The Steelers don't have a first-round draft choice this year. The last time they didn't make a first-round pick was 1967. Steelers General Manager Kevin Colbert is just fine not having a first-round choice. That's because the team traded its top pick to Miami for safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, who made the Pro Bowl and earned [more]
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Former NFL kicker Tom Dempsey has recovered after testing positive for COVID-19, WDSU-6 reports. Dempsey, 73, has battled Alzheimer's disease and dementia since 2013. He was one of several residents of a senior living facility in New Orleans to contract COVID-19. Dempsey, who was born without toes on his right foot and fingers on his [more]
NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah believes the San Francisco 49ers' No. 31 pick looks ripe for a quarterback trade.
NFL Network's Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport discuss what the NFL is looking at with an "entirely virtual" 2020 offseason.
NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport explains the NFL's new expanded playoff format.
Adrian Clayborn is heading to Cleveland. The Browns have signed Clayborn, his agent announced on Twitter. According to multiple reports, it's a two-year, $6 million deal. A defensive end heading into his 10th NFL season, Clayborn played in 15 games for the Falcons last year and had four sacks and two forced fumbles. Clayborn has [more]
David Fales was not one of the two quarterbacks to start games for the Jets while Sam Darnold was out with mononucleosis last season, but he is the only one of Darnold's backups to have a contract for the 2020 season. Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that the Jets have re-signed Fales. It's a one-year [more]
The Vikings reportedly put out word after franchising Anthony Harris that the safety was available for a mid- to late-round draft choice. It was presumed the Vikings would trade Harris. Not so fast. Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press reports that the Vikings have been "actively discussing" a long-term contract with Harris. Now, there is [more]
It's official: The Bears and Jaguars both announced that the trade of quarterback Nick Foles from Jacksonville to Chicago is a done deal. The Jaguars will receive a compensatory fourth-round choice in return. It is the 140th overall selection. Foles, 31, played only four starts for the Jaguars after signing a four-year, $88 million contract. [more]
The Bears brought back a key special teams player Tuesday. Per the league's official transaction wire, the Bears have re-signed safety DeAndre Houston-Carson. The Bears' sixth-round pick from William & Mary in 2016, Houston-Carson only played three snaps of defense last year. Still, he played 342 snaps on special teams, obviously creating the kind of [more]
When linebacker Thomas Davis agreed to a contract with Washington, it didn't take long to come up with a reason why the veteran would continue his career with the NFC East squad. Head coach Ron Rivera was Davis' coach with the Panthers for eight seasons before Davis signed with the Panthers in 2019 and there [more]
Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Michael Brockers calls Jim Rome to evaluate NFL Draft Prospect Chase Young.
Check out highlights from Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers' six touchdown pass half from November 9th, 2014 against the Chicago Bears.
Smart has been cleared from the coronavirus since Friday, the sixth-year guard announced over the weekend.
Celtics guard Marcus Smart plans on donating his blood plasma to National COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma Project for research on the blood of those recovered from the coronavirus,
according to The Athletic's Shams Charania.Smart has been cleared from the coronavirus since Friday, the sixth-year guard announced over the weekend.
Head coach Brad Stevens said Friday that Smart was in "great spirits" and "joking as always."
Two weeks ago, Smart said in a video posted to social media that he tested positive for the coronavirus, but was asymptomatic. At the time of his public announcement, he had been in isolation for "several days," according to the Celtics' statement on the situation.
"I'm O.K. I feel fine," Smart said in his video announcement. "I don't feel any of the symptoms, but I can't stress enough practicing social distancing and really keeping yourself away from a large group of people."
Smart became the 10th NBA player with a confirmed positive test.
Plasma therapy, which delivers antibody-packed plasma from recovered patients to those still fighting off infection, could potentially serve as a critical way to fight against COVID-19.
It has been more than two weeks since the NBA suspended its season indefinitely. NBA commissioner Adam Silver said last week he's optimistic the season could be salvaged in some form, but did not know the timing.
"When public health officials give us the O.K.," Silver said.
As of Tuesday night, there are nearly 840,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus worldwide, causing more than 41,000 deaths. There are more than 183,000 confirmed cases in the United States, the most of any country globally.
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers throws for over 350 yards and two touchdowns in a 26-21 victory as Rodgers edges New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady in their first career matchup.
Los Angeles defensive lineman Isaac Rochell credits teammate Joey Bosa as being the best passer rusher in the league.
Sheltering in place is a common theme for people around the world. The same goes for NFL players trying stay in shape and keep their sanity during a global pandemic. Sports Illustrated spoke with Chargers defensive lineman Isaac Rochell about what he’s doing to keep busy and stay in peak physical condition.
