always played quarterback and assigned the teams, and Murray's side often dominated. But on the days Murray's team didn't win, he would return to class an unhappy 10-year-old.

One day, Staten, the chess club adviser, invited Murray and a couple of his friends, including current Denver Broncos practice squad wide receiver Trinity Benson, to join the club.

"The chess club that I had wasn't perceived as a nerdy thing or just for the intellectuals," said Staten, who became Murray's home room and science teacher in fifth grade. "It was just a popular thing among everybody. We had all types of people in there, from students who had a hard time learning and doing well, to students who were straight A's and gifted and talented, to the athletic kids.

"It was a real good mixture of everyone."

From 3 to 3:45 p.m. on Thursdays in the Degan library, Murray and his friends joined fellow chess club members (about 110 total) in commanding pawns, rooks and bishops. Benson said he and Murray fell in love with chess right away and began toppling their classmates before long.

Murray had never played chess before joining but quickly began winning the weekly tournaments. Games were set up similarly to pickup basketball -- winner stayed, loser took a walk. Murray would sit at his little elementary school desk and dismiss his opponents one by one.

"I took pride in it, for sure, just because I take pride in everything I do," Murray said.

"Most athletes probably aren't going to be that good at chess, so we were coming in, beating the guys that you would call -- I don't call them nerds, but the guys that are supposed to be smarter than us. So it was kind of funny to see us go to the chess club and run it."

Murray also knew how to keep his composure during a match. He never walked away from a game -- a rarity for elementary school players, according to Staten -- or swept the board clean of the pieces in frustration.

Staten also remembered that Murray was never one to talk smack or gloat about his wins.

"I don't remember him ever hurting someone's feelings," Staten said. "They would lose to him, but they still came away feeling good about it. ... He was very kind to his opponents, treated them with respect, fairness."

Turns out, Murray bottled up his trash talk for his friendly rival, Benson. The two were elite local athletes and damn good at chess too, so Murray had plenty of fodder for Thursday afternoons when they sat down across from each other at the chessboard.

"It was friendly, but he always bragged, just like I would if I beat him," Benson said.

Every year, the club held tournaments for each grade level: single-elimination affairs with seeding to ensure that the best players wouldn't face one another in the early rounds. In fourth grade, his first year playing, Murray was victorious. In fifth grade, he coasted through the tournament and found Benson awaiting him in the final. He dispatched his friend as well, becoming the Degan Elementary chess champion, a title he still holds over Benson's head.

"He was always thinking four or five moves ahead," Benson said. "So you kind of want to stay ahead of him. He also had a good poker face, so don't let him bluff you.

"He was a hell of a chess player."

The duo, two of Lewisville's best athletes, continued to play until seventh grade, crisscrossing their neighborhood for quick games at each other's house. The way Benson remembers it, he and Murray traded wins back and forth.

Murray doesn't quite recall it that way.

"Nah, nah, nah," Murray said with a laugh. "I used to beat his ass."

Sitting on a padded folding chair at his locker inside the Cardinals' practice facility after a recent practice, Murray was momentarily stressed. He couldn't find his phone. He dug through his locker and checked his shorts pockets. Nothing.

His phone, as it is for many 22-year-olds, is a cornerstone of his world. He sits in front of the same locker after most practices with his head buried in his iPhone, scrolling through Instagram, watching videos or texting. Sometimes he'll put in his AirPods and get on a call, taking a few minutes to block out everything around him and decompress.

On this day, he didn't have a chance to give his phone the obligatory once-over after practice. As he sat down in his black sweatpants and black practice jersey to talk, it was clear his days of elementary school chess tournaments were long over.

But he still plays chess -- Chess With Friends, that is -- usually against strangers over the course of a week or two per game.

If his online competitors paid close enough attention, they could probably figure out they were facing an NFL star in the making.

"My name is kind of obvious, but I don't think they would even put it together that I was playing," Murray said.

So, what is it?

"I don't know if I can put that one out there," he said with a laugh.

Most teammates, coaches and even close friends -- from former Oklahoma teammate Baker Mayfield to current Murray target Christian Kirk -- don't put it together either. But they aren't surprised to learn the quarterback is a chess whiz.

