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Last week's wrist injury suffered by New York Jets quarterback Chad Pennington, which will sideline him for at least three months and possibly the entire season, offered another graphic reminder of the dearth of potential replacements at the position.

This weekend, when teams must cut rosters to the mandatory 53-player limit, could well demonstrate the lack of depth haunting some teams at the No. 2 tailback spot. Everyone, of course, will be scouring the waiver wires for help at positions that are historically hard to fill, such as defensive tackle. But there might be more tailbacks claimed on waivers, or even acquired in minor trades, than players who switch teams at any other position.

"If you've got a surplus (of tailbacks), people want to talk to you, just to see what you're going to do," said Washington vice president of football operations Vinny Cerrato. "And, hey, to be candid, we're making calls to, just to gauge interest in case we want to (trade) one of our guys."

There are about a half-dozen teams -- Cincinnati, Jacksonville, Chicago, New Orleans, Dallas and Detroit -- that could bring in new tailbacks by the beginning of next week. In most cases, the franchises are seeking backup-type players, but also guys with experience. The Lions, because of the shoulder injury sustained by James Stewart on Thursday night, could be looking for a starter. Cowboys coach Bill Parcells will scrutinize the wires to see if there's anything better than his three-man committee of Troy Hambrick, Aveion Cason and Adrian Murrell.

A few clubs might be antsy enough to offer up a late-round draft choice for an excess back, even one perceived to be on the chopping block, rather than fight other franchises in the waiver claim pecking order. "The bottom line is," said one NFC general manager, "I need a back and it might be worth me giving up a seventh-round pick to get him outright and not have to (worry) about getting out-claimed for the guy."

The Bengals phoned the Redskins this week about second-year veteran Kenny Watson, a former undrafted free agent who was productive in his '02 rookie season, and who the Redskins had earlier offered to the Saints. The Saints wanted Ladell Betts, who could well supplant Trung Canidate as the starter at some point this season, and the Redskins balked at that. But look for New Orleans, which recently added Ki-Jana Carter to the mix and is happy with his play, to add another tailback before the start of the season.

Word is they are keeping an eye on Patrick Pass of New England as well as Green Bay's Lamar Smith, although the latter has been injured the entire preseason.

The Jaguars have no one, after starter Fred Taylor, with appreciable experience. Chicago may start Anthony Thomas by default, but would upgrade, if possible. Cincinnati still must be fretting over the back surgery that the usually reliable Brandon Bennett had in the offseason. There are almost certainly two or three other teams, too, seeking to enhance their tailback depth charts.

"It's a position where you'd better be at least two-deep, and your second guy, preferably, ought to have some real-game experience," said Cleveland coach Butch Davis, who is flush with tailbacks. "Everyone talks about quarterback depth. Well, running back is one of those places, too, where you want reliable depth."

Of the 32 teams, just 10 have backup tailbacks whose resumes include at least 20 starts, and nearly one-third of the league's No. 2 tailbacks have yet to rush for 1,200 yards in their respective careers. It is, as noted, a position that often gets short shrift. But as the cuts begin filtering in this weekend, there are teams that will be carefully poring over the tailbacks victimized by the chopping block, and some runners won't be out of work long.

Around the league

Notable, while discussing tailbacks, is that Terrell Davis and Jamal Anderson have yet to officially file their league retirement documents. Anderson continues to work out in the Atlanta area and, according to former teammates who have seen him recently, looks to be in pretty good shape. Davis might be, down the road, an even more intriguing story. The former Denver Broncos star is still attempting to rehabilitate his balky knees, and there are some teams keeping tabs on him, seeking regular updates. A few personnel directors to whom we spoke this week claim that Davis might actually be worth considering for the stretch run. Word is that Davis might be ready to try playing again in November. At that juncture, some team fighting for a playoff spot might be willing to give him a shot.

In the wake of the Pennington injury, the Jets contacted at least three quarterbacks -- Kent Graham, Elvis Grbac and Bobby Hoying -- who told the team that they were not interested in auditioning for the vacancy. We know at least one guy the Jets declined to call, who would have jumped at the opportunity, and probably paid his own way to Long Island for the workout. The name Jeff George ring a bell? Yeah, we know all the knocks and the horror stories. And we know there is at least one assistant on the Jets staff who made it clear George should not be considered. But let's put this in perspective: This is a league that welcomes back drug abusers after they have served their suspensions. It's a league where curious characters get second and third chances all the time. It's a league where Bill Romanowski, one of the most despicable players in recent history, continues to draw a pay check when he ought to be at least facing civil charges. And it's a league in which Jeff George, who has assimilated a ton of offenses and thrown for 25,000 yards, can't even get a phone call? Does anyone really believe there are 96 quarterbacks on the planet, that's three per franchise, with talents superior to those of Jeff George? That the guy is sitting at home in Indianapolis, waiting for the phone to ring if some team suffers an injury and is desperate, is a sham.

