Needing a strong performance in last Saturday's scrimmage to perhaps remove himself from the NFL endangered species list, Cleveland Browns third-year wide receiver Dennis Northcutt delivered in a big way, catching four passes for 89 yards.

Known to his teammates simply as "Cut," the former second-round draft pick might not be, well, cut now, after cavorting unchecked through the Buffalo Bills secondary on a day that included a 65-yard touchdown reception. For a Browns team still seeking to identify its No. 2 starter to pair with lead receiver Kevin Johnson, the outing was an eye-opener.

	Is Northcutt finally ready to step up as a regular target?

For a veteran player attempting to relegate his disappointing past to the rear-view mirror, and secure a spot on the 2002 roster, the performance was a door-opener. At a time when Browns officials were viewing him through somewhat jaundiced eyes, Northcutt stuck his foot in the door jam, and kept the portal from slamming shut on an NFL career that to this point has been more notorious than notable.

"I had to have that (kind of day)," said Northcutt, a player selected in 2000 by a departed coaching staff, a guy to whom the Butch Davis regime owes no loyalty. "There are a lot of talented receivers here and you have to do something to separate yourself from the rest of the pack. Hopefully, that's what I did, but I know I have to keep doing it now."

Indeed, the former University of Arizona star is among a group of veterans leaguewide for whom time is running out. He fits the profile of a player who has entered what one AFC personnel director refers to as "put up or shut up time."

Members of the dubious fraternity typically possess these qualifications: A former high-round draft choice. Two or three seasons of NFL seniority. Salary-cap value that belies a resume lacking in production.

Northcutt, 24, certainly fits the description. The 32nd player selected overall in the 2000 draft, he has started just 15 games in two seasons and has 57 receptions for 633 yards. A noted playmaker in college, and a prospect one Cleveland assistant termed a couple years ago "a touchdown waiting to happen," Northcutt has yet to get into the end zone. His cap number for 2002 is about $710,000.

A collarbone injury that sidelined him for the entire 2001 training camp clearly stymied his progress but, even when healthy, Northcutt hasn't flashed the explosiveness that was a calling card during his college career. The performance on Saturday, he and the Cleveland coaches hope, was evidence Northcutt is about to emerge. He has been more confident in camp this year and, given the uncertainty of the No. 2 receiving job, has a chance to more than make up for the failures of his first two seasons.

"Sometimes the light bulb just goes on and a player starts to be what you thought that he was going to be," said Browns coach Butch Davis. "I think, with Dennis, we're starting to see some of that."

But the speedy receiver is hardly out of the woods yet and, even if he does survive all the roster cuts, this remains a make or break year.

In that regard, Northcutt has plenty of company around the league, as some coaches grow impatient, waiting for prospects they once regarded highly to produce. Here are a few more players, some of whom could be released before the start of the regular season, facing "make or break" situations:

	Jones

RB Thomas Jones (Arizona): The seventh player chosen overall in 2000, this is the third straight summer in which Jones went to camp as the projected starter. In the two previous years, he lost the No. 1 job to Michael Pittman, who departed via free agency this spring. A former Virginia star, Jones has just six starts in two years, and has rushed for only 753 yards. The good news for Jones is that there is no one pushing him for the starter's spot because the Cardinals have arguably the least experienced group of tailbacks in the NFL. The bad news: Even in football, where the first-round label earns a player lots of chances, three strikes usually means you're out. His cap number for 2002 is $1.884 million.

	Flowers

DE Erik Flowers (Buffalo): A strong senior season in college catapulted Flowers into the first round of the 2000 draft, but the undersized end has not progressed the way the past Bills regime felt he would. Flowers' cap number for '02 is $1.13 million, and he will have to show something in preseason play to even make the regular-season roster. He is suffering from a neck injury that caused one club official to grouse: "Now you can't even trade the guy." Flowers has just six starts, and four sacks, in two years.

	Stinchcomb

OT Matt Stinchcomb (Oakland): His three-year career has been marred by a series of shoulder injuries and, while the Raiders still think he can play at a solid level, there are some players you give up on simply because you're convinced they will always be hurt. The former first-rounder has started only 10 games in three seasons, plays behind former "street" free agent Barry Sims at left tackle, and carries a cap number of $1.192 million for this season. The retirement of left guard Steve Wisniewski might present a chance for Stinchcomb to move inside. But not many teams keep a guy around for four years, even a first-rounder, when he is making good money and sitting on the bench.

	Dayne

RB Ron Dayne (New York Giants): Team officials still believe that the former Heisman Trophy winner and 2000 first-round choice will become a big-time player. At least Dayne has that support going for him. But it's hard to ignore the fact he has battled the kind of weight problems that caused many teams to back off him in the draft, or his anemic 3.6 yards per carry in two seasons. Dayne has a $1.54 million cap number for this year and he needs to make the most of the chances he gets in relief of Tiki Barber, who has become the centerpiece of the New York offense.

	Shelton

OT L.J. Shelton (Arizona): Simply too much inconsistency from a player the Cardinals felt would be their weakside pass protector for many years. Shelton is in the final season of the original contract he signed as a first-round choice in 1999 and, if he doesn't step up this season, the Cardinals will probably just permit him to exit in free agency next spring. His cap value for 2002 is $1.09 million. Notable is that Arizona already has a potential replacement for Shelton in right guard Leonard Davis, the team's first-round choice in 2001, and a player some personnel men felt should have been offensive rookie of the year last season. Davis is a natural tackle and the plan has always been to eventually move him to the outside spot.

	Klemm

OT Adrian Klemm (New England): He got off to a bad start when he suffered a knee injury during the summer of his 2000 rookie season. As a result, he played in only five games in his debut campaign. That was better than 2001, however, when he was inactive for five of the first six contests, eventually was placed on injured reserve with a leg problem, and didn't play a single game. His cap number is $700,040, not exorbitant, but still a problem if he isn't going to play. At least in early camp, Klemm has been one of the most improved players for New England.