Healed Paris Warren to re-sign

The last memory most people have of Paris Warren was the gruesome image of him dislocating his ankle in the Bucs' final preseason game last fall, an injury that ended his season and turned our stomachs.

Warren was poised to make the team before the injury and might have contributed in 2007. But he'll get the chance to mount a comeback with the Bucs this fall, as the team has agreed to bring back the exclusive rights free agent. That's not big news because once a team makes at least a minimum-salary offer to an exclusive rights free agent, the player is prohibited from negotiating with any other club. Warren hasn't signed the deal yet, but will once he returns to town.

What is more newsworthy is what Warren just shared with us: the fact that he is fully recovered from that ugly injury. Warren, who is currently spending time in his native Sacramento, said he is close to getting back to his old self.

"I'm doing good," he said. "I'm done with rehab. I'm just working on strengthening right now."

Warren said he plans to participate in the team's conditioning program beginning next month in Tampa and predicts that he'll be a participant in offseason practices which begin after the draft.

"I'm ready to go," he said. "I wouldn't want to be anywhere else."

Bringing Warren back was expected, but it's still a good move by the Bucs. This team needs all the competition it can get at receiver, and you can expect that they'll be working hard to address the position whether through free agency or the draft.