Jags sever ties with Leftwich

It was expected, but still a shocker: Byron Leftwich was cut by the Jacksonville Jaguars on Saturday.

The seventh overall pick in the 2003 draft and the Jags’ starting quarterback for nearly every game since then when he was healthy, Leftwich was released after losing the starting job to David Garrard.

Coach Jack Del Rio had said Friday, when he made the decision, that Leftwich would either be traded or released but that announcement in itself made it difficult to make a deal for him.

Leftwich, often troubled by injuries and lacking mobility, missed 10 games last season because of an ankle injury. He was 19 of 38 passing for 226 yards and a touchdown in three preseason games.

•No. 2 quarterback Doug Johnson was released by the Bengals and replaced by Ryan Fitzpatrick, obtained in a trade from St. Louis.

•Former Olympic skier Jeremy Bloom was cut by Philadelphia along with Dirk Johnson, the team’s punter last season. Bloom spent last season on injured reserve with a hamstring injury. Johnson was beaten out by Sav Rocca, a former Australian football player.

•Former star running back Priest Holmes was placed on the reserve/non-football injury list by Kansas City.

•Andre Wadsworth’s inspirational comeback with the New York Jets ended. The 32-year-old linebacker, who hadn’t played in the NFL since 2000 because of several knee injuries, was one of 22 players cut.

•Running back Kevin Jones was removed from Detroit’s physically unable to perform list, setting a day-to-day timetable for his return to the field.

•Quarterback Ken Dorsey was the best known casualty among the 22 players cut by Cleveland. Derek Anderson beat him out for the third quarterback slot.

•Tennessee released starting free safety Lamont Thompson (Washington State) and quarterback Tim Rattay among 20 players waived.

•Former Washington State defensive end Mkristo Bruce was released by the Miami Dolphins, while former Cougar defensive back Eric Frampton was dropped by Oakland.

Cowboys’ QB coach suspended

Dallas quarterbacks coach Wade Wilson was suspended for five games by the NFL for buying and using performance-enhancing substances.

•Rodney Harrison, the frequently fined strong safety who solidified the New England Patriots’ defense through back-to-back Super Bowl victories, will miss the first four games of the NFL season for violating the league’s substance abuse policy.

Marinovich arrested again

Former Los Angeles Raiders quarterback Todd Marinovich calls his latest arrest on drug charges a “bump in the road” in his recovery.

Marinovich is in jail for probation violation and has a pretrial hearing Thursday. Police said he was skateboarding in a prohibited area near the Newport Pier boardwalk and ran away when officers tried to stop him. He was found hiding in a carport about six blocks away.

Marinovich had a guitar case, and inside officers found about a gram of powdered methamphetamine, a metal spoon and a hypodermic needle, Sgt. Evan Sailor said.