Former Cowboys WR Williams appears headed to the Bears

One day after being cut by the Dallas Cowboys, wide receiver Roy Williams has agreed to terms with the Chicago Bears, NFL Network insider Jason La Canfora reported Friday, citing a source with knowledge of the situation.

Williams, who had a disappointing stint with the Cowboys after Dallas traded four draft picks to the Detroit Lions to get him, caught 37 passes for 530 yards and five touchdowns with the Cowboys last season. In his two-and-a-half seasons with Dallas, he had 94 catches for 1,324 yards and 13 touchdowns in 40 games.

In Chicago, Williams will be reunited with offensive coordinator Mike Martz, who was the Lions coordinator when Williams enjoyed his best years in Detroit. A first-round pick of the Lions in 2004, Williams joins a Bears receiving corps that featured only two receivers with more than 40 catches last season, Johnny Knox (51) and Earl Bennett (46).

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Miami nice? Broncos QB Orton appears headed to Dolphins

There wasn't any official word on a new address for Denver Broncos quarterback Kyle Orton on Wednesday, but several signs point to it being in Miami.

Sources close to the situation told NFL Network's Michelle Beisner, reporting from Denver, that a trade is very close to happening. Orton would compete with Chad Henne for the Dolphins' starting job.

Observations from Dolphins camp NFL Network reporter
Scott Hanson checks in from South Florida with the latest on Brandon Marshall, Karlos Dansby and a possible trade for Broncos QB Kyle Orton. More ...

NFL Network's Albert Breer reports the Dolphins' pursuit of a trade for the Broncos quarterback might hinge on Miami's ability to renegotiate Orton's contract. Orton has a salary-cap figure of $8.4 million for 2011.

The Broncos put Orton on the trade block Tuesday, and they are unlikely to deal him for less than a third-round draft pick, league sources told NFL Network insider Jason La Canfora. There is the possibility that the compensation will escalate based on Orton's performance and/or his new team signing him to an extended contract.

Orton is in the final year of his deal and has put up solid numbers in Denver after being a part of the Jay Cutler trade with the Chicago Bears in 2009, but apparently, new Broncos coach John Fox has decided to go with Tim Tebow, a first-round pick in 2010, as the starter.

Orton has made it clear that he doesn't want to back up Tebow, a former Heisman Trophy winner and national champion at Florida, who replaced Orton for the final three games last year.

Orton participated in Broncos player-led workouts during the lockout and, despite his hazy status, reported to Dove Valley on Wednesday for a physical and Fox's first team meeting.

The six-year veteran has started 28 games for the Broncos the past two seasons, passing for 41 touchdowns and almost 7,500 yards, along with 21 interceptions.

The Broncos' first practice is Thursday morning. Orton declined to comment to reporters as he left the facility Wednesday about 1 p.m. and again when he returned three hours later for the team meeting.

After saying early on in the offseason that Orton was the incumbent, the Broncos' new front office football chief, John Elway; general manager Brian Xanders and Fox haven't made any public comments about the quarterback's situation of late.

Pro Bowl wide receiver Brandon Lloyd, however, described Orton's presence at the facility Wednesday as awkward.

"Yeah, I didn't know what was going on," Lloyd said. "I didn't know all the rules and stuff, but there's obviously some logistical things about showing up to camp. Technically, he's still a member of the Denver Broncos football team, so it was normal after I saw him."

Lloyd and Orton made a great duo last season, but Lloyd has moved on, figuring it's Tebow's time now.

"I've been spending most of my brainpower in the offseason focusing on how to get Tebow better and what I can do to help him develop as a quarterback," said Lloyd, who spent a week with Tebow preparing for training camp.

"Kyle's going to be awesome, wherever he goes," Lloyd said. "There's a lot of vacancies in the NFL for really good quarterbacks, and Kyle's a really good quarterback, and he's going to be fine."

The NFL free agency cycle is in full effect, with teams and players agreeing to terms fast as training camps open. Get the latest on all the news right here.

Actually, those vacancies are starting to fill up, whittling the list of potential landing spots for Orton.

Tebow went 1-2 as a rookie, completing 41 of 82 passes for 654 yards and five touchdowns with three interceptions with six sacks. He also rushed for 227 yards and six scores.

"I think Tim's ready," Lloyd said. "And I think it's going to put a lot of pressure on us veterans to make him better. That's what it comes down to."

Star pass rusher Elvis Dumervil praised both quarterbacks.

