R. Williams May Play For Dolphins This Year

Ricky Williams's reinstatement is complete, as the Dolphins said they'll welcome him back on the field beginning Monday.

First-year coach Cam Cameron decided to let Williams, a running back, rejoin the team after the two met yesterday. The NFL lifted Williams's 1 1/2 -year suspension Wednesday.

"The meeting was positive," Cameron said. "He'll be a member of this team and will start with us Monday. He's a Miami Dolphin."

For months, Cameron had been quiet regarding whether he would want Williams. In May, when discussing Williams's latest relapse, the coach said it's difficult to salvage the careers of troubled players.

Cameron said his players supported the decision to welcome the 2002 NFL rushing leader -- perhaps in large part because the Dolphins are desperate for help. They're 0-9 heading into Sunday's game at Philadelphia.

Williams could play as soon as Nov. 26 at Pittsburgh.

Williams, 30, was suspended in April 2006 after violating the league drug policy for the fourth time. His return was delayed after he tested positive again for marijuana last spring.

After meeting with Cameron, Williams watched the start of practice from behind a window in the players' lounge. Later, during a brief news conference, he struggled to answer the first question.

"My motivation for coming back to the NFL? Could we start with an easier question?" he said with a chuckle.

"My motivation is to get my life going again. Being out of football in the situation I was in makes it difficult, you know? I want to create a better life for myself and for my family, and being a football player, for me, is a big part of that."

Williams has played in only 12 games since the summer of 2004.

¿ INJURY REPORT: Cowboys guard Leonard Davis missed practice, a day after somebody rolled on his ankle during a workout. Davis was on the field in shorts and didn't appear to be limping.

After Davis was hurt Wednesday, Coach Wade Phillips said Davis would be checked out by doctors. The coach didn't know the extent of the injury then, but said it was a good sign that Davis walked off under his own power. . . .

Browns linebackers Willie McGinest, D'Qwell Jackson and Antwan Peek practiced on a limited basis, and it is possible all three could play against the Ravens on Sunday. . . .

Trent Dilfer will start for the 49ers on Sunday in place of quarterback Alex Smith, who finally acknowledged a serious arm injury has been affecting his play.

Dilfer is a 14-year veteran. He struggled through three straight losses while filling in for Smith earlier this season.

Smith and Coach Mike Nolan had a lengthy meeting Wednesday following Smith's public disclosure that his recently separated right shoulder led to a forearm injury that prevents him from throwing well.

"There's no time for me to be sympathetic" toward Smith, Dilfer said. "My job is to go out and play the best football I can play. . . . My relationship with Alex won't change, but I don't have time for that drama or any other type of drama." . . .

Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith missed his second straight practice with a shin injury.

¿ COURTS: A U.S. District Court judge in San Francisco approved a request filed by former NFL players Bernie Parrish and Herb Adderley to refile a lawsuit against Players Inc., the marketing subsidiary of the NFL Players Association. The suit, which alleges that Players Inc. denied millions of dollars in royalties from licensing and marketing opportunities, was thrown out two months ago because Parrish and Adderley had failed to adequately prove their claims.

At the time, the players' attorney, Ron Katz, said they needed documents from Players Inc. to buttress the charges. Once those documents were handed over, the request to refile was made.