NFL: Cardinals center A.Q. Shipley tears ACL, rookie Mason Cole replaces him

The Arizona Cardinals have lost starting center A.Q. Shipley for the season with a torn right ACL and will replace him with rookie Mason Cole.

Coach Steve Wilks confirmed the injury Monday, saying the center “heard something pop” in his knee during a goal-line drill in training camp on Saturday.

Shipley, a six-year NFL veteran, started all 16 games each of the past two seasons, the only member of the Cardinals offensive line to play every game either year. Wilks called him “a tremendous leader and hard worker.”

Shipley signed with Arizona as a free agent in 2015, working his way to a starting role after bouncing around the NFL early in his career.

Cole is a third-round draft pick out of Michigan, where he was a four-year starter but only one — his junior year — was at center.

McCarthy: Packers’ left tackle Bakhtiari’s injury not ‘long term’

Green Bay Packers left tackle David Bakhtiari has apparently avoided a serious injury.

Bakhtiari was hurt during the Family Night practice on Saturday at Lambeau Field. He walked to a cart with his left shoe removed before being driven back to the locker room.

Coach Mike McCarthy said before practice Monday that Bakhtiari’s injury is “not of the long-term nature.” Bakhtiari will be evaluated as he goes through rehab.

Bakhtiari is one of the team’s most important offensive players as quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ reliable blind-side protector.

Starting right tackle Bryan Bulaga just returned to practice on a limited basis following a right ACL injury that knocked him out at midseason last year.

Green Bay has placed inside linebacker Jake Ryan on injured reserve. One of the team’s best run-stoppers suffered a significant right knee injury in practice last week.

The Packers play their first preseason game on Thursday at home against Tennessee.

Patriots release receiver Malcolm Mitchell

The New England Patriots have released receiver Malcolm Mitchell.

The 2016 fourth-round draft pick played in 14 regular-season games as a rookie, catching 32 passes for 401 yards and four touchdowns. He caught six passes for 70 yards in the Super Bowl victory over Atlanta — five of them in the fourth quarter as the Patriots rallied from a 25-point deficit to force overtime.

But Mitchell, 25, spent all of last season on injured reserve.

He was released three days after the Patriots signed receiver Eric Decker as a free agent.

Falcons agree to three-year extension with safety Ricardo Allen

The Atlanta Falcons have agreed to a three-year contract extension with safety Ricardo Allen, who could have become an unrestricted free agent in 2019.

Allen has a combined six interceptions the last three seasons. He had 54 tackles and one interception last season.

The agreement with Allen continues general manager Thomas Dimitroff’s promise to reach extensions with key starters before they can become free agents. The Falcons agreed to a five-year, $75 million extension with left tackle Jake Matthews on July 27. Dimitroff also hopes to reach a new deal with defensive tackle Grady Jarrett.

Allen, a fifth-round pick from Purdue in 2014, began his career as a cornerback on the Falcons’ practice squad. He switched to safety in 2015, coach Dan Quinn’s first season.

Details of the agreement with Allen were not immediately available.

Former NFL executive Tom Heckert dies at 51

The Denver Broncos say former executive Tom Heckert has died at 51 following a long illness.

Heckert spent five years in the Broncos’ player personnel department and 27 years in the NFL.

Heckert also had stints as general manager of the Cleveland Browns and Philadelphia Eagles.

Heckert stepped away from the Broncos after last season after being diagnosed in recent years with a disease that causes a buildup of amyloid proteins in the heart, kidney, liver and other organs. He died Sunday night.