The New England Patriots traded standout linebacker Jamie Collins to the Cleveland Browns on Monday for a conditional third-round pick.
Collins, 27, was a 2015 Pro Bowler and will be a free agent after the season. He is expected to command a large salary for next season.
Collins played in seven games this season and started six of them. He played in only 48 of 70 defensive snaps against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. For the season, he has 43 tackles with one sack and two interceptions in seven games. He missed Week 6 against the Cincinnati Bengals due to a hip injury.
The outside linebacker spot has been thin in Cleveland since Nate Orchard went on injured reserve early in the season. The Browns are tied for 21st in the NFL with 14 sacks in eight games.
--Dallas Cowboys rookie quarterback Dak Prescott will remain the starter for Sunday's game in Cleveland against the Browns.
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Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones told reporters that Tony Romo is not ready for game action. Romo returned to practice last week on a limited basis after suffering a compression fracture in his back during the team's third preseason game on Aug. 25.
Jones was asked whether he or head coach Jason Garrett will eventually make the call on the Prescott-Romo decision for the rest of the season.
"It will be a combined call, but the No. 1 issue is Tony's health," Jones said.
--Veteran wide receiver Andre Johnson informed the Tennessee Titans he is retiring from theNFL after 14 seasons.
The 35-year-old Johnson joined the Titans on July 30 and played in eight games for the team this season, making nine catches for 85 yards and two touchdowns. He scored the game-winning touchdown in the 16-15 win over the Detroit Lions in Week 2.
Johnson, a seven-time Pro Bowl player with the Houston Texans, had a backup role this season. He had not made a catch since Week 5 against the Miami Dolphins.
--The Arizona Cardinals absorbed a pair of huge injuries in Sunday's loss at Carolina, losing safety Tyrann Mathieu for three to six weeks and starting left tackle Jared Veldheer for the rest of the season.
Mathieu, one of the team's top playmakers on defense, suffered a shoulder subluxation that will not require surgery, according to coach Bruce Arians.
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The news was worse for Veldheer, who will require season-ending surgery for a torn triceps and will be placed on injured reserve.
Cardinals tight end Ifeanyi Momah was among the casualties Sunday, sustaining a broken wrist, while star wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald is nursing a low ankle sprain.
--Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Wade Phillips was back at work after a trip to the hospital from a sideline collision.
Phillips, 69, was taken off the sidelines on a stretcher Sunday after being hit by a San Diego Chargers player in the Broncos' 27-19 victory.
"He was sitting in the back of the meeting just now, got a big smile on his face,'' Broncos coach Gary Kubiak told reporters. "He's sore, but he's back at it. I'm trying to get him to go home and rest a little bit. ... He's good, he's himself.''
