ESPN and NFL Network will combine for NFL Draft telecastVideo
NEW YORK — ESPN and NFL Network will join forces for this year’s NFL Draft. They will produce a broadcast that will air on both networks over all three days. The April 23-25 draft originally was scheduled to be in Las Vegas but has been moved because of the coronavirus...
Ex-NFL quarterback Tarvaris Jackson, 36, dies in car crashVideo
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Former NFL quarterback Tarvaris Jackson died in a one-car crash outside Montgomery, authorities said Monday. He was 36. The 2012 Chevrolet Camaro that Jackson was driving went off the road, struck a tree and overturned at 8:50 p.m. Sunday, Trooper Benjamin “Michael” Carswell, an Alabama Law Enforcement...
First Call: Watt Bros. own Siblings Day; J.J. backs Cam Heyward; more noise about Jameis Winston and Steelers
In “First Call” on Monday, the Watt brothers latch onto National Siblings Day. One of them speaks out for snubbed Steelers star Cam Heyward. Another national voice pipes up about the Jameis Winston-to-Pittsburgh talk. And an update on the socially distanced NFL Draft. Friday was National Siblings Day. With so...
Column: If NFL cancels 2020 season, it should call on NHL for help
The prize was future Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby, one of the greatest prospects anyone had seen since Wayne Gretzky. And the method to determine who got him, as best as then-Columbus Blue Jackets general manager Doug MacLean can recall, was hashed out over a few meetings as the NHL...
Clemson star Isaiah Simmons do-it-all talent for NFLVideo
Several years before building a Super Bowl roster in San Francisco, John Lynch the broadcaster was pining for a new kind of defensive playmaker. What the NFL needed to counter all the offensive innovations driving up scores, he said back in 2013, was a hybrid linebacker/safety who could stay on...
Former Steelers fullback Roosevelt Nix expected to sign with the ColtsVideo
Former Steelers Pro Bowl fullback Roosevelt Nix will sign a one-year deal with the Indianapolis Colts, according to multiple reports. Nix, a 5-foot-11, 248-pounder, played with the Steelers for five seasons. He was released last month after the Steelers signed fullback Derek Watt. Nix played in just three games last...
Broncos star Von Miller polishing deejay and pass rush skills
Von Miller longs to make a name for himself scratching vinyl just like he has sacking quarterbacks. DJ Sauce Von the Don is the Denver Broncos star linebacker’s alter ego, one whose fledgling club concert career has been thwarted by the coronavirus outbreak. Miller said he spends part of each...
New coach Ron Rivera aims to start changing culture around RedskinsVideo
WASHINGTON — Ron Rivera made plenty of mistakes as a first-time NFL head coach that he hopes not to repeat this time around. Rivera also did enough good things early on with Carolina in 2011 that he’s trying to duplicate now with Washington. The new Redskins coach took some big...
Browns new GM Andrew Berry prepared for unique, ‘virtual’ draftVideo
CLEVELAND — With degrees from Harvard in economics and computer science, Browns general manager Andrew Berry would seem perfectly suited to handle any pitfalls or problems he might encounter in his first NFL Draft — a draft like no other. He’s a one-man IT department. Cleveland’s new general manager said...
Dallas Cowboys sign cornerback Saivion Smith, former XFL player
FRISCO, Texas — The Dallas Cowboys signed cornerback Saivion Smith on Friday, adding the former XFL player about the same time the spring league announced it was suspending operations. Smith played for Houston, which was the only undefeated team in the XFL when the league stopped playing last month after...
Rams trade WR Brandin Cooks to TexansVideo
LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Rams are trading receiver Brandin Cooks to the Houston Texans, according to a person familiar with the deal. The NFL Network reported the Rams will get a second-round pick while sending a future fourth-rounder to Houston. Cooks will help the Texans replace DeAndre Hopkins,...
Tua Tagovailoa’s agent says he’s healthy, will be ready for campVideo
Tua Tagovailoa’s agent said the quarterback is healthy and will be ready for training camp. Tagovailoa held a virtual pro day with former NFL quarterback Trent Dilfer on Thursday after the former Alabama star’s personal pro day was canceled because of the coronavirus outbreak. Video of Tagovailoa’s workout will be...
