San Francisco 49ers: Former University of Miami quarterback Ken Dorsey, who slid to the seventh round of the 2003 draft despite a 38-2 record as a starter for the Hurricanes, has signed his first pro contract with the 49ers.

The 241st player selected overall, Dorsey signed a three-year contract worth $940,250. The deal includes a $30,250 signing bonus and the standard rookie minimum salaries of $225,000 (2003), $305,000 (2004) and $380,000. He is the first of the 49ers' seven picks to reach a contract accord.

Most teams panned Dorsey for his perceived lack of arm strength in their predraft assessments, but San Francisco coaches felt in the offseason workouts he has sufficient velocity to play in their West Coast-style offense. Unless the 49ers keep four quarterbacks on the roster, which is a possibility, Dorsey will battle second-year veteran Brandon Doman for the No. 3 spot behind starter Jeff Garcia and backup Tim Rattay.

Dorsey, 22, completed 668 of 1,153 passes, for 9,565 yards, with 86 touchdown passes and just 28 interceptions in college. He led the Hurricanes to the national championship in 2001 and to the title game in '02.

Seattle Seahawks: The Seahawks, who lost veteran punter Jeff Feagles in free agency over the offseason, have stoked the flames of competition as they seek his successor.

Seattle has signed 10-year veteran Tom Rouen and the longtime Denver Broncos punter will now vie with Rodney Williams for the key job. The Seahawks had also considered veteran Matt Turk, who met with club officials last week, as they sought a proven performer.

Williams punted for the New York Giants in 2001, and for two years in the NFL Europe League, and possesses a powerful leg. But the onetime Georgia Tech star is erratic in a job that demands consistency. Feagles had been a mainstay in Seattle, punting there for five seasons before signing with the New York Giants this spring, as part of that club's special teams overhaul.

Rouen, 35, has punted in 156 games and has a career average of 43.9 yards gross and of 38.7 net yards. He had spent his entire active career with the Broncos, where he signed as a free agent in 1993, until he was released eight games into the 2002 campaign. He then punted in two games each for the Giants and Pittsburgh Steelers.

While some have suggested that his average was typically inflated a bit by the thin air of Denver, he still has a strong leg, and his ratio of touchbacks to punts inside the 20-yard line remains impressive.

Contract details were not immediately available on Rouen's deal.

Philadelphia Eagles: A fractured foot that sidelined him for the entire 2002 season, and which permitted young defensive tackle Derwin Walker to step up into his place, has cost Philadelphia Eagles veteran Hollis Thomas significantly at the pay window.

Slated as a backup now behind Walker and Corey Simon, regarded as one of the league's best young interior tandems, Thomas has accepted a salary reduction that more accurately reflects his new reserve role. Thomas, 29, had been a starter for 5½ seasons and he was always a strong defender against the run.

The seven-year veteran suffered a broken foot late in the 2001 season, though, and missed that year's playoffs. He then broke the foot again last summer. In 1998, Thomas missed four games with a torn biceps.

Thomas, who signed a six-year contract extension worth $20 million in 2000, was slated to earn a base salary of $1.1 million for 2002. That was reduced to $700,000. The salaries of the other two years on his contract were also reduced, from $1.3 million in 2004 and $1.25 million in 2005, to $665,000 in both those seasons. The Eagles also extended the deal by one year, through 2006.

The cap charge for this year was reduced by only about $240,000, but the cap saving are considerably more in subsequent seasons.

New England Patriots: Second-year veteran Stephen Neal, who was expected to vie for the starting job at right guard with the Patriots, could miss three months with a shoulder injury. It appears, sources said, that surgery will be required to repair the shoulder and Neal likely will be sidelined until at least the mid-point of the '03 campaign.

A college wrestling champion, who never played football while at Cal State-Bakersfield, Neal originally injured his shoulder last October and he concluded the season on injured reserve. There is a chance the Pats will place Neal, 26, on the league's physically unable to perform list.

Neal played in eight games in 2002 and started one, and New England coaches were said to be pleased with his progress.

Another lineman, right tackle Kenyatta Jones, is expected to miss the start of training camp as he recovers from offseason surgery on both knees.

Minnesota Vikings: Convinced that he will never return to full strength from the catastrophic injury he suffered in 2001, the Vikings have released defensive lineman Willie Howard, a former second-round draft choice.

Howard, 25, sustained severe knee injuries and a fractured leg halfway through the 2001 season, missed all of the 2002 campaign, and struggled in offseason workouts during the spring and summer this year. The former Stanford star had been apprised by coach Mike Tice last month that he would be released before camp began.

Blessed with size and quickness, Howard could have been a valuable performer for the Vikings, because of his ability to play both end and tackle. But he appeared in just eight games, notching 15 tackles, before suffering the injury.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Amid some indications that Tampa Bay might be suddenly suspect of incumbent deep snapper Ryan Benjamin, the Bucs on Tuesday added free agent Chip Mattingly to vie for the position. Mattingly, who played at Louisville, was in the Buffalo Bills camp in 2002 but was released before the start of the season.

Tampa Bay coaches brought Mattingtly in for two auditions in the offseason.

To make room for Mattingly on the roster, the Bucs released linebacker Clayton White, a two-year veteran signed this spring as a free agent. White played in all 16 games for the New York Giants as a backup in 2001. He spent the entire '02 season on injured reserve and was then released early in the offseason.

Detroit Lions: The Lions said Tuesday they agreed to 3-year contracts with three 2003 draft picks: defensive tackle Cory Redding, defensive back Blue Adams and wide receiver Travis Anglin.

Redding was selected in the third round. During his four-year career at Texas, he had 201 tackles and 21 sacks.

Adams, a cornerback, was drafted in the seventh round out of Cincinnati where he had 129 tackles.

Anglin was also drafted in the seventh round. As a senior at Memphis he had 55 catches for 740 yards after spending his first three seasons as a quarterback.