"Honestly, he's a competitive kid, so I'm not surprised," said Los Angeles Rams rookie tackle Bobby Evans, who played with Murray in high school and at Oklahoma. "He's a quarterback, so he's got to know everything on the field, and basically I guess the chessboard can be his field."

Keeping the hobby to himself is just how Murray rolls these days.

But that's just how he is. He's naturally quiet -- always has been, dating back to his grade school years. Despite being the first pick in the draft, the quarterback and the face of a franchise, he understands his place in a locker room and on a team. But as Murray has emerged from his shell, especially when it comes to football -- and specifically this offense, which he has run since eighth grade -- everyone listens.

Murray isn't usually the one to initiate conversations but won't shy away if someone else does. He tends to stick with the other young players on the team, doing things young, rich men do, like play lots of video games.

For the most part, he's liked around the Cardinals' locker room. But there are a good number of players who just don't know him well enough to cast judgment one way or the other.

Murray didn't always keep his life to himself. He used to bring up his fourth- and fifth-grade chess championships as icebreakers in classes on the first day of high school, said Ryan Hoogerwerf, who was Murray's backup at Allen High School for two seasons.

"It's one of those things that I think he takes a lot of pride in," Hoogerwerf said. "It's funny because you just don't think of that. It's against the 'jock' stigma, but he enjoys it."

Ever the unconventional strategist, Murray typically uses the same opener: He'll move the pawn that's in front of his king two spaces. It doesn't matter whether he's going first or second. If he's feeling out his opponent, he might move one space. If he wants to throw a rare curveball, he'll move one of his knights.

He says he can tell by his opponents' first moves whether they're good or bad. But Murray can't remember a time when he was bad at chess.

"I think just because of how I was born with the feel of just how to see things before they happen, I guess," Murray said, "which applies to a lot of things."

Including -- and especially -- football.

Murray is "so boom, boom, boom with his reads," Kirk said. "He can go faster, so you can see the way his brain processes. He just picks up on things faster.

"When the ball's snapped and it's all happening, he can just process it faster."

"I can see him benefiting from the 'several moves ahead' aspect of chess," said Sam Carpenter, Murray's travel baseball coach in high school. "As he began to understand the game [of baseball], he began to anticipate. His quickness and speed made it particularly easy for him once he realized what he could do."

Spatial awareness, says Sam Shankland, an American grandmaster and 2018 U.S. Chess Championship winner, is a top requirement for success on the chessboard. Murray felt his spatial awareness begin developing in middle school, and it has continued to grow at every level, including now in the NFL.

"Obviously, in football you can study somebody, but at the same time, once you get out there, I think there's just a natural kind of feel for where you think guys might be or where they're going to go and knowing beforehand what's going to happen," Murray said. "It's just like chess."

Because of his size, Murray has often had to play more unconventionally and aggressively. That type of aggressiveness was apparent to Shankland when he watched video of Murray from earlier this season.

"It's interesting: He's clearly a guy that takes a lot of risks, which is something that you would say is pretty common among chess players because we've always believed that just because something is risky does not mean you should not do it if it's the best decision," Shankland said. "Just seeing him play, it doesn't surprise me he's a chess player."

Through half a season of his young NFL career, Murray hasn't had much luck finding teammates to duel.

So far, just one: Charles Kanoff, the former Cardinals practice squad quarterback who's now in the same role with Tampa Bay.

Murray challenged Kanoff to a game after seeing him play on his phone one day in the locker room. In breaks during quarterback meetings, the two would knock out a few moves each, with Murray occasionally declaring victory several moves before checkmate.

"He will go for crazy moves," Kanoff said. "He's confident, aggressive, tries to go for sacrifices. I guess that's somewhat unconventional. ... He'll go for a crazy checkmate that you never see. Like it's a whole plot."

It's all part of Murray's plan to be good at everything. He takes chances. He takes risks. All to be good.

"I never wanted to be mediocre at anything," he said. "I was never taught to lose or take losing. I obviously understand how to lose but always want to win."

