PITTSFORD, N.Y. - First-round draft pick Willis McGahee agreed Tuesday to a contract with the Bills, but that still didn't get the injured running back closer to playing his first game.
In announcing the agreement, Buffalo president Tom Donahoe said he still hasn't determined whether McGahee will open the season on the active roster. One option, Donahoe said, is placing the running back on the non-football injury list, allowing him to continue rehabilitating his injured left knee.
"I don't anticipate that he'll be on the field right away," Donahoe said. "The most important thing is for us to get him healthy. When he can endure the rigors, we'll put him out there."
McGahee agreed to a five-year deal that could be worth $15.53-million. The contract includes a guaranteed two-tiered $4.15-million bonus, the second part to be paid at the end of the season.
McGahee, the 23rd player selected, has spent the past month in his native Miami and is scheduled to travel today to training camp in suburban Rochester.
Before getting hurt in the Fiesta Bowl against Ohio State, McGahee was projected to be one of the top three picks in the draft after he set school records with 1,753 yards rushing and 28 touchdowns last season.
BENGALS: Rookie quarterback Carson Palmer missed practice with a strained tendon in his right foot but expects to play Saturday against the Lions. Palmer, the top pick in this year's draft, could miss a few days of practice, the team said. The injury occurred in Sunday's 28-13 loss to the Jets. Palmer finished the game.
CHARGERS: Free safety Ryan McNeil was cut, guaranteeing the league's most porous secondary last season will have all new starters. Strong safety Rodney Harrison was released in February and signed by New England, and cornerback Alex Molden and free safety Rogers Beckett also were released.
Also, the team asked the city to let an arbitrator decide whether it has triggered an escape clause in its Qualcomm Stadium lease. The team claimed in March that it set off the clause because its salaries and benefits fell below certain financial benchmarks.
JAGUARS: The team reached an agreement with rookie quarterback Byron Leftwich on a five-year, $23-million deal, the Associated Press reported. AP said the contract had yet to be signed as of late Tuesday but that Leftwich almost certainly would sign and make it to training camp today.
Neither coach Jack Del Rio nor Leftwich's agent, Tom Condon, returned repeated messages.
The first-round draft pick out of Marshall has missed 19 days of camp. As recently as Monday, both sides reported no significant progress in the stalled talks. Things apparently changed over 24 hours, though none of the parties were willing to give details.
RAVENS: Rookie tight end Trent Smith will miss the season after breaking his leg in a preseason game Saturday against Buffalo.
REDSKINS: An MRI confirmed center Larry Moore has a torn posterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and will miss 2-3 weeks.
TITANS: Cornerback Samari Rolle missed afternoon practice because he was dizzy and nauseous after colliding with fullback Greg Comella in the morning session. Coach Jeff Fisher said the team ran tests and found nothing wrong with Rolle's neck.
VIKINGS: The team cut receiver Derrick Alexander. He played eight games last season before sustaining a season-ending knee injury against Tampa Bay on Nov.3.
TRADE: San Francisco sent receiver Nate Jackson to Denver for a conditional seventh-round draft pick in 2004. Jackson was one of San Francisco's final cuts before last season. The 49ers also signed linebacker Darnell Robinson, who has been out of football since getting cut by Detroit before the 2001 season.
