Sports: Team watches Leaf's wrist closely

Team watches Leaf's wrist closely

By RICK STROUD and GARY SHELTON

TAMPA -- Not only will the Bucs count out injured quarterback Brad Johnson for the first few days of training camp, they likely will have to count the number of passes thrown by Ryan Leaf.

The former Chargers quarterback is limited by a slight separation of a bone in his right (throwing) wrist that he said might need surgery at the end of the season.

Though painful, the wrist is not expected to worsen during the season. But if he opted for treatment, he could miss as many as eight weeks.

"I'm thinking we might have to do something after the season is over," Leaf said. "The hard part is just getting through camp. Then I can get rested and watch and learn from Brad.

"We went through the last four weeks of workouts and it didn't bother me. (Trainer) Todd (Toriscelli) taped it a little differently and I was taking the same amount of throws as anyone else."

Johnson, a 10-year veteran, is expected to miss the first few workouts of training camp after a getting a cut above his left knee during a mishap at his home Tuesday in Tallahassee. The cut required 15 stitches. "You don't want to make this a bigger deal than it is," coach Tony Dungy said. "There was a plan for how many snaps each guy was going to get. All you have to do is increase the snaps for him when he gets back."

HOWELL SIGNS: Fourth-round pick John Howell, a safety picked 117th overall, signed a three-year contract worth a little less than $1.2-million.

Howell (5 feet 11, 204 pounds) had 233 tackles, 9 sacks, 18 tackles for loss and 3 interceptions in four seasons at Colorado State, which runs a defense similar to the Bucs.

ONE MAN OUT: The Bucs do not foresee trouble signing Florida tackle Kenyatta Walker, the first-round draft pick and only one unsigned.

"A lot of things that are done in this negotiation process are a waste of time. So we're not wasting any time," general manager Rich McKay said. "We're going to make a good deal that works for him and works for us.

"You're always going to have areas that you disagree on. All that's going to happen to the deals this year is the vernacular is going to be a little different. But the deals are going to be pretty typical from a monetary standpoint for the player. Some are going to end up with signing bonuses, and like (in Carolina linebacker) Dan Morgan's case, you'll end up with a signing bonus and an option bonus. In reality, it'll equal a signing bonus from last year."

Dungy expressed optimism that Walker would report to camp on time Sunday.

"I think the tenor looks good," Dungy said. "Everyone on both sides expects it to be done and we expect he's going to be there on Sunday and ready to go."