TEMPE, Ariz. - Rookie John Navarre will become Arizona's third starting quarterback in the past four games when the Cardinals play the Lions in Detroit on Sunday.
The seventh-round draft pick, who never has taken a snap in an NFL regular-season game, will make his debut in the state where he was a three-year starter for Michigan.
Coach Dennis Green announced the move Monday, benching former Buc Shaun King after two starts and deciding Navarre should get the nod over Josh McCown, who had the job for the first nine games.
"Isn't that the American dream?" Green said. "Isn't the American dream all about opportunity? If one guy hasn't worked out and another guy hasn't worked out, why shouldn't the other guy get a chance? And I've got a lot of confidence in him. I think he'll do fine."
Green said McCown would be the backup, with King demoted to third string after the Cardinals scored 13 points in his two starts.
"Quick hook? Yeah," Green said. "Tough business, and you don't have to apologize for it being a tough business."
Green also said Emmitt Smith would be out two to three weeks with a sprained big left toe, and that undrafted rookie Larry Croom would start at running back Sunday.
Bears sign QB George
LAKE FOREST, Ill. - Jeff George signed a one-year deal with the Bears, returning to the league after a three-year absence.
George will be the backup to Chad Hutchinson, who will make his first start in two years against the Vikings on Sunday.
"I'm just excited to be back in it. It's a great opportunity for me, and I'm very thankful for them bringing me in," George said after his first practice with his new team. "Whatever role the Bears want me to do, I'm willing to do that. I can't say enough how happy I am and how thankful I am to be out here."
George was the No. 1 pick in the 1990 draft, and has one of the strongest arms in the game. But he's 46-78 as a starter, and has played for six teams.
BILLS: Travis Henry might not have broken a bone in his right leg, as first feared, according to coach Mike Mularkey. The team is conducting further tests on the running back and should have a more definitive diagnosis when the team returns to practice Wednesday. Henry, the backup to Willis McGahee, was hurt four plays into the opening drive Sunday against Seattle.
BRONCOS: Cornerback Lenny Walls was lost for the season after he dislocated his shoulder for the third time in the past 10 weeks. Walls, who hurt himself Sunday in Denver's 25-24 loss to Oakland, will have surgery and be placed on injured reserve.
BROWNS: Linebacker Andra Davis will miss the remainder of the season after tearing a ligament in his knee against the Bengals. Davis tore the medial collateral ligament in his left knee, the same knee he had repaired when he played at Florida.
FALCONS: Pro Bowl tight end Alge Crumpler signed a new six-year contract worth about $26-million Saturday after the final workout for the Saints game, but he and the team decided to keep it under wraps until the day after the game. Crumpler caught the winning touchdown.
GIANTS: Defensive end Chuck Wiley will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury. Wiley, who was signed earlier this month after Michael Strahan and Keith Washington were lost for the season with injuries, tore the ACL in his left knee Sunday against Philadelphia.
JETS: Chad Pennington, who has missed the past three weeks with a strained right rotator cuff, is questionable for Sunday's game against Houston. He will share snaps with Quincy Carter in practice this week before determining whether he can play. ... Defensive end Shaun Ellis signed a six-year contract with $15.5-million in guaranteed money.
TITANS: The team officially ended safety Tank Williams' season by placing him and rookie safety Justin Sandy on injured reserve, allowing them to activate defensive end Bo Schobel and cornerback Tony Beckham off the physically unable to perform list. Beckham tore his right ACL in April; Schobel broke a bone in his right foot in June.
VIKINGS: Onterrio Smith, not former Pro Bowl running back Michael Bennett, will be the starter for now, coach Mike Tice said.
