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In case you hadn't noticed, the pace of signings has slowed greatly the last two days. In fact, as Day 6 of the 2008 signing period comes to an end the same list of higher-profile players featured in the last Roundup remain unsigned.
While the supply of available "name" running backs should narrow down soon -- Julius Jones has visited Detroit, Tennessee and Seattle (today); Warrick Dunn has drawn interest from a handful of teams (Tampa, Houston and Dallas) -- and Chris Brown, Tatum Bell and Michael Pittman will also find new homes at some point.
Bryant Johnson, Drew Carter and D.J. Hackett are still looking for work; Johnson seems to be drawing the most interest while Hackett, who now appears to be willing to return to Seattle if need be, continues to bring up the rear.
At quarterback, Trent Green appears to be the closest to signing (St. Louis and New Orleans are both interested). Mark Brunell and Quinn Gray are of interest in Green Bay following Brett Favre's retirement. Daunte Culpepper and Byron Leftwich? They don't seem to be of much interest to anybody. ...
I'll continue to follow their progress -- and you can, too (in semi-real time even) by hitting the News & Views section of the site on a regular basis.
For now, I'll go ahead and run down the skill player movements from the last few days in hopes we're clearing the decks for a big Friday. ...
We'll get the ball rolling tonight in Oakland, where Dominic Rhodes agreed to a restructured contract which dropped his salary from $3 million to $1.75 million. Rhodes was also scheduled to receive a $2 million roster bonus Friday, and Oakland Tribune staffer Jerry McDonald suggests it's a safe bet that the former Colt agreed to take much less.
The Raiders reduced the salary of LaMont Jordan in a similar fashion last season.
In his final two games in relief of an injured Justin Fargas, Rhodes ran for 337 yards on 56 carries against Jacksonville and San Diego, a pair of playoff caliber defenses.
Rhodes missed the first four games of the 2007 season for being in violation of the NFL's substance abuse policy -- a pending suspension the Raiders knew was a possibility when they signed him.
By the time he returned, Jordan had injured his back but Fargas had caught the eye of the coaching staff and eventually became the starter and featured back.
Getting Rhodes to return serves as insurance in case Michael Bush, the 2007 fourth-round pick who missed the entire season recovering from a broken ankle, doesn't develop as hoped. The organization has high hopes for Bush's skill set and size, however he remains an unknown quantity until he actually plays in an NFL game. ...
In Atlanta. ... The Falcons released quarterback Joey Harrington on Wednesday, leaving the team with only two quarterbacks as it prepares to address the position in the NFL draft.
The Falcons cut Leftwich last month.
According to Atlanta Journal-Constitution staffer Steve Wyche, the release of Harrington may increase the chances the team will take a quarterback, perhaps Matt Ryan, with the No. 3 overall selection in the draft.
Ryan, from Boston College, is widely considered the top quarterback in the draft.
The Falcons re-signed Chris Redman to a two-year deal last week, but the only other quarterbacks on the roster are D.J. Shockley and Michael Vick. Shockley has never played in a regular-season game and Vick is serving a 23-month prison sentence after pleading guilty to federal charges in a dogfighting operation.
Vick also is serving an indefinite suspension imposed by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.
Shockley, a 2006 seventh-round pick from Georgia, missed last season with a knee injury and still hasn't fully recovered following reconstructive surgery.
The 29-year-old Harrington played in 12 games with 10 starts last season. He completed 215 of 348 passes for 2,215 yards with seven touchdowns and eight interceptions. He set a career high by completing 61.8 percent of his passes, but the Falcons were only 3-7 in his starts.
Detroit drafted Harrington No. 3 overall in 2002. ...
In Tampa Bay. ... According to Nashville Tennessean beat writer Jim Wyatt, former Titans tight end Ben Troupe has agreed to terms with the Buccaneers. The Titans weren't interested in re-signing him.
Troupe is a talented athlete who has the physical tools to be a stretch-the- field, dangerous weapon in the pass offense. The problem is he has looked like that kind of player in only one of his four NFL seasons. ...
The former second-round pick had 55 receptions in 2004, but caught just 21 passes the past two seasons with the club. He pulled in just 5 passes for 47 yards last season.
All told Troupe had 106 catches for 1,056 yards in four seasons with the Titans.
If healthy, Troupe will provide the Bucs with a second pass-catching tight end to complement starter Alex Smith and likely would fill the role handled by Jerramy Stevens last season. ...
In Detroit. ... The Lions re-signed reserve tailback Aveion Cason Wednesday and are expected to step up their efforts to sign another veteran back, possibly Jones.
