PRO FOOTBALL DAILY REPORT : It’s a New Start for Cunningham

Randall Cunningham will return to action for the first time since suffering a severely injured left knee in the 1991 season opener when the Philadelphia Eagles meet the Pittsburgh Steelers in an exhibition Saturday night in Pittsburgh.

“I’m anxious,” Cunningham said at the Eagles’ camp at West Chester University. “I want to get out on the field and play. But I’ve been feeling so great in practice that I feel as if I’m in the game.”

Coach Rich Kotite said Cunningham will start and play one or two series.

“It’s time,” Kotite said. “He’s 100% sound. He’s been 100% sound, but I wanted him to have two weeks of practice in pads.”

Former Washington Redskin star Dexter Manley, already benched by the Ottawa Rough Riders because of his poor play, was to have worked as a television color commentator for Thursday night’s game in Edmonton.

But the Canadian Broadcasting Corp., which has the CFL’s television rights, invoked its exclusivity clause and vetoed the Rough Riders’ plan to produce its own telecast for viewers in Ontario.

Manley, with no tackles and no sacks, has spent the last two weeks on the reserve list after losing his job to Lybrant Robinson.

The Cleveland Browns attempted to add some depth to their defensive line by signing John Bosa, a former No. 1 draft choice of the Miami Dolphins, and Kent Wells.

To make room, the Browns cut former Raider defensive end Mike Wise and quarterback Keithen McCant, a 12th-round pick from Nebraska.