Rochell just finished his third year in the NFL and considers himself blessed to live in Southern California, a place he describes as “the nicest part of the country.” Living in California certainly has its benefits, especially when it comes to exercise. Rochell says he “can go across the street to the beach and do beach workouts … it’s almost a blessing in disguise because it’s forced us to get out on the beach and do some sand workouts we wouldn’t normally do.”
The 24-year-old lineman out of Notre Dame says the Chargers' defensive line is the best in the country. Rochell credits teammate Joey Bosa as being the best passer rusher in the league and added the team’s depth and versatility allows Chargers defensive coordinator Gus Bradley to get creative with that group’s usage.
As for his thoughts on former teammates like quarterback Philip Rivers and running back Melvin Gordon, both of which signed with other teams this offseason, Rochelle admitted “it’s weird ... it’s definitely going to be an adjustment.”
While Gordon stayed in the AFC West by signing with the Broncos, Rochell has his sights on playing against the Chiefs. Not only is Kansas City a division rival, but they are also the reigning Super Bowl champions, something Rochell acknowledges “is in the back of your mind ... I’ll definitely be circling that game and be excited to go back out against them.”
Rochell started the community initiative
See You On Sunday two years ago in an effort to promote social media health and “being mindful of the effects social media can have on mental health.” His mission is simple, “to take Saturdays off social media and be intentional with your day.”Rochell admitted it’s hard to remove himself from social media, especially on Saturdays during Notre Dame games, but it’s been beneficial for his relations and “being more intent and spending time on the people I’m with and focusing on that time.”
The 6-foot-4, 280-pound lineman played in all 16 games the last two seasons and has seven sacks and 46 tackles in his career.
After being down 20-0, the Green Bay Packers were able to rally back with an Aaron Rodgers Hail Mary pass for a touchdown to beat to Lions 27-23 in Week 13 of the 2015 NFL season.
Here's the scouting report on our No. 35 overall prospect in the 2020 NFL draft.
The most baffling question of the NFL offseason: Are the Los Angeles Chargers really set on using Tyrod Taylor as their starting QB?
Heading into 2020, there are a lot of teams who have played musical chairs with their starting quarterback. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers let NFL passing yards leader Jameis Winston leave so that they could sign Tom Brady, the Carolina Panthers waived Cam Newton to sign Teddy Bridgewater and the Los Angeles Chargers let Philip Rivers go and sign a one-year deal with the Indianapolis Colts. The Chargers were the runner-up in the Tom Brady sweepstakes, but after losing out of him, they have decided to use Tyrod Taylor as their starter and draft a rookie early on in this year’s NFL Draft. Does this move make sense?
Interestingly, I think this is the correct move for the long-term success of the franchise. Bringing in a quarterback like Cam Newton or Jameis Winston would cost the team upwards of $25-30 million per season, which would take up a large amount of salary cap space. Tyrod Taylor is in the second year of a two-year deal that he signed for just $11 million last offseason. Additionally, if they draft a quarterback in the first-round of this year’s draft they will have that player secured for five years at a reasonable rookie contract.
Teams like the Rams and Chiefs have shown in recent years that one of the key ways to make a Super Bowl run is to have a relatively inexpensive quarterback on a rookie deal (such as Jared Goff and Patrick Mahomes) and then spend the rest on the other needs of the team. Other teams, like the Detroit Lions and Cincinnati Bengals, have shown that overpaying for mediocre quarterback play (Matt Stafford and Andy Dalton, respectively) is a recipe for missing the playoffs.
To that end, the Chargers have had one of the better free agent signing periods. They have used their resources to solidify their defense by bringing in DT Linval Joseph from the Vikings and CB Chris Harris from the Broncos. They also spent a ton of money to fortify their offensive line by signing OT Bryan Bulaga from the Green Bay Packers. These three moves will arguably help their team more than the addition of one salary-cap eating quarterback.
Many fantasy experts are surprised that the team is willing to go into the 2020 season with Taylor as the starter, but the Chargers seem firm in their resolve. Taylor is a very smart player whose TD/INT ratio is one of the best in the league. In Taylor’s three main years as the starter for the Buffalo Bills, he threw 51 TD passes with only 16 INTs. Rivers alone had 20 interceptions just last season.
Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn grew quite frustrated with Rivers’ mistakes by season’s end and admittedly thought about turning to Taylor during the season but felt that he could not do so with Rivers around. In 2020, look for Taylor to start at least the first eight games while the team grooms their rookie starter-to-be,
even if Taylor isn't ready to declare himself the starter yet. Taylor’s solid presence allows the team to take their time and make sure that the player is ready as opposed to just throwing him out and hoping for the best.As for who that player will be, I predict that it will either be Tua Tagovailoa from Alabama or Justin Herbert from Oregon. It is expected that the Bengals will take QB Joe Burrow with the first overall pick and Washington is expected to take Ohio State DE Chase Young with the second overall pick. The Lions pick third and it would behoove either Miami (who owns pick five) or Los Angeles (who owns pick six) to make a deal with either Detroit at pick three or the New York Giants at pick four to make sure they get their man. If the Chargers end up not getting either Tua or Herbert, they might be forced into re-evaluating their Taylor strategy.