With T.J. Duckett going to Seattle, the only healthy backs the Lions have on the roster are Cason and Brian Calhoun. Kevin Jones claims his rehab from last December's reconstructive knee surgery is on track, but team officials will need a contingency in place.
According to MLive.com beat man Tom Kowalski, the Lions are expected to target a running back in the draft regardless of who they sign in free agency.
Cason, meanwhile, will be starting his eighth NFL season. He has 555 yards on 122 carries in 49 career games. He also has 628 yards on 60 receptions. Cason also has averaged 23.4 yards on 73 career kickoff returns.
He was fifth in the NFL last season with 1,041 kickoff return yards and a 24.8 yard average, despite missing four games. ...
In New York. ... As SI.com's Bucky Brooks first reported late Wednesday, Tony Richardson agreed to terms with the New York Jets. The financial terms were not disclosed, but the deal is for one year.
Richardson, a three-time Pro Bowl selection, is latest addition to a revamped Jets' offense; and he will be counted on to pave the way for Thomas Jones in the running game.
Originally an undrafted free agent signed by the Dallas Cowboys, Richardson spent the first 11 seasons of his NFL career with the Kansas City Chiefs before suiting up for the Minnesota Vikings the past two seasons.
According to New York Daily News staffer Rich Cimini, the Jets haven't had a steady fullback since Jerald Sowell was leading the way for Curtis Martin in 2004, having used B.J. Askew and Darian Barnes in that role in recent years.
Fullback isn't a prominent role in Brian Schottenheimer's offense, as he seems to prefer a one-back set and/or an H-back. As Cimini further noted, back in the day, circa 2000, Richardson was a prolific receiver out of the backfield, but his numbers have dropped off dramatically in recent years. ...
In St. Louis. ... The Rams have agreed to terms with tight end Anthony Becht, who comes to the Rams from Tampa Bay, where he has spent the past three seasons.
A first-round draft pick by the New York Jets in 2000, the 30-year old Becht is a blocking specialist with good size for the position at 6-5, 280 pounds.
He entered the 2007 season with 104 consecutive regular-season starts, but started only twice in '07. Becht started 34 games in three seasons as a Buc with 39 receptions and three touchdowns.
It's worth noting the Rams have Marc Bulger under center, who coincidentally played alongside Becht at West Virginia.
"I get reunited with my college quarterback," Becht told the St. Petersburg Times. "He called me and he was really pumped up. It's going to be fun. They have a great running back (Steven Jackson) who I'm looking forward to opening holes for, and whatever happens in the passing game is a bonus."
In Denver. ... The Broncos signed free-agent wide receiver Edell Shepherd on Thursday. Terms were not disclosed.
Shepherd, 27, spent last season with the Detroit Lions but did not appear in a game.
In 2006, the fifth-year veteran caught three passes for 22 yards in seven games with the Houston Texans.
An undrafted free agent, Shepherd has recorded 13 catches for 163 yards and one touchdown in 26 career games with the Buccaneers and Texans. ...
The Dolphins continued to add depth to their roster on Tuesday with the addition of special-teams standout Boomer Grigsby, who was converted from a linebacker into a fullback last season with the Chiefs.
He'll provide a much-needed and underrated asset to a kickoff-coverage unit that severely struggled last season.
Known mostly for his hard-hitting in his three-year career, Grigsby is likely to fill the role as the team's wedge-buster on special teams -- a position that is one of the most dangerous on the field.
It's not clear if Grigsby can earn a role in the offense. He failed to do so in Kansas City.
And finally, in Buffalo. ... Steve Christie finally got his wish, retiring as a member of the Buffalo Bills this week, after the team's most prolific kicker signed a one-day contract.
"Regardless of where I ended up playing following my career in Buffalo, I knew that I wanted to retire a Bill," Christie said Thursday, a day after completing his 24-hour stint.
Christie's 15-year NFL career ended after he completed the 2004 season with the New York Giants, though he held off submitting his retirement papers until last year. He broke into the league with Tampa Bay in 1990, and also played for San Diego.
But it was during a nine-year tenure in Buffalo, which ended with his release during the 2001 season, that earned Christie the nickname "Mr. Clutch."
With the Bills, Christie hit 13 game-winning field goals in the final minute or overtime, four of those coming during the 2000 season.
Christie still ranks first on the team in career points (1,011), most field goals (234) and longest field goal, 59 yards. He also holds the Super Bowl record for longest field goal, a 54-yarder against Dallas in 1994.
That's it for this installment. ... Once again, I'll remind those interested in following along more closely to keep an eye on the News & Views and ESPN News Feed sections of the site.
And as always, those looking for something a little more in-depth should keep an eye out here, in the Headline News section.