Bengals release Chase Coffman
Tight end Chase Coffman, a third-round draft pick last year out of Missouri, was among players cut Saturday by the Cincinnati Bengals. The 2008 winner of the John Mackey Award as the nation's best tight end, Coffman failed to make the Bengals' active roster for any game last year.
Also waived Saturday was sixth-round pick Dezmon Briscoe, a receiver from Kansas. Cincinnati did, however, keep Adam "Pacman" Jones as a third cornerback and punt returner.
Ravens — Baltimore cut former Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith, the 2006 Heisman Trophy winner. The Ravens said safety Ed Reed will miss the first six weeks of the season after being placed on the reserve physically unable to perform list.
Baltimore will open the season with just two quarterbacks, starter Joe Flacco and Marc Bulger.
"We've gone with two quarterbacks before," Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome said.
Falcons — Former Rams offensive lineman Brett Romberg was among Saturday's cuts.
Buccaneers — Cuts included rookie quarterback Jevan Snead out of Ole Miss.
Titans — The team cut veteran quarterback Chris Simms and kept rookie Rusty Smith as the third QB behind Vince Young and Kerry Collins. Cornerback Tye Hill, a former Rams first-round draft pick, was cut after spending much of the preseason injured.
Panthers — Having opted for rookie Tony Pike (Cincinnati) as its No. 3 quarterback, Carolina cut Hunter Cantwell.
Dolphins — Quarterback Pat White, a former star at West Virginia and a second-round pick last year, failed to make Miami's roster.
White struggled with his throwing accuracy during a disappointing rookie season in 2009, when he failed to complete any of his five passes in limited duty. The Dolphins kept three quarterbacks — Chad Henne, Chad Pennington and Tyler Thigpen.
Giants — Cuts included former Oklahoma quarterback Rhett Bomar.
Texans — Houston cut former Southern California quarterback John David Booty.
Raiders — Colt Brennan, a former prolific quarterback at Hawaii, failed to make Oakland's roster.
Vikings — Minnesota cut five receivers, including recently signed Javon Walker.
Bills — Starting free safety Jairus Byrd (Clayton HS) returned to practice for the first time since having surgery to repair a nagging groin injury two weeks ago. Byrd said there's a possibility he'll be ready for the start of the season.
"It feels good so far," Byrd said. "We'll see. I've got to see how my body reacts. This is the first day and we've got a day off tomorrow, which will tell me a lot."
Byrd also revealed that he spent additional days in the hospital after developing an infection related to the operation. He's coming off a rookie season in which he earned a Pro Bowl selection after finishing tied for the NFL lead with nine interceptions.
Broncos-Lions trade — Denver acquired tight end Dan Gronkowski from Detroit for cornerback Alphonso Smith in a swap of second-year players. Denver also put NFL sack leader Elvis Dumervil (chest muscle) and wide receiver Brandon Stokley (groin) on injured reserve, officially ending their seasons.
Associated Press
