Bentley First TC Casualty?

Heading into 2006, and Romeo Crennel's second year as the top "dawg", Cleveland fans have a lot to be excited about.

Sergeant Winslow and Braylon Edwards are back, and reportedly healthy. Joe Jurevicius was signed to give second year QB Charlie Frye with a big, veteran target. Willie McGinest was signed to rush the passer and mentor Kamerion Wimbley, the team's 1st round pick in April, and Cleveland added planetoid Ted Washington to fill the NT slot.

And then something like this happens.

One of the more solid manuevers the Browns did in free agency was overhaul the offensive line by signing LT Kevin Shaffer from Atlanta and Bentley, who is expected to start at center.

It's too soon to tell what the extent of Bentley's knee injury is, the preliminary reports do not sound good. The lone bright spot is that as long as it's not a torn ligament, the regular season is still 6 weeks away, which should allow plenty of time for the knee to recover.

Turdman to Miss 4 Games

The secret wasn't very well kept, so the news that Odell Thurman will miss the first month of the 2006 season for violating the league's substance policy isn't much of a shock.

More 1st Rounders Sign

As the weekend approaches, and more training camps open up, it seems that not an hour goes by without another NFL team signing their 1st round picks.

Last night, the top Jets pick, D'Brickashaw Ferguson, who was selected 4th overall, agreed to terms on a contract expected to pay him nearly $18M in guaranteed money. The team's other 1st round pick, center Nick Mangold, is expected to be signed, sealed and delivered by the time the Jets start practice on Friday morning.

Since Houston had already signed Mario Williams, the #1 pick this year, and the Jets have now signed Ferguson, the slotting for the contracts of Reggie Bush and Vince Young are in place. The one potential snag is that Bush and Young are "skill position" players, which could prompt their representatives to seek more lucrative deals.

Signing Status of 2006 1st Round Picks

1. Houston - DE, Mario Williams - signed
2. New Orleans - RB, Reggie Bush - unsigned
3. Tennessee - QB, Vince Young - unsigned
4. NY Jets - LT, D'Brickashaw Ferguson - signed
5. Green Bay - LB, AJ Hawk - unsigned
6. San Francisco - TE, Vernon Davis - unsigned
7. Oakland - S, Michael Huff - signed
8. Buffalo - S, Donte Whitner - unsigned
9. Detroit - LB, Ernie Sims - unsigned
10. Arizona - QB, Matt Leinart - unsigned
11. Denver - QB, Jay Cutler - unsigned
12. Baltimore - DT, Haloti Ngata - unsigned
13. Cleveland - LB/DE, Kamerion Wimbley - signed
14. Philadelphia - DT, Brodrick Bunkley - unsigned
15. St. Louis - CB, Tye Hill - unsigned
16. Miami - S, Jason Allen - unsigned
17. Minnesota - LB, Chad Greenway - signed/agree in principle
18. Dallas - LB, Bobby Carpenter - unsigned
19. San Diego - CB, Antonio Cromartie - signed
20. Kansas City - DE, Tamba Hali - unsigned
21. New England - RB, Laurence Maroney - unsigned
22. San Francisco - LB, Manny Lawson - unsigned
23. Tampa Bay - OG, Davin Joseph - unsigned
24. Cincinnati - CB, Jonathan Joseph - unsigned (and won't be signed until he breaks the law)
25. Pittsburgh - WR, Santonio Holmes - signed
26. Buffalo - DT, John McCargo - unsigned
27. Carolina - RB, DeAngelo Williams - unsigned
28. Jacksonville - TE, Marcedes Lewis - signed
29. NY Jets - C, Nick Mangold - unsigned
30. Indianapolis - RB, Joseph Addai - unsigned
31. Seattle - CB, Kelly Jennings - unsigned
32. NY Giants - DE, Mathias Kiwanuka - signed