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Former first-round pick Jason Allen has won a starting job at cornerback for the Miami Dolphins, replacing second-year pro Sean Smith.

The Seattle Seahawks‘ decision to release veteran receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh helped the St. Louis Rams find a talented target for new quarterback Sam Bradford.



Here’s how it worked: Houshmandzadeh signed with the Baltimore Ravens, improving their depth at the position, and the Ravens then traded 2005 first-round choice Mark Clayton to the Rams, according to ESPN’s Chris Mortensen. Baltimore presumably deemed Clayton more expendable after picking up Houshmandzadeh, a more consistent performer.



Clayton’s talent as a receiver is obvious, but his production has been inconsistent. A detailed Scouts Inc. report on Clayton says he’s strongest on timing routes, and the Rams are big on timing routes. Clayton will not necessarily flourish in St. Louis — he has much to prove — but he’ll give Bradford another potential weapon following Donnie Avery‘s season-ending knee injury. Sounds like the Rams are also getting a well-liked player.



The Rams have spent the past couple offseasons piecing together their receiving unit. They acquired Laurent Robinson from the Atlanta Falcons before last season. They signed Danny Amendola off the Philadelphia Eagles‘ practice squad in September 2009, then acquired Brandon Gibson from the Eagles in the Will Witherspoon trade a month later.



The Rams haven’t confirmed the deal, presumably because they’ll need to make a roster move. The Rams already have six receivers. Keenan Burton and rookie Dominique Curry earned the last couple roster spots at the position. Curry has tremendous size and he was a force on special teams during the exhibition season. I’ll update this item with the corresponding roster move once the move is made.



Update: The Ravens have confirmed the trade, revealing they will receive an “undisclosed” draft choice as compensation. ESPN’s Adam Schefter says the Rams sent a sixth-round choice to the Ravens for Clayton and a seventh-round choice.

Dolphins Pro Bowl tackle Jake Long wore a left knee brace and sat out drills Monday as the team began its final week of preparation for the season opener at Buffalo.

Ben Roethlisberger is no longer a Pittsburgh Steelers captain.

T.J. Houshmandzadeh in, and Mark Clayton out.



That’s the best way to sum up the Baltimore Ravens‘ Labor Day, as ESPN’s Chris Mortensen reports the team traded Clayton to the St. Louis Rams for a late-round draft pick.



Clayton showed flashes, but was mostly a disappointment in Baltimore. Despite being a former first-round pick, Clayton never developed enough consistency to be a great NFL receiver. There were times when he would record more than 100 yards receiving and then completely disappear the next two or three games, which was puzzling.



The inconsistency was part of the reason Baltimore traded for Anquan Boldin this offseason, to take Clayton out of the starting lineup. But Monday’s signing of Houshmandzadeh made Clayton expendable.



The bad news is Baltimore didn’t get much value for Clayton. But adding Houshmandzadeh to the roster and trading Clayton is a significant upgrade in my book.

Sage Rosenfels and Darius Reynaud are doing a lot of cramming for their first game with the New York Giants.

New York Jets defensive backs were glowing about the return of cornerback Darrelle Revis at Monday’s practice. Revis was on the field for the first time since minicamp after agreeing to terms on a new contract late Sunday night.



I’ll bring you a sampling of the reaction.



Safety Jim Leonhard on how much Revis means to the defense:

“It’s huge. One, you get him back and then just depth. All the rest of us who have been getting so many valuable reps in training camp, they’re back in the position where you kind of expected them to play this season. It’s going to be huge. We’re really looking forward to it. We should be able to do a lot of different things in the secondary.”

Right cornerback Antonio Cromartie on Revis being in game shape:

“It will probably take one game. You have to think they’re going to throw the ball. He will have to run around a little bit more. He’s probably going to play more than 55 to 60 plays. So it’s a matter of getting the wind up under you. He probably did a great job of doing conditioning and doing the things that he’s supposed to do. He’s already in great shape.”

First-round draft pick Kyle Wilson, who lost his temporary starting job:

“We’re definitely happy he’s back. I’m not really sure how else to feel, but definitely proud of him and glad to have him back.”