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| Woodson |
While it's doubtful the Cowboys will outright release strong safety Darren Woodson,
he could be asked to return at a lower salary. He is slated to count $5.3
million vs. the cap next season -- $2.79 million of it in base salary, with
$1 million coming in the form of a reporting bonus. Woodson is 32 years old,
and Dallas drafted defensive back Tony Dixon in the second round and plans to line him up
at strong safety.
Titans quarterback Steve McNair probably will be held back in the team's upcoming
minicamps because of his rehabbing shoulder. But McNair has been throwing
this offseason, and with good zip at that. Running back Eddie George (toe) is expected
to miss all of Tennessee's minicamps and will be eased into training camp.
Wide receiver Kevin Dyson (knee) will be eased in even more, possibly being limited to
10-15 snaps per game early in the regular season.
Bears insiders say there is more of a concern about wide receiver Marcus Robinson's
lower back injury than is being let on. Robinson missed the final four games
last season with the injury, which occurred in practice.
Now that the draft is over, don't be surprised if Browns head coach Butch
Davis begins to put his stamp on the franchise by bringing some of his own
personnel people into the front office. Dwight Clark will remain with the
club, but we hear not everyone within the personnel department is as safe.
When the Eagles drafted quarterback A.J. Feeley in the fifth round, head coach Andy
Reid had a plan. Reid views Feeley the same way the Packers viewed Mark
Brunell and Matt Hasselbeck -- as a prospect who can be developed over a
couple of years and then dealt for draft picks.
While the Cardinals were not thrilled about dealing a player the
caliber of cornerback Aeneas Williams, we hear they really had little choice because
he wanted out of Arizona so badly. Even though he told friends he would
retire before returning to the Cardinals, he fired his agent after the
season and hired Eugene Parker and Roosevelt Barnes, a duo that doesn't mind
playing hardball. Williams wouldn't have switched agents if he was serious
about retiring. With that in mind, it was really Williams and his
representatives who forced a trade.
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| Centers |
Redskins head coach Marty Schottenheimer has begun to set the tone for how
he wants his team to be run. When Larry Centers and Schottenheimer disagreed
about where the fullback should be doing his offseason training, the coach
cut Centers. Schottenheimer wanted Centers working at the team's Virginia
headquarters, while Centers preferred to work out in Arizona.
Don't be surprised to see the Redskins sign running back Greg Hill, who was a
first-round choice of the Chiefs when Schottenheimer coached in
Kansas City. Schottenheimer knows and likes Hill, and said that in a recent
workout the running back looked quick and was catching the ball better than
he remembered. Hill was out of football last season.
Lions quarterback Charlie Batch downplayed the severity of the early-April cutbacks
he had to make in his offseason workouts because of a sore knee. Batch said
his knee simply became sore, forcing him to miss only three days of work and
just one of throwing. He has since resumed his workouts.
Buccaneers quarterback Shaun King, who will enter training camp as the backup to
Brad Johnson, keeps telling head coach Tony Dungy that he's going to be the
starter. "Just another obstacle," King says of Johnson's addition.
Packers wide receiver Corey Bradford, who played in only two games last season because
of leg and knee injuries, appears set to report to training camp at full
strength. He took part in Green Bay's March minicamp and showed -- and said he felt --
no effects from last year's ailments.
The Vikings have earmarked the last spot under their salary cap for a
veteran cornerback. Look for them to target former Kansas City's James Hasty or
former Bronco Dale Carter.
Two Titans who have raised their stock this offseason are safety Brandon
McLemore and outside linebacker Keith Bulluck. McLemore will battle for the starting free safety
spot vacated by Marcus Robertson, and Bulluck will have a chance to unseat
Greg Favors or Eddie Robinson.
While Todd McClure is currently projected as Atlanta's starting center,
we hear the Falcons feel he will not only get a serious challenge from
fourth-round pick Robert Garza but also highly regarded Matt O'Neal, who
spent his first season on injured reserve with a knee injury.
Should Saints No. 1 pick Deuce McAllister prove worthy of being able to
handle the team's return duties, we hear there's an outside chance
second-year running back/return specialist Chad Morton could be sent packing.
We hear Panthers veteran unrestricted free-agent special teams ace Michael
Bates is as good as gone following the selection of Utah's Steve Smith in
the third round.
Look for the Rams, who were believed to still have several million dollars
under the cap at the time of this writing, to go after more help at the defensive end spot. We're
told the projected starting combination of Sean Moran and Leonard Little
leaves a lot to be desired in the minds of many St. Louis front office
staffers.
Despite some reports out of Miami, we hear that Lions general manager Matt Millen's
offer to trade the rights to retired running back Barry Sanders was simply a joke
between him and Dolphins vice president of player personnel Rick Spielman.
There had been reports out of Miami that the Dolphins were interested in
trading for Saints running back Ricky Williams, which head coach Dave Wannstedt said
was not the case. Millen saw those reports, realized the deal was nearly
impossible based on salary cap situations, and called Spielman to tease him
about it by offering Sanders' rights.
Patriots offensive guard Max Lane's spot on the roster could be in jeopardy within the
next year or two, especially if draft picks Matt Light and Kenyatta Jones
progress quickly.
The Steelers matched the Patriots' $700,000 offer sheet to running back Chris
Fuamatu-Ma'afala, which could spell the end for running back Richard Huntley. Huntley
could become a June 1 roster casualty. Fuamatu-Ma'afala is a much cheaper
option for the Steelers than Huntley.
Word out of Seattle is that the Seahawks weren't expecting Louisiana State
quarterback Josh Booty to be available in the sixth round, and his addition to the quarterback
mix leaves a pretty remote chance of the team bringing in a veteran free
agent before training camp.
The Chargers' bid to improve their kickoff situation was a big factor in
the move to replace free-agent kicker John Carney with Wade Richey.
At press time, it appeared as though a deal with unrestricted free-agent fullback
Howard Griffith was close to being done in Denver. And while Broncos head
coach Mike Shanahan fielded a handful of Draft Day calls concerning
potential trades for one of their three running backs, Shanahan said the
health status of Terrell Davis, Olandis Gary (who each missed almost all of
last season) and Mike Anderson, who had arthroscopic knee surgery during the
offseason, made him opt to keep the current depth the Broncos have at the
position.
The Broncos' drafting of defensive ends Paul Toviessi (second round) and Reggie
Hayward (third) could be the writing on the wall for Lester Archambeau, who
was inactive for most of last season after signing a big-money deal with the
team.
It looks as though the Raiders plan to go into training camp with
third-year outside linebacker Eric Barton starting on the weak side. Expectations were high
after Barton started the final three games of his rookie season in 1999 and
did well, but he sulked after a hamstring injury in training camp of last
year allowed veteran William Thomas to bump him out of the starting lineup.
Thomas had a solid year in Oakland but is still unsigned as an unrestricted
free agent, and Barton's attitude has
improved immensely.
Material from Pro Football Weekly.
Visit PFW's web site at http://www.profootballweekly.com
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