News briefs: Vikes put Rice on PUP list for at least six games
CBSSports.com wire reports
EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Sidney Rice will be ineligible to play in the first six games of the regular season.
Rice was placed on the reserve physically unable to perform list Tuesday, the NFL's deadline for reducing rosters to 75 players. Players on reserve don't count toward the active total.
Rice had hip surgery last week and is expected to need at least two months of recovery, so the move was not a surprise. After Minnesota's sixth game, at Green Bay on Oct. 24, the team will have three more weeks to decide whether to activate Rice or end his season by putting him on injured reserve.
The Vikings also waived wide receiver Marko Mitchell and offensive tackle Bill Noethlich and placed linebacker J Leman on injured reserve, after he cleared waivers, to get to the 75-man limit. Noethlich played at Southwest Minnesota State.
The big cutdown comes Saturday, when rosters must trimmed to 53 players. And Rice's injury has further complicated some difficult decisions for the weekend.
After he had the procedure in Vail, Colo., the Vikings signed one wide receiver in Javon Walker and traded for another in Greg Camarillo. But the extra depth at that position cost them at another, with cornerback Benny Sapp being sent to Miami in the deal. Full Story
Bills RB Lynch cleared for preseason finale
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Buffalo's running back corps is getting healthier with Marshawn Lynch set to play in the Bills' preseason finale against the Detroit Lions on Thursday.
Coach Chan Gailey said Lynch looked good in returning to practice Tuesday for the first time since hurting his ankle in a loss to Washington.
"It didn't look like there was any residual effect, so we're looking forward to watching him Thursday night," Gailey said.
Lynch's return means the Bills will have two-thirds of their running back rotation healthy. First-round draft pick C.J. Spiller has carried most of the running load the past two preseason games, and Fred Jackson has been out since breaking a bone in his left hand against the Redskins.
Ravens NG Cody out two weeks after knee surgery
OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- Ravens coach John Harbaugh says Baltimore rookie Terrence Cody had surgery on his left his left knee and will be sidelined for two weeks. The procedure, performed last week to repair a torn lateral meniscus, leaves the nose guard questionable for the Ravens' season opener against the New York Jets on Sept. 13.
Ravens coach John Harbaugh says there's a chance Cody could be back for the opener, but says "for the bigger guys, sometimes it takes a little longer."
Cody had said last week that he didn't think he would need surgery to address swelling in his knee. The 6-foot-4, 349-pounder from Alabama says that he doesn't have a history of knee issues.
Saints safety Sharper aims for opener
METAIRIE, La. -- Saints All-Pro safety Darren Sharper says his goal remains to be ready to play against the Minnesota Vikings in the Sept. 9 regular season opener, even though he hasn't practiced yet this preseason.
Head coach Sean Payton says he's not sure when Sharper will return to practice, but says he won't travel to Tennessee for Thursday's preseason finale.
Sharper has been on the physically-unable-to-perform, or PUP, list throughout preseason because of offseason microfracture surgery on his left knee.
If he starts the season on the PUP list, he cannot play for six weeks. Sharper says he doesn't want to consider that option right now.
LB Frazier released, Steelers cut to 75
PITTSBURGH -- Linebacker Andre Frazier, a member of the Steelers' last two Super Bowl-winning teams, has been waived from the injured reserve list as the team reached the 75-man roster limit.
Rookie offensive guard Chris Scott, who broke a foot in June, was placed on the physically unable to perform list. After six weeks, Scott will be able to practice for three weeks before the Steelers decide whether to add him to their roster.
Released were four players who weren't with the Steelers last season: guard Adrian Jones, cornerback David Pittman, linebacker Brandon Renkart and fullback Dwayne Wright.
Giants place QB Sorgi, WR Moss on IR
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Backup quarterback Jim Sorgi and veteran receiver Sinorice Moss were placed on injured reserve by the New York Giants.
The Giants say they also placed rookie linebacker Adrian Tracy on injured reserve and moved veteran offensive lineman Kevin Boothe from the active physically unable to perform list to reserve PUP.
Sorgi, Moss and Tracy will miss the season. Boothe must sit out at least the first six weeks of the season.
The Giants also waived rookie free agent receiver Nyan Boateng in reaching the NFL's 75-player roster limit. Teams must get down to 53 players by Saturday.
