UPDATE: The Chargers officially announced Tuesday afternoon that they had signed Novak to a two-year contract and placed Kaeding on injured reserve, ending his season. The team also said it had signed DE Ogemdi Nwagbuo to a one-year deal.

Further medical tests confirm that Chargers kicker Nate Kaeding suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament and will be lost for the season, while DE Luis Castillo is out at least 10 to 12 weeks with a fractured tibia.

The Chargers signed kicker Nick Novak to replace Kaeding, who likely will be placed on season-ending injured reserve, according to sources with knowledge of the situation. Kaeding suffered the injury on the opening kickoff of Sunday’s 24-17 victory over the Vikings.

San Diego, a playoff favorite, hasn’t yet decided whether or not to place Castillo on IR. The six-year veteran had surgery Monday to repair a fractured left tibia suffered against Minnesota.

The Chargers could mull that decision for some time and see how much wiggle room they need, carrying Castillo against their 53-man roster in the meantime — along the lines of how the Colts are waiting out the Peyton Manning situation.

The Miami Dolphins worked out at least four running backs Tuesday, according to league sources, including Brian Westbrook and Julius Jones, but did not sign any of them.

Westbrook tweeted about his workout, saying he did not expect to be signed. The Dolphins appear set on signing a bigger back to complement Reggie Bush, given the struggles of rookie Daniel Thomas.

Miami also worked out Jones, who has played with Dallas, Seattle and New Orleans. Thomas Clayton, another former Seahawks back, and Dimitri Nance, who was in Green Bay’s camp, also worked out for the Dolphins.

Free agent RB Thomas Clayton, who played a total of three games for the Browns and Patriots during the 2010 season, worked out for the Dolphins on Tuesday, according to a league source.

Miami has been looking at a lot of running back lately with rookie Daniel Thomas nicked up and struggling. Thomas was declared inactive for the Dolphins’ Monday night loss to the Patriots because of a hamstring injury.

The Dolphins re-signed Larry Johnson last week after cutting him following the final preseason game

UPDATE: McGee’s agent, David Canter, told The Associated Press that his client herniated a disk in his back and will be placed on season-ending injured reserve. Canter said McGee told him he “could hardly feel his legs” in the second half. He will not need surgery.

The Browns have agreed to terms with veteran punter Brad Maynard, according to a league source.

Maynard, in his 15th NFL season, punted for the Bears the past 10 seasons (2001 to 2010) after spending his first four campaigns with the Giants (1997 to 2000).

Maynard averaged 40.1 yards per kick last season, worst in the league. Not ideal, but the Browns will take it after Richmond McGee shanked punts of 20, 28 and 30 yards in Sunday’s loss to the Bengals.

Steelers RT Willie Colon is out for the season after suffering a torn triceps tendon in Week 1, according to a league source.

Colon is scheduled to have surgery for the injury at 7:30 a.m. ET on Tuesday.

Colon missed all of last season with a torn Achilles’ tendon he suffered during the offseason while preparing for training camp.

Here are a few things that caught my attention after our first full Sunday of the season, in no particular order:

NFC Least?
Could the NFC West actually be worse this season? Is that possible? I picked the Cardinals to win the division, and for Kevin Kolb to be a primary reason why, but man, giving up 422 yards passing in Cam Newton’s debut (and I am taking nothing away from the rookie. That was a performance for the ages and should shut a lot of people up … for at least a week anyway).

The Seattle/San Francisco game was tough to watch and both those teams have flaws.

The Rams have a truly brutal schedule in the first half and were crushed by injuries in Week 1. I really think 7-9 could get it done out there again, sadly enough.

Lockout schmokout
For months, we obsessed over the potential damage that all of the missed time would mean for the caliber of football. It would be sloppy and unimaginative and penalty-riddled, right? And there was no way any young quarterback could survive, much less thrive, much less throw for 422 yards in his debut? Right? Well, overall, the quality of play, especially considering the heat in some locales, was very good. The impact, from an on-field standpoint, will become even more negligible by the week. I suspect, however …

… The one caveat being
Rookie coaches are going to be kinda screwed by the whole lockout thing. The lack of teaching time to implement systems and get new coaching staffs familiar with players and have everyone speaking the same language, well, yeah, that’s going to matter. And in a year where the teams with continuity and experience of staff will be at an advantage, the novice coaches are caught even further behind.

