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Patrick Crayton wanted out the minute the Dallas Cowboys drafted Dez Bryant. He finally got his wish Friday, and it might've been worth the wait. Crayton was dealt to the San Diego Chargers, where he'll be a bigger part of the offense than he would've been in Dallas and he will still be playing for a contender.

The Denver Broncos' tailback turnstile keeps on spinning. LenDale White is out for the season after rupturing his Achilles' tendon Thursday night at Minnesota. White will undergo surgery on Tuesday, said Chris Brantley, who represents the fifth-year running back who spent his first four seasons in Tennessee and joined the Broncos last month as a free agent.

Houston coach Gary Kubiak got his toughest cut out of the way first. The Texans released kicker Kris Brown, the only player remaining from the inaugural 2002 season. Brown lost a competition in training camp to Neil Rackers, a free agent who was signed in the offseason. Kubiak said Brown was the first player he met with on Friday, a sign of respect for the only player who's appeared in all 128...

Ben Roethlisberger isn't the only Steelers quarterback who might be out for four weeks. Byron Leftwich's strained left knee ligament could sideline him for most or all of the first month of the season, leaving the Steelers with only two healthy quarterbacks -- Dennis Dixon and Charlie Batch -- for their Sept.

The Browns couldn't wait to see what rookie running back Montario Hardesty could do on the field. He won't be out there again this season. Hardesty tore his left anterior cruciate ligament in his NFL debut on Thursday night and will be out for the year, a cruel twist for the second-round pick, whose career has been slowed by serious knee injuries.

The New England Patriots have released defensive lineman Damione Lewis and offensive lineman Eric Ghiaciuc. Friday's moves came one day before the deadline for teams to reduce their rosters to the regular-season limit of 53 players. Lewis, a first-round draft pick by the St. Louis Rams in 2001, was signed as a free agent on April 10 after spending the past four seasons with the Carolina...

Browns rookie RB Montario Hardesty tore the ACL in his left knee during the team's preseason finale and is out for the 2010 season after the team placed him on the injured-reserve list Friday.

Hardesty, who had missed Cleveland's first three preseason games with a bone bruise in his right knee, carried seven times for 25 yards and a TD Thursday night versus the Bears before suffering the injury.

The Browns' second-round draft pick was expected to compete with Jerome Harrison for carries in the Cleveland backfield.

Hardesty suffered a torn ACL in his right knee as a freshman at Tennessee in 2005 and endured other injuries during his Volunteers career, including a stress fracture in his left foot suffered in '08. Hardesty rushed for a career-high 1,345 yards as a senior in '09.

The Browns also announced Friday that they have released WR Jake Allen, OL Casey Bender, CB Coye Francies, TE Joel Gamble, OL Joel Reinders and WR Syndric Steptoe.

 

For authoritative coverage and analysis of NFL news, free agency and fantasy football, visit ProFootballWeekly.com.

Updated 4:57 p.m. ET, Friday, Sept. 3, 2010

The Patriots began making their cuts Friday by releasing veteran DL Damione Lewis and OL Eric Ghiaciuc.

Lewis, an 11-year veteran, was in on only four tackles this preseason.

With the loss of DE Ty Warren (hip) for the season, the Patriots' D-line has some question marks, but clearly the Patriots believed Lewis did not significantly improve the depth on the line.

Lewis started all 16 games last season for the Panthers in 2009 but was a major disappointment this preseason, especially when the Pats could use any help they can get on an injury-riddled defense that also lost starting CB Leigh Bodden for the season with a shoulder injury.

DL Ron Brace, a second-year player out of Boston College, has performed well and likely will be the main backup on the defensive line. Rookie DE Brandon Deaderick and second-year DT Myron Pryor are likely to be the other backups on the line.

Ghiaciuc, 6-4, 303-pounder, was signed by the Patriots on Aug. 4. He is a veteran of five NFL seasons with the Bengals and Chargers.

 

For authoritative coverage and analysis of NFL news, free agency and fantasy football, visit ProFootballWeekly.com.

Sam Bradford will have to wait a few days to learn if he'll start the St. Louis Rams' opener. The No. 1 pick certainly has appeared ready for the job. Bradford's opening drive set the tone for a 27-21 victory over the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday night, giving the Rams a 3-1 preseason finish for the second straight season.

The Arizona Cardinals have traded starting guard Reggie Wells to the Philadelphia Eagles for an undisclosed draft pick. Wells had started the last 90 games for Arizona, dating to the 2003 season, as well as the team's six postseason games, but was moved from left guard to right guard this year following the signing of free agent Alan Faneca.

