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Published: September 3, 2008
League planning to honor Upshaw
■ The NFL will honor the late Gene Upshaw with his initials and his uniform number stenciled on the field for all 16 games this opening weekend.
The league had announced that all NFL players would wear a patch all season with the initials "GU" and the No. 63, his former uniform number, to honor Upshaw, a Hall of Fame guard and longtime union leader, who died two weeks ago.
It originally announced they also would be stenciled on the field for the season opener at Giants Stadium between the Redskins and Giants and for the Denver-Oakland game at Oakland, where Upshaw played his entire 15 seasons.
It extended that yesterday to all games. A video tribute to Upshaw will also be shown.
■ Rudi Johnson didn't need long to find a new home.
Johnson, who was waived by the Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday, officially signed with the Detroit Lions yesterday. Johnson will join rookie Kevin Smith as the backs in Detroit's offense.
Johnson has missed much of training camp and the preseason with the same hamstring problem that caused him to miss five games last season, but said that he'd be ready for Detroit's season opener Sunday in Atlanta.
Johnson rushed for over 1,400 yards in both 2005 and 2006, but was limited to 497 last year. This season, the Bengals will be going with Chris Perry and Kenny Watson as their top runners.
Johnson will be reunited with quarterback Jon Kitna, who played for Cincinnati before coming to Detroit in 2006.
■ The Dallas Cowboys released cornerback Evan Oglesby, a move that clears a spot on the 53-man roster that could be used to re-sign safety Keith Davis.
Oglesby, who was released yesterday, played eight games for the Cowboys last season, making two tackles on defense and three on special teams.
The move clears a spot that could be used for Davis, who reached an agreement in principle with the Cowboys. Davis, a former Dallas safety and special-teams standout, signed a two-year free agent deal with Miami in March but was cut before the Dolphins' final preseason game.
■ Center Scott Wells of the Green Bay Packers had a setback with his injured lower back after returning to practice Monday, putting his availability in doubt for the opener against Minnesota.
Since the end of the Packers' offseason practice program, Wells has been dealing with what has been described as a "trunk" injury involving his lower-back muscles, limiting his availability in training camp practices and preseason games.
Packers coach Mike McCarthy said the team still was gathering information on Wells' injury.
Add in a nagging hamstring injury to running back Ryan Grant, and there are some concerns about the Packers' running game going into Week 1.
■ The Tampa Bay Buccaneers traded backup guard Dan Buenning to the Chicago Bears for an undisclosed draft pick yesterday, then replaced Buenning, a fourth-year pro, by acquiring center-guard Sean Mahan from the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Buenning was a fourth-round draft pick in 2005 and started 23 of 25 games he played in three seasons with Tampa Bay.
Mahan, who started 16 games at center for the Steelers in 2007, was a fifth-round pick of the Bucs in 2003. He appeared in 57 games, including 36 starts, for Tampa Bay from 2003-2006.
Pittsburgh received an undisclosed pick in the 2009 draft.
■ The Oakland Raiders released defensive tackle William Joseph yesterday to create room on the roster for receiver Ashley Lelie.
Lelie officially signed his one-year contract yesterday, forcing the Raiders to create a roster spot for him. They did it by cutting ties with Joseph, who made little impact after signing as a free agent in the offseason.
Lelie joined the Raiders just days after being cut by the 49ers. He had 10 catches for 115 yards last season for San Francisco while struggling with injuries, including a strained quadriceps.
■ The Denver Broncos traded versatile defensive back Domonique Foxworth to the Atlanta Falcons yesterday for a conditional seventh-round draft choice in 2009.
The Falcons said the draft pick could be higher, based upon Foxworth's playing time.
Foxworth, a fourth-year pro, became expendable when the Broncos claimed cornerback Calvin Lowry off waivers from the Tennessee Titans this week.
Foxworth averaged 55 tackles and 11 pass breakups in his three seasons in Denver, where he played cornerback, safety and nickel back.
He totaled 166 tackles and three interceptions in 46 games, including 18 starts.
Foxworth, a former third-round draft pick from Maryland, was popular in the locker room and in the community, and he headed the effort to build a teen center honoring slain teammate Darrent Williams last year.
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