CHICAGO -- Exactly one year after his career-best, 50-point Halloween explosion in Minnesota, former Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose entered the United Center for Thursday's practice as a member of the Detroit Pistons.

Before hitting the court, he made time to visit the media room for a quick chat with his autobiographer, Sam Smith, then took the court in red, white and blue team gear ahead of Friday's game.

At 31 years old, the NBA's youngest MVP in history says he's back being happy with the game of basketball in Motown.

"I was going through a lot, I was going through injuries, I was dealing with things off the court," said Rose, who reached a two-year, $15 million deal with Detroit this offseason. "It was a lot of circumstances that I was put in and I had to weave through to find the place that I'm in right now, which is what you see the happiness."

In his 2016-17 season with the New York Knicks, Rose was accused of rape in a civil lawsuit, a claim a jury dismissed. That same season, he went missing from the Knicks with a family issue and had a fourth knee surgery. A year later with the Cavaliers, his season was curtailed by ankle injuries, and in 2018-19, he was sidelined by ankle and elbow injuries during a stint with the Timberwolves.

"I've got my family now, I've got three kids, I'm happy with where I'm at right now, the destination I'm at right now and I'm just trying to take everything in and learn every day and be appreciative of where I'm at," he said.

In comparing Rose's stats from his first five games of each season, his 20.4 PPG this season ranks second to only his per-game average to open his 2010-11 MVP campaign, per ESPN Stats & Information research. His 6.2 assists rank third, and his 55 percent field goal percentage and 94.4 percent free throw percentage rank first.

Part of his success is attributed to being healthy. He's also thriving against second units where he gets more open shots. Pistons coach Dwane Casey said it's very difficult to keep him on a minutes restriction -- under 28 per game -- when he's playing so well because of his dynamic talent. But it's certainly necessary to get the most out of his ability, particularly later in the season.

"Our team changes when he's on the floor," Casey said. "We're faster, we're tougher, we're more physical. But there's still only a limited amount of time we can keep him out there so we have to be very disciplined."

Another Chicago legend, Pistons great Isiah Thomas, was there to welcome Rose during Detroit's training camp at Michigan State University before his official debut. Thomas was personally invited by Casey and Pistons vice chairman Arn Tellem and was there to offer advice as Rose enters this new chapter of his career, primarily as a high-scoring reserve.

Thomas also attended Detroit's home game Monday against Indiana in which Rose's go-ahead bucket lifted the Pistons past the Pacers 96-94, and will likely be around more, as the team recently announced an official partnership with his Cheurlin Champagne company.

"We just hadn't seen an athletic guard like that with that type of motor, that type of dog, so all of us were excited to watch him, proud of his career, especially when he got to the NBA," Thomas, a two-time NBA champion with Detroit, told ESPN. "And then going to the Bulls, he was living everybody's dream because all of us wanted to play for the hometown, to play in Chicago, get drafted and wear the Bulls uniform. So every time Derrick Rose ran out of the tunnel, I always imagined that he's truly living our dream because that's what he wanted to do. Now that he's here in Detroit, I'm really happy for him.

"I told everybody that Detroit's gonna love him and he's gonna love Detroit."

After constantly being compared to Thomas growing up on Chicago's South Side, Rose sees it as an honor to try to carry on that winning tradition within the organization as someone from the same city. So far, he hasn't had to fall back on Thomas too much, but the NBA Hall of Famer is certainly keeping an eye out on his progress and is there if necessary.

"It's going to be time for that," Rose told ESPN. "I mean, we talk for sure, we communicate, but it's going to be a time and a place for all that but he doesn't have to say much to me. He's the first guy to beat Jordan in his prime, the only guy, to beat him in his prime, prime as a point guard so it means a lot. It shows how much of a leader and how competitive he was.

"I didn't win a championship yet but that's where I'm trying to get to," Rose said. "Being here, I'm going to get as much knowledge from him as possible and see if I can help build here."

Rose's inner circle remains small these days, but his high school coach, Robert Smith of Chicago Simeon Career Academy, is among those who remain in touch regularly.

