NFL-National Football League roundup

Aug 18 (The Sports Xchange) - Wide receiver Jordy Nelson was cleared to return to practice and removed from the physically unable to perform list, but that's no guarantee the top target for quarterback Aaron Rodgers will be on the field with the Green Bay Packers for preseason games. Nelson passed his physical Wednesday but is not likely to play Thursday when the Packers host the Oakland Raiders. Nelson could play in the third preseason game, which is typically a dress rehearsal of sorts for starters, against the San Francisco 49ers on Aug. 26 but is not likely to take the field against the Chiefs in the preseason finale Sept. 1. Nelson said two weeks ago that his target date is Sept. 11, when the Packers start the regular season against the Jacksonville Jaguars. -- Case Keenum holds a considerable edge over rookie No. 1 pick Jared Goff in the ongoing quarterback competition with the Los Angeles Rams. "Case is still clearly ahead," Rams head coach Jeff Fisher said. "Jared's getting better." Goff is unlikely to play with the first team this week and left the preseason opener early after taking a hit on his shoulder. Keenum could widen his advantage and start the "Monday Night Football" on Sept. 12, when the Rams play the 49ers. Goff would be the first No. 1 pick of the past six taken in that spot not to start the regular-season opener at quarterback. -- The Pro Football Hall of Fame plans to refund ticket costs and some additional expenses incurred by fans who attended the canceled Hall of Fame Game earlier this month. Official ticketholders are eligible for a complete refund of the cost of each ticket, handling and processing fees, and some approved reservation fees as well as one night hotel accommodations, subject to full approval and review. The game between the Green Bay Packers and Indianapolis Colts was canceled hours before scheduled kickoff because of poor field conditions. -- Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison and Green Bay Packers linebackers Clay Matthews and Julius Peppers, all implicated in a report by Al-Jazeera, agreed to meet with the NFL regarding allegations they used performance-enhancing drugs. ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported that Mike Neal, an unrestricted free agent who last played for the Packers, had not agreed to a formal meeting with the NFL. -- The Buffalo Bills confirmed that linebacker Manny Lawson is the subject of a league investigation regarding a possible violation of the NFL's personal conduct policy. The team released a statement two days after the Buffalo News reported that Lawson is being investigated by the league. Lawson on Wednesday told reporters that he was "shocked" to learn of the probe. -- Unproven Trevor Siemian will draw the start at quarterback when the Denver Broncos visit the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday. Mark Sanchez, who started the preseason opener, will be the No. 2 signal caller against San Francisco. Siemian, 24, was a seventh-round pick out of Northwestern in the 2015 NFL draft and has never thrown a pass in a regular-season contest. He went 7-of-12 for 88 yards in the preseason opener against the Chicago Bears. -- San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick will miss his second straight preseason game when the 49ers visit the Denver Broncos on Saturday. Kaepernick has been battling shoulder soreness and coach Chip Kelly said he will proceed cautiously. "We don't want to throw him back out there and then have a setback right now," Kelly said after Thursday's joint practice session with the Broncos. "From what we understand it's not a long-term thing, it's about just getting him back into it." -- Darren Sharper was sentenced to 18 years in prison as part of a plea agreement in which he took responsibility for drugging and raping women in four states. The former NFL safety of the Green Bay Packers, New Orleans Saints and Minnesota Vikings apologized in court for "heinous decisions" that led to sexually assaulting nine women. U.S. District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo accepted a revised arrangement in March. She had previously rejected a nine-year proposal related to the same charges. -- Miami Dolphins second-round pick Xavien Howard was cleared to return and activated from the physically unable to perform list on Thursday. Howard, a second-round pick (38th overall) in the 2016 NFL Draft, was expected to compete for a starting job. However he's not likely to see much, if any, playing time on Friday at Dallas in the Dolphins' second preseason game this summer. -- A new era begins immediately in Orchard Park, N.Y., with the Buffalo Bills selling naming rights to Ralph Wilson Stadium. New Era, a New York-based hat and apparel company and longtime NFL partner, purchased naming rights effective immediately for the home stadium of the Bills, which will now be known as New Era Field. Terms of the seven-year deal were not disclosed. (Editing by Larry Fine) ))