Heading into Monday night, teams with a new coach in his first full season with the team were 1-5, with Jim Harbaugh in San Fran the lone victor, and that came with the help of two return TDs at home against a Seattle team that could be in trouble. Carolina, Dallas, Minnesota, Cleveland all found ways to lose. The Titans tried to rally but came up two points short. I have a feeling this trend will continue.

Don’t doubt the Wizard
With the Ravens gutting some trusted veterans, and the offensive line a major cause of concern, you heard a whisper or two in the preseason that maybe Baltimore general manager Ozzie Newsome was slowing down some. Um, not so much. Newsome got Lee Evans for a fourth-rounder from Buffalo to add a vertical element, signed Bryant McKinnie on the cheap late in camp, and added fullback Vonta Leach in free agency.

All McKinnie and Leach did was key a renaissance in the running game, so vital for the Ravens. Leach and McKinnie beat and beat up the Steelers and Ray Rice finally had holes to hit. And two of the primary players Newsome wanted to get on the field more — which is a big reason why Derrick Mason and Todd Heap were jettisoned — young tight ends Dennis Pitta and Ed Dickson – were stellar against Pittsburgh. Mason and Heap combined for 59 yards. I know it was only one week, but the early returns for The Oz could not have been better.

Don’t believe the hype
Critics were already railing against the new kickoff rules after the first few preseason games. It was way out of control and indicative of the instant-analysis that suffocates all aspects of modern society (okay, I’m off my soap box now). So within the first 14 games of the regular season, we have three kickoff returns for a touchdown, matching a Week 1 record, guys taking the ball back 100 yards and several other long returns. Remember, the lack of a running start for kicking teams matters, too, and there will still be electrifying returns. Trust me.

Quick hitters
» Todd Haley entered the season, in my opinion, as the coach most on the hot seat given raised expectations after a division title and some of the realities about the true talent base in Kansas City. I would say Week 1 would only solidify him atop the list

» Jim Caldwell could end up something of a fall guy in Indianapolis, sans Peyton Manning now, and if the Colts are as bad as I suspect they will be, I’m not subjecting Manning to football in 2011. By the time he comes back, assuming he will be able to do so this season, they’ll be woefully out of the playoff race.

» No team looks more improved in the trenches, on both sides of the ball, than the Washington Redskins. The entire MO there has changed in year two under Mike Shanahan. We’ll see if they can maintain it, but they brought their more physical mentality straight from the preseason into the manhandling of the Giants on Sunday.

Chargers RB Mike Tolbert received full clearance from team doctors Monday that he doesn’t have any knee issues, and he’s fully expected to play next Sunday, according to a team source.

Tolbert was scheduled to have a precautionary MRI exam on his knee Monday morning, according to a team source, after he left late in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s 24-17 victory over the Vikings with a right leg injury.

Tolbert had a monster game, scoring three touchdowns and finishing with 93 total yards.

UPDATE: Chiefs coach Todd Haley wouldn’t confirm if the club intended to place Berry on the injured reserve list during Monday’s press conference, but he did say “it appears he’ll be out for the season.” Haley added everyone on the team will “have to elevate their game to counterbalance” the loss of Berry.

The Chiefs have lost safety Eric Berry for the season with a torn ACL, according to a source with knowledge of the situation.

It’s another huge blow to a reeling Chiefs team that has already suffered injuries to other key young players.

Berry was hurt at the start of the game against the Bills on a block the Chiefs felt was illegal and worthy of league discipline.

When asked by a reporter whether or not he felt the block on Berry was legitimate Haley said, “I just know we lost one of our best players and that hurts.”

The fifth overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, Berry started all 16 games for the Chiefs as rookie, earning a Pro Bowl nod.

The Cleveland Browns were plagued by a litany of mistakes in their 27-17 loss to the Bengals on Sunday.

