Duckett traded to 'Skins, Lelie to Falcons as part of 3-team deal

But both have been plagued by injuries. Portis hurt his shoulder making a tackle after an interception against the Bengals, and Betts has been limited for much of camp with an ailing hamstring.

Portis began his rehabilitation this week and said he was hopeful of playing in the Sept. 11 opener against Minnesota. Still, he has questioned whether the shoulder would hold up for the entire season because it would be an obvious target for opposing tacklers.

Betts had three carries Saturday against the New York Jets and has been practicing this week, but the latest injury has raised questions about his durability. He already missed chunks of time in 2003 with a broken arm and in 2005 with a sprained knee.

At times during training camp, Washington's lead back was Rock Cartwright, who is better known for his special teams play. Duckett is a much better insurance policy for the Redskins, who made their second deal of the preseason in hopes of building a roster that can challenge for the Super Bowl. Last week, receiver Taylor Jacobs was sent to the San Francisco 49ers for cornerback Mike Rumph.

As for the Falcons, who reached the NFC championship game two years ago but slumped to 8-8 in 2005, this was their second three-team deal involving the Broncos. During the offseason, Denver got in on a trade that brought defensive end John Abraham to Atlanta from the New York Jets.

Lelie had his best season in 2004. He started all 16 games, coming up with 54 receptions for 1,084 yards (20.1 per catch) and seven touchdowns. Last season, he made 13 starts and dropped off to 42 catches for 770 yards and one touchdown.

That prompted the Broncos to go after Walker, a deal that left Lelie as the likely No. 3 receiver on a team that also has Rod Smith. Lelie followed through on his vow to hold out until he was traded.

He got his wish Tuesday, but goes to a team where he is likely to remain the third receiver. Roddy White and Michael Jenkins are the clear-cut starters in Atlanta, though Lelie is a speedy player who can stretch the defense and likely will get plenty of playing time.

Finneran caught 50 passes last season and was expected to make another big contribution in a backup role until he tore up his left knee during a one-on-one drill less than a week into training camp.