NFL ROUNDUP | News and notes

Steelers: Dorien Bryant, one of the nation’s most productive pass receivers and kick returners last season at Purdue, was among 12 rookie free agents signed Monday by the Steelers. The 5-foot-10 Bryant, bypassed during the NFL draft because of his size, caught at least 80 passes in each of the last three seasons. He made 876 catches for 936 yards and eight touchdowns in 2007 and 87 for 1,068 yards and six touchdowns in 2006. He had 80 catches as a sophomore in 2005. Bryant also averaged 27.9 yards on 36 kickoff returns last season, with a longest return of 98 yards, and 7.2 yards on 15 punt returns. The Steelers also signed a fifth quarterback, Mike Potts of William Mary, after drafting Oregon’s Dennis Dixon on the fifth round Sunday. Potts is a Pittsburgh native who was a starter at William Mary for most of the 2006 season but lost his job to Jacob Phillips last season. Potts finished his senior season 25-of-40 for 245 yards and two touchdowns. The other rookies signed were center Doug Legursky of Marshall, linebacker Patrick Bailey of Duke, cornerback Roy Lewis of Washington, defensive linemen Martavius Prince of Southern Mississippi and Jordan Reffett of Washington, kicker Julian Rauch of Appalachian State, wide receiver Micah Rucker of Eastern Illinois, tight end Dezmond Sherrod of Mississippi State, cornerback Travis Williams of East Carolina and linebacker Donovan Woods of Oklahoma State.

Eagles: Philadelphia signed seven rookie free agents Monday, including former Penn State receiver Terrell Golden. The Eagles also signed two other receivers, Nebraska’s Frantz Hardy and Delaware State’s Shaheer McBride, a native of nearby Chester. Also signed were Franklin Dunbar, a 6-foot-4, 327-pound tackle out of Middle Tennessee State; Hofstra cornerback Kyle Arrington; Washington State fullback Jed Collins; and Kansas State linebacker Justin Roland.

Panthers: Carolina added depth on its defensive line by agreeing to a one-year deal with free agent Darwin Walker. Walker’s agent, Al Irby, confirmed the deal Monday. The Chicago Bears let Walker go in February. Walker played in 11 games with seven starts in an injury-plagued season with Chicago in 2007. He finished with 17 tackles and one sack. Before that, Walker was a five-year starter in Philadelphia. The Panthers have little depth at defensive tackle after trading Kris Jenkins in the offseason. Sixth-round pick Nick Hayden of Louisville was the only defensive linemen the Panthers took in last weekend’s draft.

Bengals: Maybe Chad Johnson will turn to acting if he makes good on his threat to sit out the football season. The receiver whose self-promoting antics and constant trash talk have become divisive for the team, is appearing on a segment of “The Rookie,” the online offspring of Fox’s “24.” The five-minute “Rookie” Webisodes star Jeremy Valdez as young Jason Blaine, a character first seen aboard a Russian sub in the fifth season of “24.” Johnson appears in the current “Rookie” installment, titled “Day 3 — Extraction,” as an FBI surveillance expert. In his real-life role, the receiver has become a major problem for the Bengals after threatening to sit out the season if he’s not traded. In “Rookie,” Johnson, a Degree deodorant spokesman, is part of an undercover element found in the Webisodes — imbedded advertising, which marries content with a sponsor. The “Extraction” installment is presented as a 30-minute block of six parts and is available online or on-demand through Comcast and DirecTV. It’s parent, “24,” went back into production on April 22 in Los Angeles in preparation for the January 2009 premiere of its delayed seventh season. The show had completed eight episodes of the season prior to the writers strike late last year, including shooting in Washington, D.C.

Associated Press