Panthers place wideout Wright on IR
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The Panthers have placed Wallace Wright on season-ending injured reserve with a shoulder injury that requires, surgery, a blow for Carolina's shaky receiver unit and special teams.
The Panthers also placed linebacker Thomas Davis on the reserve-physically unable to perform list, waived receivers Dexter Jackson and Oliver Young and placed defensive end Hilee Taylor on injured reserve with a knee injury to get to the NFL limit of 75 players.
Wright was signed in the offseason from the New York Jets mainly in hopes of boosting Carolina's struggling special teams. But Wright had spent some time working with the starters at receiver. He was injured in Saturday's win over Tennessee, further complicating the Panthers' efforts to find a No. 2 receiver.
ASHBURN, Va. -- The Washington Redskins have placed Malcolm Kelly on injured reserve, ruling the third-year receiver out for the year.
Kelly pulled his left hamstring before the start of training camp and has reinjured it multiple times since then.
Kelly caught 25 passes for 347 yards last year.
Meanwhile, running back Clinton Portis practiced Tuesday for the first time since spraining his right ankle last week against the New York Jets.
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- The New York Jets have waived backup quarterback Kevin O'Connell, likely clearing the way for Kellen Clemens to make the team.
O'Connell was acquired last September from Detroit in a trade. He was competing with Clemens for the No. 3 job behind starter Mark Sanchez and backup Mark Brunell. Clemens outplayed O'Connell in the preseason, and coach Rex Ryan said Monday that Clemens had a "pretty strong chance" of making the opening day roster.
The move Tuesday puts the Jets at 74 players -- one below the limit teams need to reach by the end of the day.
O'Connell was a third-round draft pick by New England out of San Diego State in 2008. He was cut last offseason and claimed off waivers by Detroit.
Browns cut four, trim roster to 75
CLEVELAND -- The Cleveland Browns have reduced their roster to the mandatory 75 by cutting four players, including defensive back Gerard Lawson.
He recently pleaded no contest to a driving under the influence charge. Lawson appeared in five games on special teams last season and has played in 20 games the past two seasons with Cleveland.
The team also waived defensive back John Bowie, wide receiver Taurus Johnson and offensive lineman John Malecki.
Defensive lineman Titus Adams was placed on injured reserve with a leg injury.
Cowboys release veteran safety Watkins
IRVING, Texas -- The Dallas Cowboys have released veteran safety Patrick Watkins.
The Cowboys made three moves to get down to the NFL-mandated 75 players. The final roster cuts to 53 players have to be made by Saturday.
Dallas placed tight end John Phillips on injured reserve with a tear in his right knee, and put linebacker Stephen Hodge on the physically unable to perform list with an injured left knee.
Watkins was a fifth-round pick by Dallas in 2006. He started 10 of his 49 games and was a special-teams standout, with 116 career tackles with four interceptions.
Titans remove DT Brown from PUP list
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee defensive tackle Tony Brown is feeling the payoff in his right knee for the Titans being cautious with his return from offseason surgery.
The Titans removed him from the physically unable to perform list, and he practiced with his teammates for the first time this year. His knee had kept him out of the season finale, and Brown had been saying he felt ready to be activated the past couple weeks.
The Titans signed the five-year veteran to a three-year extension worth $17 million in April but kept him on the PUP list throughout training camp to ensure he was recovered fully. Brown said he was told a week ago when he'd be activated, which he kept to himself while trying to be patient.
The tackle said he can't wait to play Thursday in the preseason finale against the New Orleans Saints. Coach Jeff Fisher said they will play Brown approximately 15 snaps, similar to how they eased in their top draft pick, defensive end Derrick Morgan, into his preseason debut after only one practice.
Earring sparks extensive search at Fins camp
DAVIE, Fla. -- Several Miami Dolphins crawled across the field after practice -- not due to exhaustion, but because they were looking for a diamond earring.
Defensive end Kendall Langford said he forgot to take his earrings out before practice and lost one of them during drills. He said the diamond was nearly 2.5 carats, which is why he was still on the field an hour after practice scanning the grass.
At least nine teammates helped. Some were on hands and knees, and a couple used rakes to comb through the turf. They had a lot of ground to cover, because the Dolphins practice on two fields.
He declined to say how much the earring cost. One jewelry distributor said it could be worth more than $50,000.
