ESPN NFL Training Camp 2008

CHARGERS CUT 5; MERRIMAN AWAITS WORD (11:41 p.m. ET)
Five players were released by the San Diego Chargers on Tuesday, including quarterback Casey Bramlet, to get down to the required 75-player limit.

Complete Transactions

Check out all the NFL transactions as they cross the wire. Teams must trim their rosters to 75 players by Tuesday, and then the final cut to 53 comes Saturday. Transactions

Also cut were wide receiver Billy Pittman, tight end John Tereshinski, wide receiver Marco Thomas and punter-kicker Billy Vinnedge.

Pittman, Tereshinski and Vinnedge joined the Chargers in May as undrafted free agents. Bramlet and Thomas had previously spent time with other clubs.

The moves came a day after the Chargers extended the contracts of linebacker Jyles Tucker and safety Steve Gregory. Tucker, who's played in only six career regular-season games, got a five-year deal while Gregory got a four-year extension.

If star outside linebacker Shawne Merriman opts to have surgery on two torn ligaments in his left knee, Tucker is expected to replace him. Merriman has been seeking opinions from doctors outside the organization and is trying to decide whether to have surgery or continue playing.

"I will find out more info when the doc calls me tomorrow," Merriman said in an e-mail to The Associated Press on Tuesday. He was on his way home from visiting a doctor in Miami.
-- The Associated Press

BEARS RELEASE MANNING (6:55 p.m. ET)
The Chicago Bears released cornerback Ricky Manning Jr.

In two seasons with the Bears, he appeared in 31 games with 11 starts. With the Bears, Manning had 106 tackles, three sacks and five interceptions. He signed with the team as a restricted free agent in 2006.

Manning entered the league in 2003 as a third-round selection of the Carolina Panthers.

In 79 games, he had 292 tackles and 14 interceptions, returning two for touchdowns.
-- The Associated Press

TEXANS TRIM ROSTER, ROBINSON ON PUP (5:49 p.m. ET)
The Houston Texans placed cornerback Dunta Robinson on the physically unable to perform list as they trimmed the active roster to 75 players.

Robinson has been recovering from a severe right knee injury he suffered Nov. 4, and being placed on the PUP list means he must sit out at least the first six weeks of the regular season.

The Texans also cut receiver Tim Carter and offensive lineman Mark Fenton, and placed receiver Harry Williams and offensive tackle Scott Jackson on injured reserve.

Williams underwent surgery on Sunday to repair a cracked vertebra he suffered in the Texans' preseason loss to Dallas on Friday, and team doctor Walter Lowe said Williams probably would never play football again.

Smith said the 29-year-old Jackson, who also spent last season on injured reserve, has a lingering left foot injury.

"He had struggled all training camp," Smith said. "We tried to treat it and just last week, we realized it was a little worse off than what we thought."
-- The Associated Press

COLTS CUT 3, PUT 2 ON INJURED RESERVE (5:36 p.m. ET)
The Indianapolis Colts placed kick returner T.J. Rushing and backup tight end Zac Herold on injured reserve, ending their seasons, and cut three other players to reach the NFL's roster limit of 75.

Rushing and Herold both injured knees in Sunday night's 20-7 loss to Buffalo.

Rushing, a seventh-round pick in 2006, averaged 23.0 yards on kickoff returns and 13.1 on punt returns, including one that went for a touchdown last season. He was hurt while covering the Colts' first punt against the Bills.

"He has a ligament injury that will keep him out all year," coach Tony Dungy said. "It was really just one of those freak things."

Herold, a free agent from Nebraska-Omaha, had looked good in camp and appeared to be vying for one of the 53 roster spots.

Indy also released kicker Adam Crossett, linebacker Marcus Richardson and running back Clifton Dawson.

Dawson, from Harvard, was the biggest surprise. The Colts released him in their final cutdown last year, and he then signed with Cincinnati. In late September, Indy re-signed Dawson and he wound up with 30 carries for 64 yards and one touchdown and had two receptions for 15 yards as a rookie.
-- The Associated Press

PATRIOTS PUT NEAL ON PUP LIST (5:33 p.m. ET)
The New England Patriots placed starting guard Stephen Neal on the physically unable to perform reserve list and backup tackle Ryan O'Callaghan on the injured reserve list.

The team reduced its roster to 75 players by the 4 p.m. deadline by making those moves with the offensive linemen and releasing fullback Kyle Eckel, cornerback Jason Webster and offensive lineman Ryan Wendell.

Neal had knee surgery after the Patriots lost the Super Bowl to the New York Giants. The Patriots can remove him from the PUP list at any time starting with the first day after the sixth week of the regular season to the final day of the ninth week.

Once the Patriots do that, the team has 21 days to activate him or place him on injured reserve, meaning he'd be out for the rest of the season.
-- The Associated Press

EAGLES' IKEGWUONU ON RESERVE LIST (5:09 p.m. ET)
The Philadelphia Eagles placed cornerback Jack Ikegwuonu on the reserve/nonfootball injury list and released a backup kicker, cutting their roster to 75 players.

Ikegwuonu, a fourth-round draft pick out of Wisconsin, is rehabilitating a knee injury he sustained while preparing for the NFL combine. He will be eligible to return to practice with the team between the sixth and ninth weeks of the season.

The Eagles also released kicker Richmond McGee.

Teams must cut rosters to 53 players by 4 p.m. ET Saturday.
-- The Associated Press

BRONCOS RELEASE WR JACOBS (4:54 p.m. ET)
The Denver Broncos released wide receiver Taylor Jacobs and placed rookie defensive tackle Carlton Powell on the reserve/physically unable to perform list.

Jacobs, in his sixth year out of Florida, signed with the Broncos on Nov. 6 and played six games in 2007, returning three kicks for 35 yards.

Powell, Denver's fifth-round pick out of Virginia Tech, suffered an injured right Achilles tendon during offseason workouts in July.
-- The Associated Press

PANTHERS MAKE ROOM FOR PARKER (3:17 p.m. ET)
The Carolina Panthers addressed their lack of depth at wide receiver by signing Samie Parker a day after he was released by the Broncos.

The Panthers made room on the 75-man roster by waiving rookie receiver Sean Bailey.

The 5-foot-11 Parker was Kansas City's fourth-round pick in 2004 and caught 110 passes in four seasons with the Chiefs. He signed a free-agent deal with the Broncos in the offseason, but failed to make Denver's receiving rotation.

The Panthers are thin at receiver with injuries to D.J. Hackett, Ryne Robinson and Jason Carter. Top receiver Steve Smith will be suspended for the first two games for punching teammate Ken Lucas in a training camp practice.
-- The Associated Press

FALCONS MOVE TWO OFF ACTIVE ROSTER (3:14 p.m. ET)
The Atlanta Falcons reduced their roster to 75 by moving offensive tackle Renardo Foster and defensive tackle Trey Lewis off their active list.

Foster was moved to the physically unable to perform list. Lewis was placed on the nonfootball injury list.

Lewis, a fifth-round pick in 2007, started five of nine games as a rookie last season before suffering a season-ending knee injury. He then hurt the knee again before training camp.

Foster, signed as an undrafted rookie free agent last season, played in seven games, including two starts at left tackle, before suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in October.
-- The Associated Press