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Pittsburgh Steelers: Hines Ward said he's "close" to a new deal, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported. He's just not sure of many of the details.

Ward said he talks to his agent often and while "I don't know numbers, I don't want to know numbers," Ward told the paper "it's just a matter of when" and not if a deal gets done before the season begins.

Sources close to the contract negotiations, however, say there is no deal "imminent," according to the paper.

"It's close, as far as what he told me," Ward told the Post-Gazette of his agent, Eugene Parker. "I mean, we're close. It's just a matter of when. I don't know when. I just have to go out there, continue to practice, get better and try not to get hurt."

Casey at the tackle: Nose tackle Casey Hampton agreed to a five-year, $22.775 million contract extension that included $6.975 million in signing and option bonus money. Hampton, a Pro Bowler in 2003, was scheduled to be a free agent after the season.

He is coming off reconstructive knee surgery but has made an impression in training camp for his importance to the defense. A former first-round pick in 2001, Hampton is considered the anchor of the Steelers' 3-4 defense as the nose tackle.

Hampton agreed to the monetary part of the contract early Monday. The two sides had to make agreement for weight clause bonuses before the deal was finally accepted. That agreement came late Monday night.

-- ESPN.com senior NFL writer John Clayton

Baltimore Ravens: Tight end Todd Heap was activated off the physically unable to perform list but will not play in the team's preseason game Friday night in New Orleans.

The two-time Pro Bowl pick, slowed by ankle and shoulder surgeries, did not participate in any training camp practices, but he will be on the field this week at the team's training facility and could be ready for the final exhibition game Sept. 1 against Washington.

"It felt good to be out there with the guys," Heap said Monday afternoon after being activated from the physically unable to perform list. "It's about time to get back into it. I've been working really hard to get my body back healthy and it's about time."

Heap missed nine weeks last season with an ankle injury, but upon his return, he registered 15 of his 27 receptions for the year, as well as all three of his touchdowns.

Carolina Panthers: Julius Peppers sat out practice with a sore right ankle, two days after the Carolina defensive end returned a fumble 29 yards for a touchdown against the New York Giants.

Peppers was wearing a heavy black boot on his foot as he watched practice from the sidelines.

"It's been sore over the last couple of weeks and it got a lot sorer after the game," he said. "We're just being extra careful with it right now. It's nothing major, lets not make it a bigger deal than it is."

Green Bay Packers: The Packers and Mike Sherman have reached agreement in principle on most of the elements of a two-year contract extension that will keep the head coach with the team through the 2007 season.

League sources confirmed that Sherman, entering his sixth season as the Packers' coach, is expected to sign the extension before the start of the season. The agreement was first reported Monday by the Green Bay Press Gazette. Sherman was entering the final year of his contract and, without the extension, would have been a free agent after this season.

Sherman, 50, is to earn $3.2 million this season and the extension is believed to pay him at least that much.

In January, Sherman's responsibilities were scaled back, as he relinquished the general manager title he had held since 2001, when the Packers hired Ted Thompson to fill that key role. Thompson was given the responsibility of hiring and firing the coach and it was believed in some quarters he would wait until after this season, the first in which he and Sherman are working together, to make a decision.

Including playoff games, Sherman has compiled a 55-31 record in five seasons. His .663 winning percentage in regular-season games (53-27) ties him for the third-best mark among active NFL head coaches. Green Bay has not had a losing season in his tenure and the Packers have won the last two division titles.

-- ESPN.com senior NFL writer Len Pasquarelli

Jacksonville Jaguars: Running back Fred Taylor, still recovering from a knee injury, will make his preseason debut Thursday night against the Atlanta Falcons.

Taylor had surgery to repair two partially torn knee ligaments in January. He started running during summer workouts, but was limited to one practice a day during training camp and did not participate in any contact drills.

Coach Jack Del Rio said Monday that Taylor will play sparingly against the Falcons, then will sit out the preseason finale at Dallas because the game is on artificial turf. The Jags open the season at home against Seattle on Sept. 11.

"We're just excited to get Fred out there and get a look at him this week," Del Rio said. "He's probably practiced more in this camp over the last few weeks than he had in any of the previous two camps that we've been here. He's had a lot of work, he just hasn't had the live contact. So we'll give him a little taste of that Thursday night."

Cleveland Browns: Browns cornerback Gary Baxter did not practice Monday, two days after sustaining a concussion on a hard hit in the first half of an exhibition game against the Detroit Lions.

Also, running back Lee Suggs remained sidelined with a sprained left ankle.

Baxter was injured when he collided with Lions running back Kevin Jones while making a tackle near the sideline Saturday. He stayed on the turf for several minutes before being assisted off the field.

Baxter, who signed as a free agent in the offseason, watched from the sideline in street clothes in the second half.

The 26-year-old remained inside the team's practice facility Monday as the Browns began preparing for Friday's home exhibition against the Carolina Panthers.

