The NFL : Bills Send Dennard to Packers, Also Trade With Falcons and Seahawks

The Buffalo Bills sent wide receiver Preston Dennard, a former Ram, to the Green Bay Packers Tuesday and acquired defensive end Don Smith from the Atlanta Falcons in separate trades as NFL teams cut down to the 60-player limit. The teams must reduce to 50 by next Tuesday and to the final 45 on Sept. 2.

Dennard, 29, an eight-year NFL veteran, was traded to the Packers for an undisclosed draft choice. Last season, the 6-1, 183-pound receiver started 13 of 16 games with the Bills, caught 30 passes and scored seven touchdowns. He had played with the Rams for six seasons.

In a separate trade, the Bills acquired Smith from the Falcons for an undisclosed draft choice. The 6-5, 270-pound defensive end is in his seventh season out of Miami.

Smith spent six years with the Falcons, recording 38 1/2 career quarterback sacks. He led the team last year with 6 1/2 sacks.

Also, the Bills traded receiver Byron Franklin to the Seattle Seahawks for tight end Pete Metzelaars.

Offensive tackle Dean Miraldi won’t have to pay the $1,000-a-day fine being assessed against him by the Philadelphia Eagles for not reporting to camp on time. That’s because Miraldi won’t be playing for the Eagles any longer.

Miraldi, the Eagles’ No. 2 pick in the 1981 draft, was one of 14 players cut by Philadelphia--one day after he reported late to the team’s training camp.

Miraldi, who was in the option year of his contract, wanted the Eagles to renegotiate his agreement, which called for $110,000 per year. He had rejected the team’s offer of a $20,000 raise.

The Eagles waived four veterans besides Miraldi: nose tackle Harvey Armstrong, quarterback Dean May, offensive tackle Rusty Russell and running back Michael Williams.

The team also said it is trying to trade three holdouts--running back Wilbert Montgomery, defensive end Dennis Harrison and linebacker Jerry Robinson.

The Miami Dolphins placed nose guard Bob Baumhower and offensive tackle Eric Laakso on the physically-unable-to-perform list, meaning they cannot play until at least the seventh game of the season. Baumhower has knee and ankle injuries, while Laakso still is recuperating from a knee injury suffered during the fourth game of the 1984 season.

The Indianapolis Colts waived seven players, including four who started last year on one of the weakest defenses in the league. The four were safety Mark Kafentzis, cornerback James Burroughs and linebackers Greg Bracelin and Mike Humiston.

Also cut were linebacker James Gross, punter Tom Orosz and defensive end Scott Virkus.

Placed on injured reserve were running back Garfield Taylor, nose tackle Leo Wisniewski, offensive guard Ellis Gardner, wide receiver Tracy Porter and offensive tackle Jim Mills.

Free safety Mike Whitwell was the only veteran among seven players cut by the Cleveland Browns. Cleveland also put 13 players on injured reserve, including veteran safety Clinton Burrell and defensive ends Elvis Franks and Willie Jones. Defensive end Keith Baldwin and tackle Bill Contz were put on the physically-unable-to-play list.

Among other moves, the Pittsburgh Steelers placed offensive tackle Mark Behning, their No. 2 draft choice, on injured reserve with a broken arm; the Tampa Bay Buccaneers cut veteran defensive back Cedric Brown, and the New England Patriots waived running back Craig Williams.