With Rose off to a good start, his name is back buzzing in Chicago, notably at the barbershops and with the young kids next in line to pursue their professional basketball dreams.

However, Smith sees something different when he looks at Rose nowadays: happiness.

"He's a different dude. He's got his family, his kids and his lady. He don't need all of that extra stuff and I think him having those kids -- it kind of slows you down as a man," Smith said. "As a young kid, fresh out of college after one year and you run into all this money as a kid who never had nothing, you're going to make a whole bunch of mistakes because you're not used to everybody clinging to you and wanting you. But now that he's got his kids and family, you can tell he's different.

"He's a grown man now. Before he was a kid. Now he's grown man with responsibilities," he added. "He grew up to be a man and that's also helping him out a lot, too."

The 76ers' Joel Embiid and the Timberwolves' Karl-Anthony Towns each received a two-game suspension for their roles in an altercation in their game in Philadelphia on Wednesday night.

The suspensions, announced Thursday by league vice president Kiki VanDeWeghe, also noted the players' "continued escalation following the incident."

Embiid and Towns became tangled in the third quarter of the Sixers' 117-95 victory and wrestled each other to the floor before coaches and teammates separated them. Towns initially threw a punch that didn't land on Embiid, who later poked Towns in the eye with his thumb.

The 76ers' Ben Simmons was not disciplined for his role in the skirmish.

At the bottom of the scrum, Simmons at one point had his forearm around Towns' throat as he forcefully held his opponent down. The officials deemed Simmons a "peacemaker" who was trying to break up the fight. The Timberwolves disputed that characterization, league sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Embiid reveled in the skirmish on his way off the court, shadow boxing and pumping his arms to the frenzied Sixers fans before disappearing into the tunnel.

Embiid and Towns also exchanged barbs on social media late into the night, including some coarse language.

Embiid will begin serving his suspension Saturday, when the 76ers visit the Portland Trail Blazers. Towns' suspension will also begin Saturday, when the Wolves visit the Washington Wizards.

Timberwolves president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas issued a statement saying, "While we are disappointed with the league's decision, we understand the magnitude of this unfortunate incident. The NBA is highly competitive, and last night was a reflection of that. We support Karl and will move forward together as a group."

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski contributed to this report.

This year's World Series between the Washington Nationals and Houston Astros went seven games but finished as the third-least viewed.

The Series averaged 13.91 million viewers, Nielsen said Thursday, down 1.3% from 14.1 million last year for Boston's five-game victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers. The first title in the 51-year history of the Nationals-Montreal Expos franchise averaged an 8.1 rating and 16 share.

The lowest-rated Series remains 2012, when San Francisco's sweep of Detroit averaged a 7.6 rating and 12.64 million viewers. Philadelphia's five-game win over Tampa Bay in 2008 averaged 13.19 million.

The Nationals' 6-2 victory in Game 7 on Wednesday night averaged 23,013,000 viewers according to Nielsen. That's down 18.5% from the 28.42 million average for the 2017 Game 7 between the Astros and Los Angeles Dodgers.

Wednesday's viewership peaked at 27.1 million during the final inning (11-11:15 p.m. EDT).

Those viewership numbers are on par with the 23.52 million that watched San Francisco's Game 7 victory over Kansas City in 2014.

Fox said postseason games on Fox and FS1 averaged 7.84 million, a 12% increase from last year. Fox and FS1 had the American League Division and Championship Series, which has been the more-viewed of the two leagues in recent years.

Seven athletes join the UK Athletics Athletes’ Commission for a two-year term

British pole vault record-holder Holly Bradshaw and two-time Paralympic sprint gold medallist Richard Whitehead are among seven athletes to have been appointed to the UK Athletics Athletes’ Commission.

They will be joined by decathlete Ashley Bryant, discus thrower Dan Greaves, 3000m and cross country runner Andy Heyes, club thrower Stephen Miller and triple jumper Naomi Ogbeta in serving an initial two-year term on the commission.

