NFL notebook: Cardinals give safety Ware 2-year deal

The Cardinals have re-signed free-agent safety Matt Ware to a two-year contract and added free-agent quarterback Brian St. Pierre on a one-year deal.

Ware appeared in 15 games for the Cardinals last season, collecting 12 tackles on defense and seven more on special teams. He joined the team at the start of the 2006 season and played in 14 games that year.

Pierre comes from a familiar place. He played for the Pittsburgh Steelers — Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt was a former Steelers assistant and has brought many former Pittsburgh players to Arizona — where he was the team’s third quarterback for 15 games and dressed as the backup for one game last season.

FALCONS

Atlanta was awarded an extra pick in the NFL draft Monday, receiving a third-round selection as compensation for their free agent losses last season.

The league awarded the Falcons the 98th overall pick as part of 32 compensatory picks given to 15 teams. The Falcons now have six choices in the first three rounds.

Atlanta has the third pick overall, three choices in the second round and two more in the third. The draft will be April 26-27.

LEAGUE

The agent for Oklahoma wide receiver Malcolm Kelly is trying to reassure NFL teams his client is completely healed from a thigh injury and has no lingering knee problems.

Agent Chad Speck sent a letter to all 32 NFL teams Monday, along with a letter from the doctor who has been treating Kelly, to let them know the receiver projected as a possible first-round draft pick is healthy.

The injury first was diagnosed as a deep thigh bruise, but Kelly actually had a small quadriceps tear.

The agent also pointed out that Dr. Michael Hatrak of Alpharetta, Ga., also found “all other structures assessed within normal limits.” Kelly tore an ACL in junior high and had arthroscopic knee surgery during his sophomore year at Oklahoma.