Neil Lomax and Todd Christensen have three things in common: both are former Pro Bowlers, both are off the active roster because of injuries and both vow to come back.
Lomax, the Phoenix Cardinals' quarterback, was placed on the injured-reserve list Tuesday because of an arthritic hip that has steadily worsened over the years.
Christensen, the Los Angeles Raiders' star tight end for much of the decade, was waived on Tuesday as teams their cut rosters to meet the league limit of 60 players.
"I don't want to leave the Phoenix Cardinals right now. I want to play again. That's my gut feeling. That's what my heart tells me," said Lomax, a Pro Bowler in 1984 and 1987.
Christensen caught 92 passes, a record for NFL tight ends, in 1983 for 1,247 yards and scored 12 touchdowns. He had two other 1,000-yard receiving seasons and missed another by only 13 yards.
But he missed much of 1988 with a knee injury and during the offseason had surgery for an infected gall bladder.
Christensen, 33, said he was grateful to the Raiders, but was upset with the timing and the handling of his release.
"I'm disappointed - and this sounds like a prepared speech, but it isn't - that I wasn't afforded the opportunity to compete," he said.
"Todd still feels he can play," Raiders coach Mike Shanahan said, "but at the same time, we decided to go in another direction."
Washington Redskins
Quarterback Doug Williams and running back Kelvin Bryant were placed on the non-football injury list by the Redskins, who also cut 13 players, including rookie quarterback Jeff Graham, and put three players on injured reserve.
Buffalo Bills
Buffalo waived a number of players, including wide receiver Walter Broughton. He was the only Bill released Tuesday who had ever played in a regular-season game for Buffalo.
Broughton, a former USFL player, signed with the Bills as a free agent in 1986. He played in 19 games, catching eight passes for 161 yards and one touchdown.
Minnesota Vikings
Strong safety Joey Browner ended his holdout and reported to the Vikings training camp. "My job is to play football. This is what my life is. I love doing it. I love playing here," he said. "The season's just a week away."
Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys obtained defensive tackle Dean Hamel in a trade with the Washington Redskins for an undisclosed draft choice. Hamel is a fifth-year veteran who played in 60 games for Washington, starting 17.
San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers waived eight players, including six-year fullback Larry Moriarty, and placed two on injured reserve. Among those waived was wide receiver Gene Taylor, who played with Tampa Bay for two years.
Also released were center Andy Sinclair of Stanford, tackle Larry Clarkson of Montana, cornerback Lonnie Finch of Oklahoma, safety Eric Hickerson of Indiana, tight end Gordon Hudson of Brigham Young and linebacker Robert Harper of Houston.
Defensive lineman Terry Unrein, a third-year pro from Colorado State, and linebacker Chris Washington, in his sixth year out of Iowa State, went on injured reserve. Both will have to clear waivers before they can rejoin the team.
Chicago Bears
Rookie punter Kent Sullivan was among 17 players waived by the Bears.
Also cut were George Streeter, a defensive back from Notre Dame; former Northwestern running back Byron Sanders and Oklahoma State fullback Garrett Limbrick.
Sanders, who passed up his final year of eligibility at Northwestern, is the brother of Barry Sanders, the Heisman Trophy winner who has yet to sign with the Detroit Lions.
Houston Oilers
Rookie Alvoid Mays and veterans Mike Ruth and Carl Byrum were among 16 players waived.
The Oilers are also still missing two starters from last year's team, running back Mike Rozier and wide receiver Drew Hill.
Rozier, the team's leading rusher in 1988, made a brief appearance at Tuesday's practice and then left. He is seeking a new five-year contract.
Hill, the team's top receiver last year, remained at home in Atlanta, seeking to renegotiate the final year of his contract.
New England Patriots
The suspense over how many quarterbacks the Patriots will keep is going to last at least one more week.
As Coach Raymond Berry promised a day earlier, the Patriots reached the NFL's 60-player limit without cutting one of their four quarterbacks.
"It's our jobs and our careers on the line, so we want to know in the worst way," said Doug Flutie, who remains locked in a battle with Steve Grogan and Marc Wilson for the role as backup to Tony Eason.
San Diego Chargers
Napoleon McCallum, in the Navy since playing for the Los Angeles Raiders in 1986, was placed on the "reserve-military" list, which allows the Chargers to activate him at any time but prevents him from practicing with the team.
The Chargers, in trimming their roster to 60 players, dealt one-time Pro Bowl punter Ralf Mojsiejenko to the Washington Redskins in exchange for an undisclosed draft choice in 1990.