The Eagles acquired some offensive line depth on Friday, trading for OG Reggie Wells from the Cardinals in exchange for an undisclosed draft choice.

Philadelphia has been desperate for interior-line help with injuries to centers Jamaal Jackson and Nick Cole, forcing backup Mike McGlynn to shift over from his natural spot at left guard. Wells, 29, has played his entire career with Arizona, starting 90 games over the past seven seasons.

"We're adding a player that has started several seasons in the National Football League and has played at a very high level during the course of his career," Eagles head coach Andy Reid said. "He has experience at several different positions along the offensive line and he will be a welcome addition to that group. You can never have enough depth at that position as you go through an NFL season."

The Cardinals no longer needed Wells' services following the signing of free-agent OLG Allen Faneca in the offseason. Veteran Deuce Lutui is the starting right guard for Arizona.

The Eagles also announced they have placed DE Victor Abiamiri on the Reserve/PUP list and released 10 players: RB?J.J. Arrington, WR?Dobson Collins, DE?Pannel Egboh, TE?Nate Lawrie, RB?Martell Mallett, OT?Jeraill McCuller, CB?David Pender, CB?Geoff Pope, DT?Boo Robinson and S?Anthony Scirrotto.
 
By being placed on the Reserve/PUP list, Abiamiri is not eligible to play in the team's first six regular-season games. After the sixth game, the team has three weeks to decide whether to activate him to the 53-man roster. If he is not activated during that time period, he is placed on the season-ending injured reserve list.
 
By releasing Arrington, the Eagles will now receive a 2012 sixth-round draft pick from the Broncos as compensation for the trade of LB Joe Mays to Denver on July 30.
 
The Eagles currently have 65 players on their active roster. 

 

For authoritative coverage and analysis of NFL news, free agency and fantasy football, visit ProFootballWeekly.com.

Ben Roethlisberger is getting time off for good behavior. He'll be back on the field for the Pittsburgh Steelers two games earlier than expected after convincing NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell he is turning his life around. The star quarterback, accompanied by team president Art Rooney, met with Goodell early Friday and was told he could return on Oct.

The Bears cut FS Al Afalava on Friday, which means that S Josh Bullocks likely will make the final 53-man roster as a backup in the secondary.

ESPNChicago.com's Jeff Dickerson reported that Afalava, a second-year player, was cut along with CB Cornelius Brown and LB Kelvin Smith. Special-teams ace Tim Shaw and LB Kevin Malast also were let go, according to PFW's Bears correspondent Bob LeGere.

Afalava started 13 games for the Bears in 2009 and recorded 70 tackles and one forced fumble. Bullocks, a six-year veteran drafted by the Saints in ’05, started four games in '09 but has been hampered by injuries this preseason.

Bullocks will join rookie Major Wright as backups to FS Chris Harris.

 

For authoritative coverage and analysis of NFL news, free agency and fantasy football, visit ProFootballWeekly.com.

Steelers QB Byron Leftwich suffered a left knee injury in the second quarter of Pittsburgh's preseason game against Carolina on Thursday night. Reports on Friday indicate that he suffered a sprained MCL in his left knee.

ESPN's Chris Mortensen said it was a second-degree sprain, which is not a complete tear. Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh News-Gazette reported that Leftwich will miss 2-4 weeks.

Leftwich, vying with Dennis Dixon to be the Steelers' starting quarterback while Ben Roethlisberger serves a four-game suspension to begin the regular season, suffered the injury as he completed an 18-yard pass to rookie Emmanuel Sanders. Leftwich was replaced by Dixon, who threw a 23-yard TD to Sanders on the Steelers' next series.

Leftwich was the favorite to replace Roethlisberger entering training camp, but Dixon has played well in the preseason and received work with the first-team offense against Denver in the Steelers' third preseason game. 

Dixon's lone NFL start came last season at Baltimore with Roethlisberger missing the game with a concussion. He completed 12-of-26 passes for 145 yards with one TD and rushed for a TD as well. However, he threw an interception in overtime, and the Ravens capitalized with the game-winning field goal.

If Leftwich indeed misses the opener, Dixon and Charlie Batch will be the Steelers' top two quarterbacks. Batch appeared in one game last season, relieving the injured Roethlisberger at Kansas City, but he sustained a broken wrist. Batch missed the '08 season with a broken collarbone. Batch, who enters his ninth season with Pittsburgh after four seasons as Detroit's starter, has played well in the preseason and provides an experienced alternative to Dixon.

