Rex Ryan addressed the Adalius Thomas issue at his Friday afternoon press conference, saying "we'll always listen to anything" while adding that it's a "safe" assumption the Jets would wait for the market to establish itself before reaching out to the two-time Pro Bowl linebacker. Thomas spent his first seven seasons in Baltimore, where Ryan served as the Ravens' defensive coordinator before taking over the Jets. "If you're just going to take a defensive end, or an inside linebacker, or an outside linebacker, then he's not going to be quite as effective," Ryan said of Thomas. "If you can use him all over the place as a defensive end, an inside linebacker, and outside backer, a safety, he's special. We'll see. "I think with him we'll end up first in the league in defense, and without him we'll end up first in the league in defense. If we get him, great. (But) I'm not worried about him, he's not on our team."

Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross has decided not to discipline general manager Jeff Ireland for asking Dez Bryant, during a predraft interview, whether Bryant's mother was a prostitute. ``I have looked into the matter of Jeff Ireland and the questions asked of former Oklahoma State receiver Dez Bryant, and I have spoken to many people in and outside our organization who were directly and indirectly involved,'' Ross said in a statement. ``Jeff Ireland has apologized personally and publicly to Dez Bryant. We are going to take a hard look at our interview practices and we will make improvements that will allow us to get the important information we need about players in whom we are making a major investment, but without being insensitive. ``Jeff Ireland is a man of great capability and integrity, and he is well deserving of my continued confidence. I consider the matter closed.''

As the Bears opened their three-day rookie mini-camp Friday, Juice Williams was one of the high-profile names on the 54-man roster, although he was invited on a workout basis only. Williams would be the first to admit the transition wasn't exactly seamless as he sailed passes too high and missed some of his targets low. "Early on, it was a different,'' he said, "with the new concepts and stuff going on. But as practice went on, I felt a little bit more comfortable, like with the 7-on-7 drill. I just have to get used to the speed.'' Williams said he doesn't have a "chip on his shoulder'' after going undrafted. He just plans to make an NFL roster somewhere and is willing to switch positions. "Quarterback has always been my desire growing up, but if a position change comes around that's best for the team, I'm all for it,'' he said. "I'd play anything ? receiver, running back, anything.''

JaMarcus Russell took the field with newly acquired Jason Campbell and the rest of his Raiders teammates for a minicamp on Friday. The Raiders acquired Campbell in a trade with the Washington Redskins last weekend, leading to reports that Russell could be cut before training camp or held out of the workouts to avoid an injury. Russell was out there working with fellow quarterbacks Campbell, Charlie Frye and Kyle Boller on Friday as the Raiders held their first formal on-field workout of the offseason. "My thing is to keep coming out to work until they tell me not to," Russell said. "I'm going to keep coming out to compete for the job and work my tail off." Despite reports that he had reached 300 pounds, Russell looked in decent shape, although the Raiders wouldn't say what the quarterback weighed. "He's been here in the offseason, he's worked," Cable said. "The kid's working his tail off. Let's leave it at that."

Oakland Raiders coach Tom Cable said the team is negotiating a long-term deal with free-agent defensive lineman Richard Seymour. Cable said after the team's first minicamp practice Friday that the two sides are working on the deal, and that's why Seymour wasn't at the practice. The Raiders placed the exclusive franchise tag designation on Seymour in February. That prohibited him from negotiating with other teams and guaranteed him $12.398 million for the 2010 season.

Tim Tebow took snaps and threw passes as the three-day minicamp for rookies got under way. "Oh, it's great because we can go back and watch it," said the ever-excitable Tebow following the 90-minute workout on a chilly morning. "We can look at every play, every throw, go back and see what I did good, what I did bad, what I have to work on and what I need to change." Some scouts think it could take two years for Tebow to make the transition from combination college quarterback to prototypical pocket passer -- if he ever does. Others argue his success in college, his passion for football and his work ethic will make the transition smoother and shorter. Broncos coach Josh McDaniels, who made waves when he traded three draft picks to Baltimore to take Tebow with the 25th selection in last week's NFL draft, said it's unrealistic to put a timetable on Tebow's transition. McDaniels has dismissed the notion of moving Tebow to H-back to start his pro career. And with Kyle Orton, Brady Quinn and maybe even Tom Brandstater ahead of him on the depth chart, many expect Tebow's contributions as a rookie will come in wildcat formations.

Dez Bryant has denied that a question from Dolphins general manager Jeff Ireland in a predraft interview asking if his mother was a prostitute was prompted by something Bryant said. "No, I didn't tell him my dad was a pimp," Bryant said in a text message to ESPN's Ed Werder on Thursday. A league source told ESPN.com's Matt Mosley details of the conversation first reported by SI.com earlier Friday were accurate. During the meeting, the source said, Ireland asked Bryant -- during a talk about Bryant's upbringing and relationship with family members --- what his father did for a living when Bryant was growing up, which apparently prompted this exchange: Bryant: "My dad was a pimp." Ireland: "What did your mom do [for a living]?" Bryant: "She worked for my dad." Ireland: "Your mom was a prostitute?" Bryant: "No, she wasn't a prostitute."

The Bears on Friday hired Tim Ruskell as director of player personnel. In 23 NFL seasons, Ruskell has helped the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Seattle Seahawks reach the Super Bowl and the Atlanta Falcons advance to the NFC Championship Game. Ruskell worked closely with Bears general manager Jerry Angelo with the Buccaneers from 1987-2001. Ruskell served as a regional scout (1987-1991), director of college scouting (1992-2000) and director of player personnel (2001-03). Angelo was Tampa's director of player personnel from 1987-2001. ?First and foremost, Tim brings a wealth of knowledge to the organization, both in personnel and how things are done at every level,? Angelo said. ?He?s experienced everything. ?He?s been in three different organizations and had success in all of them. I think he?s going to be a real good addition. We worked together for 14 years, and I think the commonality that we share in terms of how to build a football team will bode well not only for me but for the organization.?

Hines Ward says quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's six-game suspension is disappointing but justified, and threatens to leave the Pittsburgh Steelers in a precarious position when the season begins. Ward, a Steelers offensive co-captain along with Roethlisberger, doesn't think the quarterback will have any trouble regaining his teammates' confidence and respect once he returns in October. Roethlisberger was suspended last week for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy.

The Raiders are have begun their minicamp and JaMarcus Russell is out on the field with the team.