One of the more noticeable issues was the play of punter Richmond McGee, who averaged a scant 36 yards on eight punts in his Cleveland debut. McGee might not get a second chance to redeem himself, as veteran punter Brad Maynard visited Cleveland on Monday, according to a league source.

The move is a sign that the Browns are still struggling to find a replacement for Reggie Hodges, who was injured during training camp.

Maynard, 37 , is a 15-year veteran, having spent 10 years with the Bears and four with the Giants. Maynard spent time with the Texans in the preseason.

Veteran Nick Novak is a strong candidate to replace injured Nate Kaeding as the kicker in San Diego.

The Chargers are very familiar with Novak, a college standout at Maryland who has had stints in the NFL with Washington, Dallas and elsewhere. He had a previous stint in San Diego and the Chargers tried to sign him last year out of the UFL, where he was special teams player of the year, but stipulations in the UFL contract structure scuttled the deal.

Novak is coming off a strong preseason, where he pushed Nick Folk for the job with the Jets and he is already living and training in San Diego, where he was born.

The Chargers have made initial contact with Novak and could bring in several kickers for a competition, but I wouldn’t be surprised at all if Novak gets the job.

Kaeding suffered what the team fears was a torn ACL on the opening kickoff Sunday, with punter Mike Scifres handing kicking duties on an emergency basis.

49ers WR Ted Ginn Jr.‘s restructured contract allows him be a free agent after this season, according to a league source.

Ginn, who sparked the 49ers to their first win under new coach Jim Harbaugh with two return touchdowns, redid his contract a week ago. He is now set to make $1 million in 2011, with $400,000 available to him in incentives.

Ginn had been set to make $1.4M in base salary in 2011, with up to $2.9M in escalators, and had a $1.8M base for 2012.

Chargers RB Mike Tolbert will have a precautionary MRI exam on his knee Monday morning, according to a team source, but he isn’t expected to miss any significant time.

Tolbert, who was checked out by Chargers doctors after suffering an injury to his right leg in a three-touchdown effort against the Vikings, could miss next week’s game against the New England Patriots, but nothing more is anticipated.

The Chargers defeated the Vikings 24-17 in the season opener.

The initial tests on injured Chargers kicker Nate Kaeding reveal he’s likely out for the season with a left anterior cruciate ligament tear, according to a source with knowledge of the situation.

Kaeding was injured on the opening kickoff Sunday against the Vikings, which Percy Harvin returned 103 yards for a touchdown.

Kaeding will have an MRI exam in the morning to confirm the condition, but the Chargers aren’t hopeful of positive results.

The Buccaneers haven’t been notified of any impending punishment for impermissible contact with players during the 4½-month-long lockout, according to a team source.

CBS reported Sunday that the Bucs would be fined for contact with players during the lockout, which wasn’t allowed. Teams knew they could face fines or other league discipline for doing so.

The league notified all teams that it’s investigating possible lockout violations. And the Bucs fully cooperated with the probe.

The NFL was investigating seven instances of contact between Bucs players and coaches, according to the team source, but three of the calls were less than a minute long and could have been hangups or never completed. One call was between coach Raheem Morris and TE Kellen Winslow to wish him well on the birth of a child. And the longest conversation was between Morris and a player who didn’t make the team.

The NFL alerted teams they must log calls and contact with players during the lockout and that league officials could look at those records after the lockout was over. Privately, other executives from rival teams believed that quotes from Morris and others indicated an illegal amount of activity with their players at that time.

UPDATE: Foster officially was ruled out when the Texans released their inactive players at 11:30 a.m. ET. Ward will start in Foster’s place.

The Texans have yet to officially deactivate Arian Foster, but team officials don’t expect him to play Sunday against the Colts.

Internally, Foster isn’t in Houston’s game-day plans, according to a source, and no one believes his hamstring will allow him to play. The running back, who led the NFL in rushing last season, would be officially deactivated at 11:30 a.m. ET.

The Texans plan on a heavy rushing workload, with Derrick Ward the starter but with sufficient carries for youngster Ben Tate as well.

For inactives for every Sunday game, visit www.nfl.com/inactives.