Assuming Taylor starts, this does not bode well for the fantasy stats of many of the Chargers’ skill players. Running back Austin Ekeler will get about 16-18 touches per game, and backup RB Justin Jackson should see about 10-12 carries as well. In the conservative offense that the Chargers are expected to run, WR Keenan Allen should see a decent number of targets, but I do worry about the targets of TE Hunter Henry and WR Mike Williams. In particular, Williams could struggle as he is the Chargers’ main downfield threat and Taylor does not like to take too many chances downfield.
In fantasy football terms, Ekeler is likely a late-first, early-second-round player, Keenan Allen is a lock for Round 3, but Hunter Henry and Mike Williams both should see their fantasy stock drop off. I expect that Henry could slide somewhere from Round 6 in 2019 to Round 8 or 9 in 2020 and Mike Williams could slide from Round 4 in 2019 to Round 6 in 2020.
Lynn and the Chargers front office are counting on this plan working to help change the team’s fortunes. While this is certainly possible, I would feel much better about the whole situation if they trade up for one of those early draft picks to make sure they get their quarterback of the future.
MORE FROM SI:
Top 10 All-Time Fantasy Football Campaigns
Five NFL Free Agents That Have Fantasy Football Value
2020 Fantasy Football: One-Man First Round Mock Draft
2020 NFL Mock Draft: Fantasy Football Implications
Hall of Fame running back Terrell Davis talks about how he and his family are dealing with quarantine during the coronavirus pandemic, the latest NFL free agency news, and donating to Feeding America.
Hall of Fame running back turned NFL Network analyst and
CBD beverage entrepreneur, Terrell Davis, is typically very busy, especially during the NFL season. But now that he, like most of the country, is practicing self-isolation due to the coronavirus pandemic, Davis finds himself with a lot more free time, which he happily welcomes.Davis, a father of three, told Sports Illustrated he is taking full advantage of the extra down time by spending it with his family.
"These are moments we otherwise wouldn't have gotten a chance to do." The former Broncos running back went on to say he is trying to "relish this moment because there is going to be a time when they get old and they move out and I won't have time to spend with them, so I'm trying to take advantage."
The two-time Super Bowl champion cited the importance of having a positive mindset to make the most out of a bad situation. He recently made a generous donation to Feeding America, which is the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization. Davis' CBD beverage company, DEFY, sent $400,000 worth of product which included 50,000 bottles, to food banks in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and Detroit.
The 1998 NFL MVP stressed the importance of giving back and trying to make a difference in a time of need. He said, "we want to encourage everyone out there to just give ... whatever you have, whether it's time, whether it's money, whether it's product because that's the only way we are going to get through this thing.
Davis also dived into NFL free agency and specifically discussed two superstar running backs, Todd Gurley and Melvin Gordon, both of which signed on with new teams in 2020. The former Broncos running back likes the landing spot in Denver for Gordon.
"Melvin brings a different style of running back, he's a bigger back, he's more of a power back, with some finesse and some wiggle in his body."
When asked about the direction of running back contracts in the league, Davis admitted he "hates to see it," specifically pointing out Titans running back Derrick Henry, who was franchised tagged this year. Davis says the landscape in the NFL and the way general managers and coaches approach running back contracts dictates the philosophy of not investing big money in rushers.
Davis capped off the interview by discussing the Netflix documentary "Tiger King." As for his thoughts on Joe Exotic and his crew of zoo-workers, he said: "anybody in that industry that is willing to go in a cage or to be around exotic animals like that, you just can't have it all there ... those people are just not all there."
Chargers' prize free-agent acquisition, corner Chris Harris Jr., was drawn to his new team; right tackle Bryan Bulaga and linebacker Nick Vigil too.
New York Knicks owner James Dolan has tested positive for COVID-19.
The New York Knicks announced that owner James Dolan has tested positive for the coronavirus. The team said he is experiencing little to no symptoms.
NBA teams and players have donated more than $38 million and nearly 1.5 million meals since the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the league.
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) -- Arkansas guard Mason Jones has declared for the NBA draft.
