No deal, no play for Titans’ Jones

Tennessee’s top draft pick, Adam “Pacman” Jones, didn’t sign a deal or practice Tuesday, and coach Jeff Fisher said that means the cornerback won’t be going to Atlanta for the Titans’ next exhibition game.

Jones really wanted to play in Friday night’s exhibition game against the Falcons because Atlanta is his hometown. Both sides had been close enough in talks Monday they had hoped Jones could practice Tuesday afternoon.

But Jones’ agent, Michael Huyghue, had to fly from Jacksonville, Fla., to Nashville on Tuesday afternoon trying to work out the last pieces of a five-year contract.

“It’s not like anybody’s upstairs inking a contract right now,” Fisher said.

Fisher knew how much Jones wanted to play against Atlanta after talking with him Monday, but the coach made it clear the cornerback had to be on the field Tuesday when the team worked out in full pads to make the trip.

“He’s not here. He’s not going to Atlanta. We’ll hope he’s here on the practice field and does enough work so he can go to San Francisco,” Fisher said of their third exhibition on Aug. 26.

If a deal is signed that allows Jones to practice Wednesday, Fisher said they will be too busy preparing for the Falcons to do more than let Jones catch some punts and practice.

That won’t leave enough time for Fisher to feel comfortable letting him play on such short notice. If Jones wants to be at Friday’s game, he’ll have to tap another option.

“That’s the beauty of ‘Will Call’ now. You can put tickets at ‘Will Call’. That’s not a problem,” Fisher said.

Jones’ holdout started July 29 when camp opened, and he’s missed 27 practices and one exhibition.

The Titans selected the cornerback out of West Virginia for his speed and return skills on kickoffs and punts. They hope he can fill one of two cornerback slots left open by salary-cap decisions.

Young Philly receivers step up

The Eagles’ young corps of receivers has given the team reason for hope – even if Terrell Owens doesn’t play another down for Philadelphia.

The Eagles opened their preseason Monday night against Pittsburgh with Owens in Atlanta after being dismissed from camp last weekend. Todd Pinkston is out for the season with a ruptured Achilles’ tendon.

The Eagles lost to the Steelers 38-31, but Greg Lewis, Billy McMullen and Reggie Brown proved to be worthy targets for quarterback Donovan McNabb. The trio finished with a combined 12 receptions for 139 yards, and each had at least one catch for more than 20 yards.

In his first game against NFL competition, Brown had five catches for 52 yards.

“He did a nice job. You’ve got to give him credit,” coach Andy Reid said at camp in Bethlehem, Pa. “We haven’t had a receiver do what he did this early, but again, he has a long way to go. He sure took a nice step forward with (Monday night’s) performance.”

Colts await Freeney’s return

Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy is hoping two-time Pro Bowl defensive end Dwight Freeney will be cleared to practice after Saturday’s preseason game against Chicago.

“Certainly, by the beginning of next week, we think he’ll be out there,” Dungy said.

Freeney, who led the NFL with 16 sacks last season, has not practiced since undergoing off-season shoulder surgery.

The Colts described the operation as a minor “clean-up” procedure, but Freeney did not practice during any of the team’s minicamps. Team doctors still had not cleared Freeney after he reported to training camp at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology on July 27, and he did not travel with the team for its preseason game in Japan.

Freeney has been eagerly anticipating his return.

“If he could, he’d be like to be out there tomorrow,” Dungy said.

Around the League

Carolina Panthers running back Stephen Davis probably won’t return to the team from microfracture knee surgery until at least the third game of the preseason. … Buffalo Bills running back Willis McGahee missed his second straight practice with a sore right leg, but he is expected to play Saturday against Green Bay. … Cleveland Browns cornerback Daylon McCutcheon hit the practice field for the first time since July 30, when he was sidelined with migraine headaches and dizziness. … Dallas Cowboys quarterback Drew Bledsoe had a precautionary MRI on his sore right foot, but he didn’t miss any practice time.