Jaguars Giving Upon Tight End Jones

The Jacksonville Jaguars put tight end Damon Jones on the waivers-injured reserve list Thursday, effectively ending his five-year career with the team.

Jones, known as the “Big Sofa,” was a fifth-round draft pick out of Southern Illinois in 1997. His soft hands and 6-foot-5, 280-pound frame made him one of the team’s most promising players.

But he never panned out, finishing with 41 catches for 550 yards and 11 touchdowns over four-plus seasons. This year, he caught only eight passes before being sidelined because of a shoulder injury.

By putting him on the waivers-injured reserve list, the Jaguars don’t save any money under the salary cap. Teams will have 24 hours to claim him, and if they don’t, Jones will finish the season on Jacksonville’s injured reserve list.

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Washington Redskin quarterback Tony Banks, who sustained a concussion in last week’s game at Denver, returned to practice and remained on course to start Sunday’s game at Philadelphia.

Banks sat out Wednesday’s practice as a precaution, but all his postgame tests were negative.

Kent Graham, who relieved Banks in the 17-10 victory over the Broncos, will start only if Banks has a setback.

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Correll Buckhalter doesn’t plan to make the same mistake twice.

Buckhalter, the leading rusher for the Philadelphia Eagles, realizes he was close to losing his job last week after he was in a vehicle in which drugs were found.

“He laid down the law pretty good,” Buckhalter said of Coach Andy Reid. “It was my first incident and there won’t be another one.”

Last Friday, safety Terrence Carroll, cornerback Darrel Crutchfield and Buckhalter were taken into police custody when officers smelled marijuana in their sport-utility vehicle during a stop. Police said they found a small amount of marijuana.

Carroll was charged with misdemeanor possession. No charges were filed against Buckhalter and Crutchfield. All three players were suspended for the 36-3 victory at Dallas.

Reid released Carroll on Monday, but reinstated Buckhalter and Crutchfield.

“It was very scary,” Buckhalter said. “Obviously, the scariest part was that I could have lost my job. Now that I didn’t, I know I have to be very careful because people are really going to be watching me now.”

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Things start going bad and the Cincinnati Bengals change quarterbacks. It’s an annual event for the NFL’s worst team of the past decade.

So far, Jon Kitna has defied tradition.

The Bengals have slipped to 4-5 and Kitna’s passer rating has plummeted to third-worst in the league. He has thrown more interceptions than touchdowns and produced only seven points in the last six quarters.

Kitna insists he can still produce. Coach Dick LeBeau is going to let him keep trying.

“Jon Kitna is our quarterback,” LeBeau said. “We think that our offense has dramatically improved.

“We think that maybe the numbers don’t even reflect the growth that we have shown on that side of the ball.”