Existing members include chair Hannah England, vice chairs John Pares and Richard Yates, Abdul Buhari and Vanessa Wallace, with the commission’s aim being “to promote a healthy and productive relationship between the athletes the commission represents and the national governing body”.

“We are delighted to welcome the new members on to the UKA Athlete’s Commission,” said England.

“They bring with them a wealth of international experience and a broad perspective that will help us effectively represent our internationally competing athletes.

“We had 16 fantastic candidates for these positions, and we would like to thank all those that nominated themselves and those who took the opportunity to vote.

“We would also like to thank Robbie Britton, Tom Bosworth, Jamie Bowie, Dai Greene, and Goldie Sayers for their contributions over the last two years.”

Winnipeg Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff said absent defenseman Dustin Byfuglien has had ankle surgery and the team was not "directly involved" in the decision.

The Jets also announced that forward Mark Letestu will be out at least six months because of myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle.

Cheveldayoff declined to discuss the team's relationship with Byfulgien other than to call it "complicated." He did not say whether Byfuglien might return to the team this season. The 34-year-old player was suspended without pay after failing to report to training camp in September, and there was talk that he may retire. Byfuglien had been granted a leave by the team for personal reasons.

The team said that the long-term health of the 34-year-old Letestu is not in question. The myocarditis is usually the result of a viral infection.

Letestu signed a one-year, $700,000 contract with Winnipeg this summer and had appeared in seven games with no points.

Cheveldayoff spoke Thursday in San Jose, California, a day after it was reported Byfuglien had surgery for a high ankle sprain last week in his native Minnesota.

Cheveldayoff wouldn't say whether there was a difference of opinion between the team and Byfuglien's camp on what kind of procedure was required stemming from the injury late last season.

The Jets blue line was decimated in the offseason. Tyler Myers, Jacob Trouba and Ben Chiarot all left as free agents before Byfuglien didn't show.

The Jets, who are trying to stay above water at 6-7, play the San Jose Sharks on Friday, but they will be without star winger Patrik Laine (lower-body injury).

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

SOUTHAMPTON, Bermuda – Scottie Scheffler closed with a bogey for a 9-under 62 and a one-stroke lead Thursday after the first round of the PGA Tour's inaugural Bermuda Championship.

Scheffler played his opening nine at Port Royal Golf Club in 6-under 29, making an eagle on the par-5 17th. He added birdies on Nos. 2, 4, 6 and 7 before dropping the stroke on the par-4 ninth.

The 23-year-old former University of Texas player won twice last year on the Korn Ferry Tour and earned fully exempt PGA Tour status by leading the Korn Ferry's combined points list for the regular season and finals. He tied for seventh in September at The Greenbrier in his first start of the season and made the cuts in his other three events.

Wes Roach was second. He eagled the par-5 seventh, but also finished with a bogey on No. 9.

Rob Oppenheim, Bo Hoag and Russell Knox shot 64. Oppenheim birdied seven of the first eight holes, then parred the final 10.

John Senden opened with a 65.

Lanto Griffin, making his first start since winning the Houston Open three weeks ago, shot 71.

Arsenal's Granit Xhaka released a statement on his Instagram page explaining his behaviour after being substituted in the Gunners' draw with Crystal Palace on Sunday.

Xhaka taunted Arsenal fans and removed his shirt when storming off the pitch after he was substituted and appeared to swear at his team's own supporters, as well as waving his arms taunting supporters to jeer louder and cupping his ear.

The Switzerland international said his actions were caused in part by what he perceived to be harsh treatment from the club's fans on social media and during matches and that it boiled over on Sunday at the Emirates.

Xhaka wrote: "The scenes that took place around my substitution have moved me deeply. I love this club and will always give 100% on and off the pitch.

"My feeling of not being understood by fans, and repeated abusive comments at matches and in social media over the last weeks and months have hurt me deeply.

The following is a message from Granit Xhaka... pic.twitter.com/YG5lBKmQvi

— Arsenal (@Arsenal) October 31, 2019

"People have said things like 'We will break your legs,' 'Kill your wife' and 'Wish that your daughter gets cancer.' That has stirred me up and I reached boiling point when I felt the rejection in the stadium on Sunday."