 

For authoritative coverage and analysis of NFL news, free agency and fantasy football, visit ProFootballWeekly.com.

The Patriots began making their cuts Friday by releasing veteran DL Damione Lewis, according to reports from multiple media outlets. Lewis, an 11-year veteran, was in on only four tackles this preseason.

With the loss of DE Ty Warren (hip) for the season, the Patriots' D-line has some question marks, but clearly the Patriots believed Lewis did not significantly improve the depth on the line.

Lewis started all 16 games last season for the Panthers in 2009 but was a major disappointment this preseason, especially when the Pats could use any help they can get on an injury-riddled defense that also lost starting CB Leigh Bodden for the season with a shoulder injury.

DL Ron Brace, a second-year player out of Boston College, has performed well and likely will be the main backup on the defensive line. Rookie DE Brandon Deaderick and second-year DT Myron Pryor are likely to be the other backups on the line.

 

For authoritative coverage and analysis of NFL news, free agency and fantasy football, visit ProFootballWeekly.com.

Detroit Lions rookie defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh was fined $7,500 by the NFL on Friday for his roughing-the-passer penalty on quarterback Jake Delhomme in an exhibition game against the Browns. The No. 2 overall pick in April's draft grabbed Delhomme's face mask and twisted it, then wrapped his arms around the quarterback's head and slammed him to the ground in the second quarter of...

The Broncos lost RB insurance behind starter Knowshon Moreno on Friday as LenDale White will miss the entire 2010 season with a torn Achilles tendon.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that White, who left Thursday's preseason finale after a nine-yard run with an injured ankle, tore his Achilles tendon. The Broncos signed White this summer after he was released by the Seahawks. Moreno just returned to practice at what he called "80 percent."

White had to sit out the first four games of 2010 as it was for violating the league's substance-abuse policy. Now, the five-year veteran out of USC will miss the entire season. White's best year came in 2007 when he started all 16 games with the Titans and rushed for 1,110 yards with seven touchdowns.

White, a native of Denver, only ran for 222 yards and zero touchdowns last season with the Titans. Injuries to Moreno and RB Correll Buckhalter have hurt the Broncos' depth at that position; Buckhalter made his preseason debut Thursday night.

 

For authoritative coverage and analysis of NFL news, free agency and fantasy football, visit ProFootballWeekly.com.

Lions rookie DT Ndamukong Suh has learned one of the big differences between college and professional football — in the NFL, you can lose money for your rough play.

The NFL has fined Suh $7,500 for slamming Browns QB Jake Delhomme to the ground by his facemask during the teams' third preseason game.

Suh grabbed Delhomme's facemask, twisted it, and then wrapped his arms around the QB's head before throwing him to the ground. Suh, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2010 draft, was assessed a 15-yard penalty on the play.

 

For authoritative coverage and analysis of NFL news, free agency and fantasy football, visit ProFootballWeekly.com.

ESPN's Adam Schefter is reporting via Twitter that Browns rookie RB Montario Hardesty has a torn ACL in his left knee and is out for the 2010 season.

Hardesty, who had missed Cleveland's first three preseason games with a bone bruise in his right knee, carried seven times for 25 yards and a TD before suffering the injury.

The Browns' second-round draft pick was expected to compete with Jerome Harrison for carries in the Cleveland backfield.

Hardesty suffered a torn ACL in his right knee as a freshman at Tennessee in 2005 and endured other injuries during his Volunteers career, including a stress fracture in his left foot suffered in '08. Hardesty rushed for a career-high 1,345 yards as a senior in '09.

 

For authoritative coverage and analysis of NFL news, free agency and fantasy football, visit ProFootballWeekly.com.

Neil Rackers has won the Texans' placekicking job after a solid performance this preseason, displacing incumbent Kris Brown, according to PFW's Texans correspondent John McClain of the Houston Chronicle.

Brown, who has been with the Texans since the franchise's first season in 2002 and was the team's last original player, connected on only 66 percent of his field-goal attempts in 2009. The team signed Rackers, a former Pro Bowler in Arizona, this past offseason to compete for the PK duties. Each was productive in preseason action, with Rackers making all five of his FG attempts and Brown connecting on 4-of-5 attempts.

In PFW's season preview issue (on newsstands now), the Texans' kicker was listed as the No. 11 fantasy option at the position. A year ago with Arizona, Rackers made 16-of-17 FG attempts and 37-of-38 PATs.

 

For authoritative coverage and analysis of NFL news, free agency and fantasy football, visit ProFootballWeekly.com.