Football Player signing's Johnson, Horn, Ramsey and more

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Bench Warmer
Ramsey's a Bronco

The Denver Broncos on Wednesday night won the battle for coveted backup quarterback Patrick Ramsey, with ESPN.com learning the club has reached a contract agreement with the five-year veteran.

Ramsey, 28, will sign a two-year contract worth approximately $5 million, with about $1.5 million in guarantees.

The Houston Texans and Carolina Panthers also were interested in Ramsey, who recently was released by the New York Jets after only one season with the team. Ramsey will become the backup to Denver second-year pro Jay Cutler, and he ostensibly replaces Jake Plummer in that role.

Denver last weekend traded Plummer to Tampa Bay, and the veteran abruptly retired. The Broncos then began exploring their options for a proven veteran to back up Cutler, their first-round choice in 2006, and quickly targeted Ramsey.

The Broncos will be Ramsey's third team in three seasons, but one of the reasons he settled on Denver as his new home is the overall stability of the organization and the chance to settle in with a franchise and coaching staff he respects.

The first-round choice of the Washington Redskins in 2002, Ramsey has played in 34 games, and his résumé includes 24 starts. He has completed 480 of 862 passes for 5,649 yards, with 34 touchdown passes, 29 interceptions and a passer rating of 74.9. His best season came in 2002, when he made 11 starts for the Redskins. Although he had a 4-7 record that year, Ramsey had 14 touchdown passes and nine interceptions.

The former Tulane star threw only one pass for the Jets in 2006, and New York released him rather than pay a roster bonus due this spring.

Blessed with a strong arm and solid pocket presence, Ramsey has suffered from being overcoached at times and, certainly during his tenure under coach Joe Gibbs in Washington, he was mishandled and lost confidence.

Given the volume of teams that pursued him after the Jets released him, though, it appears there are still people in the league who value him.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com


Horn will be a Falcon

Atlanta's young and underachieving receiving corps has a leader. More important, the Falcons have fetched Michael Vick another dependable target.

Former Saints receiver Joe Horn, released last week by New Orleans, agreed Wednesday to sign with the rival Falcons, according to team sources. Horn reportedly passed a Falcons physical Tuesday.

According to the New Orleans Times-Picayune, Horn said the Falcons are offering him $19 million over four years, including $7.5 million guaranteed in the first two years. He is expected to be introduced as a Falcon at a news conference Thursday evening at 6 ET.

Horn began his visit with the Falcons on Monday night and never left, deciding not to visit Green Bay or Jacksonville, who also were interested in the services of the 35-year-old wideout, who has 576 receptions, 8,501 yards and 57 touchdowns in 11 seasons with Kansas City and New Orleans.

On Wednesday evening, the team denied that a formal deal had been reached with Horn.

"It's not done yet," Falcons spokesman Reggie Roberts said. "We haven't signed a contract, so he's not an Atlanta Falcon. We haven't reached an agreement, so he's not an Atlanta Falcon."

Horn, a four-time Pro Bowl selection who served as the voice of the Saints' franchise -- and, to some extent, the Gulf South region -- during a 2005 season ruined by Hurricane Katrina, posted four 1,000-yard seasons with the Saints. But he's had only five touchdown catches the past two seasons and missed six games last year due to injury.

The chance to face the Saints twice a season and remain close to New Orleans presumably played a part in Horn's decision to sign with the Falcons, along with the prospect of playing with Vick in new head coach Bobby Petrino and offensive coordinator Hugh Jackson's system.

The Saints deemed Horn expendable largely because of the emergence last season of rookie Marques Colston and former second-round pick Devery Henderson.

In Atlanta, Horn immediately vaults to the top of a receiver depth chart that includes former first-round picks Michael Jenkins and Roddy White, who will no doubt benefit from a mentor as experienced and accomplished as Horn.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.


Rams sign Johnson

The Rams, already busy trying to help their offense with the addition of former Dolphins tight end Randy McMichael, added help for their defense by reaching a four-year, $4 million deal with Bears safety Todd Johnson.

Johnson, who will make $1.5 million this year, was a fourth-round pick of the Bears in 2003, had six starts on a Super Bowl team and played roughly 30 percent of the team's defensive plays. The 28-year-old defensive back played college football at Florida.


He started 18 games over his four seasons with the Bears. The Rams continue to try to improve their athletic ability on defense along with targeting key players for their offense -- McMichael and wide receiver Drew Bennett.


John Clayton is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com.


Browns Shopping

In an active tailback market, where three starters have already changed teams via trades in the past week, there figure to be even more deals in coming days.

And the player most likely to be traded next is Reuben Droughns of Clevelend, who has been made expendable by the Browns' signing of unrestricted free agent Jamal Lewis to a one-year contract Wednesday night.

League and team sources confirmed to ESPN.com that the Browns are actively shopping Droughns, their starter the past two seasons, in trade talks.

If Cleveland is unable to reach a trade accommodation, Droughns could be released.

Three starting tailbacks from 2006 -- Tatum Bell (from Denver to Detroit), Thomas Jones (from Chicago to the New York Jets) and Willis McGahee (from Buffalo to Baltimore) -- have been traded in the past week.

Droughns, 28, is due a $1.75 million roster bonus March 17, and the Browns almost certainly want to avoid paying it, especially after acquiring Lewis, who has already been penciled in as the starter. Droughns is scheduled to have a base salary of $1.25 million for 2007.

He is due base salaries of $1.75 million for 2008 and $2.75 million for '09.

A seven-year veteran, Droughns, 28, came to the Browns from Denver in a 2005 trade, after rushing for 1,240 yards in 2004. He gained 1,232 yards in 2005, his first year in Cleveland, and the Browns rewarded him with a three-year contract extension worth $12 million. But Droughns slumped to 758 yards in 2006 and there have been some off-field problems in the past year.

When Lewis became available, the Browns moved quickly to sign him, and there is also a chance Cleveland will use its first-round choice in the 2007 draft to take Oklahoma tailback Adrian Peterson.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com.


Lewis to Browns

For two years, the Baltimore Ravens have wondered about Jamal Lewis' breakaway speed. They no longer have to wonder.

Lewis, the franchise's all-time leading rusher, broke away from the Ravens and signed a one-year, $3.5 million deal with the rival Cleveland Browns on Wednesday. If he plays well, Lewis' salary could be boosted to $5 million.

"We are pleased to add Jamal Lewis to our team," Browns general manager Phil Savage said in a statement. "He is a proven NFL back who brings a toughness and demeanor to the game that his teammates and our fans will appreciate."

The Ravens released Lewis to clear salary cap room. Both sides kept in touch with the hopes of reuniting. But Lewis sensed his job might not be there. The Ravens have been interested in acquiring Bills halfback Willis McGahee in a trade.


Lewis, 27, decided not to wait and took Cleveland's offer. The Ravens offered Lewis a deal in the $2 million range. He rushed for 2,066 yards in 2003 but has struggled during the past three years. Last year, he played the entire season with a bone spur problem. He recently had surgery to remove the spurs.

The 5-foot-11, 245-pound back is one of the league's most powerful runners. He was the Ravens' first-round draft choice in 2000.

Lewis, 27, spent the 2005 offseason serving time in prison after a guilty plea to using a cell phone to set up a drug buy.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.


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