"Man, I think both of those guys are good players. That's a decision the front office has to make. That's not really my area," he said. "Well, whoever the guy is we've got to rally around him because obviously he's the team captain being the quarterback."

Defensive captain Brian Dawkins said Tebow's trial run in 2010 showed he possessed "a lot of grit, a lot of determination, and he is as advertised as far as being a fiery guy."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Ex-Ravens kicker Stover retires, headed for Ring of Honor

OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- Former Baltimore Ravens kicker Matt Stover announced his retirement Thursday, ending a career that spanned two decades in the NFL.

A one-time Pro Bowl selection who provided much of the offense for the Ravens' Super Bowl championship team in 2000, Stover leaves the NFL as the No. 4 scorer in the league's history, with 2,004 points and 471 field goals. He's the Ravens' all-time leading scorer with 1,464 points.

"No regrets," the 43-year-old kicker said during a news conference at the Ravens' training complex. "I gave it all I had. I can look back at that and say I did all I could to be everything I could be."

Stover also ranks seventh in the league in field-goal accuracy, with an 83.7 percent success rate.

"Matt has been one of the most reliable Baltimore Ravens we've had in this franchise," general manager Ozzie Newsome said.

Stover will be inducted Nov. 20 into the Ravens' Ring of Honor at M&T Bank Stadium. He kicked for the Ravens for 13 years after spending the early portion of his career with the original Cleveland Browns before the team moved to Maryland in 1996.

"Being part of the Ring of Honor means I meant so much to my team and community," Stover said. "That is an awesome, awesome privilege. To be asked to be a part of that is the biggest honor I can receive."

Stover last kicked for the Indianapolis Colts as an injury replacement for Adam Vinatieri and made a field goal in their Super Bowl loss to the New Orleans Saints in February 2010. Stover didn't play last season.

Stover connected on 471 of 563 career field-goal attempts, making 354 of 418 attempts with the Ravens, and connected on 402 of 403 extra-point tries.

During the Ravens' Super Bowl season, Stover scored all of their points during a five-game stretch in which the offense failed to score a touchdown.

"We don't win that Super Bowl that year without Matt," Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti said. "When you win a Super Bowl when you can't score a touchdown in October is quite a remarkable feat. To win two of five games that you don't score a touchdown is something that I don't think will ever be repeated in the NFL.

"We're allowed a little hero worship in Baltimore with our kicker."

Stover, a former Louisiana Tech standout selected in the 12th round by the New York Giants in the 1990 NFL Draft, signed with the Browns in 1991 as a Plan B free agent.

"He'll be revered in this town for as long as people talk about football," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. "Every time I walk in the stadium, I'll see his name up there in the Ring of Honor, and I'll be hoping our kicker kicks just as well as he always did."

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press

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Bucs WR Benn headed to IR after knee injury vs. Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie wideout Arrelious Benn is headed to injured reserve with a knee injury, the team announced Monday.

Benn, who was injured in the second quarter of Sunday's 38-15 win over the Seattle Seahawks, told the St. Petersburg Times he was unsure what happened on the play to cause the injury.

"I have no idea. I don't even want to know," Benn said.

The Bucs stated that fullback Earnest Graham is week-to-week with a neck injury, but did not suffer a concussion in the win.

Graham was injured in the second quarter when he took a hit to the back of the helmet from Seahawks linebacker Aaron Curry. Graham was down on the field for several minutes before eventually leaving under his own power.

"I think it was a cheap shot," Bucs wideout Micheal Spurlock told the newspaper. "It is what it is. It's football. Some guys don't have anything to play for, so they might think, 'Oh, we're going to knock you out.' I don't think you should play the game that way, but that's my opinion. It's one of those things where every dog has his day. His is coming."

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Redskins DE Daniels headed to injured reserve, Shanahan says

Washington Redskins defensive end Phillip Daniels will be placed on injured reserved after aggravating an abdomen injury during Sunday's loss to the Dallas Cowboys, coach Mike Shanahan said via The Washington Post on Monday.

Daniels, a 14-year veteran who was making his first start of the season, initially sustained the injury a week earlier against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Shanahan said he didn't know if Daniels, 37, would need surgery.

In addition to Daniels, the Redskins defense could be missing several other key members for Sunday's game at Jacksonville.

Linebacker Brian Orakpo has a groin/hamstring injury that has his status in doubt. Saftey Reed Doughty (concussion) and linebacker Rocky McIntosh (hamstring) also left the Dallas game due. Defensive end Kedric Golston (groin/elbow) did not play against the Cowboys.

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