Xhaka was absent as planned from Arsenal's shootout loss to Liverpool in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday, with Hector Bellerin wearing the captain's armband as the Gunners exited the competition in the round of 16.

Following the incident on Sunday, Emery said Xhaka was devastated about the row and hailed his commitment to the club in training and in games.

"It's not easy for him and for the team," Emery said in a news conference on Tuesday. "He is now devastated, sad.

"He trained normally with the group but he is devastated. He is sad about that situation.

"His commitment is great every time. He wants to help. His behaviour was perfect in training, with the group and club.

"Really he knows he was wrong."

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- Upset with his lack of involvement last Sunday, New York Jets running back Le'Veon Bell texted coach Adam Gase after the game and later vented his frustrations in a conversation with the coach.

Bell shared his feelings in his Thursday media session, saying he and Gase are "fine" and that he expects to have more touches Sunday against the Miami Dolphins. He had only nine carries and three catches in this past Sunday's 29-15 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

This comes in a turmoil-filled week for the Jets (1-6), whose star safety -- Jamal Adams -- accused general manager Joe Douglas for going "behind my back" and shopping him in trade talks.

Unlike Adams, who ripped Douglas on social media, Bell didn't make any impulsive comments. He said he avoided reporters after the game because he was afraid his anger would result in an unwanted headline.

"Yeah, I was frustrated, so I didn't want to be in front of the media that everybody could run with," Bell said. "I was frustrated. We lost the game and I didn't feel like I was involved. Plus, I feel like that was a game we kind of let go. I didn't want to say anything I would regret because I was angry at the time."

Stuck behind an inconsistent offensive line, Bell is averaging a career-low 3.2 yards per carry -- 349 yards on 109 rushes, with only one touchdown.

Despite the lack of production, and the losing, Bell has remained positive. This was the first time he showed any degree of frustration.

"I expressed the way I felt to coach Gase and things like that," he said. "We had good little talk. I want to be one of the main reasons for helping the team win. I don't like not being used and we end up losing the game. I felt like I couldn't help my team out.

"So we had that conversation. Hopefully, things are better from here on out. Obviously, I want to help my team win. That's why I came here in the first place. I want to be involved and I want to help the team win games.

"I'm not upset at all if I'm not touching the ball and we're winning, but we haven't been winning and I haven't been able to help. That's why I had to express a little bit, but we'll be fine."

Bell said they have "a better game plan for me to get more involved this week, so it should be fun."

The Dolphins (0-7) have the 31st-ranked run defense, yielding 160 yards per game. If Bell can't get untracked against them, it will be an ominous sign. Gase, presiding over the league's 32nd-ranked offense, acknowledged that he under-utilized Bell in Jacksonville.

"Last week was bad," Gase said. "That was on me."

The Jets signed Bell to a four-year, $52.5 million contract, expecting him to be the centerpiece of their offense. But it hasn't worked out that way, as they have scored more than 16 points in only one game.

Bell said he doesn't regret his decision to sign with the Jets, adding that he embraces the process of turning it around. He also said he wasn't offended that his name came up in trade talks. The Jets didn't shop Bell, Douglas said, but he received interest from other teams.

"Obviously, things aren't sunny and roses right now, but it will get better," Bell said. "When it does, it will feel that much better. ... Once we put it all together, I feel like this team will be scary."

Wide receiver Josh Gordon is being released off injured reserve by the New England Patriots on Thursday, a source told ESPN's Josina Anderson.

Gordon had been playing through a left knee injury and was knocked out of the team's Oct. 10 win over the New York Giants when he injured the knee while attempting to make a tackle after a Patriots fumble.

The Patriots used the minor designation for his placement on injured reserve, signifying a lesser injury. That meant the team had to release him upon his return to health.

Gordon will be subject to waivers and other teams can put in a claim for him.

Through six games, Gordon totaled 20 catches for 287 yards and one touchdown.

In December, Gordon was suspended indefinitely for violating the terms of his conditional reinstatement under the NFL's drug policy. His suspension was lifted in August by commissioner Roger Goodell.