New Eagles DT Javon Hargrave discusses leaving Steelers: ‘It was real tough’Video
Of course, Javon Hargrave said, he wanted to stay in Pittsburgh. The Steelers were the team that brought him into the NFL with the No. 89 overall pick in the third round of the 2016 NFL Draft. He felt he was part of a “winning” culture, and he had developed...
Chiefs bring back CB Bashaud Breeland on 1-year dealVideo
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs are bringing back cornerback Bashaud Breeland on a one-year deal that could be worth up to $4.5 million, helping to alleviate one of the Super Bowl champions’ biggest concerns ahead of the NFL Draft. The deal was confirmed to the Associated Press...
Oddsmakers like Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes to win MVP, but big money is on another QBVideo
Assuming the 2020 NFL season begins on time, Thursday marked 154 days until the first game would kick off. Although a lot can happen between now and Sept. 10, oddsmakers in Las Vegas have handicapped the NFL MVP race. According to William Hill Sports Book, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has...
Tim Benz, Jeff Erickson: Will golf lead return to TV sports?; Steelers draft trade talk; MLB Arizona idea
The biggest fantasy in the sports world right now is getting through this global pandemic and getting real games back on the field of play. But in lieu of that, Jeff Erickson of RotoWire and I do our weekly fantasy sports podcast anyway. We talk about how golf could lead...
Zac Taylor encouraged by free-agent haul as Bengals rebuildVideo
CINCINNATI — Cincinnati had a list of top targets heading into free agency, and coach Zac Taylor says the Bengals got the players they wanted. The Bengals announced Wednesday they had reached agreements with eight unrestricted free agents since the new league year started March 18, though all eight still...
Panthers’ Matt Rhule: Teddy Bridgewater was ‘right fit’ because he knows offenseVideo
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — First-year coach Matt Rhule said Teddy Bridgewater’s familiarity with the team’s offensive scheme made him the “right fit” at quarterback for the Carolina Panthers and ultimately led to Cam Newton’s release. Bridgewater spent the 2018 season working under new Panthers offensive coordinator Joe Brady with the New...
Falcons to wear all-black home uniforms as part of redesignVideo
ATLANTA — The Atlanta Falcons are moving to black pants with black jerseys for their home uniforms in 2020 as part of a redesign the team says respects past fashion choices with updates “to match the modern progression of Atlanta.” The team’s first redesign in 17 years also include white...
Tom Brady on Howard Stern: It was ‘just time’ to leave Patriots for new challenge
TAMPA, Fla. — Tom Brady entered his final season in New England with a strong inkling it would be his last with the Patriots. The six-time Super Bowl champion who signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in free agency last month said Wednesday on SiriusXM’s “The Howard Stern Show” it...
Jags pass rusher Ngakoue teases Eagles interest
Yannick Ngakoue doesn’t want to go back to the Jacksonville Jaguars. He’s made that clear over the past month or so. But where will the 25-year-old pass rusher end up? The Jaguars placed the franchise tag on Ngakoue, which keeps him in team control, but he has not signed the...
Buccaneers unveil new, yet familiar look for next seasonVideo
TAMPA, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are all in for a new look in 2020. Building on momentum created by the signing of six-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady in free agency, the Bucs on Tuesday unveiled new uniforms for next season — a move that also figures to...
Redskins weigh drafting Chase Young vs. trading No. 2 pickVideo
WASHINGTON — It has long seemed like a virtual certainty that the Redskins will take Chase Young with the second pick in the NFL Draft. If the Cincinnati Bengals select LSU quarterback Joe Burrow first overall as expected, the Ohio State pass-rusher and Heisman Trophy finalist would fall into Washington’s...
Report: HBO’s ‘Hard Knocks’ skips Steelers, will feature Rams and Chargers
It appears that Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers will not be spotlighted on HBO’s “Hard Knocks” this year. The team was eligible to appear on the annual late-summer football series, but that honor will be shared by the two Los Angeles franchises. That is, of course, is if the...
NFL delays start of offseason workout programs for teamsVideo
CHARLOTTE, N.C — The NFL is delaying the start of its offseason workout program while formulating a plan with the NFL Players Association on how to proceed during the coronavirus pandemic. At least for the time being, NFL coaches won’t be allowed to communicate with players via videoconferencing. Normally, Monday...