	Brunell

Now that the fate of Jacksonville quarterback Mark Brunell has been decided, it's moot to consider who would have been the Jaguars starter, had the 10-year veteran been traded or released. The rampant speculation was that first-rounder Byron Leftwich would have assumed the starter's role. And that speculation would have been wrong. Although he did not play well in Thursday night's preseason finale, second-year veteran David Garrard, not Leftwich, would have moved into the No. 1 spot on the depth chart. The former No. 4 draft pick, very simply, was one of the NFL's most improved young players this summer. He could be "Exhibit A" to uphold the old adage that a player generally makes his biggest leap forward between his first and second seasons. Throughout camp, Garrard showed more poise, control, accuracy and touch than he had as a rookie. He redefined his body, got rid of some baby fat, quit looking to run every time his first option in the pass game was unavailable to him, and looked comfortable in the West Coast offense installed by the new staff. A year ago, Garrard looked like little more than a career backup, but now it appears that he has the tools to be a starter at some point.

An acquaintance with pretty good ties to Maurice Clarett insisted to us this week that, if the Ohio State tailback is suspended for more than three games, he will once again think hard about challenging the NFL's draft eligibility rules. Clarett said weeks ago, through his attorney, that he would remain in school. But even though he has returned to practice, Clarett continues to be tempted by potential NFL riches, and good buddy LeBron James is fanning the flames. Most league scouts to whom we spoke -- not for attribution, of course, since they would be fined by commissioner Paul Tagliabue for assessing Clarett's skills publicly -- aren't convinced he would fare well at the game's highest level. And their doubts aren't solely based on issues of maturity. "To be honest," said one scout, echoing the sentiments of several talent evaluators, "I don't know how good he is. It's one thing to see him on television. But you can't tell much from that. Not much at all. People in our league haven't thought about him in terms of projecting him into the NFL yet."

Just because the Tampa Bay Bucs haven't yet offered Andre Rison a contract doesn't mean they won't eventually sign him. By all accounts, including one from a Bucs source with knowledge of the Tuesday audition, Rison, who hasn't played in a game since the 2000 season with the Oakland Raiders, did relatively well for a guy with so much rust. He was in better condition, although far from football shape, than Tampa Bay expected and still ran decent routes. Everyone knows how much coach Jon Gruden loves veteran guys, especially those who have played for him in the past, as Rison did. Heck, last year, Gruden actually phoned Reggie White, to see if he felt he might be able to get himself in shape for the second half of the year. This spring, he lobbied management to acquire Emmitt Smith, although he didn't get his wish. Essentially, the Bucs told Rison to stay in shape and remain patient for now. Like most teams, the Bucs aren't about to sign a vested veteran to a contract, at least not now. The reason: If a vested veteran is on a club's roster for the opening game, his salary for the full season is guaranteed. So even some veterans who are released this weekend, and who might be of use to some teams, probably will have to wait until after the opener to find their way back onto a roster. Don't discount the possibility of guys like Rison and perhaps offensive tackle Jumbo Elliott eventually joining the Bucs roster.

Latest proof that first impressions can, indeed, be deceiving: New York Jets first-round pick Dewayne Robertson, the defensive tackle from Kentucky who was the fourth overall choice in this year's draft, has struggled considerably in preseason. When we saw him in the first practice of training camp, Robertson was a monster, and the Jets guards could not block him. But that was then, and this is now, and right now Robertson hasn't made many plays. "(He) hasn't learned to use his hands," said one New York assistant. "He just figures that quick first step is going to get him through people. Well, it isn't, and he is finding that out. The tools are there, no doubt about it, but he needs technique work. And lots of it. But, hey, I still love his potential and believe he's going to be a force."

