NFL Notes: Johnny Manziel, Chargers, Steelers & Texans

Johnny Manziel

Jeffrey Orridge, the commissioner of the Canadian Football League, tells ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert that they would welcome QB Johnny Manziel to their league.

“We try not to speculate on situations like that,” Orridge said. “And I really can’t speculate too much on hypotheticals. But I can tell you that what’s paramount to us is ensuring the success of an athlete, while at the same time preserving and promoting the integrity of the league and the game.

“I rely primarily on the assessment of the team,” Orridge said. “It is their charge to evaluate the talent and to bring that talent forward. To be candid, if there is a situation that we believe warrants additional input, we certainly want to provide that to the team. We’re obviously charged with making sure that the integrity of the league and the integrity of our brand is perpetuated.”

For what it’s worth, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats hold Manziel’s negotiation rights.

Chargers

An NFL GM tells Mike Silver of NFL Media that if offsets and bonus deferral were so important to the Chargers, they could have placed pre-draft call to Joey Bosa’s agents to ensure that they would be open to this.

“The Chargers essentially had first pick in draft since the two quarterbacks were going first,” the GM told Silver. “Could have made sure Bosa would accept terms.”

Steelers

According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, NFL teams are wondering if the leaks regarding Brandon Boykin and Keenan Lewis‘ injuries could make players think twice about trusting their medical information to the Steelers.

“The people that play this game want to know if someone is injured,” one league source told Florio. “If they are true competitors they are going to try and exploit that injury.”

Texans

• Ian Rapoport reports that Texans DE J.J. Watt expects to return to practice next week, as he’s doing well in his return from back surgery.
• However, a Texans’ source tells Ed Werder that Watt is not expected to practice next week and status for season-opener remains uncertain.