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New York Jets: Second-year free safety Erik Coleman, a starter for the Jets in all 18 games of his career, underwent Monday surgery to repair a dislocated right thumb and his status for this week's game against Jacksonville is uncertain.

Injured during the first half of last week's win over Miami, Coleman played the second half of that contest with a soft cast on the thumb. There is a chance he may do the same this week, but his availability might be determined in part by pain tolerance.

If Coleman cannot play, he will be replaced in the lineup by second-year veteran Oliver Celestin. The starting strong safety is rookie Kerry Rhodes.
-- Len Pasquarelli, ESPN.com

Atlanta Falcons: With the unit thinned by injuries, the Falcons have added two players to their secondary, signing veteran free agent cornerback Chris Cash and elevating rookie safety Cam Newton from the team's practice squad.

To create roster spots for the pair, Atlanta waived a pair of rookies, cornerback Leigh Torrence and tailback DeAndra Cobb. The latter was Atlanta's sixth-round selection in this year's draft, while Torrence was claimed on waivers the first week of the season. The Falcons also signed defensive end Benard Thomas to the practice squad.

The addition of Cash was the key move among the transactions. A sixth-round choice of the Detroit Lions in 2002, Cash was recently released. But he has appeared in 27 games and started 17 of them, and posted 142 tackles, two interceptions, 19 passes defensed, two forced fumbles and one recovery during his Lions tenure.

Cash, 25, started 12 games as a rookie in 2002, but the former Southern California star then missed the entire 2003 season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament.

The Falcons last week lost nickel cornerback Kevin Mathis for the season after he suffered a severe left knee injury during Wednesday's practice. Another cornerback, Allen Rossum, missed Sunday's game with a hamstring injury and might not be able to play this weekend, either.
-- L.P.

Minnesota Vikings: The Vikings have released wide receiver Koren Robinson.

However, the team plans to re-sign Robinson this week and he could play Sunday. The release and re-signing is a procedural move to change his contract from two years to one year.

Robinson had agreed to the two-year deal with the Vikings earlier this month.

Chosen with the ninth overall pick in the 2001 draft by Seattle, the 25-year-old Robinson never performed up to his ability with the Seahawks and was released in June after he was charged with drunken driving. That was the latest in a series of off-the-field troubles for Robinson, who checked himself into a 28-day alcohol rehabilitation program last month.

Robinson's best season was in 2002, when he caught 78 passes for 1,240 yards and five touchdowns.
-- John Clayton, ESPN.com

Philadelphia Eagles: The Eagles signed kicker Todd France to the practice squad Tuesday, two days after linebacker Mark Simoneau kicked an extra point.

France will back up Pro Bowl kicker David Akers, who is bothered by a hamstring injury and uncertain for Sunday's game against Oakland.

Simoneau's conversion -- his first kick since high school -- made it 28-0 en route to the Eagles' 42-3 victory over San Francisco. Third-string tight end Mike Bartrum kicked off after the score, but Akers returned to make the rest of the kicks.

France connected on 24 of 34 field-goal attempts and made all 15 extra points this spring for Hamburg in NFL Europe. Signed by Minnesota as a rookie free agent in 2002, France has been to training camps with the Vikings, New York Giants and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Eagles released wide receiver Michael Gasperson to make room on the practice squad.
-- The Associated Press

Seattle Seahawks: The Seahawks placed wide receiver Alex Bannister on injured reserve and signed cornerback and returner Jimmy Williams to their roster, the team said Tuesday.

Bannister was taken out of Sunday's home game against Atlanta after cracking his right collarbone, a bone he'd broken twice already over the past year. The injury is expected to take at least eight weeks to heal.

Williams spent his first four seasons with the San Francisco 49ers. He signed a one-year deal as an unrestricted free agent with New Orleans during the offseason. The Saints released him during the second round of training camp.

Williams has played 50 career games with six starts, making 50 tackles, one sack, one interception and defending seven passes. He has returned 49 kickoffs for 1,030 yards.

A backup receiver his entire 5-year career, Bannister was named to the Pro Bowl after the 2003 season when he led the Seahawks with 18 special-teams tackles. As a receiver, he has nine career catches and made four starts.

-- The Associated Press