"With concussions, there is some sensitivity to light, so he didn't come outside," said Browns coach Romeo Crennel, who didn't know when Baxter would be cleared to play.

Minnesota Vikings: Minnesota running back Michael Bennett didn't practice Monday because of a sore neck, and the Vikings might keep him out of this week's preseason game as a precaution.

Mewelde Moore will be the starter on Friday night against the San Diego Chargers. Bennett will be evaluated daily, but coach Mike Tice said he doesn't want to risk further injury for an exhibition game.

"Personally, I don't foresee him playing this week," Tice said.

Also, cornerback Fred Smoot [knee] and guard Chris Liwienski [shoulder] each returned to practice on Monday. Center Matt Birk's recovery from offseason surgery on his right hip is going slower than anticipated, which has put his status for the regular-season opener in question.

Birk could practice on Tuesday, but he said he learned his lesson last year about coming back too soon. He had three operations to repair sports hernias, and the torn labrum in his hip might have resulted from overcompensating for the hernias.

"I'm making sure when I do come back that I don't have any relapses," Birk said.

Arizona Cardinals: Running back Troy Hambrick was one of nine players released by the Cardinals on Monday.

Hambrick, acquired in a trade with the Oakland Raiders a year ago, had not practiced this year because of a lingering foot injury that sidelined him late last season.

Hambrick was acquired after Marcell Shipp was lost for the 2004 season with a severe leg injury. Shipp has returned and played well in last week's preseason victory over Kansas City.

Hambrick rushed for 283 yards in 63 carries last season as a backup to Emmitt Smith.

The Cardinals also cut running back Josh Scobey, wide receiver Lawrence Hamilton, center Chad Bandiera, linebacker Greg Carothers, wide receiver Fabian Davis, tackle Jim Newton, tight end Andy Stokes and defensive back Aaron Francisco.

New York Jets: The Jets waived receiver Jonathan Carter and rookie linebacker Mondoe Davis on Monday.

Carter came to the Jets in 2002 after spending time with the New York Giants. He was the primary kick returner for the Jets, averaging 24.1 yards on 44 career kickoffs.

Davis hurt his knee in the Jets' preseason win over Minnesota on Friday night. If he clears waivers, he will revert to the team's injured list.

Also Monday, running back Cedric Houston bruised his shoulder, and safety Kerry Rhodes bruised his right thigh. Guard Pete Kendall and tackle Dewayne Robertson sat out practice to rest.

Chicago Bears: The Bears announced that three players injured in Saturday night's preseason victory at Indianapolis will miss the entire 2005 season. Most notable among the trio of reserves is three-year veteran safety Bobby Gray, a defender who carved out considerable playing time in 2004 and who figured prominently in the club's plans for 2005.

In addition to Gray, who tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, safety Cameron Worrell and linebacker Marcus Reese, both of whom sustained dislocated shoulders, will be placed on injured reserve for the season. All three players will require surgery.

The loss of Gray and Worrell seriously thins the Chicago secondary and means that rookie Chris Harris, a sixth-round choice, will move up the safety depth chart, likely to the No. 3 spot behind starters Mike Brown and Mike Green.

A fifth-round pick in the 2002 draft, Gray has played in 29 games in three seasons, and has 68 tackles, one interception and five passes defensed. The Bears coaches consider Gray a starting-caliber player.

-- L.P.

Atlanta Falcons: The Falcons have released six-year veteran safety Rich Coady, who had been signed in March as an unrestricted free agent to add depth to an uncertain position. Coady had played sparingly in two preseason games and Falcons coaches determined that he would not break into the regular rotation and that, by releasing him now, Coady might have a chance to sign elsewhere before the start of the season.

Coady's demise was hastened in part by the speedy rehabilitation of safety Bryan Scott from offseason shoulder surgery. The initial projections were that Scott would not return until the season opener, but he has practiced regularly, and was in the starting lineup for last Friday night's preseason contest.

There were at least four players -- Scott, Keion Carpenter, Ronnie Heard and Kevin McCadam -- ahead of Coady on the depth chart. Coady, 29, has appeared in 83 games in stints with St. Louis and Tennessee, and has 177 tackles, two interceptions, 16 passes defensed and one sack. He is also regarded as an outstanding special teams player.

-- L.P.

New Orleans Saints: Rookie right tackle Jammal Brown missed practice Sunday after spraining the AC joint in his left shoulder while lifting weights, The New Orleans Times-Picayune reported.

An MRI showed no structural damage to the joint, and Brown is expected to miss no more than a couple of workouts.

"He had it in his college days," Haslett told the paper of the injury. "... It's just sore, but he'll be all right."

Indianapolis Colts: Safety Bob Sanders strained a leg muscle in Saturday's loss to the Chicago Bears, the Indianapolis Star reported.

Coach Tony Dungy acknowledged that Sanders will miss "a little bit of time" but wasn't sure on the amount.

"I don't know how much [practice time he's] going to [miss]," Dungy told the paper.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.