Celtics coach Brad Stevens can only remember leaving his home on a few occasions over the past two weeks. It is part of the new status quo for coaches and players across the NBA since the coronavirus pandemic sparked a rolling shutdown of professional sports across the globe. The new coronavirus has caused a global pandemic that has sickened at least 597,000 and killed more than 27,000 worldwide, crippled economies and forced restrictions on the movement of millions of people in an effort to stop the virus from spreading further and overwhelming health care systems.
Vanderbilt guard Saben Lee has declared for the NBA draft. School officials announced Lee's decision Friday, pointing out the 6-foot-2 junior hasn't hired an agent and still has the option to return to school. Lee can return to school for his final season of eligibility if he withdraws from the draft pool by June 3.
Denver’s players, if they're so willing, have the same assignment each day: Go to their phone or tablet, launch an app and view their individualized daily workout plan that was created by the Nuggets’ strength and conditioning staff. For now, it’s the best idea the Nuggets have - as they, like every other NBA team, are figuring out new ways to do almost everything. Nobody knows when NBA players will be in a game again, with the season on hold because of the global coronavirus pandemic.
Point guard Killian Hayes averaged 12 points and 5.6 assists per game in the Bundesliga before it suspended operations due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Doris Burke said she's doing well after testing positive for COVID-19.
A two-time first-team all-conference performer, Justin Turner is considered one of the top graduate transfers available.
Brees and Curry know their star power goes a long way, especially in a crisis.
HawgBeat's coverage of Arkansas basketball is brought to you by CJ's Butcher Boy Burgers, which has locations in Fayetteville and Russellville. FAYETTEVILLE — Mason Jones will forgo his senior season at Arkansas and enter the 2020 NBA Draft, he announced Friday via Twitter. The star guard’s decision means the Razorbacks must replace their leading scorer for the fourth straight year.
Rudy Gobert's positive test led to the postponement of the NBA season.
LaJethro Jenkins highlights the legendary scoring ability of Carmelo Anthony.
Danny Ainge said he is the only one still working out of the Celtics’ facility, despite the NBA banning all staff and players from them last week.
NFL Network's Michael Robinson asks how the Rams let running back Todd Gurley leave for Atlanta.
Here's the scouting report on our No. 35 overall prospect in the 2020 NFL draft.
Pro Football Focus shows why New England Patriots' offensive troubles in 2019 weren't on quarterback Tom Brady.
NFL Network's Steve Smith Sr believes Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs trade takes pressure off of Bills' defense.
NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport discusses the owners conference calls that will include a expanded-playoff vote.
Antonio Brown can cross Tampa Bay off his list.
The Bears made tight end Jimmy Graham’s two-year, $16 million deal official on Thursday.
Yahoo Sports' Eric Edholm details how the Buffaloes wide receiver is made to make it to the professional level and could have an impact similar to one breakout rookie from 2019.
Hayden Winks pairs each mock draft selection with an NFL Draft prop bet. (Getty Images)
As the reality of life amid the coronavirus pandemic continues to sink in, the NFL needs to be sinking its teeth into the reality that a normal football season won't happen this year. Given the predictions and projections for the ongoing spread of the virus, and in light of the reality that different NFL cities [more]
The Redskins signed former Eagles cornerback Ronald Darby to a one-year contract on Sunday.
New England Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore wasn't shocked to see Tom Brady sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in free agency.
It's been a long time since I've answered reader questions in this space. Answering questions has been, for several years, a facet of the PFT Live radio/TV show and the PFTPM podcast. But without as much happening this weekend as ordinarily would be (today would be the first day of the annual league meetings, with [more]
The Lions have signed a free agent wide receiver away from a division rival. Geronimo Allison, who has played the first four years of his career in Green Bay, signed with Detroit today. The 26-year-old Allison had a career-high 34 catches last season, but he also had a career-low average of 8.4 yards per catch. [more]
Colts left tackle Anthony Castonzo wasn't sure about continuing his playing career when the 2019 season came to an end, but he ultimately decided to sign a new deal that will keep him in Indianapolis. Castonzo outlined the thought process behind that decision during an appearance on SiriusXM NFL Radio. He said he felt well [more]
Philip Rivers is going to be playing quarterback for the Colts this year and he said his relationship with head coach Frank Reich, offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni and tight ends coach Jason Michael was a big factor in his decision to sign with the team. All three were assistants for the Chargers during Rivers' long [more]
The news that the Falcons have agreed to terms with a former XFL player raised an interesting point regarding a much more high profile acquisition that the Falcons have made during the ongoing free agency period. The Falcons have said not a word about agreeing to terms with running back Todd Gurley. The revised rules [more]
The Rams spent the last couple years making win-now moves, trading first-round draft picks and paying players expensive contracts. This is the year the bill comes due. Rams Chief Operating Officer Kevin Demoff says the team understood all along that the 2020 offseason would be a year in which they'd have to say goodbye to [more]
