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No team in the NFL, not even the neediest franchise with the most threadbare roster, is likely to locate much help in the 7-10 days before the start of the regular season. When the shelves are barren in the league's personnel supermarket, and the pickin's are slim, so are the odds of finding a player who might offer even a modest contribution.

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The waiver wire on the final roster cutdown day has become such a scrap heap, in fact, that it is hardly worth perusing. As one longtime personnel man noted Saturday, while he glanced at the list of largely nondescript players jettisoned by other franchises, if you're looking for help on cutdown day, you're probably beyond help anyway.

Indeed, if you've ever put off your shopping until Christmas Eve, you have some feel for what teams see now when they eyeball the waiver wire on that final weekend before the start of the regular season.

Against the odds, though, there was some roster reshaping in this last week leading up to the regular-season kickoff that could help the teams involved. Not surprisingly, the most notable moves were made by playoff qualifiers, teams that didn't necessarily require an overhaul but just a little spackling work. Three Super Bowl contenders -- Indianapolis, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh -- all made additions that could make a difference for them.

	“	He's a difference-maker. He'll help everyone make more plays. And he'll make plays in this defense, too. ”
		— Dwight Freeney, Colts defensive end

In signing suddenly unfettered Corey Simon, the former Philadelphia defensive tackle who was shoved into the market when the Eagles abruptly rescinded his "franchise" tag, the Colts inarguably enacted the week's biggest coup. Simon provides Indianapolis with the kind of big-bodied interior defender it has lacked, and the Colts' one-gap defense should allow the five-year veteran to become a disruptive force again -- once he gets himself back into football shape.

"He's a difference-maker," said Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney, the league's sack leader in 2004 and a player who should benefit from having Simon aligned inside him now. "He'll help everyone make more plays. And he'll make plays in this defense, too."

But the Colts didn't stop the 11th-hour remodeling with the Simon acquisition. In a trade that didn't generate much publicity but might turn out to be a masterstroke, the team got Tennessee linebacker Rocky Calmus for a low-round draft choice. Then the Colts signed another linebacker, Keith O'Neil, after he was released by Dallas over the weekend. Having lost Kendyll Pope to a season-long suspension for a repeat violation of the substance-abuse program, and with Gilbert Gardner injured, the Colts were suddenly thin at linebacker, so general manager Bill Polian did something about it.

O'Neil is probably little more than a special teams guy, but he is bright and active and, his father having played in the league, he has an NFL pedigree. Calmus, though, might be a bit of a steal. The fourth-year pro has a dozen starts on his résumé, is athletic, has good size and is a good fit for the Indianapolis defense. Certainly, the Calmus and O'Neil additions aren't nearly as significant as bringing Simon aboard, but they were still solid moves in a week when there usually aren't even marginally solid players available.

"They've lined up and played, and played well, when they have had opportunities," Colts coach Tony Dungy said. "We think we helped ourselves."

A few other teams that feel the same way:

• Philadelphia: In plucking three-year veteran Lamar Gordon off the waiver wire, coach Andy Reid got the bigger tailback he needed to complete his depth chart, and proved just how virtuous a little patience can be. The Eagles' staff didn't panic when it lost Correll Buckhalter to a third season-ending knee injury in four years. Instead of signing an older veteran such as Dorsey Levens or Eddie George, the Eagles trusted there would be a younger, serviceable back released by another team. Gordon runs tougher than people think, has some wiggle, and is a nice alternative to the munchkin-sized tandem of Brian Westbrook and rookie Ryan Moats. Philadelphia also signed former Washington wideout Darnerien McCants, another veteran who gives the Eagles a size dimension they lacked in their backup receivers.

• Pittsburgh: He is currently listed as the No. 4 wide receiver, but Quincy Morgan, signed after he was released by Dallas, will make an impact on the Steelers' passing game by the middle of the season. The 2001 second-round draft choice can run, presents a far bigger target than any of the team's other wideouts, can make the big plays and return kickoffs. His career needs a bit of a jump start, but reuniting Morgan with receivers coach Bruce Arians, his offensive coordinator in Cleveland, might be the ticket.

• Dallas: OK, we're still not sold on wide receiver Peerless Price, but maybe quarterback Drew Bledsoe, a former teammate in Buffalo when Price had his most productive season, can help get him turned around. The last-minute move that could pay bigger dividends in the long run, though, was the acquisition of former Kansas City starting linebacker Scott Fujita for a pair of draft choices. Fujita has had some ankle problems, but he is only 26 years old and led the Chiefs in tackles in each of the last two seasons. Linebacker has been a problem area for Dallas as it makes the transition to the 3-4, and it now looks as if projected starter Kevin Burnett will miss some time with a knee injury. Fujita has the kind of size (6 foot 5, 250 pounds) coach Bill Parcells covets, and he could be a starter by the second month of the season.

• Minnesota: Someone will have to explain to us why, after excising Randy Moss, coach Mike Tice decided to take on wide receiver Koren Robinson. The Vikings' wide receiver depth chart was already one of the most impressive in the league. The better move, which got buried because it occurred late Saturday night, was the deal for center Melvin Fowler. There are some people from the former Cleveland Browns staff who thought Fowler, a three-year veteran, was a better player than starter Jeff Faine. With four-time Pro Bowl center Matt Birk out for the season and replacement Cory Withrow a little on the light side, the Vikings might have stabilized the middle of their line. And all they surrendered was tackle Nat Dorsey, a second-year veteran who didn't figure into their plans anymore.

• New York Jets: At some point this season, Jets coaches will be glad they signed veteran right offensive tackle Scott Gragg to a one-year deal. That's not to say first-year starter Adrian Jones will stumble. But at least now, if he does, there is a proven reinforcement. A 10-year veteran, Gragg has started 14 or more games in each of the last nine seasons, is a big-time character guy and makes for a pretty nice insurance policy.

• Teams seeking return specialists: Arizona coach Dennis Green spent much of the spring looking for someone who might put some sizzle in his kickoff return game and, when Houston released veteran Reggie Swinton, he might have found a guy who can fill the bill. Tennessee signed Jacksonville castoff Troy Edwards more for experience at wideout, but with first-round pick Pacman Jones struggling to hold on to the ball, the veteran now will return punts for the Titans. Bounced by the Patriots, veteran return man Chad Morton isn't nearly as good as he was a couple of years ago. But he looked good enough to the Giants, who averaged just 6.7 yards per punt return in 2004. The man Morton replaced on the New York roster, Mark Jones, was quickly signed by Tampa Bay.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com. To check out Len's chat archive, click here .