BEREA, Ohio — Gerard Warren trimmed some fat and added a bankroll.
Warren, the No. 3 overall pick in the April draft, ended his holdout Wednesday, signing a hefty contract with the Cleveland Browns.
Warren, who admitted being overweight during the team's mini-camps, signed a six-year, $33.6 million deal.
"I'm just here to compliment this defense and hopefully take the Browns to the Super Bowl," Warren said.
Warren, dressed in shorts and Browns' baseball camp, appeared to be at least 15 pounds lighter than when he participated in the club's final mini-camp in June.
Warren looked slow during drills back then and said he was out of shape after hitting the banquet circuit following an All-American junior season at the University of Florida.
That changed with Warren began working out two hours per day with the Gators in Gainesville, Fla., and weighed in at 315 pounds — 7 pounds less than his listed playing weight.
Cleveland is shifting second-year end Courtney Brown to the right side of the defensive line alongside Warren.
Browns coach Butch Davis said Warren has already missed valuable practice time but can make it up quickly.
"He's going to make a lot of rookie mistakes," said Davis, who added that Warren wouldn't be punished for missing 14 practices. "There's nothing punitive other than what he has already done to himself."
Warren said it was difficult waiting around for his contract to be finalized.
"It was eating me up," he said.
Warren said he expects to play in the Browns' scrimmage on Saturday in Edinboro, Pa., against the Buffalo Bills.
"I've got a lot of learning to do," he said. "A lot of overtime."
Warren's contract includes a two-tier, $12 million signing bonus, said team president Carmen Policy. If Warren hits certain incentives, the total deal could exceed $45 million.
SAINTS TOP PICK: The New Orleans Saints' top pick, running back Deuce McAllister, says money is not keeping him out of training camp.
McAllister, selected 23rd overall in the April draft, said he's eager to join the team, and all that is needed is a fair offer from the Saints.
"I don't want my teammates to think that this is all about No. 22 or about being a top-10 player," McAllister said. "I wasn't drafted in the top 10, so I have to accept that.
"All I want is a fair chance to earn my money. If I'm producing, then pay me so. It's not as if I'm copping out and looking to miss practice."
McAllister and the Saints have agreed on the basic parameters of a six-year, $6.2 million contract, said McAllister's agent, Ben Dogra.
"This whole situation is not good for him," Saints coach Jim Haslett said. "It's not really the best way to start out your career. Sooner or later, Deuce just needs to say: 'I want to play football.'"
BUCS SIGN MALECKI: The Tampa Bay Buccaneers tried to shore up their punting situation, signing Jason Malecki signed a one-year contract.
The Bucs lost Mark Royals, the team's punter the last two seasons, with a knee injury on the first day of training camp. Royals is expected to miss 3-to-4 weeks with a sprained ligament.
Malecki, who played with NFL Europe's Amsterdam Admirals this offseason, joins Andrew Bayes as the only punters in camp.
WARD INJURED: Miami Dolphins receiver Dedric Ward is expected to miss four to six weeks with a stress fracture in his foot.
Ward, who felt soreness in his foot while running pass routes, will undergo surgery to repair the injury Thursday.
Ward, signed as an unrestricted free agent in April, was listed as a backup to starter Oronde Gadsden. He spent the past four seasons with the New York Jets and caught 54 passes for 801 yards last season.
"Fortunately that's a position where we have some depth," coach Dave Wannstedt said. "And he'll be back."
ARRINGTON SPRAINS SHOULDER: Washington linebacker LaVar Arrington sprained his right shoulder in a contact drill and was scheduled for X-rays.
Jeff George, still with a sore arm, did not throw Wednesday morning for the third consecutive practice.
"Jeff wanted to go today, and I am very conservative," Redskins coach Marty Schottenheimer said. "I don't want to take a two-three-day injury and make it a two-three-week injury."
Tight end Stephen Alexander missed his second day of practice with a strained hamstring.
JETS TACKLE OUT FOR SEASON?: The New York Jets likely lost nose tackle Jason Ferguson for the rest of the preseason with a slight tear in his right shoulder.
Coach Herman Edwards said Ferguson, who signed a four-year, $12.7 million contract in the offseason to stay with the Jets, will need to wear a harness for three weeks. It could be another two weeks before he is ready to play, which would bring the team up to its season opener with Indianapolis.
"The rotator cuff kind of went out," Edwards said.
If Ferguson hasn't healed in three weeks, he will require surgery that would sideline him for the season.
PRACTICE CANCELED: Chicago Bears coach Dick Jauron canceled Wednesday afternoon's practice because of oppressive heat and high humidity, though he said it was not a direct response to the heat-related death of Minnesota Vikings tackle Korey Stringer.
Jauron said the team had a shortage of healthy defensive and offensive tackles, and he did not want to take a chance of depleting the team's depth three days before Saturday's preseason opener.
"When we do that, we're wearing out certain guys, putting more stress on them," Jauron said. "We don't want to do that. We want to make sure they have their legs for Saturday night."
MOORE ACTIVATED: After relentless urging, Buffalo Bills linebacker Corey Moore was activated off the physically unable to perform list after missing the first six days of training camp.
Moore's impatience boiled over after spending the morning session on the sideline because team trainers considered him out of condition after missing time while recovering from being shot in the left leg in June.
"I argued with the trainers," Moore said. "I told them I'd rather be out here instead of standing around and getting stiff."
With the blessing of coach Gregg Williams, the training staff allowed Moore to participate in the light afternoon practice.
"It felt good. You can stand on the sidelines and get all the mental reps you want, but that only helps a little," Moore said. "It just feels good to be here totally focusing on football."