	Suggs

Another top 10 defender from the draft who is having a difficult transition to the NFL is Baltimore Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs, who hasn't come close yet to cracking the starting lineup, and who is playing almost exclusively at left end in "sub" situations. The NCAA single-season sack king, with 24 quarterback kills at year ago at Arizona State, is having problems disengaging from blockers. And Suggs has yet to develop any counter moves that might allow him to work his way back inside when his quickness is negated. The two most surprising things scouts have seen in Suggs: A lack of "cornering" ability, that knack which allows a rusher to "make himself little," to cut the angle to the pocket and to close on the quarterback. And a lack of tenaciousness. There have been times, it seems, when Suggs' initial charge is stymied and he just appears to give up. The good news for Ravens coaches is that Suggs is still only 20 years old and he will mature both physically and mentally. And as has been pointed out here in the past, 24 sacks is still a lot to garner, no matter the caliber of competition. In time, Suggs will get it all figured out, and will eventually be a force.

By the way, Robertson is one of a dozen first-round choices projected as starters for the first weekend of the regular season. That might not seem like a lot, given that there are 32 players in the first round, but it is the same number of first-round starters on opening day a year ago. Seven choices from the second round are projected as starters. The second-round numbers likely would have been higher, except for injuries, which knocked out some potential starters from the round. Dallas center Al Johnson (knee) had already won a starting job before being sidelined for the season by a knee injury. Miami linebacker Eddie Moore, out for the season with a foot injury, was challenging for a starting job. Ditto Houston tight end Bennie Joppru, who now figures to miss the first month of the season, after surgery for an athletic hernia. San Diego strong safety Terrence Kiel was running with the first unit in the spring, then was shot three times in a July 4 attempted carjacking, underwent surgery and just returned to practice last week.

San Francisco officials continue to fret about the bulging disk that has hampered Jeff Garcia through camp, and figures to be an issue with the quarterback all season. Going into Friday night's preseason finale, Garcia had taken just 15 snaps in game situations. That means he will enter the year with fewer than 25 preseason snaps. More worrisome than the lack of work, however, is a back condition that could require regular epidural injections through the year. No offense to backup Tim Rattay but, if Garcia ever goes down for the count, San Francisco is in big trouble. People forget that Garcia, despite being in the league just four seasons, is already 33 years old. In fact, he is seven months older than Mark Brunell, who has played 10 seasons.

The Detroit Lions, wisely, are in negotiations with fourth-year linebacker Barrett Green for a contract extension, ESPN.com has confirmed. If the name doesn't ring a bell with many fans, well, consider the wretched team for which Green toils. But the former West Virginia star is one of just two home-grown veteran linebackers on a roster rife with free agent leftovers at the position and, most important, he is a very solid two-way defender. Green is entering the final season of his original four-year contract, is scheduled to earn a minimum base salary of $450,000, and would draw pretty good attention if he becomes an unrestricted free agent after the '03 campaign. Just a hunch, but look for a deal to be completed in the first month of the season, maybe even sooner. While on the subject of the Lions, the team is still considering its options with defensive tackle Luther Elliss, the classy veteran who missed all of training camp with a torn pectoral. The Redskins called the Lions two weeks ago about a potential trade, contingent on Elliss being healthy, but Detroit could not have handled the $5.7 million in salary cap "acceleration" it would have been forced to eat. Even some people close to Elliss concede they won't be shocked if he is released but, given his injury, the Lions probably can't do that. No one should be too surprised, though, if Elliss opens the season on one of the NFL's many "reserve" lists.

In hindsight, Jaguars vice president Paul Vance made a very savvy move by including some protections for the team in the contract extension to which he signed wide receiver Jimmy Smith last summer. Some of the critics might point out that acquiescing to Smith, after he sat out all of camp because he wanted more money, was a mistake in and of itself. But that's a debate for another day. Included in the deal is a default provision that will allow the Jaguars to recoup some of the signing bonus money from Smith, because of his four-game suspension, resulting from a repeat violation of the NFL's substance abuse policy. Smith, who confessed to teammates that he has had a longtime substance abuse problem that he hid for years, will forfeit $764,705 of his $3.25 million base salary for this season. But the team will also seek to recover about $1.2 million of the $6.35 million signing bonus he received last year in his extension. The protection was written into the contract because Smith was already in the league's program following a 2001 arrest for DUI. Although the district attorney contended Smith tested positive at the time for cocaine, charges were never filed, because of a lack of evidence. Then again, while the Jags deserve kudos for covering their butts with Smith, one has to wonder about the lack of wisdom demonstrated in the extension to which they signed tight end Kyle Brady earlier this week. Brady was scheduled to earn a base salary of $2.95 million and the club spent much of the offseason haggling about a paycut. Brady likely would have accepted a cut to about the $2.2 million range. But instead, he'll make $2.65 million this year under terms of the extension. Brady got a signing bonus of $1.945 million. His base salary is $655,000 for 2003 and he gets a $50,000 workout bonus. His salary cap charge was reduced from $5.176 million to $3.367 million, so at least the Jaguars created some room there. The base salaries for the rest of the contract are: $1.6 million (2004), $1.9 million (2005) and $2.1 million (2006). There are annual $400,000 roster bonuses.

