PRO FOOTBALL DAILY REPORT : AROUND THE NFL : Eagles Lose Erickson for the Season

Rookie quarterback Craig Erickson of the Philadelphia Eagles will be out for the season because of nerve damage in his right leg.

Erickson, the Eagles’ fifth-round draft choice out of Miami, has accepted a position to be a graduate assistant coach at the University of Georgia.

The Eagles signed two holdouts, guard Mike Schad and wide receiver Kenny Jackson.

Right guard Steve Trapilo of the New Orleans Saints is out for the season with torn cartilage and a torn anterior cruciate ligament.

An examination by Magnetic Resonance Imagery indicated that Trapilo tore only cartilage when his knee crumpled beneath him in one-on-one pass blocking drills. It was expected he would be ready to play the season after arthroscopic surgery.

However, when Dr. Terry Habig examined Trapilo through the arthroscope Thursday, he found the damage was much more extensive.

The Buffalo Bills waived veteran wide receiver Lionel Manuel.

Manuel was signed in the off-season as a free agent after the New York Giants cut him last year. He didn’t play in Buffalo’s 17-13 exhibition victory over Philadelphia Sunday and hasn’t practiced much during training camp because of a leg injury.

Quarterback Don Majkowski, coming back from rotator cuff surgery, will start Saturday night’s exhibition opener against the New England Patriots if doctors give him the clearance to play.

“If the doctors turn him loose, we’ll let him play some,” Coach Lindy Infante said. “I don’t know how much yet. We’ll let him start the game if doctors turn him loose. If doctors say he’s fine and he says he’s fine, I don’t know what else we would have (to do).”

Majkowski said he is ready to play.

In other exhibitions, Cincinnati plays at Detroit and Indianapolis is at Denver tonight. On Saturday, Chicago plays San Francisco at Berlin, Minnesota is at New Orleans, Philadelphia visits the New York Jets, Dallas is at Kansas City, Houston plays at San Diego, and Phoenix visits Seattle.

On Sunday, Washington is at Pittsburgh, and Monday night, Buffalo visits the New York Giants and Tampa Bay plays at Cleveland.