Eagles claim DE Egboh off waivers
PHILADELPHIA -- The Philadelphia Eagles have claimed defensive end Pannel Egboh off waivers from Houston and placed rookie defensive Ricky Sapp on injured reserve.
Egboh signed with San Francisco as a rookie free agent last year after playing four seasons at Stanford, but was cut by the 49ers in September. He spent the final four weeks of last season on Houston's practice squad.
Sapp was a fifth-round pick this year and has been bothered by a knee injury.
'Hawks restructure LB Hill's contract
RENTON, Wash. -- Linebacker Leroy Hill is taking a major pay cut to play for the Seattle Seahawks in 2010.
Hill, who is facing a one-game suspension for off-the-field issues, will have a base salary of $2.125 million for this season according to the NFL Players Association website. Hill was previously scheduled to make $6 million in 2010 as part of a six-year deal Hill signed in April 2009 that could have been worth $38 million.
As part of the restructuring, the remaining years on Hill's contract have been wiped out, making him a free agent following this season.
Seattle general manager John Schneider says both sides were "working toward a solution" following Hill's off-the-field problems that included a marijuana-possession charge in Georgia and a domestic-violence arrest in the Seattle area.
Jaguars waive four players
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars have waived cornerback Josh Gordy, center Cecil Newton, receiver Roren Thomas and defensive end Julius Williams.
The team also signed rookie center Bradley Vierling, and placed defensive tackle D'Anthony Smith and center John Estes on injured reserve.
Smith tore an Achilles' tendon early in training camp. Estes sprained the medial collateral ligament in his right knee on the final day of camp. None of the cuts was surprising.
Vierling originally signed as an undrafted rookie with Pittsburgh on April 27. He was waived in mid-June. With Newton gone and Estes out, Vierling is likely to get significant playing time in Jacksonville's preseason finale Thursday night.
Cardinals reduce roster to 75
TEMPE, Ariz. -- The Arizona Cardinals have made three moves involving injured players to reach the deadline for rosters to be reduced to 75 players.
They placed rookie linebacker O'Brien Schofield on the reserve/non-football injury list and fullback Nehemiah Broughton on injured reserve. Wide receiver Darren Mougey was waived.
Schofield, who played at Wisconsin, slipped to Arizona in the fourth round after he tore the ACL in his left knee practicing for the Senior Bowl. The move means he will be out at least the first six games of the season.
Broughton, who injured a knee in Saturday night's victory at Chicago, is out for the season. Mougey, who has an injured foot, had signed with Arizona in March.
Lions trade OT Polumbus to 'Hawks
ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- The Detroit Lions have reached the 75-man roster limit by removing two players.
The Lions traded offensive tackle Tyler Polumbus to Seattle for an undisclosed draft choice, just six days after claiming him from Denver on waivers. They also placed cornerback Jack Williams on the physically unable to perform list.
Williams has been sidelined since injuring a knee in his first game with the Lions last season.
Packers' Harris, Bigby on reserve/PUP list
GREEN BAY, Wis. -- The Green Bay Packers will begin the regular season without two standouts in their secondary.
The Packers have placed cornerback Al Harris and safety Atari Bigby on the reserve/physically unable to perform list, meaning neither player will be eligible to play for the first six weeks of the season.
Bigby had surgery on his left ankle at the beginning of training camp. There had been some hope Harris' surgically repaired left knee would heal in time for the Packers' Sept. 12 opener at Philadelphia.
The Packers also placed running back James Starks on the list, and running back Quinn Porter on injured reserve. The Packers' roster now stands at 75 players.
Bears put FB Ta'ufo'ou on waived-injured list
LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- The Chicago Bears have placed fullback Will Ta'ufo'ou on the waived-injured list, giving them 75 active players.
Ta'ufo'ou injured a knee in Saturday's preseason game against Arizona.
An undrafted free agent out of California, he spent last season on the Bears' practice squad.
Dolphins put OL Garner on IR
DAVIE, Fla. -- Miami Dolphins offensive lineman Nate Garner has been placed on injured reserve with a left foot injury, meaning he'll miss the season.
Garner underwent surgery more than two weeks ago. He started eight games at guard last year and had been listed as a backup tackle during training camp.
Defensive end Phillip Merling was placed on the reserve non-football injury list. He suffered an Achilles' tendon injury in July.