Expect the Tennessee Titans to exercise great deliberation in dealing with defensive end Jevon Kearse and his desire for a contract extension. Tennessee general manager Floyd Reese typically exercises caution in any negotiation. But with Kearse coming off a foot injury that limited him to four games in 2002, and currently battling a sprained ankle, the Titans are likely to drag out the talks until they are assured the pass rush demon is whole again physically. Agent Drew Rosenhaus has suggested that, if Kearse doesn't have a new deal in place by the first regular-season game, talks may shut down. That is the most likely scenario at this point, at least, because the Titans want additional time to evaluate Kearse and his injuries.

It merited little more than a line of agate type in the "transactions" section, and rightly so, but the Cleveland Browns quietly made a nice move Wednesday when they claimed former Carolina Panthers tight end Keith Heinrich on waivers. Yeah, we know, there is usually nothing but junk on the waiver wire in the cutdown to 65 players. And Heinrich, a former Sam Houston State star chosen by the Panthers in the sixth round of the '02 draft, played in just four games last season and didn't have a single catch. But there are scouts around the league who feel that Heinrich, despite his blocking deficiencies, can be a very good tight end. "Good size, good hands, and he belongs in the league," said one NFC South scout. It seems like the Browns have been looking for a pass-catching tight end since their second incarnation began in 1999. In the four seasons since the Browns were reborn as an expansion franchise, their tight ends corps have averaged just 41.8 catches per year. Cleveland has yet to have a tight end with more than 30 receptions.

Stat of the week: The preseason might indeed be meaningless in many respects but, for the Minnesota Vikings, it might have offered some hope that turnover-prone quarterback Daunte Culpepper is over his largesse of the past two seasons. In 2001-2002, Culpepper threw 36 interceptions and had an incredible 39 fumbles. In four preseason games, he did not have a single turnover.

Punts: Seems that tight end Johnnie Mitchell, whose latest comeback effort ended when he was recently released by Jacksonville, just refuses to go away. Mitchell's agent discovered that the Washington Redskins were auditioning free agent defensive tackle Reggie McGrew at a Jacksonville high school on Thursday morning, several hours before the preseason finale with the Jaguars. He phoned 'Skins vice president of football operations Vinny Cerrato and talked him into letting Mitchell work out at the same time. . . . With their cornerback corps depleted by injuries, the Detroit Lions might bring in veteran Alex Molden, released by the Redskins early this week, for a workout. The Lions have lost two corners, Chris Cash (knee) and Chris Watson (back) to injuries, and the former is out for the season. Starter Dre Bly hasn't played a single snap in preseason because of an ankle injury but is expected to return for the opener. . . . The 49rs likely wouldn't make a move until a week or two into the season, but second-year kicker Jeff Chandler could be replaced, if his performance is shaky. The 49ers auditioned veteran free agent Todd Peterson on Wednesday and he had a strong outing. Peterson, who played for San Francisco coach Dennis Erickson at Seattle, hit three of four field goals from beyond 50 yards and his kickoffs, by his standards, were very good. . . . Seattle is still attempting to reach an injury settlement with defensive tackle Chad Eaton, because it would keep alive the potential for re-signing him later in the season. . . . Atlanta likely will lose starting strong safety Cory Hall, one of its key free agent additions, for the first three or four games of the season. Hall suffered medial collateral damage in Thursday's preseason game. The injury will require rest but not surgery. . . . The Steelers are working on ways to get rookie linebacker Alonzo Johnson, their second-round pick, more involved in pass rush situations. . . . A San Diego secondary that finished last in the league versus the pass in 2002 will start no players in the same spots they opened at last year.

The last word: "If a guy does his job, you give him a plus. If he doesn't do his job, you give him a minus. If he gets enough minuses, then you give him a plane ticket (home). It's pure and simple. I don't find it very difficult at all." - Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Greg Blache on making roster cuts

Len Pasquarelli is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com.