NFL notebook: 49ers release Foster

Following the latest in a series of issues, inside linebacker Reuben Foster was released by the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday morning. On Saturday night, Foster was arrested in Tampa, Fla., on first-degree misdemeanor domestic violence at the Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay. The 49ers were in Tampa to play the Buccaneers Sunday afternoon. The team issued an announcement that it cut ties with the 24-year-old former first-round pick 3:50 a.m. (ET) Sunday without detail, saying "The San Francisco 49ers today announced they are releasing Reuben Foster." The Sports Xchange confirmed through a custody report from the Hillsborough County Sheriff's office that Foster was arrested at 9:10 p.m. ET on Saturday and booked into Hillsborough County jail at 11:11 p.m. He was released on bail shortly after 6 a.m. Sunday. "It's extremely disappointing for me, for Kyle (Shanahan), for ownership, for everybody in here," 49ers general manager John Lynch told reporters Sunday. "We care a lot about Reuben and I can tell you it's a situation where we laid out some very specific ground rules for Reuben, as we do for all our players." --Los Angeles Chargers running back Melvin Gordon not only appeared in Sunday's 45-10 victory over the Arizona Cardinals, he played a starring roll. Gordon rushed for 61 yards with two touchdowns on 10 carries despite being limited in the team's last two practices. Gordon was dealing with knee and hamstring injuries as the Chargers rebounded from last Sunday's 23-22 setback to the Denver Broncos. "Most starting runners this time of year are sore or something's wrong," Los Angeles head coach Anthony Lynn said, via ESPN.com. "So we'll have to decide if it's worth holding him back or just letting him go." A hamstring injury caused Gordon to sit out a matchup against the Tennessee Titans on Oct. 21, but he has at least 16 carries in each of the subsequent three games. Gordon is a critical cog in the offense for the Chargers, who had a six-game winning streak snapped last week. The 6-foot-1, 215-pound Gordon has rushed for 803 yards and nine touchdowns, and added 42 catches for four more scores. --Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton suffered a thumb injury during Sunday's 35-20 loss to the Cleveland Browns. Dalton was injured on the Bengals' first drive in the third quarter when Billy Price's snap sailed over his head. Dalton got tangled up with Cleveland lineman Emannuel Ogbah trying to recover the fumble. He left the game and did not return. Jeff Driskel replaced Dalton, who was 10 of 17 for 100 yards and one touchdown and one interception. Ogbah recovered the ball and two plays later, Baker Mayfield threw his fourth touchdown of the game to give the Browns a 35-7 lead. --Cleveland Browns safety Damarious Randall had a present for his former coach during Sunday's 35-20 victory at Cincinnati. Randall intercepted Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton in the second quarter with the Browns leading 21-0. The 26-year-old Randall raced out of bounds and handed the ball to Hue Jackson, who initially accepted the gift and patted his former player on the helmet before dropping the ball to the ground. Jackson was fired by the Browns last month after spending two-plus seasons as their coach, posting a 3-36-1 mark. The 53-year-old was hired by the Bengals as a special assistant. --Bruce Arians reiterated that there is only one NFL coaching job that he'd consider as a reason to return to the sideline. "I would listen to the Browns and only them," Arians said, via Ian Rapoport of NFL Media. "... I've always loved Cleveland. The fans, shoot, one of the best groups in the league and when I called their game this past year, I got that feeling about them." Arians said that he'd have Freddie Kitchens serve as offensive coordinator and consider keeping interim head coach Gregg Williams as the defensive coordinator. Kitchens was on Arians' staff in Arizona for his entire run as the Cardinals coach. --The season officially ended for Green Bay outside linebacker Nick Perry on Saturday when the Packers placed him on injured reserve. The Packers elevated defensive lineman James Looney, a seventh-round draft pick from California, from the practice squad to take Perry's place on the roster for Sunday night's game against the Minnesota Vikings. The 28-year-old Perry sustained a right knee injury late in the first half of a Nov. 11 game against the Miami Dolphins. Perry's knee was hit by Dolphins running back Frank Gore while he was rushing the passer and bent awkwardly. The oft-injured Perry has now finished the year on IR three times in seven NFL seasons. He had missed training camp this year while recovering from offseason ankle injury.